News and events

Geography 2660
Environmental Geography
Fall 2000
Professor Joe Hobbs

• Reading Assignments
• Primary text Web site: Living in the Environment (Miller)
• InfoTrac College Edition (research resource provided with new copies of Miller's Living in the Environment).

Other links

• MU Environmental Studies Initiative
  Current information on Environmental Studies at MU, the certification program in Environmental Studies, and links to environmental majors and environmental groups.
• Intellicast Weather Forecast For Columbia, Missouri
  Current radar and satellite images.
• WEATHERVANE
  Internet Forum designed to track the political direction of U.S. and global climate change policies. We're not going to cover global warming until late in the course, but this is a good preview for those of you who are interested. 

Syllabus

There may be no more crucial subject of study today than the study of Earth's environmental problems. There are six billion people on the planet already, and that population is poised to double within fifty years. Will food supplies and other essential resources grow at a pace that equals that of population growth? Some analysts foresee the inevitable population crash envisioned long ago by Thomas Malthus. Others argue that no such crisis is looming. Still others think we must take concrete steps to avoid serious deterioration in the quality of life of people and other organisms on earth. Such steps were discussed eight years ago at the "Earth Summit" in Rio de Janeiro, and in 1997 at the Kyoto Climate Change Conference. Will there be action? 

When you finish this course you will be able to think and speak effectively about the environmental challenges we face today, particularly those related to population growth, economic growth, the decline of traditional cultures, poverty, and energy use. You will be able to answer the question "what can we do to avoid a crisis in the global environment?" 

Geography as a discipline is an ideal vehicle for understanding problems and finding solutions in the global environment. Geography's great strength as a science is its holistic perspective which integrates understanding of people with understanding of the natural environment. Using geographic perspectives, in this class we will ask not "how can we best protect nature?" but "how can we best protect nature while ensuring an adequate standard of living for the world's people?" 

These principles will set the tone of this course:

• The main theme will be geography's concern with the role of the human agency in transforming the face of the earth.
• There will be a historical perspective on earth's environmental problems. In order to understand present ecosystems and human patterns of resource use, it will be necessary to review human ascendancy to ecological super-dominance, from hunting and gathering to the domestication of plants and animals and the Industrial Revolution.
• There will be an emphasis on development and underdevelopment. It is not possible to understand how natural resources are harvested, modified and consumed on a world scale without understanding relationships between the "haves" and the "have nots."
• The course will be international in scope. Do not expect a lot of information and dialogue about Missouri or the United States. Discussion of American environmental problems will not be prominent until we take up "problems from the affluent Western world" in the final quarter of the class. 
• In this class you will see much of the world. There will be slides and films which will bring images of the world and its problems to your critical eye. View these actively; engage yourself in these images and ask questions about them. Try to develop a way of "reading" landscapes. Think about travelling to some of these places one day. Think about helping to solve a problem in one of the world's places.

Some lectures, readings and films in this course will be more effective than others. You are invited to improve the course by suggesting what is working and what is not. Although this class follows a lecture format, you may ask questions and volunteer opinions at any time. Discussion is an absolutely vital part of the learning process, but it will not happen unless you make it happen. There is no such thing as a foolish question -- if you want to know, ask! If you know the answer to someone's question, or want to express an opinion, speak!

• This will be a very challenging, sometimes very difficult, course. No fooling -- if you are looking for an easy class, this is not it. The reading assignments will sometimes be heavy. The four exams will be very, very, very thorough, and essay questions on them will require you to think critically and write clearly. If you decide to take this class, you are making a commitment to face some very challenging exams. This is the essence of what previous students have said about the tests in this class: "every one of them is like a final exam." You will be asked to answer a long combination of multiple choice, essay, true/false, fill in the blank, matching and map questions in a rather short time. That means you have to hit the ground running on these tests; you will not have a lot of time to reflect before you start writing. You must study thoroughly for these tests and be prepared for them! 
• Your grade will be based on your performance on the four exams, with each exam comprising 25% of your final grade (see attached description of the grading system). You must take the exam on the scheduled date. If you miss the exam you will receive a failing grade on that exam. The only exception will be for a student whose is able to furnish a documented excuse written and signed by a doctor. No papers or other outside work may substitute for the exams. Cheating will result in an "F" in the course and possible academic suspension, so don't do it! 
• Attendance in the class is required. A formal attendance record may be kept. Repeated absences will be noticed, and in accordance with M.U. regulations these will diminish your grade, even if you are performing well on the exams. Any absence will certainly affect your grade, as much material on the exams will be based exclusively on lecture and will not be found in your readings. Come to class! And, do not come late to class. It is impolite and disruptive. You will also miss important information and announcements concerning changed assignments, new material and tips for studying for tests. If you cannot come to class on time, you should not be enrolled in this course. Being late or absent, or being disruptive or inattentive in class, will result in my issuing Dean Ted Tarkow an Early Alert report about you (see the attached form at the end of this syllabus). 
• If you have a disability and need accommodations, please notify me as soon as possible. You may also contact the Access Office, A048 Brady Commons, telephone 882-4696.

Office: 5 Stewart Hall.

Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday, 11:20-12:20 and 3:20-4:20. You may see me in the office at these times or make an appointment for another time. Don't think of a visit to my office as an imposition on me -- I am there for you. 

Telephone: 882-0586 

E-mail. Feel free to use it. I usually check it once a day: HobbsJ@missouri.edu

Web Page. I will require you to use this from time to time. Please take advantage of the computer labs on campus if you do not have one at home. The URL is http://Web.missouri.edu/~grcjh/

Required Texts (available in the University Bookstore at Brady Commons):

-Hobbs, Joseph. Course Manual for Geography 103: Environmental Geography. M.U. Bookstore Custom Publication. 

-Dushkin/McGraw-Hill (John Allen, ed.). 1999. Student Atlas of World Geography. 

-Miller, G. Tyler. 1999. Living in the Environment. Eleventh Edition. Brooks Cole Publishing (Isbn 053456268x). It is highly recommended that you use the Web page for this book, and it may also be required from time to time. The URL is: http://brookscole.com/biology/member/student/millerlite/index.html

Reserve Readings (available at the reserve desk at Ellis Library)

-Wolf, Edward C. 1998. Race to Save the Planet: Study Guide. Wadsworth Pub. (1 have put two copies of this is on two hour reserve at Ellis Library). 

You will also be required to read articles in your course manual and others on reserve at Ellis Library 

Be sure to bring your Course Manual, Atlas and the relevant readings to each class meeting. Here is the tentative schedule of lecture topics; it may be changed without notice:

Part One: Home for Humans and Other Beings

1. Tuesday, August 22: Introduction to the Course 

2. Thursday, August 24: No class, due to travel obligation 

3. Tuesday, August 29: Geography and the Environment 

4. Thursday, August 31: The First Environmental Revolution 

5. Tuesday, September 5: People and Ecosystems 

6. Thursday, September 7: The Tropical Rain Forest Ecosystem 

7. Tuesday, September 12: The Arctic Ecosystem 

8. Thursday, September 14: The African Savanna Ecosystem 

9. Tuesday, September 19: Exam 1

Friday, September 22: Fall Equinox 

Part Two: Two Types of Too Many People

10. Thursday, September 21: The Second Environmental Revolution 

11. Tuesday, September 26: The Environments of Development and Underdevelopment 

12. Thursday, September 28: Human Population Growth: A Bomb? 

13. Tuesday, October 3: Marginalization in the Tropics 

14. Thursday, October 5: Marginalization in the Himalaya 

15. Tuesday, October 10: The Tragedy of the Commons and the Ethics of the Lifeboat 

16. Thursday, October 12: Exam 2

Part Three:  Managing Environmental Diversity and Human Resources 

17. Tuesday, October 17: Sustainable Development or "Ecodevelopment" 

18. Thursday, October 19: Biodiversity and Madagascar 

19. Tuesday, October 24: People and Parks: The Contradictions 

20. Thursday, October 26 : TBA: Environment and Politics: Thinking about the November 7 Election; or, People and Parks continued 

21. Tuesday, October 31: Galapagos: A Case Study in Ecotourism 

22. Thursday, November 2 : Traditional Environmental Knowledge and its Role in the Modern World 

23. Tuesday, November 7: Exam 3

Part Four: Environmental Problems from the Affluent Western World

24. Thursday, November 9: Caverns Measureless to Man

25. Tuesday, November 14: Fossil Fuels 

26. Thursday, November 16: No class, due to professional meeting (this cancellation is subject to change).

Tuesday, November 21 and Thursday, November 23: Thanksgiving Break!

27. Tuesday, November 28: Climate Change 

28. Thursday, November 30: Alternative Energy I 

29. Tuesday, December 5: Alternative Energy II 

30. Thursday, December 7: The Earth Summit and the Climate Change Conference: Where to From Here? 

31. Tuesday, December 12: Discussion and Preparation for the Final Exam 

32. Wednesday, December 20: 10:30-12:30, Parker Auditorium (100 Stewart): FINAL EXAM

Grading System for Geography 103 

Here's how it works:

Generally, your score on an exam will be graded as 90-100 points, A range; 80-89 points, B range; 70-79 points, C range; 60-69 points, D range; and below 60, F range (yes, there is an F+!). Sometimes if test results suggest the test was too hard, I will adjust accordingly; for example, 86-95 could be in the A range, 76-85 in the B range, etc. So, your score on each test will be assigned points that correspond with your actual letter grade on that test. Here's the scale that will be used:

A	A	+	13 points
	A		12 points
	A	-	11 points
B	B	+	10 points
	B		9 points
	B	-	8 points
C	C	+	7 points
	C		6 points
	C	-	5 points
D	D	+	4 points
	D		3 points
	D	-	2 points
F	F	+	1 points
	F		0

 
Your final grade will correspond to the total points of the four exams, divided by 4. That number's letter equivalent is the final grade. (So, if you had an A+, B, C and B+ on your four exams, you'd have 13, 9, 6 and 10 points, totaling 38; divided by 4, 9.5 points; rounded up to 10 points = B+, final grade. Please see me if you have any questions about the grading system. Remember that with this system it is possible for all of you to get A's. That would give me great pleasure, so try your best!

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