Instructor’s name: Charlie Grymes
Location of office: Department of Geography, Robinson B, Room 475 (Fairfax Campus)
Phone number: (703) 993-1210
Email address:
Office Hours: by appointment
Instructor's name and contact information
Instructor’s name: Charlie Grymes
Location of office: Department of Geography, Robinson B, Room 475 (Fairfax Campus)
Phone number: (703) 993-1210
Email address:
Office Hours: by appointment
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Course Title, Description, and Learning Objectives (Student Learning Outcomes) Title: Virginia From the Ground Up - Southwest Virginia Brief description: Discover the regional geography and issues of Southwestern Virginia, through experiential learning on 1-week field trip and research Course equivalencies: NCLC 498/GEOG399 Prerequisites, co-requisites, or courses for which it serves as prerequisite, if appropriate: 30 hours of previous college credit (and bring your curiosity) Any skill-level expectations: ability to engage in constructive discussion while sharing different points of view, ability to hike for 3-4 miles at a time on woodland trails Goals and Learning Objectives: Primary goal is to discover and integrate information, with the focus being to develop the ability to discuss - how the mountains were lifted up, the valleys were made low, and the caves were formed - how efforts to manage water quality/quantity by watershed is affected by political boundaries - how the forests in the region were shaped by ice, by fire, and by large-scale timber harvesting after the Civil War - how cities/counties grow, why open space disappears, and how private property rights are impacted by zoning - why new highways are the solution to the economic development problem... or maybe the roads are the problem, not the solution - what are the threats to the natural and historic areas, and whether government ownership of places is your preferred conservation strategy - how farming could be sustained in the region - what key management issues keep the land use planners busy, and losing sleep at night - how energy is generated and transmitted from the region ...plus whatever sparks your interest (if everything goes well, the gestation period for new ideas could be much longer than the length of this class) Core compentencies that will be enhanced include: - Critical Thinking (especially in finding connections among diverse ideas, facts and experience") - Strategic Problem-Solving (especially in learning how to define problems and formulate strategies tailored to different situations) - Effective Citizenship (especially the ability to examine contemporary issues and their historical contexts) - Communication (especially for organizing ideas and information) |
 dead mature hemlock in Peters Mountain Wilderness |
Textbooks and other course materials:
- class website, with links to primary and secondary sources from that site
- brochures with factoids for various sites we will visit (instructor will provide copies)
- Delorme Atlas and Gazetteer (instructor will provide copies)
- road maps of the region (instructor will provide copies)
Assignments
Student Journal: Students should record first impressions and relevant factoids in a journal throughout the day. The journal is a tool to frame and organize experiences, to identify questions to be answered, and to record perspectives as well as facts. Questions in the journal may get answered during the week... if asked. Students will get credit for sharing curiousity - and exposing ignorance is OK. (Students get credit for asking, as well as demonstrating knowledge and wisdom.) Because the class is too compressed to permit much time for reflective writing during the week, the journal writings should be combined after the field trip with student-produced maps and photographs/sketches of features observed on field trips, to create a final product that includes at least 7 pages of writing (single spaced, 12 point font). The portfolio records the experiential learning (basically, a minimum of 1 page/day). Draft journal must be submitted by 5:00pm on Thursday, July 10. Comments will be provided and drafts may be picked up at NCC office by noon on Monday, July 14. Students must revise and resubmit final journal when class meets on Wednesday evening, July 16.
Daily Quizzes: questions will be provided each morning during field trip, and some answers will be based on the online material assigned prior to leaving on field trip. Answers will be discussed in conversations throughout the course of the day, before fill in the blank/short answer/multiple choice questions are distributed. Quizzes each evening are open book - you can use your notes and whatever reference materials are provided by instructor. Each quiz is short, and should take 15-20 minutes to complete. Participation in discussion during the day to facilitate preparation of new quiz questions will be a positive factor in the grading.
Your Plan For a Piece of Southwestern Virginia: Develop a realistic plan for managing a specific place of the region. Depending on student interests, plan could deal with protection of a specific site such as the shorelinhe of Pandapas Pond, interpretation of a specific site such as Mabry Mill, a proposal to build a new highway or energy facility at some location in the region, etc. Grand ideas for conservation of the natural landscape, or "big picture" political strategy, should be applied to a real-world place in Southwestern Virginia. (HINT: Students should use their journal to develop ideas and document the factoids relevant to the plan. The course is a compressed learning experience for a semester's worth of 3 credits, so it is reasonable for ideas in the journal to reappear in the plan.)
