Introduction to Global Studies  
Fall 2010 Adult Degree Program Internet Course   Larry Smith  MAC B 308  smithl@uwgb.edu

General Course Expectations and Activities by Week

General Requirements:  Regular, about every other day, interaction with course D2 discussion based dialogues and wikis.
"Read" and produce (Weekly Minimum A-6 or more, B-5, C-4), and react to several other's D2L one-pagers on required and self-selected readings per accompanying table or on other class issues or activities (NOTE: "Reading" and posting as scheduled supports continuity of discussions and is essential in professional interaction preparation for which is an important objective of this course. Later postings thus do not "count" as much as timely ones and this is an issue to address in your self-evaluations.) 

Participate in self-selected subgroups producing course wiki reports on at least one natural cycle, one social pattern, the course SWOT exercise focused on "the future of human life on planet earth" and any other class-wide wiki activities. Here's the link to the course wiki
Attend special optional class sessions, or watch videos of them on D2L (a link will be provided), and participate in dialogues about them.
For grades of B or higher present a report on your personal project on D2L and react to at least 6 other's reports.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Week / Date

Activity or Assignment
"'Read" weekly assignments per the accompanying table and post and discuss D2L reactions several times each week.  NOTE: Post your reaction to any reading before you read those of others to minimize concern about redundant comments that are a natural result of the process.

1 / 9-2 – 9-8

Introductions, course orientation, overview, procedures, grades, ?s...  Read assignments in required books as listed in the accompanying table and find published reviews of optional books you think may be interesting, select some of those books to "read" (if you aspire to a course grade above C) and post one pagers on your choice(s) on D2L. Start to explore and begin to use Cofrin Library data bases, especially Jstor and Web of Science, particularly to find published reviews of optional course books. NOTE: (If you aspire to a grade above C you MUST use the Cofrin Library data bases more and general Internet resources like Google, even Google Scholar (which will try to charge you for material your student fees have already paid for access to via the Cofrin Library) or Wikipedia less, and if so ONLY for getting oriented to a new topic, or not at all in this course.) If possible attend the optional initial course class / discussion in MAC 217 5:30 - 8 p.m. Tuesday Sept. 7 and if you can't attend watch the tape of the session and participate in discussion of it on D2L or wiki. (here are links to the video https://uwgb.courses.wisconsin.edu/d2l/lms/content/viewer/main_frame.d2l?cfql=1&tId=6957552&ou=1242222 https://uwgb.courses.wisconsin.edu/d2l/lms/content/viewer/main_frame.d2l?cfql=1&tId=6957569&ou=1242222 https://uwgb.courses.wisconsin.edu/d2l/lms/content/viewer/main_frame.d2l?cfql=1&tId=6957577&ou=1242222)

2 / 9-9 – 9-15

Start to form Global Natural Cycles [energy (radiation and climate but NOT fossil fuels), soil, food web, toxins, recycling of nutrients, carbon (including fossil fuels), water, nitrogen, phosphorous, sulfur, oxygen, etc] interest groups on D2L. Post one-pagers on assigned and optional readings (accompanying table) and on your natural cycle group experience and likely personal project interests.Participate in discussions of course tools: books, D2L, wiki, websites, data bases, bibliography, timelines, glossaries, group exercises, personal project, portfolio...and global geography, global natural cycles and linkages to NE Wisconsin. Begin to reflect on your roots (vocational and ethnic genealogy) and their potential influences on your future(s).  One pager on what I plan to do in this course due Sept 15. Explore the "Finding Information on Natural Cycles" and the "Building Scholarly Bibliography and Documentation D2L" and become active in them by Sept 15. Form and start to interact on both D2L and wiki among Natural Cycle Study and Presentation Groups by Sept 15.

3 / 9-16 – 9-22

Post one-pagers on assigned and optional readings and participate in and reflect on interaction with Nat. Cycle Groups. Look ahead to assignment for Human Origins Paper, bibliography and T.L. due 10-6. Start to participate in the wiki discussion on sources for this paper and on pre-biological evolutionary processes and use of timelines.

