Course Syllabus: Geography of Africa, Summer B 2021

University of Florida, Department of Geography

Instructor: Tierney Shimansky

GEA3600, Summer B 2021

Sections GAUF & GADL

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: GEA3600_Syllabus.pdf 

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Instructors, Course Communication, & Office Hours:

Lead Instructor: Tierney Shimansky 

Email: tshimansky@ufl.edu

Please use the Canvas Inbox system to contact Tierney for all email communication for this course.

Phone: (352) 392-0494

Online Office Hours: TBD and by appointment 

Join Office Hours via Zoom: 

Meeting ID:  Passcode:

Additional Instructors/Graders: Zainab Ali (zainabali@ufl.edu)

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 Tierney for all email communication including questions about assignments graded by course TAs. Please CC Zainab on emails regarding grading. 

Required Textbook:

The Geography of Sub-Saharan Africa. Third Edition, 2010. Author: Aryeetey Attoh. ISBN: 978-80136056317. Note: Scanned chapter reading from the textbook will be provided via Google Drive.

Note: The textbook available through the UF Bookstore and Amazon.  Amazon offers both paperback and hardback versions of the book as well as new and used copies.

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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 journal article readings provided by the instructor and scanned sections of chapter readings from the textbook (The Geography of Sub-Saharan Africa. Third Edition, 2010. Author: Aryeetey Attoh), research articles, and other materials (See Modules pages for reading assignments). 

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Assignments

• Take the Syllabus Quiz by Friday, July 2nd!

There are six categories of assignments for the course: 1) Module Quizzes (3); 2) Reflection Essay (1); 3) Discussion Posts (4); 4) Citation Assignment (1);  5) Portfolio Submissions (3); and 6) Final Exam (1). 

***Turn It In Score Policy*** Any submissions that are 30% and over similarity score on Turn It In will not be graded and will receive a zero. It is up to you to check your score after submission and resubmit if needed. Plagiarism will not be tolerated. 

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. You will have 2 attempts with the highest score recorded.

2) Reflection Essay (1):

Reflection Essay 1-Preconceptions of Africa: Write a 750-WORD essay on any previous knowledge or preconceptions you may have about Africa or topics related to Africa.  

3) Discussion Posts (4):

Discussion Posts 1- 4:  Students will be required to complete four 250-WORD Discussion Posts on topics provided and related to the course modules. The Discussion Posts may be responses to assigned  readings, research articles, videos or other materials, or general questions/issues that you will be asked to reflect on. These discussion 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. They will be submitted as text entries and should be written in proper essay format but submitted as will not require citing sources, etc.

4) Citation Assignment (1):

• Students will write 500 words after reading through the "Writing Resources & Tips!" page located under student resources on the modules page. Once reading through these resources especially the information on APA citation format, why/when citations are needed, what a scholarly source is, and what the peer review process is. In-text citations are not only needed when using direct quotes! 
• In this assignment write 500 words about when citations are needed, why it is important to properly cite a source, how to use in-text citations, what qualifies as a scholarly source, and why the peer review process is important in academic publications. Include at lease on example of how to use an in-text citation (be sure to know how to cite one author, two authors, and more than two authors). 

5) Portfolio Submissions (3):

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 2-3.  
• 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 (3):

Portfolio Submission 1- Annotated Bibliography (750 words):

Students will submit a 750-WORD Annotated Bibliography for their selected 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 2-3: Students will submit two 1500-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

6) Final Exam:  

When: Available August 4-6, 2021 

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 will be open-book/notes and we will not be using Honorlock or ProctorU.
• 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	10
Portfolio Country Selection	N/A	25
Module Quizzes (3 @ 30 pts. each)	N/A	90
Reflection Essay 1: Preconceptions of Africa	750	100
Portfolio Submissions (3 @ 100 pts. each, 750-1500 words)	3750	300
Citation Assignment (1 @ 100 points, 500 words)	500	75
Discussion Posts (4 @ 75 pts .each, 250 words)	1000	300
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 lose 5 points per day after the assignment due date*. 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.).