Department of Geography & Urban Planning
University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh
800 Algoma Blvd
Oshkosh, WI 54901
U.S.A.
bowenj@uwosh.edu
Telephone: (920) 424-4103
Fax: (920) 424-02

Geography 347

[Indicative only -- Refer to the syllabus for a specific semester for the actual course details.]

Course Abstract

The course focuses on the geography of economic development and cultural diversity in the western Pacific Rim. This region is home to a third of the world’s population. From the legacies of colonialism and the carnage of war, Northeast and Southeast Asia now contain some of the world’s richest economies – but also some of its poorest. The extraordinary economic dynamism in this region has taken place against the backdrop of centuries old cultural values. In this course, we will examine the economic and cultural patterns that define the geography of Pacific Asia as well as the processes that have shaped, and continue to reshape, those patterns. We will also focus on the interaction between people and the environment

Required Text
Barbara A. Weightman.Dragons and Tigers: A Geography of South, East and Southeast Asia. John Wiley & Sons, New York.

Grading
There will be two exams. The final exam is not cumulative. Each exam will contain a mixture of true/false, multiple choice, problem-solving, and short answer questions.

There will be two map quizzes to assess your geographic knowledge of Northeast and Southeast Asia.

There are two projects. First, every student will take part in several debates, concerning topics like China's One Child Policy, the Asian sex trade, and US policy toward North Korea. During the debates, teams of students will argue either side of a proposition. If you are not on one of the teams for a particular debate, you will be encouraged to ask questions during the debate and will be required to write a brief evaluation of each team's efforts.

Second, you will turn in a research paper of approximately 10 pages in length. The topic is up to you as long as it deals with one or more of the countries considered in this course AND has a geographical dimension. To help you prepare a high quality paper, you will complete this project in three phases, a topic statement due several weeks into the semester, a first draft (4-5 pages) due midway through the semester, and the final draft due at semester's end. After each of the first two phases, I will give you detailed comments to help you improve your work.

Your work in this course must be original. You may want to use secondary sources (e.g. published articles, books, statistics) in your written projects, but you must provide clear and complete references giving appropriate attribution. Your work should be in your own words. Plagiarism is a very serious form of academic misconduct and will be treated accordingly.

Exam #1: 40 points
Exam #2: 40 points
Debates: 35 points
Research Paper: 50 points
Map Quizzes (2): 20 points (10 each)
Class Participation: 15 points

Last updated:
January 28, 2008