US/Canada Syllabus and Handouts

Please download and read the reference, reading, video, and case study files linked below. These files contain important information related to the course. 

Please monitor and read the files on this page weekly for any updates I may post.

Feel free to contact me if you have questions about any of these files, or if you find any broken links.

GEOG 3100 Students: View This Before Classes Begin

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Week 1: Regions and Themes (Several General Reference Documents Listed for this Week)

• GEOG 3100 Syllabus

• GEOG 3100 Abstract Examples

• GEOG 3100 Paper Expectations
• GEOG 3100 Referencing Guidelines
• Maptitude Brochure (GIS software we will use in the week 9 and 10 "group GIS exercise" -- see week 10 resources below for exercise documents)
• Newspaper Column: You Don't Need to be a Dentist to Fill a Cavity
• Case Study Background Article: Walgreens Use of Interactive Maps
• Video Resource: Esri's Video Website (we will view and discuss several short videos from this site in class this semester, but note that there are many more helpful videos posted here that illustrate what Geographic Information System technology is all about)
• US and Canada Base Map (for use with week 2 discussion questions)
• Note-Taking Handout (From Stanford University's Center for Teaching and Learning)

Week 1 Key City Focus: Denton

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Week 2: Physical Foundations - Environment, Resources, and Sustainability

• Key City Focus: Dallas-Fort Worth
• Chesapeake Case Study: Primary Reference Document
• Chesapeake Case Study: EPA Background Document
• Chesapeake Case Study: US Army Corps of Engineers Fact Sheet
• Chesapeake Case Study: Smith Island Cultural Center Website
• Case Study Background Article: How the National Audubon Society Reshaped its Approach to Data
• ​​US and Canada Base Map (for use with week 2 discussion questions)

Week 2 Key City Focus: Dallas-Fort Worth

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Week 3: Human Foundations - Settlement, Migration, Emergency Management, and Culture

• Key City Focus: Boston
• Video: Boston - Watching a City Transform Over Time
• Historical Atlas of the United States (go to the table of contents and enter the "Population: 1790-1930" chapter; view especially the "Density of Population" series of maps)
• Case Study Background Article: California Office of Emergency Services

Week 3 Key City Focus: Boston

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Week 4: Urban Foundations - Cities and Metropolitan Regions

• Key City Focus: Calgary
• Case Study Background Article: How Bay Area Rapid Transit ("BART") Uses Geospatial Technology
• Article: Congestion Pricing in Atlanta
• Article: The Shrinking City of Chicago
• Article: The Decline of Detroit
• City Structure Handout  (for use with week 4 discussion questions)

Week 4 Key City Focus: Calgary

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Week 5: Economic Foundations - Business, Location, and Development

• Key City Focus: Seattle
• Article: Why do Certain Retail Stores Cluster Together?​

Week 5 Key City Focus: Seattle

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Week 6: Megalopolis

• Key City Focus: New York
• Texaplex Brochure

• Megaregions Website
• Video Questions: New York

Week 6 Key City Focus: New York

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Week 7: North American Manufacturing Core

• Key City Focus: Toronto
• YouTube Video: Driving Highway 401 Through Toronto
• Overview: The St. Lawrence Seaway and Regional Development
• Blog Post: Lean Production System​

Week 7 Key City Focus: Toronto

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Week 8: An Introduction to the Periphery - The Bypassed East, Appalachia, and the Ozarks

• Key City Focus: Halifax, Nova Scotia
• Video Questions: Appalachia

Week 8 Key City Focus: Halifax

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Week 9: Work Week

• Monday is the day you complete your quiz #2 for this course
• After Monday you have free time this week to make progress on the GIS Lab, with two key resources being available here:
  • GIS Lab - Instructions
  • GIS Lab - Evaluation Page

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Week 10: The Changing South/The Southern Coastlands

• Key City Focus: Tampa
• Maptitude Overview (GIS Software for This Week's Group Exercise) 


• Article: Hell and High Water - When Houston's Perfect Storm Hits
• Article: American South Urbanization
• Article: The Unfinished Suburbs of America
• Article: Inside Boeing South Carolina​

Week 9 Key City Focus: Tampa

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Week 11: The Agricultural Core/Great Plains and Prairies

• Do not forget that your student-directed discussion class is this week (Monday)
• Case Study Video: Iowa Prairie Restoration
• Key City Focus: Williston, North Dakota
• Article: North Dakota Boom
• ​NBC News Video: The Boom is Over (January 1, 2016)
• NPR All Things Considered Feature: After Struggles, North Dakota Grows (November 23, 2018)

Week 11 Key City Focus: Williston, ND

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Week 12: The Pacific Coast and the Southwest

• Key City Focus: Phoenix
• Dividing California Proposal

• Dividing California Map (Six Californias)

• United States Redrawn With 50 Equal Population States

Week 12 Key City Focus: Phoenix

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Week 13: The Pacific Coast and the Northwest

• Key City Focus: Vancouver​

Week 13 Key City Focus: Vancouver

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Week 14: Project Presentations

• Fall 2020 Presentation Schedule (to be updated in early November)
• No readings for this week, but attendance is required

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​Week 15: Geographic Literacy in America

• Key City Focus: Albuquerque, New Mexico
• National Geographic Society: Geography Awareness Poll (2006)
• Council on Foreign Relations/National Geographic Society: Global Literacy Survey (2016)

• Esri StoryMap: Mapping Route 66
• GEOG 3100 Abstracts for Fall 2019 (to be posted in November)
• Note: GEOG 3100 Final Exam details covered in class

Week 15 Key City Focus: Albuquerque

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