Seminar 4030

Todd Stradford, Department of Geography & Geology

Seminar in Geographic Development & Methods (Part 2)
GEO 4030 - 01 Fall, 2008

Seminar in Geographic Dev & Methods	MW 3:00-4:18
Geo 4030, Sec. 01, 3 Credit Hours	Boebel 213

Instructor:	Todd Stradford	Phone: 342-1674	E-mail: stradfot@uwplatt.edu
Office:	244 Gardner	Mailbox: 247 Gardner
Office Hours:	by appointment, and when I'm in my office.
	*Copies of* *Schedule* *and* *Maps* *here*

Text:	*1--*	Introduction to Scientific Geographic Research L. Lloyd Haring, John F Lounsbury & John W. Frazier, Wm. C. Brown Publishers, Fourth Edition, 1992 (Hand Outs)

Exam: - Wednesday, November 5

Course:

Seminar in Geographic Development and Methodology - What does this course title mean other than "it's required for graduation?"

Seminar -

an occasion when a teacher or expert and a group of people meet to study and discuss something (Cambridge Internation Dictionary of English).
a group of students engaged, under the guidance of an instructor, in original research in a particular line of study, and in the exposition of the results by theses, lectures, etc. (Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary)
a group of advanced students studying under a professor with each doing original research and all exchanging results through reports and discussion (Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary).
any meeting for an exchange of ideas; a course offered for a small group of advanced students (WordNet 1.6)
class at a university in which a teacher and a small group of students discuss a topic (Collins Cobuild Student Dictionary).

As this class is taught in thirds by three different instructors, the middle section will be mainly:

Geographic Methodology
This is the introduction to basic "cookbook" research - How to start, where to find existing information, how to gather original information, and basic methods for sorting, organizing, and analyzing your data.

Course Requirements:

Exams:

There will be one exam.

Attendance and Reading:

You must attend class. Remember, a seminar is discussion by the student as well as the instructor. You will be expected to read a significant amount of material in this course. There is no other way to build the foundation of knowledge for you to discuss ideas in class, or accomplish the goals above.

Grading:

EXAMS & FINAL	100 points each	100 points
Presentations & Assignments	25 points each	up to 100 points
	Total	200 points

Letter Grades:	A		> 90%
Based on points	B		80 to 89%
	C		70 to 79%
	D		60 to 69%
	F		< 60%

Final Grade:

To pass the course you will need a total average of 60% or more.

Tentative Schedule and Assignments

This is a rough outline for your own orientation. It only sets certain parameters for direction and pace that the discussion will dictate.

Date	Class	Topics -
Week 1- Oct 6, 8	1-2	Statement of Problem, Placement in context of field
Week 2 - Oct 13, 15	3,4	Bibliography - 20 journal articles, anotated
Week 3 - Oct 20, 22	5,6	Gathering data, Surveys
Week 4 - Oct 27, 29	7,8	Analyzing data
Week 5 - Nov 3	9	Analyzing data

November 5	10	Exam

Course Requirements:

Exams:

Attendance and Reading:

Current Geographical Publications

Web articles on journals and bibliographies:

Distinguishing Scholarly Journals from Other Periodicals

Critically Analyzing Information Sources

Academic Writing: Annotated Bibliography

OUTLINE of research steps - Click Here