Amsterdam: A Cesspool of Corruption?

Posted on February 3, 2012 by Donald Rallis

As I frequently point out, the world looks different depending on where you look at it from.

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English is so global, so why learn another language?

Posted on January 30, 2012 by Donald Rallis

We had a discussion in class a while ago about the value of learning another language other than your own home tongue. An interesting discussion of this very topic was posted yesterday on the New York Times website.

The discussion begins with a point made by Lawrence Summers, former President of Harvard University, in a recent article. Summers argues (as I do) that it is more important than ever that education ‘breeds cosmopolitanism,’ and that students have international experience. He goes on to write

English’s emergence as the global language, along with the rapid progress in machine translation and the fragmentation of languages spoken around the world, make it less clear that the substantial investment necessary to speak a foreign tongue is universally worthwhile. While there is no gainsaying the insights that come from mastering a language, it will over time become less essential in doing business in Asia, treating patients in Africa or helping resolve conflicts in the Middle East.

Short pieces by six other people on the Times page express varying views on the subject; it’s well worth reading what they have to say.

Do you agree that it is becoming less important for English speakers to learn another language?

Posted in Education | 3 Comments

First attempt at polling a dismal failure :(

Posted on January 27, 2012 by Donald Rallis

Only twelve of the 76 people in the two sections of World Regional Geography voted in the first poll I posted on Cel.ly. Here are the results:

What do you think of the idea of taking polls? Should I keep at it or abandon the idea?

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Why our education system lags so far behind Finland’s

Posted on January 21, 2012 by Donald Rallis

Helsinki, Finland

In class this week, we have spoken quite a bit about education, and about the ways in which the U.S. education system has failed us (i.e. you.)

A recent article in The Atlantic, ‘What Americans Keep Ignoring About Finland’s School Success,’ notes that today’s ‘economic superpower’ is Finland, a country which has no private schools, no standardized tests, there are no lists of best schools or best teachers, and where for the past 30 years “the main goal of the education system has been to ensure that all students have the same opportunity to learn, regardless of family background, income, or geographic location. Education has been seen first and foremost not as a way to produce star performers, but as an instrument to even out social inequality.”

The article concludes that “The problem facing education in America isn’t the ethnic diversity of the population but the economic inequality of society, and this is precisely the problem that Finnish education reform addressed. More equity at home might just be what America needs to be more competitive abroad.”

The article is well worth looking at as you think about education, and as we begin our discussion of Europe.

Do you agree with the article’s argument and conclusion?

Posted in Education, Europe | Tagged | 3 Comments

Does spelling count? A follow-up

Posted on January 18, 2012 by Donald Rallis

European Endonyms (from http://endonymmap.com)

We spoke in class on Tuesday about the fact that the names we use (in English) for other countries are often different from the names they have in local languages. I learned today that there is a word for this phenomenon, endonym, defined as ‘a name used by a group or category of people to refer to themselves or their language, as opposed to a name given to them by other groups. For example, Deutschen is the endonym of a people known in English as German.’

I learned this new word when I stumbled across this interesting post on the blog GeoCurrents about endonyms in Africa, a part of the world where many countries have several (in some cases hundreds of) different indigenous languages. It’s worth taking a look at, as is Endonym Map, which shows most countries in the world and some of the names by which they are known.

 

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For Spring 2012 students in Geog 101

Posted on December 5, 2011 by Donald Rallis

First and foremost, welcome to World Regional Geography! I hope you find the course interesting, informative, and perhaps even entertaining.

This post contains some very important information about the course, how it is organized, and where you can find the answers to questions I am sure you will have about the course. So please look over it carefully.

I will post more information on this course website before the course begins, and as the semester progresses. In the mean time, though, I encourage you to explore the site which we will use as a source of information about the course, as well as a place for discussion on topics related to issues we cover in class discussions and in the readings for the class.

Where to Find Stuff: The course web site and Canvas

In Fall  2011, students told me that they got very confused about what materials were on this site, and what was posted on Canvas, and what was on Regional GeogBlog. They suggested that I explain this very clearly to future Geog 101 classes at the beginning of the course, and I have taken the suggestion to heart. Here’s how things will work.

Canvas is the place to find online assignments, a record of you grades, and announcements. That’s all. It is very important that you set up your notifications on Canvas so that you get a message whenever I post an announcement. Canvas is the way I will let you know when I have posted online assignments, and the way I will get important information to you. If you miss an assignment because you didn’t see the announcement on Canvas, you will not be allowed to make it up or get an extension.