4 / 9-23 – 9-29

Interact with Nat. Cycle Groups and start to develop presentations, including references to historical and global regional variations in global cycle activity and impacts, to be posted to course wiki.  Start discussion and listing of possible personal project topics. Continue participation in the wiki discussions on pre-biological evolutionary processes and use of timelines. Begin work on bibliography, timeline and glossary for your personal project.

5 /  9-30 – 10-6

First draft two-page paper and minimum 9 item peer-reviewed bibliography (with at least 5 annotated by you), timeline and glossary on human history (Human Origins) and prospects in global perspective due Oct 6. You can title this draft paper any way you like but a theme and possible title I like is "Who are We and Where Might We have Come From?" Note: Christian's book Maps of Time is an excellent and fully adequate introduction to this topic but the bibliography is an important exercise that will broaden your sense of contributors to discussion of this important question.

6 / 10-7 – 10-13

Finalize Natural Cycle Group presentations on wiki including references to historical and global regional variations in global cycle activity and impacts. Oct 8 first self-evaluation due on D2L. Begin to sort yourselves into social patterns (population, major ethnicities, including languages and religions, migration, economics / consumption / productivity, global trends / fads, conflict / war, etc.) work groups. A.

7 / 10-14 – 10-20

Begin to work together on developing wiki group presentations on social patterns topics. NOTE WELL how quickly this exercise comes up; just like often happens in the "real" world.

8/  10-21 – 10-27

"Finalize" your wiki group presentations on social patterns topics by October 23 and work together with those groups on a second part of your related wiki report that addresses the global regional geography of the operation of the C, H2O, 02/03, energy (radiation and climate) natural cycles and one other global cycle of your group's choice. Participation in this group exercise, titled "people and natural cycles" on wiki, and posting it by October 27 is required but don't worry overly about the outcome of the exercise as you will be able to revise your wiki as much as you like after October 27 but the deadline is meant to help you experience real-world-like team due dates.

9 / 10-28 – 11-3

Second-draft statement and supporting scholarly bibliography (minimum 20 item with a minimum of 5 annotated by you regarding your sense of the quality of and expectations for the resource) on your personal research topic must be posted to D2L by Oct 29. Possible lecture by Larry on Pre-human Roots and Genetic Baggage.
10 / 11-4 –11-10 "Complete" drafts of collectively edited wiki presentations on Social Patterns (population, major ethnicities, including languages and religions, migration, economics / consumption / productivity, global trends / fads, conflict / war, etc.) and their history, current distribution, and prospects including reference to variation by global regions supported by timelines and references to appropriate maps, especially from V must be posted to the appropriate wiki document by Nov 5.
Second self-evaluation of work in course to date due on D2L (or, if you can’t bring yourself to do a shared self-evaluation, by e-mail to Larry) Nov 8.  If you have chosen not to do self-evaluations simply summarize your work to date but don’t include evaluative statements. 
11 / 11-11 – 11- 17 Global geography-based D2L discussion and group wiki SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) exercise starting from a list of "poweful forces for the twenty-first century" and their history, current global distribution and prospects. Imagine that the class is the "Executive Committee for the Future of Humanity on Planet Earth" and conducting this exercise as part of its work.  NOTE: This is the major class-wide exercise for this course and the primary vehicle, in addition to the wiki statement on the course in general, including recommendations to future students, for communicating to future sections of the course and, perhaps, the human population in general. "Complete" a draft of this required class-wide activity by Nov 17 and continue refining it for the balance of the course. A one-pager on your participation in and reaction to this activity will be due Nov 29. Post a draft personal project report by November 19 to get classmates feedback in time to incorporate it into your final report on Dec 1.
12 / 11-18 – 11-24 Summary Discussions of SWOT and other aspects of the course and readings to date.
13 / 11-25 – 12-1 One pager on your participation in Class SWOT due Nov 29.
Post final personal project report by Dec 1 and start reading and reacting to those of your class mates. Third self-evaluation due Dec 3.

