145 Natural Sciences Building

Monday and Wednesday 8:30-9:50

 

 

Instructor: Igor Vojnovic

Office Hours: Monday & Wed. 2:00-3:00

 

Office: 124 Natural Sciences Building                               

(Also available by appointment.)

 

Phone Number:         (517) 355-7718                               

Email: vojnovic@msu.edu

 

 

Jobs in Geography

                                                           

                                   

 

 

 

Course Description:

 

The course explores the theories, concepts, and special concerns in geography. The course places a particular emphasis on a historical evaluation of the field, examining how geographical ideas evolved regionally and over time. Starting with theories in classical geography (from ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece, and Rome), to geographic theories in the Middle Ages (from the Christian, Muslim, and Chinese worlds), and ending with geographic theories in the modern period (with a particular emphasis placed on American geography), the class explores key figures and theories that have shaped the field. Some of the themes examined in the class include human population, the natural environment, human-environment interactions, development, globalization, and geographic techniques. A central goal of the course is to introduce students to the range of geographical inquiry and the major strength of geography as a form of thought—its links across space, among people, and between humans and the Earth. The course will also emphasize critically analyzing and writing about world issues within theoretical frameworks in geography.

 

Course Evaluation:

 

The grading for the course will be based on five class assignments and participation. Three of the assignments are geography career assignments. You are responsible for evaluating careers that are appropriate for your set of skills. By the end of the class you will also complete a cover letter and resume for an advertised position in your area of interest. The final career assignment will consist of a portfolio, which will be a compilation of your key undergraduate work, including presentations, resarch papers, map productions, and class syllabi. Two of the class projects are research papers. In the first class paper you will evaluate the work of a geography scholar and her contributions to the field. In the major research paper you will critically explore a non-trivial issue within a geographical theoretical framework. A grade will also be assigned for class participation and attendance.

 

Geography Career Reviews                      

10%

Cover Letter and Resume

5%

Geography Scholars           

20%

Portfolio        

15%

Research Paper                   

40%

Attendance and Class Participation

10%

Total              

100%

 

 

Five percent of your grade will be subtracted for each day that an assignment is late.

 

 

Course Content:

 

Week #1

 

            INTRODUCTION TO GEOGRAPHY

 

Week #2

 

            CLASSICAL GEOGRAPHY

            Egyptians, Mesopotamians, and Phoenicians

            Greek Scholarship

            Roman Scholarship

 

Week #3

 

            GEOGRAPHY IN THE MEDIEVAL PERIOD

            The Christian World

            The Muslim World

            The Chinese World

 

Week #4

 

            THE AGE OF EXPLORATION

            The Portuguese Voyages

            Christopher Columbus

            Problems with Exploration in the 15th century                   

 

Week #5

 

            THE IMPACT OF DISCOVERIES

            The new order in celestial space

            The new image of earth

            New perspectives

 

Week #6

 

            18TH CENTURY GEOGRAPHY: THE END OF CLASSICAL SCHOLARSHIP           

            Alexander von Humboldt

            Carl Ritter

 

Week #7

 

            MODERN GEOGRAPHY

            The Division of the Academic Curriculum

            The Early Years of Geography in America

                       

Week #8

 

            THE NEW GEOGRAPHY IN THE U.S.: BEFORE WORLD WAR I

            Geography in the Early 20th Century

            Geography at the University of Chicago

 

 

Course Content Cont’d.:

 

Week #9

 

            SPRING BREAK

 

Week #10

 

            THE NEW GEOGRAPHY IN THE U.S.: WORLD WAR I-MIDCENTURY

            Changing Concepts

            Studies of Scope and Method

 

Week #11

 

             THE NEW GEOGRAPHY IN THE U.S.: MIDCENTURY-PRESENT

            Geography Departments at U.S. Universities

            The Quantitative Revolution

            Pluralism

            Humanism and Behavioralism

 

Week #12

 

            SPECIAL TOPICS I

 

Week #13 

 

            SPECIAL TOPICS II

 

Week #14

 

            SPECIAL TOPICS III

 

Week #15

 

            CAREERS IN GEOGRAPHY I

 

Week #16

 

CAREERS IN GEOGRAPHY II

Assignments:

 

Assignment #1 (10%)

Geography Career Reviews (Due February 2)

(Requirements: 1 page double spaced write-up, 5 web sites advertising positions, and a 5 minutes presentation.)

 

Explore and present in a one-page (double spaced) write-up a career that you are considering pursuing after graduating. Discuss the general requirements for the career and introduce some of the currently listed introductory positions, educational requirements for these positions, the specific skills that they are seeking, and the starting salary ranges. Also introduce the different levels within this career that you have come across in your search (for instance, Analyst I, Analyst II, Senior Analyst, etc.), the associated education levels, the years of experience necessary for the varying titles, and the skills required. Finally, provide 5 web sites that advertise jobs in this career.

 

Assignment #2 (5%)

Resume and Cover Letter (Due February 16)

 

Complete a resume (two pages maximum) and a cover letter (one page maximum) for one of the advertised positions in your area of interest. Submit the cover letter, resume, and advertised job posting.

 

Assignment #3 (20% total: 15% paper and 5% presentation)

Geography Scholars (Due March 3)

(Requirements: 5 pages double spaced write-up and a 5 minutes presentation.)

 

Examine the life and theories of a geography scholar either in your sub-discipline or a scholar whose theories are of interest to you. Review their work and critically assess their contributions to the field.

 

Assignment #4 (15%)

Portfolio (Due March 29)

 

Provide work samples in a three-ring binder organized into skill areas, including Power Point and slide presentations, map productions, CAD designs, and research papers.

 

Assignment #5 (40% total: 30% paper & 10% presentation)

Major Research Paper (Due April 19)

(Requirements: 10 pages double spaced write-up and a 10 minutes presentation.)

 

Complete a research paper on any desired topic using a specific geographical theoretical framework. Each person is responsible for a 10-page paper by the end of the course as well as a 10 minutes presentation. Marks will be subtracted if you go over the ten-minute presentation limit. The final paper needs to have at least 10 refereed articles cited (you can use a maximum of 5 university press book chapters instead of 5 refereed articles). Marks will be lost if at least 10 refereed sources are not included in your paper. Additional sources can be used (government reports, newspaper articles, consulting reports, etc.) but you must meet the refereed source requirement. 

 

Late Penalty:

 

**** Five percent of your grade will be subtracted for each day that an assignment is late—unless you have a university accepted excuse, medical note, absence because you are participating in a sporting event, etc.. ****