It is your responsibility to make sure that you know how Canvas works, and how to set it up in the way that suits you best. For the purposes of this course, I will assume that you are familiar with Canvas. If you aren’t, or if you have any questions, please contact the Help Desk or look at the tutorials and other information materials on the Canvas site.

This website is where you will find the all-important Course Calendar (on the Calendar, click on the entry for any day’s class, then click on ‘More details’ in the pop-up box, and you will see a listing of the required readings you will need to do in preparation for that day’s class.) The calendar will also contain the dates of the five map quizzes you will take during the course of the semester.

The website is also the place to find out about what you need to know for the map quizzes, how to set about writing an extra credit paper, where and when I hold office hours, and lots more. I highly recommend that you browse through the various sections listed at the top of this page before the course begins, so that you have an idea of what’s there. (Note: I will update from time to time, so some details may change. The substance of what’s posted on the site, however, will remain much the same.)

Speaking of readings, you should know that most of the readings will come from the required text and my geography and travel blog, Regional GeogBlog.

Regional GeogBlog is where you will find some of the required and recommended readings for the course (the specific posts you need to read will be posted on the Course Calendar.)

The blog is not meant to be a text; rather, it is a blend of my own observations, photographs, and videos from places ranging from Richmond, Virginia to Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei. It is intended for a general audience, but with students in Geog 101 in mind. Please feel free to post comments on any of the blog entries before, during, or after the Spring semester.

The Text and Atlas

I always have a dilemma when it comes to assigning texts for a course. I am very aware of the enormous financial burden exorbitant textbook prices place on students. But at the same time it is essential that you have a source of information about facts, concepts, and ideas that form the foundation of any course, including Geog 101. And, if we are to be able to devote our valuable class time to discussion rather than lectures, you need to come to class having read about the topic of the day, and prepared to contribute to the discussion.

As a way of trying to balance these conflicting needs, I have worked closely with a textbook publisher to get the best possible price for you on the books you will need for the class. Since we will not use the entire required text, the publisher has agreed to print a special edition for this class, with the superfluous chapter omitted. This cuts the price significantly. In addition the publisher will give us a significant discount on the atlas that you will use in class just about every time we meet (the discount only applies if you buy the atlas and text together.) The price for both, the UMW Bookstore tells me, will be around $110. This isn’t cheap, but it is better than the $150 or so the books would cost separately.

The text is:
de Blij, Harm J., Peter Muller, and Jan Nijman (15th edition) 2012. Geography: Realms, Regions and Concepts. Wiley.

The atlas is:
de Blij, Harm J. and Roger Downs (eds). College Atlas of the World. National Geographic/Wiley.

If you can find the atlas and the full version of the text more cheaply than the bundled bookstore package, by all means buy them. Just make sure that you have the correct editions of both books (the 15th edition of the text, and the latest edition of the atlas.) This is important because I will be assigning readings and referring to atlas maps using page numbers, and if you have the wrong edition the pages won’t match up (The page numbers in the special abridged edition of the text will be the same as those in the full version, so either will do.)

Extras

Delicious feed.On the right hand side of each page on the site, you will see a section headed ‘Recent Interesting Stuff.’ This is an ever-changing list of links to news stories, web sites, and videos that I found interesting, and that are related in one way or another to the issues we cover in this class.

Twitter. I will periodically tweet about events, issues in the news, and other topics related to the subject matter of the course. If you wish (it’s not required) you can follow my Geog 101 tweets at UMWGeog101 (or, if you are interested, my Tweets on a wider range of issues at donaldrallis.) I will tweet not only during the semester, but also over the breaks, when I usually travel. Over Winter Break 2011, I’ll be tweeting on my personal account from Cambodia.

YouTube. I have a YouTube channel where I post videos, most (but not all) of which are related to the subject matter of the course. Many are of ordinary scenes in foreign places that reveal a lot about life, cultures, and landscapes.

Photographs. I have a very large collection of photographs from my travels, many of which you will see in class. I also post a selection of pictures on my publicly accessible Picasa site.

If you have any questions now, over the break, or during the semester, please don’t hesitate to send me an e-mail.

I hope you enjoy your Winter Break, and that you come back in January looking forward to World Regional Geography. I am certainly looking forward to meeting and talking with you, in class, during office hours, and online.

 

 

 

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Which world region goes overboard?