Continue discussions of readings and reading and reacting to personal project reports.
14 /12-2 – 12-8 Continue discussions of readings.  Continue reacting to personal project reports.
15 /12-9 – 12-15

Continue discussions of readings. Continue reacting to personal project presentations.

Final Exam: Review and critique your general experience and performance in this course with special emphasis on your D2L and wiki interaction and personal choices including your personal research project.  Discuss:

1.    What you might have done better. 

2.    What you could or will do to follow-up on or improve the record of your accomplishments or other aspects of your experience in the course,

3.    Their potential applications to other areas of your life, if or when more time is available. 

Due 12-15 by 11:59 p.m.

You may also post a final course self-evauation but this is not required.

 

 






 

 

Introduction to Global Studies   Fall 2010

Larry Smith, MAC B308 smithl@uwgb.edu

(NOTE:If you have problems printing this assignment table highlight it and choose "print selection")

 

Reading” and discussion schedule by week

Introduction to Global Studies, Fall 2010

You should “read” (which does NOT mean r-e-a-d every word, but does mean “spend some quality time with and form an opinion of”) and produce hard-copy or D2L “one-pager” commentary on each assigned or chosen chapter.  You should also comment, based on others’ comments, on some of the optional books even if you chose not to “read” them but, if so, you should make it clear that your reaction is based on other students’ comments, or on having read a review or other brief overview of the book, and not on having “read” the resource yourself .  Also note that empty or shallow comments like “I read that too” or “Good job” or “I agree…” or the like will detract from, not add to your course grade.  The table below provides weekly guidelines for when to “read” and react to parts of the other books and topics. Bold headings indicate required books.  The other books are optional.  No one is expected to “read” all of the optional books but you should consider “reading” a few, or certainly at least one, of them, if you aspire to a grade above BC for the course.

 

Week  / Date

 

 

Christian (C)

Maps of Time

Veregin (V)

Goode’s World Atlas

Sachs (JS)

Common Wealth

Smith
(HS)  

World Religions

Lama (DL)   Ethics

Singer (PS)  

One World

Ehrlich (E)  Human Natures

Wright

  (RW)    Evolution of God

Diamond (D)  Guns, Germs, Steel

Wilson (EOW)   Creation 

1 / 9-2 – 9-8

pp xv-16

pp 2 – 66

Intro&Ch1

Chapter 1

 

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

 

2 / 9-9 – 9-15

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Chapter 9

Chapts 1&2

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Chapters 2&3

Chapter 2

Section 1

3 / 9-16 – 9-22

Chapter 3 & 4

 

Chapter 3 & 4

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Chapter 3 & 4

Chapter 4

Chapter 4, 5 & 6

 

4 / 9-23 – 9-29

Chapter 5 & 6

 

Chapter 5 & 6

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 9 & 10

Section 2

5 /  9-30 – 10-6

Chapter 7

 

Chapter 7

Chapter 3

Chapter 6 & 7

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 5

Chapter 11 & 12

 

6 / 10-7 –10-13

Chapter 8

 

Chapter 8


 

 

 

  Chaps 6&7

 

Section 3

7 / 10-14 –10-20

Chapter 9 & 10

 

Chapter 9 & 10

Chapter 7

 

 

 

  Chaps 8&9

 

 

8 / 10-21 –10-27

Chapter 11

 

Chapter 11

 

 

 

 

  Chs 10&11

 

Section 4

9 /10-28 – 11-3

Chapter 12

 

Chapter 8 & 9

Chapter 8

Chapter 7 & 8

Chapter 9 & 10

Chapter 13

  Chaps 12&13

Chapter 7 & 8

10 / 11-4 –11-10

Chapter 13

 

Chapter 13


Chapter 10 & 11

 

