Geography of Texas

Geography 305   Spring 1997 HECC 110, T-Th 3:55 to 5:10   Dr. Sarah W. Bednarz   Office Hours: Tuesday and Wednesday, 9:30 to 11:00 or by appointment, Room 1009A O&M Building s-bednarz@tamu.edu

Teaching Assistant: Brian Cardner, Office Hours: 3:00 to 5:00 Monday, Room 804, O&M Building

bcc@geog.tamu.edu

These boxes link you to the Table of Contents below which, in turn, will link you to additional pages related to this course.All course materials are arranged by topic below. The topic pages include topic objectives and outline notes as well as links to relevant web-based resources.

Explore and enjoy!

GRADES

Click the map of Texas to get class updates and bulletins.

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Table of Contents

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Introduction to Geography 305

Here are some pieces of information which will help you through the semester.

Syllabus

Office Hours

Tuesday and Wednesday, 9:30-11:00 or by appointment

Jordon, Bean, and Holmes. 1984. Texas. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.
Dallas Morning News. 1995. 1996-1997 Texas Almanac
Workbook: Activities and Readings in the Geography of Texas (ARGOT). Available from Copy Corner, 1710 Geo. Bush Drive, College Station, 693-0640.

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Course Outline

Date	Topic	Reading Assignment	Activity
January 14	Thinking Like a Geographer		Activity 1: Climates
January 21	The Environment of Texas and Human Interaction with It	Chapter 2
February 4	The People of Texas: Today and in the Past	Chapter 3 Reading: Selena Country	Activity 2: Population
February 18	The Migration, Settlement and Development of Texas: Texas to 1860; 1861 to 1900; 1900 to the Present	Chapter 4, Chapter 9 (200-204)	Activity 3: Ethnicity
February 18 Workbook Activities 1 & 2 due at the beginning of class. February 27 Test I, Bring Scantron (Test & Measurement) Will include information from ARGOT activities and readings.
March 6			Workbook Activity 3 due at the beginning of class.
March 25	The Culture(s) of Texas: Change and Continuity: Religion, Language and Landscape	Chapter 5, 6, 9 (the rest), 1, 12 Reading: Deep East Texas
April 8	Politics in Texas	Chapter 7 Reading: Cumulative Voting
April 15	The Economy(ies) of Texas: Earning a Living	Chapter 8, 11	Activity 4: City/Market Growth
April 24			Workbook Activity 4 due at the beginning of class.
April 29	Urban Texas&endash;Cities and the Future	Chapter 10
Test II, May 6 1:00-3:00 p.m. Bring Scantron (Test & Measurement) Will include information from ARGOT activities and readings.

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Course Requirements

1. Two examinations (66% of your grade).
The exams will cover class lectures, readings from Jordan et.al., and knowledge and skills gained from completing ARGOT activities and readings. The tests are not cumulative.

2. Activities and Readings in the Geography of Texas (ARGOT) activities (33% of your grade).
How much do you know and can do with geography? These activities are designed to give you hands-on experience in discovering more about the topics discussed in class. Take time to do well on these activies. Quality is important. Work with a study group to ensure accuracy and completeness. Each activity will count equally and be graded using a scoring rubric. Read the assigned articles carefully--as you do the text.

Final grades are awarded by examining the distribution of grades at the end of the semester.
Where you stand in relation to the rest of the class is more important than your absolute grade.

3. Attend class.
It is imperative that you attend class on a daily basis in order to secure the knowledge necessary to succeed in this course. Despite the fact that this is a large class, I invite questions and comments about the topic and especially how it relates to current events. Should you miss class, however, please get the notes from a fellow student or your study group, not me.

4. Keep up with the reading.
The lectures will be more meaningful and thus valuable if you keep up with the reading in your text, contemporary events in Texas, and do ARGOT activities regularly. Discuss issues with members of your study group.

5. Study group.
I recommend but do not require you to form a study groups with no more than three other members. This group should serve as a support group for members that:

• gives assistance, support, and encouragement for mastering course content and skills,
• gives assistance, support, and encouragement for thinking critically about the course content, explaining precisely what one learns, engaging in intellectual discussion, getting work done on time, and applying what is learned to one's own life, and
• provides a structure for managing the course requirements, e.g., workbook activities, attendance, assessments (tests).

Even though each of you is personally responsible for handing in each workbook activity and taking the tests, I suggest that you work cooperatively in a study group. More information on study groups is located in ARGOT.

6. Work with your group.

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Exam and Quiz Policy

If you are absent for an exam, there will be a make-up offered only if (1) you contact me either by phone or in person within 24 hours of the date, and (2) you provide me with a written doctor's note stating that you were incapacitated and unable to attend the exam. I will not contact the Health Center, nor is it a sufficient excuse for you to have been at the Health Center and thus to have missed the exam. Check University regulations regarding excused absences. If in doubt, call.

Scholastic Dishonesty

Please see pp 24-25 of the University Regulations. I encourage you to work with a study group to complete workbook assignments and study. Note, however, that providing answers for any assigned work or copying someone else's work, either with or without their permission, is considered unethical and a violation of the University Code of Honor. It will cause you to lose all workbook activity credit for the semester. Work cooperatively in your group and contribute; do not copy blindly.

Internet and the WWW

I encourage students to use technology to communicate with me and to learn more about this class and the geography of Texas. Throughout the semester I will provide information about WWW sources related to the course. Please communicate with me via e-mail. I generally check my mail several times a day and will reply promptly to your inquiries.

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Hints for Study Groups

Groups are optional but recommended

United we stand; divided we fall

A chain is only as strong as each of its links

The two main purposes of study groups are for members to:

1. provide each other with the support, encouragement, and assistance need to complete assignments and make good academic progress. This includes letting absent group members know what went on in class and interacting informally between classes discussing assignments and helping each other with workbook activities and preparing for tests.
2. hold each other accountable for striving to make academic progress.

Some things that your study group can do include:

All members of each group are expected to:

• contribute actively to the class discussion,
• work to maintain effective working relationships with other participants,
• complete all assignments, and
• assist group members in completing their assignments.

If problems within a group arise, e.g., if one member does not contribute to the group or participate in group activities, or if one or two members let others in the group shoulder the burden of the work and expect to benefit, then, the group may chose to expell that individual or individuals.

Chose your group carefully.

Be sure to:
· exchange phone numbers and information about schedules so you can meet outside of class.
· sit together in class if possible.
· review class notes and reading outlines.
· expect to learn, to enjoy, and to discover.
· get silent group members involved.
· work at giving good feedback to each other.
· take time to get to know your study group as humans.