Introductory

Geography
GEOS1002
School of Geosciences University of Sydney

(Geography Word Cloud, from definitions of geography by Royal Geographical Society, Institute of Australian Geographers, and International Geographical Union, created with Wordle (wordle.com))

Unit of Study Description

In this Unit of Study, our aim is to introduce you to academic geography, by developing an understanding of what it means to think geographically. As we hope to show through the lectures, readings, practicals and assessments in this Unit, everything has a spatial dimension a where that matters. To do geography is to develop an understanding of this spatiality, by looking at how the creation of landforms, the formation of communities, the exercise of authority, and all manner of other processes take place. Geographers explore and theorise how these everyday and extraordinary processes shape, and are shaped by, the places and spaces where they occur. So, in this Unit of Study we will consider a range of human and physical geographies that shape contemporary global society. These geographies will be discussed with reference to key examples (such as Hurricane Katrina, the Earthquake in Haiti/Dominican Republic, the conflict in Darfur, and sea-level rise in the Asia-Pacific), in order to consider the ways in which the various processes (both physical and human) interact in our world. The Unit of Study is designed to attract and interest students who wish to pursue geography as a major within their undergraduate degree, but also has relevance to students who wish to consider the way geographers understand the contemporary world. By the end of this Unit of Study, students should be able to: define the core concepts and concerns of contemporary academic geography; identify the geographical dimensions of a range of environmental, economic, political and cultural issues; abstract and synthesise information from a variety of sources, in order to critically evaluate the merits of contrasting theories and perspectives on those issues; apply their understanding of geography to their own everyday lives and the issues that interest them.

Staff and Contact Details

Lecturers: Dr Kurt Iveson (Coordinator) Dr Dan Penny Ass Prof Dale Dominey-Howes geos1002@sydney.edu.au 2

Student Enquiries:

Lectures
Lectures take place from 2pm-4pm on Wednesdays, in Chemistry Lecture Theatre 1. 1. 2. 3. 4. Introduction Kurt Iveson, Dan Penny, Dale Dominey-Howes Hurricane Katrina Part 1: The Storm Kurt Iveson Hurricane Katrina Part 2: Hurricane Formation and Mitigation Dan Penny Hurricane Katrina Part 3: Geographies of Vulnerability in New Orleans Kurt Iveson and Dale Dominey-Howes 5. 6. 7. Tsunami waves of destruction the new Australian catastrophe Dale Dominey-Howes Climate change and the Pacific Islands: Impacts and Adaptations Dale Dominey-Howes Mega-Deltas in the Developing World Part 1: Environmental Context Dan Penny 8. Mega-Deltas in the Developing World Part 2: Adaptations and Mass Migrations Dan Penny 9. The Haiti Earthquake Part 1: Earthquakes Dan Penny 10. The Haiti Earthquake Part 2: On Development and Disaster Kurt Iveson 11. Darfur Part 1: Desertification Dan Penny 12. Darfur Part 2: Desertification, Displacement and the Conflict in Darfur a Climate Change War? Kurt Iveson 13. Conclusion Kurt Iveson and Dan Penny October 30 October 23 October 16 October 9 September 25 September 18 September 11 September 4 August 28 August 21 August 14 August 7 July 31

Practicals
Practicals will be taking place every second week throughout the semester, starting in week 2 (you will have been allocated a practical time and room in your timetable). They are designed to support your learning throughout semester, through structured reading exercises on the topics covered in lectures. Further details about readings and discussion questions will be made available throughout semester. Practical material will be assessable in multiple choices quizzes held across the semester. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. What is Geography? Theres No Such Thing as a Natural Disaster: What went wrong in New Orleans? Tsunami waves of destruction the new Australian catastrophe Asian Mega-Deltas The Physical Geography of Earthquakes Conflict, Correlation and Causation: Interrogating the Conflict in Darfur September 19- 20 October 10-11 October 24-25 September 5-6 August 22-23 August 8-9

eLearning
A Unit of Study Website will be used to support this course. Handouts and powerpoint lectures provided in class will be accessible on the website. Students are advised to monitor the website to keep abreast of Announcements and to participate in Class Discussions. Any announcements made in class will be posted to the website and, therefore, it is your responsibility to check it regularly. To access the eLearning site follow the instructions below: 1. Open a browser window; 2. Go to the University of Sydney home page (http://sydney.edu.au); 3. Follow the Current Students link; 4

