Economic Geography - Index

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Economic Geography

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General Information

Instructor: J. Lopez, Ph.D.

Telephone:
507-389-1890
507-382-0497

Office:
218 I Armstrong Hall

Electronic mail:
jose.lopez@mnsu.edu

Office Hours:
Monday and Wednesday
1:30 pm – 3:00 pm
Tuesday and Thursday
1:30 pm – 4:00 pm

If I am not in my office, please call
507-382-0497

Required Textbooks:
Coe, Kelly, & Yeung. 2013.
Economic Geography,
A Contemporary Introduction. 2nd Edition.
Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Ferguson, Niall. 2013.
The Great Degeneration: How Institutions Decay and Economies Die.
London, UK: Penguin Publishing.

Course Objectives
This course is designed to give students familiarity with the contemporary literature in diverse areas of economic geography. This seminar is a collective experience with active student participation. Students will be asked to read two research articles about different topics pertinent to economic geography. A critical review of each journal article is required.

Expected Outcomes
At the end of the semester, the participants of this course should be able to:

1. Describe the spatial patterns of production, distribution, and consumption activities.

2. Identify the spatial arrangement of economic activities.

3. Explain how economic activities are interrelated and how they are tied to other human activities.

If you are a student with a documented disability, please see me as early in the semester as possible to discuss the necessary accommodations, and/or contact the Disability Services Office at 507-389-2825.

Objectives and Expected Outcomes for Graduate Students
More is expected of a graduate student than an undergraduate since a student enters a graduate program after attending at least four years of college.   

A graduate degree requires more analytical thinking as the student is expected to review the literature and conduct research about a specific field of study.

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

1. Identify the factors used to determine location of industries and services.

2. Discuss the role of government in a country’s economic geography.

3. Explain which trade policies are the most common today.

4. Explain the reasons for variability in demand for strategic natural resources.

5. Make an effective interpretation about the value of the different schools of thought pertinent to economic geography research.

Course Requirements
Readings: Students should read the relevant material in the textbook before it is covered in class. It is the responsibility of the individual student to attend class, to actively participate in a "learning team," and to be prepared to enter into a discussion of the material under consideration.

Critical Reviews
I would like you to read, review, and summarize the assigned research articles before we talk about these topics in class. When summarizing, concentrate on the objectives and important elements of the article. Journal article reviews are to:

1. Summarize the contents of article.

2. Critique each article in terms of readability, organizational logic, and strength of argument.

Reviews are to be two to three pages in length (undergraduates, two pages in length), double-spaced (word processor).

Graduate Students' Final Project:
If you are a graduate student you are required to complete a research project proposal.

Basically, you are expected to design a geographic research project that will help people understand the spatial dynamics of a specific economic activity.

You will have to appraise research literature pertinent to the selected economic activity and describe which research methods are appropiate for this kind of investigation.

Due Dates for Critical Reviews:

October (first Thursday)

Florida, R., Mellander, C., and Gulden, T. 2012. Global Metropolis: Assessing Economic Activity in Urban Centers Based on Nighttime Satellite Images. The Professional Geographer, 64 (2), 178–187.

November (first Thursday)

Gong, H. and K. Keenan. 2012. The Impact of 9/11 on the Geography of Financial Services in New York: A Few Years Later. The Professional Geographer, 64 (3), 370-388.

Exams
Test questions may be definitions, multiple choices, matching, or map questions. The exams will evaluate your understanding of the materials discussed in the text and supplemental assigned readings. Your performance in the following four areas will determine your final course grade:
Exam 1 - 20% of course grade
Exam 2 - 20% of course grade
Final Exam - 20% of course grade
Assignments, reviews, and quizzes - 40% of course grade

Throughout the semester, quizzes may be given without notice. This practice is to measure your comprehension of the material presented in lectures. These quizzes do not serve as punitive action; they are designed to assess your learning experience. These short examinations are a small portion of the assignment grade, not exam grade.

Course Policies and Rules
It is my policy that disrespectful behavior, lack of consideration towards the participants of the course, tardiness, or any disturbance on your part will influence my decision regarding your final grade.

Attendance is not mandatory, but you are highly advised to attend. If you want to succeed in this course, you should come to every session. While about 90% of the material covered by the lectures could be found in the course book, some topics are not sufficiently covered by the text.

Even though attendance is not mandatory, points will be deducted for those students who leave class early, especially on days that test and quiz grades are returned (permission to leave early is required). I prefer that you are absent instead of having to witness students leaving the classroom disrespectfully.

Past experience indicates that grades correlate with attendance and an absence on a test day is detrimental to one's grade.

Please, consult any of your classmates for notes or handouts distributed during lecture if you miss a class session. Do not visit my office asking for old handouts. My duties during office hours are to clarify concepts and answer questions pertinent to tests or assignments, not tutoring (private instruction).