Plan should be 4-5 pages (single-spaced 12 point font) not counting footnotes, references, maps, and graphic attachments. Written version of plan and a 5-minute oral presentation to class is due on Wednesday evening, July 16. (Oral presentation may include maps, handouts, Powerpoint slides, or other presentation tools.)
Final Exam: During the field trip, students will identify potential exam questions during discussions at different sites. At the end of the field trip, essay, short answer, fill-in-the-blank, and multiple choice questions will be distributed via e-mail. Final exam is due on Wednesday evening, July 16.
Late Policy: Class timeframe is very tight, so any delays in submitting assignments will ripple to next deadline. Late delivery can be mitigated by completing extra work (such as website or photo essay about an issue or a place), but all materials must be turned in no later than 5:00pm on July 31.
Graduate Credit/Extra Credit: Students taking class for graduate credit will complete an additional research paper on a topic to be chosen by mutual agreement with the instructor. Research papers are due on July 31. Undergraduates may also earn extra credit by completing research papers.
Grading System:
Student Portfolio: 20%
Daily Quizzes: 25%
Your Plan For a Piece of Southwestern Virginia: 25%
Final Exam: 30%
Tentative Course Schedule
Student Support
George Mason University offers numbers ways to support learners facing different challenges, including:
- Disability Support Services
- Writing Center
- On-line Writing Guide
- Counseling and Psychological Services
See other learning opportunities at:
- Geography Homepage
- NCC’s Homepage
Writing
This course includes writing a 4-5 page paper (single-spaced, 12-point font) on "Your Plan For a Piece of Southwestern Virginia," plus the 7-page journal (also single-spaced, 12-point font). Both are due July 16. The journal will be completed through a draft/feedback/revision process. The first draft will be due July 14. The instructor will provide commentary on the draft, and the revised draft will be due two days later. Graduate students will also complete a research paper, with details to be arranged.
Honor Code
All products submitted for a grade will be the work of the individual student. Group plans for managing a piece of Southwestern Virginia may be possible, but must be approved in advance by the instructor.
Statement on the Honor Code and Academic Integrity
The integrity of the University community is affected by the individual choices made by each of us. This is especially true in New Century College. GMU has an Honor Code (see attached) with clear guidelines regarding academic integrity. Three fundamental and rather simple principles to follow at all times are that: (1) all work submitted be your own; (2) when using the work or ideas of others, including fellow students, give full credit through accurate citations; and (3) if you are uncertain about the ground rules on a particular assignment, ask for clarification. No grade is important enough to justify academic misconduct. If you feel unusual pressure or anxiety about your grade in this or any other course, please talk with us or to a trusted friend or counselor to get your situation in perspective. The University provides a range of service to help with test anxiety, writing skills, study skills, and other related concerns.
In this class, projects are designed to be undertaken individually. You may discuss your ideas with others or ask for feedback; however, it is not appropriate to give your paper to someone else to revise. You are responsible for making certain that there is no question that the work you hand in is your own. If only your name appears on an assignment, your professor has the right to expect that you have done the work yourself, fully and independently.
Using someone else’s words or ideas without giving them credit is plagiarism, a very serious offense. It is very important to understand how to prevent committing plagiarism when using material from a source. If you wish to quote verbatim, you must use the exact words (including punctuation) just as it appears in the original and you must use quotation marks and page number(s) in your citation. If you want to paraphrase ideas from a source, that is, convey the author’s ideas in your own words - you must still cite the source, using MLA or APA format.
The re-use of papers, presentations, etc., from one course in another course is not appropriate. In every NCC course, faculty expect that work that is submitted has been done only for that class. An exception is made for materials included within course and year-end portfolios.
Commitment to Diversity Statement: New Century College is an intentionally inclusive community that celebrates diversity and strives to have faculty, staff and students that reflect the diversity of our plural society. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, class, linguistic background, religion, gender identity, sex, sexual orientation, ethnicity, age, or physical ability.
