Course Syllabus
Contact Information
Course Details
The goals of this course are twofold:
- Increase your knowledge of the breadth and traditions of the discipline and
- Discuss the graduate school experience and professional development.
We will approach the first goal through a series of readings and discussions. I have selected readings that will expose you to the historical development of the discipline and current trends. The discipline has tremendous breadth, and I do not purport to be a master of every subdiscipline, so I have invited individuals within and outside the department to provide insight into their area of research specialty. Together, we will consider the following:
- Where do my interests lay within the context of geography and/or environmental sustainability?
- How has the discipline evolved over the past 100+ years, and how does that history shape the approaches used today?
- What are the current approaches employed within my subfield? Why?
- How is geography and/or environmental sustainability situated within the academy, and how does that shape my future possibilities?
Course Materials
These texts will be made available on Canvas.
- Agnew, John and D.N. Livingstone. 2011. The SAGE Handbook of Geographical Knowledge. Sage Publications.
- Clifford, Nicholas, S.L Halloway, S. P. Rice, and G. Valentine. 2009. Key Concepts in Geography, 2 ed. Sage Publications.
- Cresswell, T. 2013. Geographic Thought: A Critical Introduction. Wiley-Blackwell.
-
Lave, Rebecca, Biermann, C., and S.N. Lane. 2018. The Palgrave Handbook of Critical Physical Geography. Palgrave-MacMillan.
These are not:
- Monmonier, M. 2018. How to Lie with Maps, Third Edition. University of Chicago Press.
- Sobal, D. 2007. Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time. Bloomsbury USA; First edition.
Grades
Breakdown
| Activity | Description | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Class Participation | Lead and participate in weekly discussion of the readings | 10% |
| Reflection Papers (RRPs) (2) | Write two reflection papers over whichever class readings you'd like | 20% |
| Research Report | Formulate a research question and articulate an argument around it | 35% |
| Comprehensive Exam | The course has a cumulative/comprehensive final exam | 35% |
| Total | 100% |
Scale
A: 90+
B: 80-89
C: 70-79
D: 60-69
F: <60
Course Components
Class Preparation and Participation
Since this a graduate level course, you are expected to have completed all the assigned reading and to be prepared to discuss them in class. You are expected to have both synthesized information and to form well-reasoned opinions of the readings. Simply stating that you like or dislike a reading or readings will not suffice. Neither will mocking an author’s or fellow students’ opinion. To facilitate discussion, you and/or a group of your colleagues will be responsible for leading the discussion of the readings. This will require you to identify the themes and objectives of the authors, synthesize their arguments, and present conclusions and critiques.
To facilitate discussion, each student will be assigned the role of discussant for the assigned readings of a particular week. As a discussant, it will be your task to not only complete the reading, but summarize them into a PowerPoint presentation (approx. 20 slides) for the class. The presentation will be a summation and synthesis of salient points in the readings. You will also develop five questions based on the readings for your classmates to address. On the day of your presentation, class will begin with the distribution of your questions. Fifteen minutes will be allowed for each of us to answer the questions, and then you will begin the presentation. During the presentation, each of the questions must be addressed and discussed. It is also reasonable to discuss how the readings relate to your desired research or your personal experience as a geographer or an environmental sustainability professional.
Research Paper
Your project is considered primary research, meaning that all relevant information, data, and analyses are original and completed by you. The research topic of your research was developed in the research methods class, and I hope it is a topic you are excited passionate. Completing a thorough and thoughtful review of the literature (which again, you did as part of the proposal development process in the research methods course) is an important step in developing the boarder research context of your work and a crucial in the development of relevant research questions. The report will include an appropriate and meaningful title. You should write for an audience of professionals, not just specialists in your subfield. Try not to think of me as your audience, but rather your student peers and other professionals.
Research Paper Components
- Format: the text will be double-spaced, paginated, all margins of one inch, and Times Roman 12 point font. All assignments must be submitted free of typos, and errors in grammar and syntax as wpd or wpdx files. NO PDFS! Also, I strongly recommend taking advantage of the OU Writing Center, an excellent that will advance writing skills.
- Structure:
-
- Abstract (approximately 250 words): a synthesis and summary of your project.
- Introduction (approx. 1,500 words): Consists of a) a concise review of literature relevant to your research project, b) an articulation of the relevance of the research, and c) research question(s) and/or objectives. The Introduction is a crucial component of any successful research paper. It provides the reader the context and relevance of your research, how it contributes to current scholarship, hence the literature review is essential. You should cite at least 15-20 references.
- Data and Methods (800-1,000 words): Explain and justify how you will collect, analyze, and summarize the data. Remember to provide specific and precise descriptions. You should cite 3-5 references that describe and help justify your choice of the methods. Remember to describe how the selected method(s) address specific research questions.