Chapter 9

Chaps 14&15

Chapter 14

Section 5

11 /11-11– 11-17

Chapter 14

 

Chapter 14

Chapter 6

Chapter 12 & 13

 

Chapter 10

Chaps 16-18

Chapter 15 & 16

 

12 /11-18–11-24

Chapter 15

 

Chapter 15

Chapter 10

Chapter 14 & 15

 

Chapter 11

  Chs 19-20

Chapter 17 & 18

 

13 / 11-25 – 12-1

 

 

 


 

 

Chapter 12

    Afw'd&App'x

Chapter 19

 

14 /12-2–12-8

 

 

 

 

Chapter 16

Chapter 6

Chapter 13

Epilogue

Epilogue

 

12-15

Final Exam due on D2L by 11:59 p.m. Dec 15 (optional final exam can also be posted)

 

 




 


ONE-PAGERS (Advice for Larry Smith's Courses)

 

One of the key and required forms of communication and documentation in this course is called a one-pager.  All students must create, share and comment on other’s one-pagers in sharing ideas, thoughts, and suggestions with other members of the class. (NOTE: This description is for hard-copy (printed paper) statements you will need to adapt appropriately to our current electronic environment.)

 

DEFINITION OF A ONE-PAGER

 

A one-pager:

 

1.  Is a single page long, with ample white space for comment.

2.  Is a reflection on course readings, usually a chapter of one of the textbooks

3.  or a reflection on class lectures or discussions

4.  or a reflection on class or individual presentations or activities

5.  or a reflection on other activities inside or outside the class that can be tied to the course.  It is for you, the student, to decide about the relevance of any non-class-assigned topic or activity.

 

Basically, a "one pager" is your own thoughts, feelings, analysis, or “2 cents” on what you've read or experienced  (or what you learned based on another's "one pager" that you’ve read).

 

The general format for a one-pager is (whether on paper or in D2L):

 

1.    Your name on the top left hand corner

2.    The course name below your name

3.    The next line is the title of your one-pager, e.g. Plan 2B- Chapter 4

4.    Date

5.    One or a few brief paragraphs with plenty of white space to invite others’ comments.

 

One-pagers can be shared on paper before and early in each class period or on D2L or both.  About half of your one-pagers should be circulated among and commented on, with signed comments, by other class members before and early in each class period.  If posted on D2L, then other students should add comments about the one-pager on D2L itself.  Your own reflections on your comments on others' one-pagers can be added to your one-pagers or noted separately as well.  You should plan

 

  1. to write at least 5 one-pagers each week if you expect to earn an A in the class.
  2. to read and comment productively, not just with praise or “empty” comments like “I read that too” or “I agree” on at least 5 one-pagers each week if you expect to earn an A in this class.

 

You will choose exactly what activities you produce one-pagers on and how you combine activities into fewer more interesting and informative one-pagers.  Help with the choice is readily available through the self-management support group and related D2L discussion.

 

Note: Except where noted, the assignment table  is only a guide to help you think about exactly which one-pagers to write.  The only firm general expectation is the average number of one-pagers per week associated with given grades:

 

 (A=5, B=4, C=3, D=2, F=1). 

 

In general about half of your one-pagers should be circulated in class and about half shared on D2L.  But obviously individual inclinations and circumstances can and should influence your choices for any given week.

 


Bibliography(Advice for Larry Smith’s courses)

 

Academic success requires ability to locate, document, select among, and effectively use quality information.  The bibliographic expectations of this course help you acquire and deepen skills in this critical area.

 

A bibliography is an organized list of information resources focused on a particular topic or interest area.  The point is to find potentially important resources.  You need not read every resource entered on a preliminary bibliography.  In fact, you will never read many of them because you will find what seem to be better or more appropriate resources as you develop and focus your bibliography.

