Course Syllabus- Geography of Africa-Online

University of Florida, Department of Geography

GEA3600, Summer A 2020

Sections 005G & 01E9

3 credit hours

GEA 3600 provides 3 Credit Hours of General Education Requirements (GER):S=Social Science N=International 

UF Writing Requirement: 6,000 words

Download a pdf copy of the syllabus here.

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Instructor

Lead Instructor: Audrey C Smith

Email: Please use the Canvas Inbox system to contact Audrey for all email communication for this course.

Online Office Hours: Online, Wednesdays 9:30 am - 12:30 pm or by appointment

Access Office Hours Here: https://ufl.zoom.us/j/91104825366, Meeting ID: 911 0482 5366

Teaching Assistants: Akhil R. Kshirsagar, Matthew Pflaum, and Tierney Shimansky

Course Communication: All email communication should be conducted through Canvas email so a record is kept.  If you have a question about the course that isn't personal, please post it to the Course Questions Board.  This way everyone can benefit from the answers provided to your question(s).  There's a good chance your classmates either have the same questions or have an answer!  Feel free to communicate with your classmates via the Course Discussion Board; we will also be checking the Discussion Board to answer questions.  Please contact Audrey for all email communication including questions about assignments graded by course TAs. You may copy the TAs on your Canvas email if you wish.

Required Text

Geography of Sub-Saharan Africa, 3r^d Edition, 2010. Author: Samuel Aryeetey-Attoh ISBN-13: 978-0136056317

Note: The text s available through the UF Bookstore and Amazon.  Amazon offers both paperback and hardback versions of the book as well as new and used copies, and generally for a lower cost than the UF Bookstore.

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Course Description

This course is an introduction to the geography of Sub-Saharan Africa. It will provide an overview of major environmental and human features of the region and examine the dynamic issues facing African societies. Students will learn about environmental and resource issues, historical impacts on development, cultural characteristics, social organization, politics and conflict, and prospects for the future.

Purpose of Course

This course presents the Geography of Africa from an environmental and economic development perspective. We start by understanding how Africa formed, its landscape, its climates, and how people evolved to interact with the environment. The course also discusses dynamic issues facing contemporary African societies and the challenges that people and nations of this vast continent are working to resolve, introducing ideas about economic development, politics, and governance. Issues of health, demography, gender, and culture are also covered. Through lectures, reading assignments, videos, and reflective writing exercises we will study the climate, environment, and natural resources of Africa; the influence of geography on human evolution in African and the impact of historical events on development; the tremendous diversity of African landscapes, peoples, and cultures; demographics, health, and disease; and prospects for the future.

Goals and Objectives

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

1. Identify and describe the physical features, climates, and biomes of Africa.

2. Understand how climate shaped human evolution in Africa and the development of civilizations in Africa.

3. Explain how external influences and the legacy of colonialism shaped African development (and underdevelopment) and identify development challenges in Africa.

4. Describe and analyze human-environment interactions in Africa according to different geographical concepts, and define and identify causes  land degradation, including causes & outcomes.

5. Describe wildlife policies and concerns, conservation and environmental degradation in Africa

6. Research, outline, and write effective essays conveying complex ideas and arguments clearly and precisely, supporting claims with adequate evidence.​

Prerequisite Knowledge and Skills:  A good attitude, an open mind, and the desire to learn.

Disclaimer: This page and the syllabus represents the current plans and objectives of the source.  As we go through the semester, those plans may need to change to enhance the class learning opportunity.  Such changes, are likely and will be announced; the most up-to-date requirements will always be posted in the individual module pages.

Lectures/Reading Material:

Students are required to view powerpoint audio lectures and topic videos provided for each of the course modules.  Additionally, there will be required readings assigned  from the textbook (The Geography of Sub-Saharan Africa, by Samuel Aryeetey-Attoh ), research articles, and other materials (See Modules pages for reading assignments).

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Assignments

• Take the Syllabus Quiz by Thursday, May 14th!

There are five categories of assignments for the course: 1) Module Quizzes (3); 2) Reflection Essays (2); 3) Reflection Activities (4); 4) Portfolio Submissions (4); and 5) Final Exam (1). 

1) Module Quizzes:  There will be three (3) module quizzes throughout the semester. The quizzes will consist of 10 questions derived from module content including assigned readings, power point lectures, videos, and other material provided.

• Quiz 1: Modules 1-2
• Quiz 2: Modules 3-4
• Quiz 3: Module   5

What to expect: 10 multiple choice, T/F, or fill-in-the-blank questions. Quizzes are not timed and you will have 2 attempts with the highest score recorded.

2) Reflection Essays (2):

Reflection Essay 1-Preconceptions & Knowledge of Africa: Write a 500-WORD essay on any previous knowledge or preconceptions you may have about Africa or topics related to Africa.  

Reflection Essay 2-Final Reflections:  Write is a 1,500-WORD essay on 2-4 topics covered in course modules that you found the most interesting and/or useful in this course.

3) Reflection Activities (4):

Reflection Activities 1-4:  Students will be required to complete four 500-WORD Reflection Activities as responses to assigned textbook chapter readings, research articles, videos or other materials relative to module topics. These essay activities should demonstrate critical thinking and analysis as you briefly reflect on topics/issues in the African context, and how the issues are relatable on a larger scale. 

