GEOGRAPHY 145: SYLLABUS for SPRING 2003

Spring 2003					Prof. Hallinan
MW, 12:00-1:15					in AMD 308

Population Geography is a general interest course that provides
quantitative and qualitative insights into human population growth
and distribution.  As a geography course it looks at the spatial
patterns of occupance and movement over time.  It emphasizes the
dramatic growth of human numbers worldwide in recent centuries.
It scrutinizes particular demographic situations in major world
regions like Sub-Saharan Africa, where HIV infections have their
most dramatic current impact, and Western Europe, where many
countries no longer have rates of natural increase but rather
rates of natural decrease.  In focusing on the United States the
course again recognizes spatial diversity: California's growth
and urban sprawl contrasts with the fading towns of the USA's
rural heartland.

As a general education course Population Geography fulfills the
Major Social Issues requirement.  From the list of important
issues currently subsumed under that G.E. label Geography 145
addresses four in depth: gender, environment, immigration, and
biomedical/health.  In reading our first two Population Reference
Bureau (PRB) bulletins--
   Joseph A. McFalls, Jr., "Population: A Lively Introduction";
   Alene Gelbard et al., "World Population Beyond Six Billion"
--we encounter the "big picture" of the world's human numbers
over the time of centuries and the space of tens of millions of
square miles.  We also see the "small picture" of individual acts
and decisions, constrained by biology and by cultural norms, made
by individual men and women.  We pay special attention to the
impact of official population policies (e.g., China's "One Child"),
of economic pressures (e.g., two-earner households), of religious
norms (e.g., pronatalist and pro-life) and of biomedical advances
(e.g., prenatal screening) on females' lives and numbers.

In reading the third PRB bulletin, Robert Livernash and Eric
Rodenburg's "Population Change, Resources,...," we encounter the
very timely issues of limited resources and fragile environments
beset by growing human numbers.  Within state, national, and
world regional contexts we learn to differentiate population
densities--crude, agricultural, physiological, and psychological.
We come to appreciate that six billion human beings do not always
"live lightly" on the Earth.

With our fourth PRB bulletin, Martin & Midgley's "Immigration to
the United States," we encounter an issue of special importance
to Californians.  We place the California numbers and controversies
within broader national and international contexts.  We note the
pressures on migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers, past and
present.  We consider whether ethnocentrism and racism have any
resonance in current immigration debates in the U.S. and Europe.

Our final bulletin, Scott Ratzan et al., "Attaining Global Health,"
reminds us of life's span and the attendant health challenges.  We
investigate patterns of disease and disability, of morbidity and
mortality in both developing and developed countries.  We contrast
life expectancies and life spans of affluent populations with
those in poorer countries.  We map the availability of medical
services around the world.

Gaining this much information and insight is a daunting task.  Even
so, Geography 145 assumes no previous exposure to or expertise in
demography or in statistical and graphic analysis.  The course does
anticipate that students are ready to gain such knowledge and skill
through the course readings, discussions, and activities.

By semester's end students should display an increased awareness of
the sheer complexity of issues associated with population change.
They should be able to identify and characterize the major regional
and national concentrations of human beings.  They should be able
to speculate knowledgeably about the the impact of government
policies and cultural pressures on past, present, and future vital
statistics--birth and death rates, infant and maternal mortality
rates, fertility rates, morbidity rates, life expectancies, and
other measures.  They should appreciate that many issues--the
environmental impacts of population growth and movement, the access
of different groups to health services and migration opportunities,
the feasibility and desirability of different natalist policies--
have impassioned constituencies with rival perspectives.  Above
all, they should appreciate that their own life stories and actions
are important components of the larger population drama.
 
An accompanying SCHEDULE indicates lecture and discussion topics,
readings in the bulletins, and dates for exams and assignments. 

I'll determine semester grades based on 1000 possible points:
   900 points - 1000 points, A's
      800 points - 899 points, B's
         700 points - 799 points, C's
These individual assignments will help you amass points:
   Four Internet Worksheet Assignments @ 100 points each.........400 points
      Each assignment includes graphs for data display, fill-the-blank items,
         and a short summary essay of apx. 150 words.
   Five Written/Oral Presentations @ 50 points each..............250 points
      Each presentation requires a 3-minute talk with visual aids including
         at least one transparency, and a one-page (100 word) summary essay.
   Four In-class Quizzes @ 50 points each........................200 points
      Each quiz will have items in three different formats: multiple choice,
         map characterization, and short essay (apx. 150 words).
   One Comprehensive Final Exam @ 150 points.....................150 points
      The final will use the same formats as the quizzes.  Both a U.S. and
         a world map will be used for map characterization items.  Two short
         essays of 150 words each will also be included.

Go to GEOGRAPHY 145 SCHEDULE
Go to GEOGRAPHY 145 General Links
Go to GEOGRAPHY 145 Links for Worksheets
Return to HALLINAN'S HOME
E-mail me at hallinan@csus.edu


This page was updated 01-20-03.