Economic Geography Syl Lab Us

7/30/2019 Economic Geography Syl Lab Us

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Fall 201260 Kent Hall12:30-1:45 p.m. TThDr. Jennifer Mapes

439 McGilvrey HallOffice Hours: Tu/Th 2-4 p.m.

[email protected]

Economic Geography GEOG 34070Geographers seek to describe and explain spatial patterns. In this course we will examine economic

patterns at global, national, regional, and local scales. Our interest goes beyond space to place therecognition that these patterns are socially produced and as such change over time.

At the global scale, we examine the emergence of capitalism as the dominant economic system, and

how this system has affected and been affected by forces of globalization. At the national scale,

we will consider the changing role of the state in regulating economic activity, as well as the interplaybetween these changes and the geographic distribution of employment in different economic sectors.

We conclude the class by considering the push for regional economic development policies, as well as

local-scale resistance to dominant economic paradigms.

The approach of this course is to examine economic models and theories from a spatial perspective,

but with a strong focus on real-life outcomes.

Course objectives Understand and explain the history of economic geography as a discipline. Describe global economic geographies. How do space and place affect economic outcomes

on a global scale? Explain how globalization has affected these outcomes.

Describe the economic geographies of the United States. How do space and place affecteconomic outcomes on a national scale? Explain economic patterns in the distribution ofemployment in the primary, secondary, and tertiary sectors. Connect these patterns to newtechnologies and other infrastructure.

Provide a critical view of the economic geography of cities and communities, includingresistance to top-down approaches to economic development.

Apply a theoretical understanding of economic geography to contemporary events on theglobal, national, regional, and local scale.

Required textsD. Mackinnon & Andrew Cumbers.An Introduction to Economic Geography: Globalization, uneven

development, and place, Pearson, 2011. A copy will be on reserve at the library.

New York Times Monday to Friday. Several options are available: Print access at the library, Printdelivery to the bookstore or your off-campus home, or Digital edition online(For college rates, visit:http://homedelivery.nytimes.com/HDS/CMHome.do?mode=CMHome)
http://homedelivery.nytimes.com/HDS/CMHome.do?mode=CMHomehttp://homedelivery.nytimes.com/HDS/CMHome.do?mode=CMHomehttp://homedelivery.nytimes.com/HDS/CMHome.do?mode=CMHomehttp://homedelivery.nytimes.com/HDS/CMHome.do?mode=CMHome


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Course ScheduleINTRODUCTION/HISTORY Topic Assignment

Aug. 28 Introduction to the class

Aug. 30 Introduction to Econ. Geog. Ch. 1Sept. 4 Approaches to Econ. Geog. Ch. 2Sept. 6 Approaches to Econ. Geog.

Sept. 11 Before capitalism

Sept. 13 Capitalism Ch. 3

GLOBAL SCALE Topic AssignmentSept. 18 Spaces of Production &

ConsumptionCh. 4

Sept. 20 Spaces of Production &Consumption

Online submission before class

Sept. 25 Globalization Ch. 10

Sept. 27 Globalization Online submission before class

Oct. 2 Development & Debt Ch. 8Oct. 4 Development & Debt Online submission before class

Oct. 9 Film: Life & Debt

Oct. 11 Midterm Exam Prepare for examNATIONAL Topic AssignmentOct. 16 The State & Nationalproduction/consumption Ch. 5 & reread Ch. 4

Oct. 18 The State & Nationalproduction/consumption


Oct. 23 Employment Ch. 7

Oct. 25 Employment Online submission before classAbstract due

Oct. 30 The Great Recession Ch. 9Nov. 1 The Great Recession Online submission before class

Nov. 6 Film

LOCAL Topic AssignmentNov. 8 Regional economics & the

Creative ClassCh. 11

Nov. 15 Community economics Online submission before classNov. 20 Economic development

Nov. 22 NO CLASS (Thanksgiving)


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Nov. 27 Alternative EconomicGeographies

Ch. 12

Nov. 29 Alternative EconomicGeographies


Dec. 4 Presentations

Dec. 6 PresentationsDec. 10 Final exam, 12:45 p.m.

Dec. 14 (no meeting) Final paper due, 11:59 p.m.

Course assessmentCourse achievement (and thus, assessment) is not just about effort, nor is it just about memorizing

definitions. Not only should you put in effort and know the material, you should be able to

communicate key concepts in speaking and writing, and be able to use whatyouve learned to

critically analyze additional information. Assessment includes your ability not just to understand the

material, but also to follow directions, problem-solve, and think creatively.

Attendance & Participation (10 %)Attendance is taken at the start of class. Unexcused tardiness or early departures will also affect your

grade. If you attend but do not participate and/or engage in distracting classroom behavior, you will

not earn full credit. You must participate during each class in order to receive full credit. An alternative

to participation (but not attendance) is to post content-related questions or responses in the class

forum on Blackboard.

Online submission: Current events (30 %) Due Thursdays by 11 a.m.Based on an article in the previous weeks (Friday + Monday through Thursday) New York Times,

submit online a full citation of an article, a description of the event or issue discussed in the article

and explain its relationship to a topic discussed in the previous weeks class and/or readings. Write-up

must be entirely your own words. No quotes or rewording of the article or use of other sources besides

the article and the textbook or class discussion. These submissions are due online by 11 a.m on

Thursdays. Be prepared to discuss these in class.

Exams (2 x 15 percent= 30 percent) Oct. 11 and Dec. 10The final exam will not be cumulative. The exams will include short answer and essay questions.

Expect maps and charts from class to show up on the exam.