Under special circumstances, I will make electronic notes and Power Point slides available (you are expected to make an office appointment with me, and bring a PC-formatted USB flash memory drive so you can copy the lecture files). If you were absent, I would give you copies of the class notes or a make-up quiz if you provide a documented valid excuse.

Valid excuses include
• personal illness, as verified by a valid medical excuse;
• death or critical illness in the immediate family;
• participation in a university-sponsored activity;
• military service;
• law enforcement or public safety service.

If you examine MSUM’s Student Handbook (the “Students’ Responsibilities” section), you will find the following policy:
“Individuals will respect and foster the academic endeavors of others. Minnesota State Mankato exists to promote learning, and as such, students must behave in such a way to allow the process of learning to take place by group or individual. Examples of violations include but are not limited to: harassment of a faculty member; disrupting teaching or learning; excessive noise that disrupts classes, studying or University activities; other activities that seriously disrupt the educational process; intentionally altering, inhibiting, or stealing another person's research.”

Cell phone use (of any kind – voice, texting, calculator, or photography…) is prohibited during class. Phones must be turned off or at least set them not to make noise during class time.

The following activities are not to be engaged in during class because they are disruptive and detract from the learning focus of the course: listening to distracting electronic devices such as MP3 players, I-Pods, smartphones, CD players, or Walkman radios; playing electronic games; looking at pagers, Facebook/Twitter/My Space, or other social media; texting, internet faxing, or web browsing. In essence, all students are required to turn off laptop computers before class starts to avoid distracting activities. Reading the newspaper or other materials not related to the course is not permitted during the lecture. Audio or video recording of lectures is not permitted.

Students are not permitted to make unauthorized, electronic recordings of lectures or electronic copies of course materials (e.g., PowerPoints, formulas, lecture notes) using personally owned recording devices (e.g., smart phone, iPad, computer, digital recorder).

Recorded lectures or copied material must be destroyed at the end of the course or semester. Unauthorized downloading, file sharing, distribution of any part of a recorded lecture or course materials, or using information for purposes other than the student’s own learning may be deemed a violation of Minnesota State University, Mankato’s “Statement of Student Responsibilities” subject to disciplinary action.

Side conversations are discourteous to classmates, instructors, and guests. Conversations between classmates while I instruct will not be tolerated and I will ask disruptive students to leave the classroom if I deem it necessary. A student may be dropped from a course by the administration if disrespectful behaviors persist and I recommend this action. Raised voices, temper tantrums, and rude behavior will not change my 25-year-old policy.

Class time will be reserved for the definition of concepts, discussion of topics, and explanation of analytical techniques. Office hours are devoted to answering your questions.

There may be in-class assignments or quizzes, which are a portion of your course average grade. I give these occasional quizzes during the last 10 minutes of the session, throughout the semester. I am not obligated to announce most quizzes in advance.

Quizzes and assignments may differ in value (points) depending on their complexity. Do not expect that an elementary assignment will have the same worth as a more complicated exercise.

Late or make-up exams will only be given in verifiable cases of hardship or illness (you need to provide a note from the physician, court, or police department to demonstrate a legitimate reason for your absence). Projects or exercises turned in late after the original assignment has already been graded and returned will be worth zero points. There will not be any make-up quizzes or group activities. However, if you miss only one quiz, that zero will not be included during the calculation of the final grade (remember you have only one chance!).

The course is lecture format, not cooperative learning. Geography is a different type of science that involves very specific facts and theories. Basically, come to class, listen to the lecture, and take notes. Stop me (politely!) if I go too fast or if you have a question. The type of participation that I expect from you could be asking good questions, providing helpful facts during the discussion of concepts, and clarifying ideas that might be considered complex by other students.

The syllabus serves as a guideline and is subject to change, depending on circumstances as the semester progresses.

If you are a student with a documented disability, please see me as early in the semester as possible to discuss the necessary accommodations, and/or contact the Disability Services Office at (507) 389-2825. Minnesota State University, Mankato provides students with disabilities reasonable accommodation to participate in educational programs, activities or services.

Reading Schedule

Week
1-2 Economic Geography: An Introduction, pages 3-19 and 30-46
3 The Historical Development of Capitalism, pages 58-72
4 The State, pages 88-108
5 Commodities, pages 131-150
First Test: pages 3-150, September 26.

7 Labor, pages 157-181
8 Finances, pages 191-211
9 Capitalism and Commodity Chains, pages 225-254
10 Technological Change, pages 266-290
Second Test: pages 157-290, October 31.

11 Transnational Corporations, pages 294-322
12 Retail Geographies, pages 335-361
13 Industrial Location Theory, pages 373-397
Final Test: pages 294-397, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 10:15 a.m.

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