9/9/02
290
Syllabus
Course Information
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Course Name and Number: |
Geography of Popular Culture-Geography 290 |
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Instructor: |
Steve Graves |
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Class Room: |
PAVB 113 |
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Scheduled Class Time: |
MWF 11:00-12:15 |
Contact Dr. Graves
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Office: |
GTM 127C |
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Office phone: |
257-2774 |
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E-Mail: |
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Office Hours: |
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Department Phone: |
257-3427 |
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Course Description
290: Geography of Popular
Culture. 0-3-3 Examines the patterns and processes of American
popular culture. Topics include the geography of sports, music,
television, movies and popular architecture.
This class is designed to introduce students to
spatial thinking via popular culture. Although we may cover "fun"
topics such as rap music or stock car racing, this course approaches these
subjects with all due academic seriousness. The ability to understand and
analyze various components of our everyday culture is an important skill, one critical
to your success in other courses and outside the university. The objective of
this course is to provide you with a variety of conceptual tools unique to
geography that will help you better understand the world around you.
Required Materials
Carney, George O. (ed.) 1995. Fast
Food, Stock Cars, and Rock ‘n’ Roll: Place and Space in American Pop Culture.
Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield.
Course Reading Packet: Available
in the Department of Social Sciences office (Room 137 GTM).
Classroom Activities
Class time will be largely
devoted to discussion of assigned readings. Generally, I will try to use
lectures to direct your attention to significant matters assigned in the
readings or to supplement readings. The more the class discusses, the less I
lecture. Other learning activities may include: map reading and construction,
studying local applications of topics, watching films and videos and listening
to music.
Click
to go to Class Reading and Assignment Page
Attendance and Classroom Obligations.
Attendance is mandatory. In accordance with
university policy, attendance will be taken each class session and used to aid
in your quarter-end evaluation. If you must miss a class AND you miss an
in-class assignment, you must produce a written excuse in order to make up your
work, or to be excused from taking the assignment.
Because irregular attendance can become a chronic problem
that undermines the overall quality of my courses, I require students to sign a
course contract, which essentially states that they have read the course
policies and that they agree to follow them.
Click here to access the course contract
Quizzes
During the quarter, a number of quizzes will be
administered on-line. These quizzes are
intended to promote reading of the material, prior to the day of the
lecture. You will be responsible for 20
of the 25 quizzes. Each additional quiz
you turn in will be counted as a small “bonus” points.
Major Exams
There will be two exams during the quarter. The second exam
will not be comprehensive. The format of the test will be largely
multiple choice.
Make-up Exams. . If a person misses an exam
and is able to produce a valid and verifiable excuse for his or her absence
then he or she will be allowed to take an equivalent exam within one week of
their return to class. Failure to produce a valid excuse for a missed exam will
result in a grade of 0 for that exam.
Writing Assignments
During the course of the several short writing assignments
may be issued. You will be asked to
read a newspaper article, analyze a map, etc. and write a one page response
paper. Details will be forthcoming in class and on the writing
assignments web page.
Map Quizzes
Depending on the course, several map quizzes may be
administered during the quarter. These quizzes are for most an easy source of
grade points and are designed to test you on the most basic components of
geographic knowledge.
Obligations
- Attendance will be taken at
every session in accordance with University policy. Students are expected
to arrive on time for class and to remain until dismissed. Failure to
attend class or to be less than punctual will influence your grade.
For more details, click
here to see my official attendance policy.
- Food, drink and tobacco
products are not allowed inside the classroom.
Evaluation
Grades will be determined by your performance on the
various assignments and tests as well as your attendance/participation where appropriate.
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Tentative Grading Regime |
Percent |
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Attendance and participation |
5 |
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Quizzes (25) |
25 |
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Exam I |
35 |
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Exam II |
35 |
Grade Scale
A = (90-100%)
B = (80-89%)
C = (70-79%)
D = (60-69%)
F = (59% or less)
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Geography Home
If you have comments or suggestions, email me at sgraves@latech.edu