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Course Syllabus Jump to Today
Welcome to Geography 360/560! We are glad glad you are here. This page contains much text and and many links that you will need to have read in order to reach the objectives for the course. Please refer to this document often! Please also do feel free to ask for clarifications whenever needed. We want to help you to learn and succeed!
Link to Class Resource Page
Introduction to Geography 360/560 This course explores two distinct but overlapping sets of geographic knowledge: Basic Cartographic theory and basic GIS skills. These two components of this course work closely together and form the basis for the extensive in-class and lab assignments you will complete. Cartography is the art and science of map-making. It includes methods and principles for conveying information accurately and clearly on maps. Historically, maps themselves had two functions: 1) the storage and 2) the presentation of spatial data. The paper map was the final product. GIS is a technology that brings together the power of computer databases and computerized map-making. With the advent of GIS, the two cartographic functions (the storage and presentation of data) have been separated out, allowing for far more sophisticated forms of geographic analysis and visualization. The map is only one of several possible products. In this course, you will learn and apply concepts, techniques, and software tools that are part of geographic information systems (GIS). This course will help you develop a conceptual and conceptual and applied applied understanding of fundamental GIS principles, including: how spatial objects and their attributes are represented in a GIS; spatial data types, sources, and structures; common spatial analysis and modeling techniques used in GIS; and how to use maps and other cartographic representations as part of this analysis. No previous experience in GIS is required, though knowledge of Microsoft Windows and of basic approaches to geographical inquiry are both desirable. Geog 360/560 offers you an introduction to a leading GIS software package, but does so while arguing that intelligent and effective use of GIS requires both broad and deep knowledge of the theoretical and analytical dimensions also constitutive of GIS. Thus, while this course has a significant lab component, the material from lecture and the readings are also critical to student success.
Course Objectives During the quarter, you will: understand and understand and apply principles of cartographic design and thematic mapping to create geographic visualizations that are not only technically sound but also appropriate to the data and to project goals; understand how information, including spatial and attribute data, is represented and processed in a desktop GIS, as well as what is thereby technically and societally made possible; learn how to perform basic analyses within a GIS, including data queries, overlays, reclassifications, and cartographic modeling; and build skills in the critical analysis of GIS and maps, especially how their development and use are connected to society.
Required Readings Bolstad, Paul V. (2012) GIS Fundamentals: A First Text on Geographic Information Systems . 4rd ed. Eider Press, White Bear Lake, MN. Note: You can also buy the digital version at http://www.cafescribe.com/ (http://www.cafescribe.com/) – search for ‘Bolstadt’. edition, McGraw Hill, New New York. York. Price, Marybeth (2013) Mastering (2013) Mastering ArcGIS ArcGIS.. 6th edition, BCC>1:""=.
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Additional required readings will be on the course website.
Requirements Students must: attend all class sessions (both lecture and lab); complete all reading assignments by the date due, before class; turn in assignments on time; and participate actively in classroom discussion and group activities. All written work (except assignments completed in c lass) is to be submitted typewritten, double-spaced, using a 12-point font and 1-inch margins, unless otherwise specified. Deadlines are not flexible. No late assignments will be accepted except in documented cases of emergencies. Papers and assignments written in fulfillment of requirements for other classes will not be accepted.
Link to more information on getting help, discussing ideas, asking questions, and communicating in general.
Role of this Canvas Site This site is a key resource and point of community —you should visit it often! The current schedule and readings, announcements, requirements, discussion boards, labs, and links to other important course webpages are all here. The canvas is a living document, evolving with the needs of the class. It is also a place where members of the class can come together and work, learn, and get to know each other better outside of class and lab. Open it up every time you are working on 360/560!
