FALL 2011
Dr. Michael D. Sublett Felmley Hall
of Science 104 309-438-5808
Office Hours:
11:10-12:00 MW. Other times by appointment.
Email: mdsuble@ilstu.edu Homepage:
http://lilt.ilstu.edu/mdsuble
Watchword: "What we have to do, we learn by doing." Aristotle
Textbook: Easy Writer: A Pocket Guide.
Attendance: I expect you to be with the class whenever and wherever we meet. Participation is of the utmost importance. If you have a good reason to miss class, please tell me in advance. On at least three Tuesdays we will continue to work beyond 5:00 p.m., and I will provide advance notice of those days.
Promptness: Classroom and field activities begin on time. Please be at the appointed place ready to do business. Turn in written work the day it is due. Late work will incur a penalty.
Food/Drink/Attire: Do not consume food, soft drinks, coffee, etc. in the Seminar Room. Water is fine. Sandals are not appropriate for field activities.
Seat Belts: All riders must have seat belts buckled around them when class vehicle is moving.
Course Goals: (1) To give you practice in defining, attacking, and solving geographic field problems: (2) to develop your writing, responding, speaking, and small group skills; (3) to build your confidence in the field use of map and compass.
Grades: Expect roughly 650 points in the course. I use a 90/80/70/60 scale.
200 from Logbook (spiral, light cover, 8 1/2" X 11")
200 from Subdivision Project
100
from Stream Project
100 from Old North Normal Project
50 from Orienteering Activities
Logbooks: Commit yourself now to filling your logbook with handwritten prose (perhaps also maps, drawings, photos) pertinent to this course. I will ask you to make several directed entries--either in or out of class. You will also make many independent entries as you reflect on Geography 310. At the least, you should write two independent entries per week; but I hope for more. Here are a few ideas for independent entries: "I am curious about . . . ;" "As I was reading . . . .;" "You said in class today . . . .;" "You will not believe what I just heard on the news.;" "I really liked . . . in class today.;" "Some people on my GEO 310 team are . . . ." Most important, and in every entry, I expect to read your thoughts about that subject. I will collect logs irregularly on an announced and unannounced basis. ALWAYS BRING YOU LOG TO CLASS. If I collect logbooks, you must have yours ready to submit at that time or suffer a severe penalty. I base logbook points on number of entries, entry quality, format, and an end-of-semester index and evaluative essay. The format includes day, date, and entry title. For your first entry use: "Tuesday, 23 August 2011: My Goals for this Course." Begin each entry at the top of the next blank page. Use fronts and backs of all sheets. Entries may occupy more than one page. Place your name on the outside of the log in the upper right-hand corner of the front cover. Use your logbook only for logbook entries. Do not tear pages out of logbook. Buy a spiral notebook without perforated pages and with a light color cover (so you can write you name legibly).
Writing Essays: Writing is a key skill for the successful college graduate. In addition to keeping a logbook, you will doing some formal essays in this class. I take writing seriously, and so should you. To assist you with various writing issues, I have prepared a model essay entitled "An Essay on Short Essays" and published it on my Website. Keep the model essay handy as you write for me and at times when you are composing similar papers.
Responding to Text: One admonition in the model essay is to "ask someone you trust (who knows about writing) to examine your work" before you submit it for final scrutiny. Classmates will be serving as responders before I score your Field Geography essays. To assist responders, I have prepared a set of guidelines entitled "Instructions for Responding to Text" and published the set on my Website. You, as a responder, will receive class credit for the responses and help yourself, in the process, become a better writer.
Academic Dishonesty: This department will not tolerate academic dishonesty. I expect you to do your own work in my course, except when I specifically call for a group effort. If you suspect academic dishonesty, inform me immediately.
Certificate in Applied Spatial Analysis: As one way to encourage our majors to take more of the advanced Geography courses and to choose an internship with a strong spatial focus (mapping, GIS, GPS, planning, field work, etc.), the Department offers this certificate, signed by the Dean of Arts and Sciences and the Chair of Geography-Geology. Students must complete at least five of these courses (plus an appropriate Geography internship): 303 (Geographic Information Systems), 304 (Geographic Information Systems Applications), 305 (Remote Sensing I), 308 (Quantitative Methods II), 310 (Field Geography), 351 (Cartographic Processes). Sometimes we accept an independent study. All grades in the counted courses and the internship must be "C" or higher.
Geography Career Year 1112: During the academic year, faculty will involve students in events featuring program graduates and other professionals who have career-related experiences to share with us. Events may include classroom visits, campus lectures, in-house food functions, and off-campus site visits. The Department is keeping track of individual student participation in such events. Stay tuned for details as Geography Career Year 1112 unfolds.
Contact me via email at mdsuble@ilstu.edu
Go to Geography 310 Welcome Page.
Go to Geography 310 Course Outline.
Learn more about me at my homepage.
Created 7 August 1998. Last revision occurred 12 August 2011.