Posted on November 12, 2011 by Donald Rallis
Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

First Online Assignment Posted

Posted on September 4, 2011 by Donald Rallis

I have spent much of the weekend exploring the intricacies of Canvas, and the product of my efforts is the first online assignment (you should have received an e-mail telling you about it.) If you come across any technical or other problems with the quiz, please let me know right away.

You may find the assignments for this course rather different from what you are used to. The main purpose of the assignments isn’t to test what you know, it’s to help you learn. I don’t expect you to know the answers to the questions off the top of your head but, if you have done the readings and kept up with class discussions, you should be able to figure out the answers. You may use the atlas, the textbook, your notes, or any other sources of information you wish in answering the questions. Just remember that, as is the case when you do any research, you are responsible for assessing the reliability of information that you find.  Faulty online information is not a valid reason for getting the answer to a question wrong.

The online assignments are meant to be both fun and informative. I hope you enjoy them!

Donald N. Rallis
September 4, 2011

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Welcome to World Regional Geography

Posted on August 30, 2011 by Donald Rallis

Welcome to Geog 101, World Regional Geography!  I hope that you will find the coming semester rewarding, interesting, and helpful, and that by the middle of December you will understand a little more about geography, the world and, I hope, yourself and the way you think and learn. I look forward to meeting you on Tuesday, but in the mean time i want to share some information about the course with you so that you have some idea what to expect from the course. There is also some reading I would like you to do in preparation for our first class.

We will make use of a variety of sources of information for both the subject matter of the course and for organizational matters. It is important that, from the outset, you understand what course materials you need to be familiar with, and where you can find them. In particular, you need to be aware of the following.

1. The World Regional Geography website (regionalgeography.org/world).
This is where you will find information about the course, blog-based discussions on issued we cover in class and, crucially, the Course Calendar. The Calendar contains required readings for each day’s class, the dates of map quizzes, and deadlines for online assignments, so it is absolutely critical that you consult it frequently. To find out the readings for each day’s class, click on the entry for the day’s class, and a pop-up box will appear listing what we will cover in class on that day click on ‘more details’ and you will find the readings you need to complete before class. I will update the readings and assignments as the semester progresses, so please check the Calendar regularly. (There are two readings you need to complete before the first day of class, so get started now!)

2. Canvas.
This Fall, UMW has begun using Canvas as its Course Management System (we previously used a rather clunky system called Blackboard.) Canvas is capable of doing all kinds of wonderful things, some of which we will make use of in this course.  Unfortunately, though, I have never used Canvas before, so we won’t be making full use of it until I learn more about it. We will definitely use Canvas, however, for assignments and also as a place where you will be able to check your grades.

3. The textbook and atlas.
Please make sure that you own a copy of Goode’s World Atlas, and that you bring it to class with you every day as I will refer to it regularly. Also make sure that you have access to a copy of course textbook and that you read the required chapters on time (you do not need to own your own personal copy of the text; it is absurdly expensive and unless money is no object you may wish to share a copy of the book within someone else in your section of Geog 101, or one of the other two sections. You can find out more about readings on the Required Readings page of the course website.

Your final grade for Geog 101 will be based on quizzes and assignments; there are no exams. This means that your final grade will be based on a number of online assignments you will complete outside of class during the semester, the scheduled in-class map quizzes, and periodic in-class pop quizzes on the readings. If I notice from our class discussions that you haven’t been keeping up with the readings, you should expect to see a rise in the number of pop quizzes. If, on the other hand, your participation in discussions shows familiarity with the readings, you can expect fewer quizzes and more time for quality discussion.

I have lots more to tell you, but this should be enough to keep you going for the time being. See you on Tuesday August 30!

Donald N. Rallis, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Geography
University of Mary Washington
Fredericksburg, Virginia 22401

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The Cambodian Genocide

Posted on July 16, 2011 by Donald Rallis

I talked briefly during Friday’s online class about the Cambodian Genocide, and asked you to read my blog entry on the subject. Last week, the PBS program POV broadcast a documentary on the genocide.  In the film Cambodian journalist Thet Sambath interviews surviving members of the Khmer Rouge, including Pol Pot’s deputy, Nuan Chea, also known as Brother Number Two. Over the course of ten years of interviews, Sambath gradually gains their trust, and they eventually tell the truth about their involvement in the killings.

Because of its subject matter, the film is very difficult to watch, but I cannot recommend it highly enough. If you can, please watch it, and post your reactions and comments here.

Watch the full episode. See more POV.

Posted in Southeast Asia | Tagged | 3 Comments