Learning, Assignments, Grading and their Connections This course offers a variety of ways for you to learn a nd a corresponding diversity of ways in which you will be able to de monstrate that learning, to yourself and to others. We meet three times a week in lecture, two times a week in lab, and in many other moments on this Canvas site! Lectures, discussions, and readings provide the conceptual framework necessary to understand and apply GIS intelligently and effectively, as well as providing much of the material for the quizzes. Please feel free to speak up in class. I endeavor to make the class room a place where everyone is comfortable making comments, raising objections or asking questions. No question is “stupid” – if you are wondering about something, inevitably so are 5-10 of your peers. An interactive lecture is much more fun for all, me included. Contradictory positions and “devil’s advocate” questions are always welcome! Labs also allow you to gain relevant practical understanding and skills. These assignments and the final project constitute a significant fraction of the course grade and the time you will spend in the course. Lab section provides time to work on the assignments, a venue to work with TAs, and ideally, even opportunities to interact meaningfully with each other. Assignments will take longer than you have available during your formal section in lab, so you will need to take advantage of the many other times/venues we suggest for you to finish your work. When you bring related questions to TAs outside of lab time, please remember that the TAs will expect that you have already been taking full advantage of your time during lab se ction to work through such questions. The Lab Section Info And Guidelines provide additional critical information that you need to read. Quizzes will likely be a combination of multiple choice and short-answer. They will be designed to be completed within the 50 minutes of a class period. It is absolutely imperative that you not arrive late on the day of a quiz, as it will make it very difficult for us to start on time. Grades are determined by your overall performance in several categories that form given percentages of the final grade. Categories and corresponding percentages are visible in the table on the right side of this page. To find your grade, the Canvas Gradebook will first look at the percentages of points you received in each category separately. Then, it will weight these percentages from each grading category according to the
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table to the right and add them up to get your overall grade. Note therefore that a point from a quiz is not necessarily worth the same amount to your final grade as a point from a lab. For Geography 560 Students: Geography 360 and Geography 560 are evaluated separately, with assignments and criteria that befit the difference between an undergraduate a nd graduate course. Standards will be correspondingly higher. Further, 560 students will have the chance to explore and critically reflect on literature relevant to their research interests in a final writing exercise to be turned in at the end of the quarter.
Productive Learning Environments and Academic Integrity It may seem obvious, but your classmates must be able to expect that you will help maintain a productive environment for their learning. In this class, we need to follow academic conventions for discussing our differences with each other without making them too personal. The need for reasoned debate is at least as real on the online discussion board as it is in person during class. Furthermore, please do consider how your actions in class affect the learning environment of others. Distractions that potentially detract from the learning of others cannot be permitted. For example, if you absolutely need to use an electronic device for a purpose that is related to course learning in lecture, you may, but do not have it make any sounds and do ensure that you are not sitting in a place where people sitting behind you will be distracted. For the sake of your fellow students, at least, please consider rediscovering the virtues of pen and paper. From the beginning, we require that you know and uphold the university’s high standards for student conduct and academi c honesty. Here are some of the standards that are very important for you to understand--take the time to read them, especially if you have not done so before: What is Academic Misconduct? (https://www.washington.edu/uaa/advising/help/academicintegrity.php) Student Conduct Code for the University of Washington (http://apps.leg.wa.gov/WAC/default.aspx?cite=478-120) As described in these documents, the consequences of potential violations can be serious. Suspected violations will be referred to the appropriate offices of the university.
Accommodations We welcome the opportunity to work with any students with disabilities in this class to ensure equal access to the course. If you have a letter from Disability Resources for Students (DRS) outlining your academic accommodations, please present the letter to the professor as soon as possible so that we can discuss the accommodations you may need for this class. This quarter, some of these notifications from DRS have become electronic, but any discussions between student and professor need to occur as early as possible in order for adequate arrangements to be made. If you do not yet have a letter from DRS, but would like to request academic accommodations due to a disability, please contact DRS, 448 Schmitz, 206-5438924 (voice) or 206-543-8925 (TTY), or [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) (email).
Late work It is important to maintain equal opportunity for all students to demonstrate their mastery of the material within an amount of time that is standardized across the class. Further, it is an important academic skill to be able to demonstrate adequate mastery or produce high-quality analyses on an assigned topic within a specified period of time. As a result, no late work will be accepted outside of extraordinary circumstances, such as a documented personal illness, family emergency, or advance arrangement w ith the instructor.
Quiz Scheduling All quizzes will be taken at the time and place scheduled, except i f a make-up has been scheduled ahead of time due to a documented medical or family emergency.
Grading
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Requirement
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Points
Active daily participation in lecture, section, and group activities 20 Discussion participation, in-class assignments, and completion of all assigned readings before class will make up this grade.
Exam I & II The format for both exams will be the same for undergraduates: multiple choice and short answer. Graduate students will
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have a take-home essay for exam II. Eac h exam will be worth 30 points. (There will be no fi nal exam in this class.)
