?ing for help with prep for class

Jan Wilson (G1824303@NMSUVM1.BITNET)
Fri, 27 May 1994 17:48:19 MDT

After teaching study skills for three years, I finally get to teach an
anthro course (as novice p-t college instructor). It's cultural geography.
The assigned text is The Human Mosaic by Jordan, Domosh, and Rowntree.
Has anyone else used this text? The text chapters themselves involve five
themes: culture region, cultural diffusion, cultural ecology, cultural
integration, and cultural landscape. How did you organize thematically the
thirteen chapters? (I just picked up the class this week and begin teaching
it next Tuesday, so I'm doing this by the seat of my pants.) Right now, I
figure I'll assign Chs. 1 (Nature of C.G.), 13 (Liberal Ed. of G.), 2 (People
on the Land), 3 (Agricultural World), and Appendix: Using and Interpreting
Maps for first week. That week I'll assign group project due after mid-term, a
vernacular culture region map. The college also has ecological showcase
software and cross-cultural showcase software (no text material available
except for several assignments the full-timer has put together - I'm planning
on using that material as well). The second week I'm lecturing on land and
peoples of Middle America -- more on Central America and West Indies than
Mexico,since the college offers a separate course on land and peoples of
Mexico. On Thurs. half the class will watch a movie the first hour of class
(haven't figured out what movie yet) while the other half works on software
assignment in social science computer lab: The Demographic Transition in
Latin America. Second hour, switch around. Also, they will be responsible
for reading text chs. 4 (political patterns), 5 (mosaic of languages), 6
(religious realms) in preparation for following week's discussion. (SQ4R
notes will be turned in to me weekly on Friday and back to them on Monday)
Third week, after wrapping up prev. week on Mon. we will proceed with class
questions (each student must have prepared min. of 20 questions per chapter
for class discussion -- loss of five points if asked for question & none forth-
coming). Project discussed again, as they begin reading chs. to be discussed
next week: Ch 7 (Folk G.), Ch 8 (Popular Culture), Ch. 9 (Ethnic G.) Mid term
is this week also.

On Fourth week, we discuss the above assigned chs. We do showcase material on
Channel Migration Along the Border (integrating, synthesizing previously
covered text material)-- that software is N.M., Tx., Ca., and Oregon. We
discuss groups' project results for vernacular culture region mapping.
Assigned text Chs. to be turned in on Friday: Ch. 10 (City in Time and Space)
11 (The Urban Mosaic), and 12 (Industrial G.). On fifth and last week, we
discuss chapters, do showcase on Nations of Islam (brings in prev. week's
material and current week's material), and have final.

Optional credit points will be given for any combination of such as: comparing
and constrasting some readings to text and showcase material, a field trip,
and individual projects which can show synthesis of material in any format
student selects: art, music (rap songs, whatever) -- I have some examples for
this. There will be more possible optional credit points than max. allowed --
so no one will be "penalized" for not having transportation to field trip, etc.
(Say 200 max out of possible 250 optional points)

I'll be bringing into lecture/ discussion material outside text, such as from
Women of the Forest, McDonaldization of Society, Chinatown:Ec. Adapt. & Ethnic
Identity of the Chinese, and the materials from Middle America. The f-t used
these texts as assigned reading instead of the summer text plus showcases.
I'll be bringing in these texts as condensed lectures so they will have that
to supplement text material as work on showcases.

Can I pull this off?

Comments and suggestions welcomed. Sorry to have made this so long. Jan W.