Dr. Hawley

M-F

3 Week Ssummer Session 2002

Office:CESM Bldg.82 Rm.204

Ph.x-1251, e-mail d.hawley @nau.edu (preferred)

Course Description

This course provides students with a deeper understanding of the regional, cultural, physical, economic, and historic geographic diversity and complexity of the past and present United States landscape. The Thematic Foci are Valuing the Diversity of Human Experience and Environmental Consciousness as geographic studies investigate interrelationships of the factors that instigate and evolve into definable landscapes. Technology and Its Impact is also a factor, although to a lesser degree. This course begins with a regional overview of the physical landscape including climatic vegetative, topographic, and natural resource factors. The historic settlement patterns of major groups are discussed next encompassing such topics as land tenure systems, cultural migrations, and manufacturing/agricultural hearth areas. The physical and historic issues provide a foundation for discussions on present day regions and a wide range of topics including: *The US Land Survey System and its spatial impact across the United States*Migration and current demographic trends *Urban system development, transportation, and technology diffusion *Economic restructuring and public policy *Rural issues, natural resources, and federal policies/agencies *Vernacular cultures and landscapes of poverty and elitism *Regional perception and the media *Boundary issues, policies, and trade (Canada, Mexico, and the Pacific Rim).

The Distribution Block is Social and Political Worlds. As a regional geography course, the complex interrelationships that create landscape over time include physical, cultural, political, and economic factors. In addition to the diversity within the United States, past and present issues from outside this country are also included providing past and current contexts. The Essential Skills encompassed in this course include Critical Thinking, Critical Reading, and Effective Writing. These skills are achieved through the Course Objectives and Assessment Methods below:

Course Objectives/Learning Outcomes

Students will: *be able to demonstrate an understanding of the different physical regions and natural resource attributes, and realities affecting public lands (Thematic Foci: environmental consciousness, technology and its impact, valuing the diversity of human experience; Essential Skills: critical thinking and reading) *be able to identify past and present cultural regions, settlement patterns, and understand urban systems evolution and economics and their influence in making the current American landscape (Thematic Foci: technology and its impact, valuing the diversity of human experience; Essential Skills: critical thinking, writing and reading) *be able to demonstrate a working knowledge of the US Land Survey System, its spatial attributes, and work quantitative and descriptive problems (Thematic Foci: environmental consciousness, technology and its impact, ; Essential Skills: critical thinking and writing) *be able to discuss the role of perception and influences such as mass media in creating "place" (Thematic Foci: technology and its impact, valuing the diversity of human experience; Essential Skills: critical thinking and writing) *be able to demonstrate an understanding of the complexity of interrelationships between various geographic themes (political, historic, economic, rural-urban, cultural, social and physical geography) (Thematic Foci: environmental consciousness, technology and its impact, valuing the diversity of human experience; Essential Skills: critical thinking and reading) *be able to demonstrate knowledge of current events and critically assess their ramifications in different regions both in written and oral form Thematic Foci: environmental consciousness, technology and its impact, valuing the diversity of human experience; Essential Skills: critical thinking and reading)

Course Structure

This course is taught primarily as a lecture course. Additional information on specific topics or regions is provided through a variety of methods including videos, slides, written articles, maps, tape recordings, and artifacts. Discussions of current situations affecting the United States are expected.

Textbooks

The Making of the American Landscape. Ed. Michael Conzen. London:Unwin Hyman, 1990. Historical Atlas of the United States. New York: Hammond Press, 1996. Citation World Atlas. New York: Hammond Press, 1997.

Course Outline

This schedule is subject to modification as needed

• WEEK TOPICs
• 1 Introduction, Physical Landscape and Concepts, Past Landscapes: Native American, Past Landscapes: Spanish, French, Anglo (possible US Today move up)
• CONZEN chs.1, 2, 3, 4
• In class culture assignment
• EXAM 1

• 2 US Today, Northeast/New England , Megalopolis and the Mid-Atlantic, Creating Washington, D.C., Appalachia and Ozarks (Poverty and Policy), Deep South and its Changing Face, US Land Survey System, Midwest Agriculture and Industry
• CONZEN chs.5*,14*,16, 6, 7,13
• Videos: The World that Moses Built, Inside the White House, Breakfast from New Orleans, Underground Railroad,
• EXAM 2

• 3 Great Plains and Gateways, Empty Interior: Resources in Transition and Regional Perception, Southwest and Multicultural Identities California, Water, and Transportation, Pacific Northwest :Trade Issues and Isolation, Alaska & Hawaii, Land Issues, Economics, and Cultural Identities
• CONZEN chs. 9,10*,18, 15,17
• Videos: Great Drives (if time), Kenai Fjords, Assorted taped lifestyle segments, City Slickers (if time), The Life and Times
• EXAM 3

Note: Map exercises are due on Fridays. Please make a xerox copy to turn in. Use the original as a study tool. Extra maps as well as the lists can be found @ www2.nau.edu/~rdh5