Lab Assignments 1-5 Hands-on GIS labs, building skills in map making and GIS analysis. Lab assignments 1 through 4 are worth 15 points each.
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Lab 5 is worth 20 points.
Final Project In small groups, students develop a GIS research problem, find the appropriate data, perform GIS analysis, produce maps,
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and present your findings.
TOTAL:
200 pts
Grade Changes Requests for grade changes on assignments will only be accepted in writing, and only within 3 days of the assignment being handed back to students. Requests must be justified in terms of the content of the assignment, not by outside considerations. All such requests will be considered first by the TA, then by the course i nstructor. If you are not sa tisfied with the decisi on on a grade c hange request, you may appea l to the Geography Department c hair.
Misconduct Plagiarism, cheating, and other misconduct are serious violations of your contract as a student. This class a “zero tolerance” policy for plagiarism and/or cheating in my classrooms. The ‘Student Conduct Code (http://www.washington.edu/students/handbook/conduct.html) ’ is a part of the Washington State legal code that explains that admission to the University carries with it the presumption that students will practice high standards of professional honesty and integrity (WAC 478-120-020 [2] -- www.washington.edu/students/handbook/conduct.html). This idea is expanded and clarified in the short document “Student (http://depts.washington.edu/grading/issue1/honesty.htm) Academic Responsibility,” which was prepared by the Committee on Academic Conduct in the College of Arts and Sciences. The document provides a definition of academic misconduct, explains what happens in cases of suspected misconduct, and provides some suggestions for avoiding such misconduct. http://depts.washington.edu/grading/pdf/AcademicResponsibility.pdf (http://depts.washington.edu/grading/pdf/AcademicResponsibility.pdf) )
Other information on this issue is available on the UW Faculty Resources for Grading website (http://depts.washington.edu/grading/conduct/index.html (http://depts.washington.edu/grading/conduct/index.html) ) – it is worth your BCC>1:""=.
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time to look it over.
Assignments Summary: Date
Wed Sep 24, 2014
Details
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First day of 360! (https://canvas.uw.edu/calendar?
event_id=739233&include_contexts=course_916240)
10:30am to 11:20am
Sun Oct 5, 2014
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Lab 1 (https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/916240/assignments/2580121)
due by 11:59pm
Sun Oct 12, 2014
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Lab 2 (https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/916240/assignments/2580125)
due by 11:59pm
Sun Oct 19, 2014
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Lab 3 (https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/916240/assignments/2580126)
due by 11:59pm
Fri Oct 24, 2014
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Quiz 1 (https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/916240/assignments/2580129)
due by 10:30am
Sun Oct 26, 2014
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Lab 4 (https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/916240/assignments/2580127)
due by 11:59pm
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Map Librarian Guest Lecture (https://canvas.uw.edu/calendar?
Wed Oct 29, 2014
Sun Nov 2, 2014
Sun Nov 9, 2014
Tue Nov 11, 2014
Fri Nov 14, 2014
Fri Nov 21, 2014
Thu Nov 27, 2014
Fri Nov 28, 2014
12am
event_id=739236&include_contexts=course_916240)
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Final Project: Proposal Worksheet
(https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/916240/assignments/2580123)
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Lab 5 (https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/916240/assignments/2580128)
due by 11:59pm
due by 11:59pm
Veterans Day (https://canvas.uw.edu/calendar?
12am
event_id=739230&include_contexts=course_916240)
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Final Project: Cartographic Model and Data Sources
(https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/916240/assignments/2580124)
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Final Projects Consultation with Professors and TAs (https://canvas.uw.edu/calendar?
event_id=739235&include_contexts=course_916240)
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NO CLASS: Thanksgiving (https://canvas.uw.edu/calendar?
event_id=739231&include_contexts=course_916240)
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due by 11:59pm
NO CLASS: Thanksgiving (https://canvas.uw.edu/calendar?
event_id=739234&include_contexts=course_916240)
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12am
12am
12am
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Fri Dec 5, 2014
Sun Dec 7, 2014
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Quiz 2 (https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/916240/assignments/2580120)
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Final Project: Final Report
(https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/916240/assignments/2580122)
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due by 11:30am
due by 11:59pm
Participation (https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/916240/assignments/2684216)
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