Course Directors: Professor David J. Keeling, Geography & Geology.
Office: EST 304, Phone: 745-4555, EMail: david.keeling@wku.edu
Professor John Dizgun, History.
Office: EST 352, Phone: 745-6486.
Office Hours: Check with the professor and by appointment.
MACHU PICHU, PERU
COURSE PURPOSE:
This course fulfills the Category E general education requirement. It will help you attain these general education goals and objectives:
*** An appreciation of the complexity and variety of the world’s cultures.
This is an interdisciplinary course that introduces you to the cultures and societies of Latin America. In each section of the course you gain an appreciation for the major topics,
themes, and processes that have shaped, and continue to shape, Latin America. You benefit from the unique perspectives and insights that each discipline has to offer.
Each participating instructor has a broad and deep level of interest and experience in the region, which serves to enrich the learning process. This course also is a required foundational course for the Minor in Latin American Studies.
All course reading assignments and lectures are intended to help you develop an appreciation for the complexity and variety of this region’s culture.
REQUIRED READING:
(1) Martin, Cheryl and Mark Wasserman (2008) Latin America and its People. 2nd. Edn. New York: Pearson Longman. Available at the College Bookstores (probably shelved under GEOG200 or one of the crosslisted course numbers);
(2) Material provided by the instructors and handed out in class or provided online.
GRADING:
There are three exams in this course (two one-hour section essay exams and the final two-hour multiple-choice exam, all of which are in a key concept-driven, critical-thinking format. The midterm exams are essay, short answer, and map work, while the final is multiple choice).
Each section exam is worth 25% (125 points) and the final exam is worth 25% (125 points). Fifty bonus points will be allocated proportionately to the highest of your exam scores. Attendance and participation
are expected and are required, and are crucial to your success in this course. Fifteen percent of the course grade (75 points) is allocated for attendance, participation, and study/quiz assignments. Total points available for the course equal 500.
Grades are allocated as follows: A = 90-100%; B = 80-89.9%; C = 70-79.9%; D = 60-69.9%;
F = <60%.
ATTENDANCE POLICY:
Please make every effort to come to class on time. The class ends at 3:40 pm, so do not begin packing up materials until the appropriate time as it disturbs other students.
If you attend class, the instructor will assume that you are present to learn the course material, not to talk with your neighbors, read the newspaper, or do homework for another class.
Please turn off your cellphones or put them on vibrate while you are in this class. If you must leave class early for whatever reason, you must communicate this to the instructor
before class starts. If these rules are not to your liking, I urge you to drop this course immediately and take something else. Those students who stay with the course and who
attend regularly generally get more from the course than students who miss class. Excessive absences (both excused and unexcused) will have a negative effect on your grade
(5 or more absences will justify loss of at least one letter grade). Excused absences are given only for official academic/university related activities that are communicated in writing to
the instructor BEFORE the beginning of class or for special DOCUMENTED situations (illness, for example). Any student who accumulates 8 absences of any type will receive an automatic
"F" for the course – this is non-negotiable. In any event, a student MUST be present in class at the appointed time, and stay until the end of class, to receive the daily attendance points
for that class. All exams and quizzes must be completed as scheduled in order to complete the course. Make-up exams are given only under VERY SPECIAL circumstances.
Students are reminded that they are allowed only to sign THEIR OWN NAME on the attendance sheet! Receipt of the syllabus signifies acceptance of the course requiremments and regulations.
Here is what we expect from students:
· You will treat everyone in the class, including the professor, with the respect due to all human beings.
· You will attend every class, give your full attention to the material, and conduct yourself in an appropriate manner.
· You will agree to do the work outlined in the syllabus on time.
· You will acknowledge that previous academic preparation (e.g., writing skills) will affect your performance in this course.
· You will acknowledge that your perception of effort, by itself, is not enough to justify a distinguished grade.
· You will not plagiarize or otherwise steal the work of others.
· You will not make excuses for your failure to do what you ought.
· You will accept the consequences -- good and bad -- of your actions.
Here is what students can expect from us:
· We will treat you with the respect due to all human beings.
· We will not discriminate against you on the basis of your identity or your well-informed viewpoints.
· We will manage the class in a professional manner. That may include educating you in appropriate behavior.
· We will prepare carefully for every class.
· We will begin and end class on time.
· We will teach only in areas of our professional expertise. If we do not know something, we will say so.
· We will conduct scholarly research and publication with the aim of making ourselves more informed teachers.
· We will return your assignments quickly with appropriate feedback.
· We will pursue the maximum punishment for plagiarism, cheating, and other violations of academic integrity.
· We will keep careful records of your attendance, performance, and progress.
· We will investigate every excuse for non-attendance of classes and non-completion of assignments.
· We will make ourselves available to you for advising.
· We will maintain confidentiality concerning your performance.
· We will be honest with you.
· Your grade will reflect the quality of your work and nothing else.
· We are interested in your feedback about the class, but we are more interested in what you learned than how you feel.
** NOTE: Latin American Studies 200 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 cited deadlines for dropping a course. In exceptional cases the deadline for schedule changes (dropping a course) 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, we urge you to follow the established guidelines. Remember that a $20 fee applies to all course changes initiated after the deadline for dropping a course.
Student Disability Services
In compliance with university policy, students with disabilities who require accommodations (academic adjustments and/or auxiliary aids or services) for this course must contact the Office for Student Disability Services in DUC A-200 of the Student Success Center in Downing University Center.
Please DO NOT request accommodations directly from the professor or instructor without a letter of accommodation from the Office for Student Disability Services.
Course Outline and Reading Assignments LAS 200 Fall 2007
Refer to the course syllabus posted on Topnet for detailed information about course topics and reading assignments.
Click on current syllabus for the latest version of the course syllabus.
Final Exam: Tuesday December 11, 2007, 1:00 - 3:00pm.
HAPPY STUDYING!!
To email the course instructors, just click on: david.keeling@wku.edu or john.dizgun@wku.edu.
To view the MAP LOCATION STUDY GUIDE, just click on: LOCATION GUIDE.
Click on current syllabus for the latest version of the course syllabus.
To email the course instructors, just click on: david.keeling@wku.edu or john.dizgun@wku.edu.