- Results (500-800 words): This section summarizes the outcome of your research. It opens with a review of the data collected and presents related descriptive statistics, then presents the of statistical analyses with appropriate tables and illustrations. And do not hesitate to present negative results. Remember, this section describes project outcomes in the context of the research questions; this is not where you interpret the data or draw conclusions.
- Discussion (approx. 1,000 words): Here you interpret the results of your research in the context of the literature. You will make a critical comparison of your work to published research.
- Conclusion (approx. 500 words): Concisely review the relevance and major findings of your research.
- Literature cited (in APA format) in your document. Be certain that all citations that appear in the text are present in this section and that all references listed are cited in the text.
- Acknowledgements of those that assisted in the research appear here as well.
- Maps, tables, and appendices are to be placed at the end of the document in this order.
Reading Response Papers (RRPs)
You will write two RRPs for this course. It is up to you which readings you would like to respond to, but you should have completed the first by Spring Break and the second by April 29th. A RRP consists of the following elements:
- Do you agree or disagreement with the ideas presented in the text?
- How does the paper relate to your own experiences?
- How ideas expressed relate to other works you have read?
- Was the author(s) effective or persuasive in their arguments?
RRPs are 1200 words in length, or about 5 full pages, plus references. Each paper should consist of:
- Introduction and theme: 1-2 paragraphs that sets the stage or provides context. For example, what are the author(s) theses, hypotheses, objectives, etc.
- Background: 2-3 paragraphs that review the main precepts of the paper and how it relates to the broader literature. For example, what are the foundational papers cited by the author(s) that led to the development of, or support their objectives?
- Analysis: This is the core of your response. Do you support or refute the author(s) argument? Do you accept or reject the argument/paper overall or only elements? You may provide direct quotes to support your position. If the author(s) provide graphics to support their conclusions, were the graphics effective?
- Conclusion: Here you discuss the significance of the paper to yourself and the subfield.
Comprehensive Exam
The Comprehensive Exam will be derived from a bank of questions pulled together from all of your classes from this graduate program.
Additional thoughts about the assignments: all assignments will be written in 12 point Times New Roman, double spaced, no extra space between paragraphs, indent for new paragraphs, 1 inch margins, and right justified. Include a single-spaced heading that includes the assignment name, date turned in, and your name on the first line, with the title of the piece on the second, both lines aligned left.
OU Writing Center: I am a big fan. Writing is a skill to be honed and graduate school is an excellent time to discover the craft. Appointments required.
University Academic Policies and Student Support
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Academic Misconduct
In addition to the course conduct policies outlined by your professor in the Course Syllabus in the online classroom, please review the Graduate Student Handbook.
It is the responsibility of each student to be familiar with the definitions, policies, and procedures concerning academic misconduct. The Student Code is available from the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs, and is contained in the Student's Guide to Academic Integrity.
This site also defines misconduct, provides examples of prohibited conduct, and explains the sanctions available for those found guilty of misconduct.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the most common form of academic misconduct at OU. There is basically no college-level assignment that can be satisfactorily completed by copying. OU's basic assumption about writing is that all written assignments show the student's own understanding in the student's own words. That means all writing assignments, in class or out, are assumed to be composed entirely of words generated (not simply found) by the student, except where words written by someone else are specifically marked as such with proper citation. Including other people's words in your paper is helpful when you do it honestly and correctly. When you don't, it's plagiarism.
For more information about plagiarism, watch this video and then take this short course offered by University Libraries.
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Non-Discrimination Policy
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Reasonable Accommodation for Disabilities
The University of Oklahoma is committed to providing reasonable accommodation for all students with disabilities. Students with disabilities who require accommodations in this course should contact their professor as early in the semester as possible.
Students with disabilities must be registered with the Accessibility and Disability Resource Center prior to receiving accommodations in this course.
If you have a disability and you would like to make a request for reasonable accommodation, please see the Graduate Student Handbook or get in touch with the Accessibility and Disability Resource Center.
Adjustments for Pregnancy/Childbirth Related Issues
Should you need modifications or adjustments to your course requirements because of documented pregnancy-related or childbirth-related issues, please contact me as soon as possible to discuss your options. Generally, modifications will be made where medically necessary and similar in scope to accommodations based on temporary disability. Learn more about the rights of pregnant and parenting students by consulting the FAQ sheets provided by the Institutional Equity Office.
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Religious Holidays
It is the policy of the University to excuse absences of students that result from religious observances and to provide without penalty for the rescheduling of examinations and additional required classwork that may fall on religious holidays. It is the responsibility of the student to make alternate arrangements with the instructor at least one week prior to the actual date of the religious holiday.
Student Grievances
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Registration and Withdrawal
If you choose to withdraw from this course, you must complete the appropriate University form and turn the form in before the deadline. If you stop attending the course and doing the coursework without doing the required paperwork, your grade will be calculated with missed homework and examination grades entered as zero. This could result in receiving a grade of F in the course. Deadlines are shown in the Academic Calendar, which is available from the Office of the Registrar.
Course Summary:
| Date | Details | Due |
|---|---|---|