Geography 2140

· Orr, D. Stuart, A. eds. (2000) The North Carolina Atlas. University of North Carolina Press: Chapel Hill (also see the updates to the Atlas on http://ncatlasrevisited.org/)

· Supplementary readings provided in class

· Web site http://www.uncc.edu/bgraves/NC (Check here for announcements, lecture outlines (these are NOT complete lectures), assignments and updated reading lists)

Description:

North Carolina changed dramatically over the past half century, most notable has been the shift of the state’s economy from one of the most impoverished in the nation to one of the wealthiest. The purpose of this course is to understand the forces behind North Carolina’s transition from an industrial backwater into an integral element of the global knowledge economy. While this is, on the surface, a course in regional geography the forces and impacts of our local evolution are not unique to the state, in this sense the lessons of North Carolina’s transformation are applicable in other geographic contexts. While the geography of North Carolina’s modern economy is the foremost concern of the class, significant time will be spent discussing the physical, cultural and historical geographies of the state in order to develop an evolutionary perspective on current conditions. It is hoped that the semester will provide you with a foundation of knowledge about North Carolina that can be used to predict the state’s future.

Grading:

Midterm Exam = 30 points

Final Exam (cumulative) = 50 points

Assignments: 2 @ 10 points = 20 points

There will be two exams in the course. The first exam will be a combination of multiple choice and short answer questions. The material on the exams will come primarily from the class lectures and the supplementary readings distributed in class (the North Carolina Atlas is intended to support, rather than supplement the lectures). Exam questions will be focused on testing your understanding of why the patterns discussed in class exist (as opposed to the simple memorization of patterns). The tentative date for the midterm is Thursday, February 28^th. The Final exam is cumulative and scheduled for Thursday, May 8^th (from 11 until 1:45pm). The final exam will include a cumulative portion which will be in essay format (in addition to the ‘typical’ multiple choice and short answer format). The due dates of the two assignments will be determined later.

Course Policies:

Please ask the instructor to clarify material you are uncertain about. Incompletes will be handled strictly according to University policy. Make-up exams are not given except under unusual (and verifiable) circumstances. All makeup exams will be given during the final exam period. Late assignments will be penalized one letter grade for each day they are overdue. Turn off cell phones before class begins. Lectures will be periodically illustrated with film, be prepared for colorful language. No whining!

All students are required to be familiar with, and adhere to, the University Regulation of Student Conduct and the UNC-Charlotte CODE OF STUDENT ACADEMIC INTEGRITY (p. 375-378 of the 1999-2001 UNC-Charlotte course catalog). Failure to abide by the code could result in failure of this course. These policies can also be found on the University web site at:

http://www.legal.uncc.edu/policies/ps-105.html

GEOG 2140 Course Outline and textbook readings list (Everything subject to change!)

1) Introduction (North Carolina Atlas, Chapter 1)

2) Physical Environment (North Carolina Atlas, Chapter 2)

3) Historical Geography (North Carolina Atlas, Chapter 3)

4) Modern North Carolina (Topics to be influenced by the class -- Readings TBA)

5) The Future (North Carolina Atlas, Chapter 20)

Final Exam (Cumulative): Thursday, May 8^th from 11 until 1:45pm (regular classroom)

No class: Tuesday April 8^th, Tuesday April 15^th, Thursday April 17^th

The Geography of North Carolina