Final project (Including abstract, presentation and paper: 5, 5 & 20% ) Abstract: Oct. 25 (online) Presentation: Dec. 4/6 Paper: Dec. 14 (online)


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Your final paper will connect local change to national and global economic trends that we have

discussed in class. You will choose an event or trend in a city, town, or village (in the U.S. or another

country) and examine three causes of this event or trend. Your paper will present a description of thiscommunity, evidence of global or national change and analysis explaining how these changesaffected the community. Your abstract will also include an annotated list of sources, grouped into

categories of the topics you will be discussing.

Note: Online submissions are due on Blackboard at 11:59 p.m. on the date listed. Late submissions

will be reduced by a letter grade per day. Technological problems that are not university server-based

are not acceptable excuses for late papers. Medical or family emergencies must be documented.

Lettergrade

Letter to #translation

# to Lettertranslation

University policy of assessment

A 95 92.5-100 Excellent scholarshipA- 92 89.5-92.4B+ 88 86.5-89.4B 85 82.5-86.4 Good performanceB- 82 79.5-82.4C+ 78 76.5-79.4C 75 72.5-76.4 Fair or average performanceC- 72 69.5-72.4D+ 68 66.5-69.4D 65 59.5-66.4 Poor (unsatisfactory but passing) performanceF 60 or less


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Electronic communication policyThe best way to communicate with me is always in person. See me before or after class, or during my

office hours, or by appointment.

My emails I will post non-pressing announcements on Blackboard and discuss them in class. Any time-

sensitive announcements will be sent to your school address. If you are having troubleaccessing your school address, please let me know. Otherwise, I will expect you to receive mymessage during regular business hours.

Similarly, I will check my email during business hours (M-F, 8 am to 5 pm), but not necessarilyon nights and weekends. Please do not expect an immediate response. If I have notresponded to your email within 48 hours, a polite reminder email is fine.

Your emails Please send emails from an address associated with your real name. Yahoo, Hotmail, and

Gmail accounts may not be recognizable as student emails and may be ignored.

Follow proper email etiquette. This includes an informative subject line, a salutation (DearProfessor Mapes, or Dear Dr. Mapes, or just Professor Mapes,), your full name, and whatclass you are in.

I will not answer questions that are answered on the syllabus (such as, What did I miss? orWhat are your office hours? or Where is your office? or How much was the examworth?). Please check there first!

If you miss class: Feel free (but not obligated) to send me an email explaining why you missedclass and providing documentation if you have it, but please do not ask What did I miss?:

this is on the syllabus: if you miss class, do the reading, look through the Powerpoint, and aska classmate for notes.

If you think you may miss a due date: Contact me to explain the circumstances BEFORE theassignment is due. If you provide proper documentation/explanation, I may offer an extension.I cannot give this after the assignment is due. I also cannot help you the evening before anonline assignment is due. Be sure to contact me before the end of the business day if you havequestions or problems.

Blackboard Announcements may be posted to Blackboard, but will also be made in class. If you miss

class, check Blackboards announcements and read through the class Powerpoint for that day.

Powerpoints will be posted on Blackboard by the end of the week in which they are presented.

Course PoliciesAcademic Honesty: Use of the intellectual property of others without attributing it to them isconsidered a serious academic offense. Cheating or plagiarism will result in a failing grade for the


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work or for the entire course. Repeat offenses result in dismissal from the University.Universityguidelinesrequire that all infractions be reported to the Student Conduct Officer on our campus.

Academic dishonesty includes (but is not limited to): Copying from others, without quotes and/or proper works cited (footnotes/parenthetical

documentation)

Failure to cite your references, even with quotation marks or rewording, including conceptsand images.

Properly referenced work, but with only one or two words changed in sentences that are notyour own.

Copying an outline/organization for the paper from a friend or online source Submitting someone elses work, or recycling your own work from another class

Students with Disabilities: University policy 3-01.3 requires that students with disabilities be providedreasonable accommodations to ensure their equal access to course content. If you have adocumented disability and require accommodations, please contact the instructor at the beginning ofthe semester to make arrangements for necessary classroom adjustments. Please note, you must first

verify your eligibility for these through Student Accessibility Services (contact 330-672- 3391 or visitwww.kent.edu/sas for more information on registration procedures).

Class Cancellations & Campus Closings: Announcements of class cancellations and/or campusclosings will be made on the campus homepage. In the case of an emergency, weather-related orotherwise, please check the website at kent.edu for information on the buildings and times of theclosing. While information may be broadcast by radio and television, this should be confirmed by thewebsite, which is the official announcement of the campus and which will be the information used todetermine issues related to student attendance, rescheduling of tests, and other concerns.

Registration & Withdrawl: The official registration deadline for this course is Sept. 2 (note that this is aSunday). University policy requires all students to be officially registered in each class they areattending. Students who are not officially registered for a course by published deadlines should not beattending classes and will not receive credit or a grade for the course. Each student must confirmenrollment by checking his/her class schedule (using Student Tools in FlashLine) prior to the deadlineindicated. Registration errors must be corrected prior to the deadline. The last day to withdraw is Nov.9.
http://www.kent.edu/policyreg/policydetails.cfm?customel_datapageid_1976529=2037779http://www.kent.edu/policyreg/policydetails.cfm?customel_datapageid_1976529=2037779http://www.kent.edu/policyreg/policydetails.cfm?customel_datapageid_1976529=2037779http://www.kent.edu/policyreg/policydetails.cfm?customel_datapageid_1976529=2037779http://www.kent.edu/policyreg/policydetails.cfm?customel_datapageid_1976529=2037779http://www.kent.edu/policyreg/policydetails.cfm?customel_datapageid_1976529=2037779

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Economic Geography Syl Lab Us