Evaluation Methods and Deadlines

In order to assess the student's achievements and understanding, five instruments will be used. 1. Exams There will be three written examinations including the final. These will be both objective and subjective (short essay) in nature. These will test the student's comprehension of the complexity of the interrelationships between geographic themes (such as political, historical, physical, cultural, and social geography) and their relationship to the past and present landscapes. These landscapes include public land interfaces, urban and rural systems, perceived and cultural regions, and economic regions/boundaries. All matter introduced in class including videos, recordings, readings, and discussions may be included on the examination. Critical thinking and writing is expected on the written portion of the examination. 2. Map Work Three map exercises will be given during the semester. These are directly related to the regions studied and will use atlases required by the instructor. The map exercises will assist the student in a spatial understanding of urban place site and situation, cultural attributes, and region locations and resources. 3. Event Discussions Discussions based on current situations and articles as possible in class. Students will be expected to tie the events to geographic themes such as migration, regional perception, economic restructuring, public lands policy, and historic and cultural contexts. 4. Personal Experience Writing Assignments Students will be asked to write and discuss their personal experiences in regard to A) how they have "taken their culture with them" by tracing places they have lived and their family's experience, and the cultural attributes that have been "collected" by the student over the years, and B) briefly writing in class their perceptions of regions in the United States versus personal experience with the same areas. These assignments require the student to assess their own experiences in regard to geography. The cultural exercise brings awareness of cultural history and its evolution as the student ties facets of his/her life to "place." The perception exercise requires the student to evaluate his/her perception of regions and the influences of mass media versus their actual experience in the same regions. 5. US Land System Survey Map Exercise Group map work is used to teach the fundamental design of the land system, legal descriptions and calculating land divisions. The map work is also instrumental in giving the student working knowledge of the US Land Survey System and the impact the system has had on the local and national landscape. Students are expected to master this land division system.

Grading System

3 Exams @ 100 points each

3 Map exercises @ 25 points each

1 Culture exercise @ 25 points

90-100% A 80-89% B 70-79% C 60-69% D 59% and below is failing

Course Policies

Makeup Exam, Late Exercises: Exams can be made up only with an approved university excuse or a letter from the Dean of Students. Requests for makeups must be made to the professor in writing. Late exercises are unacceptable.

Attendance: Attendance is mandatory. Consistent absences will be reported to the Dean of Students. Do not expect to skip class and read the book and do well. Conversely, you will not do well if you only come to class and never read the book. Incompletes: Incompletes are strongly discouraged and require a letter from the Dean of Students.

Statement on Plagiarism and Cheating: Evidence of Plagiarism or cheating will result in a grade of F for the course. This activity will also be reported to the Dean of Students. This is a situation for which students can be expelled from the university. (See also the attached university policy on Academic Integrity.)

Insurance: The university's self insurance policy policy does not cover students. You are strongly urged to check on insurance for yourself either through the university or your parents.

University and College Policies: See the university's Policy Statements and Classroom Behavior items. Keep in mind that this is a 300 level course and is taught as such. You will be expected to know detailed information as well as the general concepts. Think and study ahead.

 US Geography

Many of you are wondering by this point, what exactly is geography? I am going to try to explain my discipline to you. Geography is the study of space and place dealing with places or areas on the earth’s surface. Many of you were expecting to simply memorize state capitals, right? This is what we consider to be the lowest level of geography. We look at distributions (or lack of) of things over the earth’s surfaces relationships, causes, and we study specific places also. Just about any thing can be studied geographically. How many things or themes can you show on maps? Maps show spatially distributions and are the main tool of the geographer. This is one reason you have mapwork. It teaches you the distribution of places in the US.

 Geography has many themes or foci and the beauty of the science ( in my opinion), is that these are all inter-related--they impact on each other. We will be looking at historical, cultural, physical, economic, urban and rural, migration, perception and "sense of place" geographic aspects to the US landscape and its regions.

 Why the land looks as it does now is due to past decisions and the impact of cultures. This is why historical geographic knowledge is important. The Spanish had a much different impact than the French in the regions they attempted to settle. Cultural attributes are tied into this. Very different things were important to various cultures- as is true today. Therefore, we have different decisions being made that would impact on areas of the US. Decisions, particularly those relating to policy, impact what you will see around you next year. The buildings you see in Flagstaff today are the results of decisions made in the past.

 Cultural and physical geographic aspects help to create what we call a sense of place. This is the feeling you get when you walk in a forest or down the main street of a small town, and why it is different than traipsing down Broadway in New York City. Or why parts of New York City are so different; housing, specific ethnic groups in areas of the city. Call it an area’s character.

 Migration is another important theme that ties into the rest. Winter snowbirds come down to warm states in the winter and spend a lot of money. People from Phoenix do a weekend migration to Flagstaff and pump tourist dollars into the local economy- migration and economic geography. You have moved over your lifetime and bought baggage with you from your own past. For example, your parents are from the deep South region, and you grew up in the Midwest, you ate grits, cornbread (South), and on Sundays had roast and potatoes (Midwest). You still try to do this in Flagstaff. This is one reason you can find so many products in the grocery store- people’s cultures have dispersed across the US, making it economically wise to stack different items. Geographers study demographics, behavior, attitude, and culture- items necessary for successful marketing. You will be tracing your own baggage for the cultural exercise.

 Did you realize that if Florida would’ve had coal and iron deposits, "Pittsburgh" and "Detroit" would have been located in Miami? We like to look at sites and determine why they are placed there or grew as they have over time.

 When you visit the Deep South, is it different from California? Why?

 Leave the simple "what" behind. Start thinking where, why, and how things have gotten there or changed. Look at the Spanish area. The what is Spanish culture. What region or area shows their impact? How do you see this? How did they do it (presidio-missions-pueblo?) Why did they do it? How about people moving to the sunny states- a big national-regional trend. Where are these areas that are gaining in population? ( Do you realize this population gain is important to the amount of money from taxes that the federal government returns to each state?) Why are they coming? To retire, seek jobs, or maybe because they have friends and family in the area? Maybe they decided to go to school in Flagstaff. How did they get here- what routes, what types of transportation? All of this is only a small fraction of geography.