GEOG 259 Home Page

Welcome to Geography 259, the geography of Latin America and the Caribbean. This is a region of diverse physical environments, ranging from the almost lifeless Atacama Desert to the lush Amazonian rain forest. Culturally, we find a fusion of indigenous, European, and African influences. This course provides an overview of the “lands and peoples” of Latin America from a spatial perspective. Unlike most geography textbooks, the one we will use is organized thematically rather than regionally. Each chapter deals with a particular subject like religion, climate, or ethnicity. This approach provides less detail about particular countries but gives a more comprehensive view of the region as a whole. Each lesson includes supplemental notes, readings, maps, and images to give you a feel for Latin American landscapes and culture. Think of this as a semester-long virtual tour!

Required Textbook

The textbook can be purchased through the Higher Grounds bookstore at the Friday Center in person, online, or by printing out a book order form. Any additional readings will be found on the Web.

Course Requirements

The course involves a combination of reading, discussion, debate, and research. In a typical week, you will do the following activities:

Readings

In addition to the Clawson text, you will be responsible for knowing the information on the Web sites I have listed in the “Reading Assignment” section of each lesson.

Each lesson has a section called “FYI Sites” (For Your Information Sites), which contains links to sites that have useful information. You will not be tested on that information, but you will find those sites useful when doing research for your discussion forum and debate entries.

Discussion Forums

For most lessons, you will post an entry to the discussion forum based on your research of the Web, newspapers, or other sources. These “mini-essays” allow you to explore each week's topic in more detail. Entries are due by midnight (Eastern time) on Wednesday, although some dates have been changed to accommodate holidays. After reading the entries of your classmates, respond to at least one with your own comments or questions on the subject. Follow-ups are due by midnight (Eastern time) on Saturday. You will make a total of nine postings/responses to the discussion forum during the semester. You may choose which two weeks you would like to “take a vacation.” You may not skip the introduction (Lesson 1) or debate. Postings and responses should be made during the same weeks, not split up.

Your grade for the discussion forum will be based on the following criteria (8 points maximum for original entry; 2 points maximum for response to another student's posting):

For information on how to access the discussion forum, see Technical Issues.

Debates

Two of your lessons will feature debates rather than the usual discussion forum entries. I will assign half of the class to each debate (divided between the two sides of the argument). The rest of the class will act as "judge" and decide which side of the debate is most convincing. You will post your initial arguments to the discussion forum by Wednesday, your response to the opposing arguments by Saturday, and your final responses by Sunday. Cite the sources of your information in your initial argument.

Application Exercises

Several lessons include exercises that apply geographic concepts to specific issues. Most exercises use information from the Web sites or textbook. Answers should be submitted to the instructor via e-mail by midnight (Eastern time) on Sunday. Do NOT submit application exercises as attachments. Cut and paste your answers directly into your e-mail message. If you do not receive a message confirming that I have received your assignment within three days, please re-send it.

Exams

We will have a midterm exam and a final exam, each worth 100 points. Due to the volume of information in each chapter, the exams will NOT be cumulative. Both the midterm and the final exams will be available as links from the Exams section of Blackboard. The exams will be posted at 9 am (Eastern time), and answers are due by midnight of the same day. You will be expected to abide by the University's Honor Code.

Exams must be e-mailed to me by the deadline. In case of an emergency, please notify me as soon as possible. Computer trouble is not a valid excuse for turning in your exam late. Make sure you have access to a backup computer (friends, neighbors, public library, and so on).

Late Policy

All work should be submitted by midnight (Eastern time) on the due date. For each day that an assignment is overdue, two points will be deducted from the grade. Exams may not be sent in after the deadline without a valid excuse. In case of an emergency, please notify me as soon as possible. Computer trouble is not a valid excuse for late assignments. Don't wait until the last minute to turn in assignments, and make sure you have a backup computer in case of technical difficulties.

Course Grade

Assignment	Total points
Discussion Forums (9 forums x 10 points each)	90
Debate (debate 15, judge 5)	20
Climograph	20
Application Exercises (7 exercises x 10 points each)	70
Exams (2 exams x 100 points each)	200
Total points	400

To figure your grade, add up your points and divide the total by 400. Grades of + and - will be assigned if your score is within 5 points of the next grade.

Honor Code

Full compliance with the University Honor Code is required on all assignments, quizzes, discussion forums, papers, and exams.

All suspected violations of the UNC Honor Code will, without exception, be reported to University authorities for purposes of investigation and possible prosecution. Plagiarism is a serious violation of the Honor Code. Contact me if you have questions about what constitutes plagiarism.

Course Mechanics

Blackboard

Some of your class components (announcements, discussion forums, exams) are accessed through a software package called Blackboard, and you will need to login to Blackboard using a unique identifier known as your UNC Onyen (Only Name You'll Ever Need) and Onyen password.

If you do not already have a UNC Onyen, go to the Onyen Web site and follow the instructions for creating an Onyen. If you have an Onyen but have forgotten it (or the password), you will find help on the Onyen Web site.

There is a link to the Blackboard site in the gray navigation bar at the top of every page in this course. Click on that link, and then use your Onyen to login to Blackboard. Click on the "GEOG 259" link and you will see navigation buttons on the left labeled Announcements, Discussion Forum, and so on.

Library Services and E-reserves

Students enrolled in Carolina Courses Online can access online library resources from the UNC Library System by linking to Library Services for Distance Education Students. This site includes information on using general online reference works as well as accessing e-reserves. If you are using an off-campus computer, you will need to consult this page for instructions on how to access the resources. The UNC library staff is available to assist any students who have difficulties accessing online library resources.

E-mail

All communication from your instructor will go to your UNC Onyen e-mail address (the one that appears when you post to the discussion forum). Off-campus users can access their UNC e-mail using Webmail. You can have your e-mail forwarded to a different e-mail address by clicking “Forward e-mail” at the Onyen Web site.

If you use a filter on your e-mail account, you are responsible for ensuring that it does not prevent you from receiving messages from me, the course listserv, or Friday Center staff. Hotmail users should be aware that Hotmail will block messages sent from within Blackboard because Blackboard uses “blind carbon copy” to protect privacy. We recommend that you use your UNC Onyen e-mail account rather than forwarding to Hotmail for this course.

Submitting Assignments

It is extremely important for you to save copies of any work you send to me via e-mail. If I don't receive your work, you must have a duplicate copy, indicating the date sent, to prove that you submitted the assignment on time. It is your responsibility to maintain copies of your sent e-mails, as there is no way to guarantee that any e-mail message will be delivered.

Please check your e-mail software to see how it manages sent and saved messages. Some software automatically deletes messages one month after they have been sent; others only save messages if they are filed in folders; others save messages received but not those sent. You may need to send yourself a copy of your e-mailed assignment at the same time you send it to me, or you may need to print a copy of the e-mail message and any attachments to keep in your paper files. No matter how your system works, make sure you know how to save a copy of all work that you submit to me and that you save the copy for several months beyond the end of the course.

GEOG 259: Geography of Latin America

Introduction