4. Follow the Learning Management System link the right of the page; 5. Select the Unikey access to your eLearning sites; 6. Enter your UniKey login name and password; 7. Select the link of the Subject you wish to look at from your My eLearning sites homepage (in this case, GEOS1002: Introductory Geography). Please note that your UniKey login name and password will be printed on your initial confirmation of enrolment. If you have lost your password, either contact the ICT helpdesk on 9351 6000 or take some photo ID to one of the ICT Computer Access Labs on campus.

Assessment
There are fives pieces of assessable work for this Unit of Study. Further details for each will be provided in lectures and on the Unit of Study website during semester. Essay (Due Monday 23 September) Online Quizzes (Throughout Semester) Final Exam (Exam Period) General Assessment Criteria: Students receiving a: Pass Credit produced work that showed a satisfactory achievement of the learning outcomes of the unit. produced work of good quality showing more than satisfactory achievement on the learning outcomes of the unit, or work of superior quality on a majority of the learning outcomes of the unit. Distinction produced work of superior quality on the learning outcomes of the unit, demonstrating a sound grasp of content, together with efficient organisation and selectivity. High Distinction produced work of outstanding quality on the learning outcomes of the unit, which may be demonstrated in areas such as criticism, logical argument, interpretation of materials or use of methodology. This grade may also be given to recognise particular originality or creativity. 30% 20% 50%

Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty

The Academic Board at the University of Sydney has defined a set of policies relating to plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty. When submitting work, all students are required to complete a Plagiarism Compliance Statement, which can be accessed through the School of Geosciences website (http://www.geosci.usyd.edu.au/undergrad/ug_acahon.shtml). In cases of negligent plagiarism, it is usually the case that students will be required to resubmit their work. In cases of dishonest plagiarism, the School of Geosciences reserves the right to impose the full degree of sanctions on students, which includes automatic failure for the unit of study. For information on University plagiarism policies please read the following document: http://www.usyd.edu.au/ab/policies/Academic_Honesty_Cwk.pdf. If you are at all uncertain about what constitutes plagiarism, make sure you seek assistance (i.e., talk to Dan, Kurt or your Prac Leader). Negligent plagiarism (defined as: innocently, recklessly or carelessly presenting another persons Work as ones own Work without Acknowledgement of the Source). Dishonest plagiarism (defined as: knowingly presenting another persons Work as ones own Work without Acknowledgement of the Source. The rules make a distinction between:

Guidelines for Application for Special Consideration

All applications for Special Consideration in the School of Geosciences must be processed officially through both the Faculty of Science (regardless of the students particular faculty) and the School of Geosciences. The Faculty of Science official guidelines can be found at: http://www.science.usyd.edu.au/cstudent/ug/forms/special_cons.shtml Process to follow to submit an application for Special Consideration: 1. Students obtain a Special Consideration Pack from the Faculty of Science website (above). This pack includes all instructions needed to fill out the documentation correctly. 2. Within five working days from the end of the absence or misadventure, the completed application must be stamped by the Faculty of Science (this must occur prior to the forms being given to the School of Geosciences). Students then bring the completed forms to the Administration Assistant for the School of Geosciences, Nikki Montenegro, in Room 348 in the Madsen Building for processing. 3. Nikki will check that the forms have been completed appropriately and then forward them to the academic in charge of the Unit. 4. The decision will be recorded on the student file in the Faculty of Science, who will subsequently notify the student by email of the decision made. Copies of all completed forms will be kept in-confidence by the School of Geosciences for future reference. If you have any questions about the process, please speak to Nikki on 9351 2912 or by email: nikki.montenegro@sydney.edu.au. If you are seeking advice about the academic decision please speak to Kurt.