GEOG 2312
Cultural Geography
Fall 2004
Geography Mission Statement
The mission of Geography is
- to develop among students a spatial perspective which can be applied to understanding the complexities of the world we live in;
- to discover, synthesize, and disseminate knowledge;
- to prepare students for adapting to a changing and interdependent world;
- to assess the program by examining the teaching mission and goals on a regular basis for appropriateness and to evaluate our success in imparting these to the students;
- to give students the knowledge and skills necessary for future formal and informal learning and for a variety of employment opportunities.
Goals and Objectives
Students in Cultural Geography will:
- acquire knowledge of global interconnected cultures as reflected in demographic, economic, political systems, religion, language, industrializa- tion, and urban settlement patterns;
- analyze cultural change over space and time as it impacts individuals in societies, i.e., globalization’s impact upon local cultural diversity;
- acquire knowledge over how values, thought, and behavior are influenced by society’s cultural systems;
- analyze how their own culture compares with other cultures through acquiring a geographic perspective on cultural patterns;
- acquaint students with the five themes of cultural geography (space, place, region, movement, and connections).
Student Learning Objectives
Students will
- demonstrate knowledge of how cultural change impacts societies through comparison of cultural landscapes through space and time (Historical Accuracy, Social & Cultural Awareness and International Awareness)
- demonstrate an understanding of the connections between cultures through comparison of demographic, economic, political systems and settlement patterns of the world’s cultures,(Social Cultural Awareness and International Awareness)
- develop an enhanced appreciation for their own culture through comparison with world cultures, (Social and Cultural Awareness)
- will address the where, what, and why questions through a logical, clear written narrative. (Critical Thinking, Verbal Literacy)
Guide to Scoring Student Performance
Sample Scoring Sheet
Assessment readers will use the following rating sheet to record evaluation of each student performance.
Criteria Evaluated
Score of
0 - Not evident
1 - Poor
2 - Adequate
3 - Good
1.Shows awareness of cultural change impact
0 - Student does not show awareness of cultural change in society.
Does not illustrate awareness through examples.
1 - Makes some references to changes in societies but these references are weak and vague.
2 - Shows awareness of impact of cultural change through references to specific examples in space and time. Explanation is adequate and has one or two examples.
3 - Has firm command of impact of cultural changes on societies. Uses many example (three or more) of the impact.
2.Understands connections among cultures
0 - Student does not see connections between cultures. No examples in space and time.
1 - Student shows some understanding of connections between cultures. One or two examples of cultural connections are given.
2 - Student demonstrates adequate understanding of how cultures are connected through several examples in demographic, economic, political systems and settlement patterns.
3 - Student shows clear understanding of how cultures are connected. Three or more examples are given.
3.Student develop appreciation for one’s own culture.
0 - Student does not show any appreciation of one’s own culture.
1 - Student shows some appreciation of one’s own culture through description of cultural patterns found in his/her culture. No cross cultural comparisons are given.
2 - Student illustrates appreciation of one’s own culture through examples/references to cultural patterns in his/her culture. Uses one or two examples of cross cultural references.
3 - Clear appreciation illustrated by student along with three or more references to cross cultural comparisons.
4. Student presents geographical evidence to the where, what, and why questions and gives a logical, clear , written response.
0 - No geographical evidence is provided in a poorly structured response.
1 - Information is accurate but not relevant or is inaccurate and not relevant. Information might be listed rather than explained or explained poorly.
2 - Information is both accurate and relevant. Adequate reference to where and why is made. Uses terms that are appropriate. Student explains formation but explanations are thin. Students may not reach solid conclusions or conclusions are weak.
3 - Information is accurate and relevant and student has firm command of information evidenced by compelling conclusions. Conclusions flow logically from information presented.
Assessment Methods
Data Collection
- Each semester a section of Cultural Geography being taught will be evaluated.
- The instructor will select one essay exam of his/her choice for assessment.
- The instructor will hand 15 photocopied student essays beforegrading to Department Secretary.
- The Secretary will randomly eliminate 5 student essays leaving 10 essays to be assessed.
- The secretary will number each essay #1 through 10 keeping a record of each student name. This # will serve as the “Student ID” for assessment NOT the official UALR SID contained on the class list. The Secretary will keep a record of which numbers pertain to individual students and their corresponding instructor. She will give that list to the Department chair and will then remove all information that could identify either the individual or the instructor on materials submitted to the Assessment Reader.
