POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY ...... Fall 1998

Professor: David J. Keeling

Office: EST 431, Voice: 745-5986, Fax: 745-6410, Email: david.keeling@wku.edu

Web: http://www.wku.edu/~keelidj/index.htm

Office Hours: TR(F) 0800-0900, 1530-1630, or by appointment. If I'm in my office, I'll be happy to talk to you just about anytime.

This class meets TR(F) 11:45-12:45, Room 355.

*** In this course we examine political patterns and processes from a geographical perspective. We look at the political organization of territory in different parts of the world and we examine the spatial relationships between political patterns and a variety of related phenomena, including resources, militarization, cultural regions, and economic development. In addition, we focus on the impact of the political pattern on human understanding, use, and alteration of the environment.

*** Required Textbook: Martin Glassner (1993) Political Geography. New York: Wiley. Available at the various college bookstores.

*** Student Evaluations: Two midterm reviews (15% each), a final review (25%), and research paper and presentation (35%), and attendance and participation (10%). In addition, graduate students are expected to complete an analysis of two current research articles (details to be provided). Grades are allocated as follows: A= 90-100, B=80-89.90, C=70-79.90, D=60-69.90, F= <60.

Basic Rules and Requirements:

*** You are required to think critically and to participate in class discussions. The course requires a commitment of 5 hours of class time every two weeks (TR, TRF), plus approximately 5 hours of outside reading, research, and studying weekly. If you cannot commit to at least this level of engagement with the course, you probably will not achieve your full potential in this course.

*** You must commit to regular attendance and to participation in class discussions and analyses of problems. Please make every effort to come to class on time. The class begins at 11:45 and ends at 12:45 each meeting period. Do not begin packing up your materials until I have formally ended the class meeting as this is rude behavior and disturbs other students.

*** The only excused absences given are absences for official and legitimate university or academic activities. All other absences are unexcused and will affect the final grade negatively if they are excessive. For example, if you miss more than 10% of the scheduled class meetings unexcused, you are penalized at least one letter grade for the course. All papers, assignments, exams, and other assigned work must be completed and submitted on time in order to pass the course.

*** I have a zero tolerance for cheating of any kind. Any type of academically and ethically dishonest work (plagiarism, copying someone else's work, etc.) will result in an automatic "F" for the course and notification of the appropriate academic authority. Please review carefully the rules of academic citation for your research paper, as this is where many students run into plagiarism problems. Talk to me early and often if you don't understand these rules.

*** The Department of Geography and Geology strictly adheres to the course drop policy found in the undergraduate and graduate catalogs. It is the sole responsibility of individual students to meet the published deadlines for dropping a course. In exceptional cases the deadline for schedule changes may be waived. The successful waiver will require a written description of extenuating circumstances and relevant documentation. Poor academic performance, general malaise, or undocumented general stress factors are NOT considered legitimate extenuating circumstances. Since the granting of such waivers is rare, I urge you to follow the established guidelines.

COURSE OUTLINE AND READING ASSIGNMENTS:

Part I. Political - Geographic Patterns that Shape the World

Part II. The Political Geography of Everyday Life:

Part III. Political Geography in Practical Settings:

FINAL EXAM: Tuesday 12/15/98 at 10:30 - 12:30

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End of syllabus.

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Last updated on 2/08/01.