Wilfrid Laurier University

Department of Geography and Environmental Studies

GG102: Introduction to Human Geography

Lecturer: Dr. Alison Blay-Palmer

Office: 3E5 (Arts Building)
Office hours: Tuesday 10-11; 1:00-
3:00
Phone: Ext. 2604
E-mail: ablaypalmer@wlu.ca
Lab Instructor: Cherie Mongeon
Office: Arts 3E1 (ext. 3983)
Office Hours: Tu/Th 10:30 – 11:30
Email: cmongeon@wlu.ca

COURSE OVERVIEW

Course description
Welcome to ‘Introduction to Human Geography’. This course gives you an
overview of the key concepts in human geography. During the semester we will
cover topics that relate to people, our environment and how we connect with and
influence the spaces we live in. Subjects include: globalization; where people
live and why; the intersection of nature, society and technology; cultural
identities; the role of place and landscapes; how space influences economic
development; and the role of cities and the process of urbanization.
Through textbook reading and lectures you will learn about the basic principles of
human geography. In your lab sessions, you will develop techniques and skills
that human geographers use to study the world around us.

Required Textbook
Norton, W. 2009. Human Geography, Seventh Edition. Oxford University Press:
Don Mills, ON.

You can buy a copy of the text in the WLU bookstore.

Lectures versus text book

Lectures and labs will treat some topics in more/less detail than others.
Assigned text readings are meant to provide an important supplemental source
of material, examples, and case studies.

Important exam preparation information

For the mid-term and final exam, you will need to be able to answer questions
from the beige text boxes and the yellow definition boxes from the text book as
well as lecture material.
Lecture Outline

Week Week start Topic Reading

date
Week Sept 13 Introduction to human geography Introduction
1 Note-taking and Chapter 1
Week Sept 20 Studying human geography: Chapter 2 and
2 mapping (guest lecture, Dr. Imort) Chapter 3
A fragile home
Week Sept 27 A fragile home (cont’d) Chapter 3 and
3 A crowded home? Chapter 4
Week Oct 4 An unequal home? Chapter 5
4
Week Oct 11* Cultural identities and landscapes Chapter 6
5
Week Oct 18 Mid- term: Monday/Tuesday class Chapter 7 and
6 Social identities and landscapes Chapter 8
Political identities and landscapes
Week Oct 25 A globalizing world Chapter 9
7
Week Nov 1 Agricultural lives and landscapes Chapter 10
8 Guest lecture: Artist Steven White
Week Nov 8 Settlement patterns Chapter 11
9
Week Nov 15 Urban form and governance Chapter 12 and
10 Living and working in cities Chapter 13
Week Nov 22 Living and working in cities Chapter 13 and
11 Industrial lives and landscapes Chapter 14
Week Nov 29 Industrial lives and landscapes Chapter 14
12 Where next? Conclusion
* There are no classes Monday, October 11 as it is Thanksgiving. The last class
for the M/W section is Monday, December 6.

Labs:
There are five lab sessions throughout the semester. You have been assigned
to one of 18 lab sessions. If you have an odd numbered lab, you will start your
labs the second week of classes (week of Sept 20-24); if you have an even
numbered lab you will start your labs in week three (week of Sept 27-Oct 1).
Please note that all assignments handed in electronically for your labs will be
processed through the ‘Turn It In’ software.

Absences, Deferrals and Grade Appeals

Due date extensions or other grade appeals will only be considered on the basis
of: i) illness (a doctor's note must be provided covering the appropriate period of
time*); OR ii) family/personal emergencies (documentation required). For lab
related issues, contact Cherie Mongeon within 48 hours of the illness.
Course evaluation:
Labs: 50% with 20% based on group work and 30% based on individual work.
Please note that attendance is critical as there is a strong group work component
to your lab sessions.

Mid-term: 15%
Up to and including lectures until end of Week 5 and text book all chapters up to
end of Chapter 6.
Multiple choice and/or short answer

Final Exam: 35%

For the final exam, 75% of the questions will come from lectures in weeks 6-12
and Chapters 7 until the end of the text. The other 25% will come from the
course up to the mid-term.
Multiple choice questions only
Important note:
YOU MUST PASS THE FINAL EXAM TO PASS THE COURSE

Things you need to know:

1. Attendance is important and expected. This contributes to your learning
experience and adds to the class dynamic.
2. The university considers academic honesty to be a serious offense.
Dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating on exams, ‘sharing’
work with a friend, or plagiarizing a secondary source – either
intentionally, or inadvertently, by failing to provide proper citations. If you
are unsure about what constitutes academic dishonesty, please ask me,
or refer to the appropriate Wilfrid Laurier University guidelines. (Please
refer to https://www.wlu.ca/page.php?grp_id=158&p=8383&pv=1 for more
details). You should be aware that Wilfrid Laurier uses software to check
for plagiarism. Accordingly, you may be asked to submit assignments
electronically.
3. Students with disabilities or special needs are advised to contact Laurier's
Office of Accessible Learning for information regarding its services and
resources. Students are encouraged to review the Calendar for
information regarding all services available on campus.
4. It is the student’s responsibility to be available to take examinations in the
scheduled times.
5. Please be aware of the following privacy statement:
Names of students are collected by the university in order to
operate both virtual and physical classroom environments. By
registering in courses, students recognize and agree that their
names may be divulged, both orally and in written form, to other
 members of the student body during activities such as taking
attendance, assigning topics, organizing students for group work,
assessing classroom participation, facilitating classroom discussion
and organizing tutorials. Students who are concerned about such
disclosures should contact the course instructor to identify whether
there are any possible alternatives to such disclosure.
6. Information about the Foot Patrol is available on the Faculty of Arts folder
on the x: drive. Foot Patrol information may be found by contacting the
Student’s Union Volunteer Centre at extension 3886.
7. Writing services are available to all students. Please refer to the WLU
Writing Centre for more information about writing essays, exams and
citation guidelines.
Writing Centre Manager: Emmy Misser, MA, emisser@wlu.ca, ext. 3339
Office Location: Library, Room 2-213
Website: www.wlu.ca/homepage.php?grp_id=306