 

Especially today, when apparent but often unqualified information is so readily available, it is important to begin bibliographic explorations with the highest quality resources.  For most topics the best such resources are peer-reviewed academic journals which can easily be searched via academic library data bases.  It is strongly recommended that you always begin bibliographic searches with peer-reviewed sources to save time and to be sure that you are spending your valuable and limited time with quality resources. While many data bases include peer-reviewed sources the Web of Science Citation Index, especially for our course the Social Science focused version, and JSTOR are easy to use and cover ONLY peer-reviewed sources.  Web of Science also helps you find and trace citations of articles thus giving a useful measure of the quality of articles.

 

When you start exploring peer-reviewed sources focused on a topic of interest the articles you find will contain bibliographies with entries that you can follow with confidence to easily expand your list of potentially useful resources you may choose to explore further.  Most of the items in an article’s bibliography will themselves be peer-reviewed but other kinds of sources including books, government documents, and  popular media like newspapers, magazines and electronic resources will often be included.  It is fine to explore such resources, especially if you have been led to them by a peer-reviewed resource, but starting with, non-qualified, resources, especially popular and increasingly accessible electronic sources, is likely to lead to wasted time and lower quality information.

 

In general and especially for this course you should produce two bibliographies for any topic of interest.  The first is general and broad and addresses the subject of the course or for personally relevant bibliographies the broad topic area that includes a more focused personally-relevant topic.  This more focused topic is the focus of the second bibliography. 

 

Each individual and group topic you work with should have its own separate focused multi-entry bibliography.  And each of these bibliographies must be posted in the appropriate section of D2L that deals with that activity for the course that you are in.  Each of your bibliographies must include:

 

1. Some explicitly scholarly (usually refereed journal) entries

2. And at least some entries with your own annotations regarding things like coverage and potential usefulness

3. Some brief overview material such as journal article abstracts or book reviews for especially important entries.

 

This 2 minute long video:  http://www.uwgb.edu/dettmand/smithtutorial.swf  will help you find peer-reviewed articles from refereed journals.  The video uses sound so be sure to turn your speakers on.

 

None of your initial bibliographic entries, except those used later specifically for a report or project, need be formally typed or otherwise reformatted from whatever format you acquired them in, but databases are becoming ever more user-friendly and many will output citations in multiple formats you can choose among.  When formal formatting is appropriate, especially for a final focused bibliography, consult The Cofrin, or other, Library Citation Guide  or Research and Documentation Online  for advice about formats used in different professional contexts.

 

This exercise / assignment http://www.uwgb.edu/library/instruction/courses/scholarlyassign.htm is especially useful for learning to easily access and utilize peer-reviewed materials  As you work with both timelines and bibliographies you will come to see a strong interrelationship between these two critical scholarly activities. 

 

Other bibliographic skills to focus on for increasing your bibliographic efficiency include:

 

SUGGESTION:  The required and optional textbooks for this course provide lots of useful bibliographic suggestions that can help you get started on your bibliographies.  Also examples of bibliographies from previous student’s work in this course are posted to the course D2L.  These should be examined as sources of ideas for how to format and present your own bibliographies.

 

Bibliographies should consist primarily of peer-reviewed journal articles, books, and reviews.  Be very careful of any data from any internet site.  For example, WIKIPEDIA is NOT a peer-reviewed source of information.  When selecting references from the internet for any project, you must check out and understand what information you are seeing and potentially using and, in general, it is best to simply stay away from the general Internet unless you are led to it by a peer-reviewed source.


TIMELINES  (Advice for Larry Smith’s courses, Fall, 2008)

 

A timeline is a chart, graph, or line that presents brief descriptions of events, forecasts, statistics, or other relevant information ordered by date.  When possible, each piece of information is separated from the others proportionally to the passage of time (dates) on the timeline itself.

 

NOTE: The syllabus for the course that you are taking will tell you how many and what kinds of timelines are required for that particular course.  But, timelines are generally useful tools and you are encouraged to use them for all areas of concern to you, not just this course.

