GEO 480 (W) : FIELD WORK IN GEOGRAPHY
Dr. Fearn's Home Page
E-mail Dr. Fearn
.......
Course Description: 4 Credit Hours

GEO 480 is a service learning class which pairs a local environmental organization, Dog River Clearwater Revival, with seniors in geography. The objectives for GEO 480 are to improve the student's research and writing skills, to provide information of value to the community, and to demonstrate the application of classroom knowledge to a real world problem. Each student chooses a research topic based on his/her own interests and skills that relates to the environmental group's needs. Classmates help with the gathering of data to answer the posed research questions. Individual project reports are available to the public on the Dog River Watershed web page. 
..
Syllabus:
Week 1: Writing, fieldwork, and service learning in Geography. Watershed basics, problems in the Dog River Watershed, watershed delineation. Resumes and fieldnotes, generating hypotheses.
Week 2:  Team reconnaissance of assigned watershed sub-basin. Document observations with pictures & fieldnotes.
Week 3: Walk in the watershed, visit selected sites.
Week 4: Alabama Water Watch certification class.
Week 5: Draft resumes and hypotheses due. Review of resumes, writing a critique. Photo identification in class. 
Week 6: Webpage critiques due. Writing a proposal (due next week)  
Week 7: Proposal to Dog River Clearwater Revival due. It should explain your individual research project and how it relates to their needs, include at least two references. Bring 2 copies of your proposal to class. Peer review of draft proposals. Plan fieldwork. Establish timetable. Literature review and annotated bibliography instructions.
Week 8: Revised resume due. Fieldwork.
Week 9: Revised proposal due. 
Week 10: Spring break.
Week 11: Annotated bibliography due. Writing an abstract. Fieldwork.
Week 12: Abstract due. Data presentation and interpretation, figures and tables in a manuscript. Fieldwork as needed.
Week 13: Fieldwork. 
Week 14: Draft of individual report due. Peer review of drafts. Preparing visuals for an oral presentation.
Week 15: Oral presentations of final results.
Final: Turn in final written research report.
..
Textbook: None 

Pre-requisite:


Senior standing, non-geography majors are welcome in this class. Please talk to Dr. Fearn before registering.
Grading Policy:

26%  Participation
17%  Draft written work

27%  Other written work
18%  Final written report
 7%  Oral Presentation
 5%  Fieldnotes
 
Grades are not curved.

A = 90 to 100 
B = 80 to 89 
C = 70 to 79 
D = 60 to 69 
F = below 60 
..
 ..
Mimi Fearn Home Page
University of South Alabama
Last modified: 12/30/03