4) Portfolio Submissions (4):

African Country Portfolio:

• Students will develop a “Portfolio” for a country of their choice located in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Student will develop and annotated bibliography- Portfolio Submission 1- for their selected country and write about one or more topic from the course modules for the Portfolio Submission 2-4.  
• Portfolio Country Selection: By the end of Week 1, students will select a SSA country for which they want to develop their Portfolio, which includes conducting preliminary research on the country to determine if there is enough information available through journal/research articles and other scholarly sources that relate to module topics.  

Portfolio Submissions (4):

Portfolio Submission 1- Annotated Bibliography: Students will submit a 500-word Annotated Bibliography  for their chosen African country.  Students will find one scholarly source for each of the course modules (6 sources total). The Annotated Bibliography will serve as a resource base for writing the 3 portfolio essays (i.e. Portfolio Submissions 2-4) for which scholarly sources are required. (Students may find additional or alternative sources throughout the semester if they wish but the bibliography should prepare them for the essays and save time.)

• Scholarly Sources: Scholarly sources include research articles are written by scholars, scientists, or professionals who are experts in their fields and are published in peer-reviewed academic journals.   Google Scholar is a useful internet search tool, and online digital libraries such as JSTOR (http://www.jstor.org (Links to an external site.)). You can also access scholarly sources from the UF Library Off Campus Access.

Portfolio Submissions 2-4: Students will submit three 500-WORD portfolio essays that use scholarly sources from their Annotated Bibliography to discuss the issues/topics covered in the modules in relation to their African country selected during Week 1. 

• Students may find additional or alternative sources throughout the semester if they wish but the bibliography should prepare them for the essays and save time

5) Final Exam:  

When: Available June 17-19, 2020 

What to Expect:  

• Online timed exam consisting of 50 fill-in-the-blank, multiple choice & T/F questions derived from content from course Modules 1-6, including PowerPoint lectures, assigned readings, videos, and other material provided. The questions will be selected via a random process so that each student will have a different set of questions.
• The exam is designed to test your comprehension and understanding of the materials from the full course, so all lectures, videos, readings, activities, and other module elements may be covered in the exam.
• The final exam is worth 100 points.

Grading by Assignment Type:

Assignment Type	Total Words	Total Points
Syllabus Quiz	N/A	5
Portfolio Country Selection	N/A	5
Module Quizzes (3 @ 30 pts. each)	N/A	90
Reflection Essay 1 - Preconceptions of Africa	500	50
Portfolio Submissions (4 @ 75 pts, 500 words)	2000	300
Reflection Activities (4 @ 75 pts., 500 words)	2000	300
Reflection Essay 2 - Final Reflections	1500	150
Final Exam	N/A	100
Total Points	N/A	1000
Total Words	6000	N/A

 

Late Work Policy

We recognize that this class is not the only thing in your life, and sometimes other things happen that get in the way of submitting work on time. Late work is accepted, and will be assessed a penalty of 1% per hour that it is late. This allows the most flexibility and fairness across the whole class, so if you need an hour or two extra to finish work, you'll be penalized, but not so much that it wrecks your grade. Make-up work is not allowed beyond this policy without documentation of a university-approved absence. Quizzes and exams are exempt from this policy and will not be accepted late.

 

Grading Scale: *You must earn a C or higher to receive credit for this course!

A	92-100
A-	90-91.99
B+	88-89.99
B	82-87.99
B-	80-81.99
C+	78-79.99
C	72-77.99
C-	70-71.99
D+	68-69.99
D	62-67.99
D-	60-61.99
E	<60

 

Academic Integrity

You should read the University’s Guide to academic honesty, which is available online at http://www.dso.ufl.edu/judicial/procedures/academicguide.php. Plagiarism and other violations of academic honesty are unacceptable. If you are found to have cheated, you will be penalized by the reduction of your course grade, and may be subject to further penalties. You should expect the minimum penalty to be a failing grade for the course.

Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

Students requesting classroom accommodation must first register with the Dean of Students Office. The Dean of Students Office will provide documentation to the student who must then provide this documentation to the instructor when requesting accommodations.

Statement on Intellectual Property Rights

Course materials prepared by the instructor, together with the content of all lectures and review sessions presented by the instructor are the property of the instructor. Video and audio recording of lectures and review sessions without the consent of the instructor is prohibited. On request, the instructor will usually grant permission for students to audio tape lectures, on the condition that these audio tapes are only used as a study aid by the individual making the recording. Unless explicit permission is obtained from the instructor, recordings of lectures and review sessions may not be modified and must not be transferred or transmitted to any other person, whether or not that individual is enrolled in the course.

Course Attendance, Make-Up Work, etc.

Requirements for class attendance and make-up exams, assignments, and other work in this course are consistent with university policies that can be found at: https://catalog.ufl.edu/ugrad/current/regulations/info/attendance.aspx

UF Grading Policies

University policy on grade point averages for courses is available at: https://catalog.ufl.edu/ugrad/current/regulations/info/grades.aspx

Online Course Evaluations

Students are expected to provide professional and respectful feedback on the quality of instruction in this course by completing course evaluations online via GatorEvals. Guidance on how to give feedback in a professional and respectful manner is available at https://gatorevals.aa.ufl.edu/students/ (Links to an external site.). Students will be notified when the evaluation period opens, and can complete evaluations through the email they receive from GatorEvals, in their Canvas course menu under GatorEvals, or via https://ufl.bluera.com/ufl/ (Links to an external site.). Summaries of course evaluation results are available to students at https://gatorevals.aa.ufl.edu/public-results/ (Links to an external site.).