 

You should begin immediately to work on at least one timeline focused on the class subject area in general and at least one focused on a topic (or personal project) of your own choice. Recent students recommend that you start working on the general timeline right away and on your personal project timeline as soon as possible and that you make collecting timeline entries a constant part of your course reading process.  Some of the required and optional textbooks provide helpful information to include in your timelines.  In addition, in D2L, there is a section that presents some previous student’s timelines.  Please look these over before starting your own.

 

Please do not treat or think of your timeline activity as separate from “reading” or bibliographic work.  Just capture interesting events and associated dates in notes or by highlighting as you “read” and later enter them into your timelines.

 

Timelines are best done in landscape (I sometimes call it horizontal) orientation on the page and long timelines may require three or four linked pages or spreadsheets. Break-in-scale indicators, often a pair of slashes (//) showing that, for instance, in the early part of most extensive timelines small amounts of space indicate lots of time that passed while in more recent periods, when there are more events to record on the timeline, a comparable amount of space indicates a shorter span of time, are essential to provide appropriate space and keep the visualization of the flow of time accurate. As you work with timelines, bibliographies and glossaries you will come to see a strong interrelationship between these three critical scholarly activities.

 

Here is the link to an easy-to-use MS Word Timeline Template that you can download if you use Word  (http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/TC010162651033.aspx?CategoryID=CT101172751033).  There are also timeline templates available for other software, including spreadsheets like Excel which are probably the best tools for archiving extensive timeline information.  Timelines based on the Word, or other word processor, template can be saved in Rich Text Format (.rtf) and thus opened in nearly any word processing software which will make your work most widely accessible to your instructor and classmates.

 

All TIMELINES should be posted into the appropriate section of D2L for the course that you are taking.  Keep in mind that part of the course requirements are for other students to be able to see and comment on your timeline which means that when posting you should use a version of the software that is accessible to many computer contexts such as Rich Text Format (.rtf) or, if you are using a new version of Windows Windows 97-2003 (.doc) rather than the new .docx format.

 

While vertical timelines are acceptable, they don’t provide a clear visual sense of the passage of time from one piece of information to the next.  Each student is encouraged to do a landscape version for the final posting and if you start working with such a format early your learning will progress more comfortably.

 

GLOSSARIES  (Advice for Larry Smith’s courses)

 

A glossary is an alphabetized list of difficult or specialized words or phrases and their definitions.  Often a glossary of terms, words, phrases reflect the general or specific content of an article, book, review, website, etc.  Your course and personal topic glossaries are projects you will work on in conjunction with your reading and research throughout the course and serve as tools for both learning and documentation of your work.

 

NOTE: The syllabus for the course that you are taking will tell you how many and what kinds of glossaries are required for that particular course.

 

Because a glossary can have hundreds, even thousands of words and/or phrases, the order that they are shown, typically alphabetical, is critical. 

 

The definition or simple explanation of the word or phrase should directly follow on the same line.  For most words or phrases, the definition should be a single line long.  But for those that are more complicated, it may be necessary to give a lengthier 2 or 3 line definition. 

 

You should begin immediately to work on at least one glossary that will be focused on the class subject area in general and at least one focused on a topic (or personal project) of your own choice. Recent students recommend that you start working on the glossary right away and on your personal project glossary as soon as possible.  The required and optional textbooks should be the initial source of words and phrases that will make up one of your glossaries.  In addition, in D2L, there is a section that will show some previous student’s glossaries.  Please look these over before starting your own.

 

Please do not treat or think of your glossary activity as separate from “reading”.  It is just the opposite.  The “reading” will be a primary source of most elements in your glossaries.  Just highlight the terms, words, phrases, names, etc. as you “read” and later enter them into your glossary with a short definition. 

 

NOTE:  Please understand that any reference, lecture, book, website, etc. that you come into contact with that is at all related to the vast subject of this class is a SOURCE for elements in your glossaries.  Use them all!!!