- The Secretary will make a set for the Assessment Reader.
- Students of all Cultural Geography courses will anonymously complete a written exit interview questionnaire regarding their learning in the course. One student in the course will be responsible for delivering immediately the forms to the History Department Secretary.
Data Evaluation
- Within a month from the end of the semester, the designated Assessment Reader for cultural Geography will read the essay tests and evaluate them using the evaluation criteria. The Reader will total the number of checked boxes for each student score.
- The Secretary will then correlate the four scores per test and assign a final score to each test. This data will be transferred onto a spread sheet for further analysis. The scores per Student #ID will then be given to the Department Chair who will correlate student test scores to the instructor.
- The Secretary will tabulate all student questionnaire information to the instructor and give that questionnaire to the Department Chair. The information will be kept strictly CONFIDENTIAL.
- The Department chair will make available the information to the instructor from the questionnaires and the scored essay tests.
- The Assessment process is understood to be the most significant for understanding more about student learning and instruction at the departmental level. All data regarding individual students and instructors will remain private, only available for consultation between the chair and the instructor. Data regarding individual performance will NOT be forwarded in any manner to any administrative agency at UALR or beyond. Under no condition will the information from the questionnaire or the scored essay tests be incorporated into the departmental merit system or the individual annual review process.
Achieving Reliability and Validity
- Each year the Assessment Reader will undergo special training for proper reading of the essay tests. The Assessment Handbook will be the guide.
- The method of evaluation has been determined to fit the learning objectives closely and therefore valid.
Responsible Party For Student Assessment
- The current sole geography faculty with the Department Chair comprise the Ad Hoc Assessment Committee.
- The Assessment Reader will be selected from outside Geography faculty off campus since there is no other qualified faculty on campus to serve.
Student Performance Results
| Criteria |
Spring
1999 |
Fall
1999 |
Spring
2000 |
Fall
2000 |
Spring
2001 |
SSI
2001 |
Fall
2001 |
Spring
2002 |
Fall
2002 |
Spring
2003 |
SSI
2003 |
Fall
2003 |
Spring
2004 |
SSI
2004 |
| Change |
2.0 |
2.2 |
2.2 |
1.3 |
1.8 |
2.6 |
2.4 |
2.4 |
2.4 |
2.3 |
2.4 |
2.8 |
2.7 |
2.8 |
| Connections |
2.1 |
2.2 |
1.8 |
1.0 |
1.2 |
2.6 |
1.9 |
1.8 |
1.8 |
1.9 |
1.8 |
2.6 |
2.7 |
2.8 |
| Appreciation |
2.3 |
2.8 |
2.0 |
1.2 |
1.6 |
2.6 |
2.1 |
0.9 |
1.3 |
1.2 |
1.0 |
0.8 |
2.0 |
1.9 |
| Evidence |
1.8 |
2.6 |
2.6 |
1.4 |
1.8 |
2.2 |
1.8 |
2.3 |
2.1 |
2.3 |
2.2 |
2.5 |
2.6 |
2.5 |
Findings
Significant increases in student performance in the cultural change and connections areas has occurred over the past twelve months. Presenting evidence in a clear, logical and written response also has shown improvement. It is unclear why these trends have occurred. No change in the assessment process has taken place. Continued emphasis upon globalization is a cornerstone of Cultural Geography in lectures, applications, and textbook. A Geography Rubrics scoring sheet given to each student at the beginning of the semester stresses the need for conciseness and clarity in answering essay exam questions. Increased emphasis is placed each semester on the rubrics sheet as a way of improving addressal of essay questions and of enhancing writing skills.
Student performance in the appreciation of ones own culture is still low. Arkansas students who often do not have the opportunity to travel as much may be possible answer to this low performance level.
Future
Each topic in the course is introduced by focusing on cultural change, showing connections, emphasizing cross-cultural comparisons, and raising student awareness of other cultures. This effort will continue to be employed to raise performance levels in these areas. The students are given eight graded exercises and exams. Four of these exercises are take-home ones with one week to complete. The four in-class exams are comprised of three essay questions. Students are sometimes asked to interpret a map of graph relating to a major process or pattern in that topic.
