York University
GEOG 1410.06 HUMAN GEOGRAPHY
CORRESPONDENCE COURSE – SUMMER 2011
eServices Office: (416) 736-5831
Course Directors:
First Half: Stephen Swales
Second Half: Richard Anderson
Course email address: [email protected].
Course Content
This course introduces the student to the field of Human Geography at the university level. The course
provides a general overview of the main concepts, theories and applications of Human Geography.
Emphasis is placed on the contemporary relevance of geographic study. Topical areas include:
1. What is Geography?
2. Geographic Literacy
3. Changing Mobility in a "Shrinking World"
4. The World Economic System
5. Locational Analysis
6. Settlement
7. Geographies of Population
8. Cultural Geography
9. Political Geography
10. Human-Nature Interaction
Required Text
Paul L. Knox, Sallie A. Marston and Alan Nash, (2010) Human Geography: Places and Regions in a
Global Context (Canadian Third Edition) Toronto: Pearson. You can use the hard copy or on-line
version.
Other Course Materials
First Half
Course Kit: Stephen Swales, GEOG 1410.06 (2011). This is a printed course kit available at the
bookstore when the course starts, May 2 (if there is a delay in production, some material will be
sent to you via the course website). The kit contains a combination of lectures, labs exercises and
the first major assignment. The lab exercises are not formally evaluated but completion of them is
important for examination and assignment purposes.
Second Half
This half of the course will use a combination of the course text and items to be posted to a
website. Website material will also be made available in hard copy as appropriate. The course
website for the second half of the course is (under construction): www.yorku.ca/anderson (go to
this site and navigate to the summer 2011 course).
Evaluation
First term major assignment
Mid-term Examination (in class)
Second term major assignment
Final Examination
25%
25%
30%
20%
Stephen Swales, Human Geography
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A NOTE FROM STEPHEN SWALES, THE COURSE COORDINATOR FOR THE
FIRST HALF OF THE COURSE, MAY TO MID JUNE
Welcome to the course Geog 1410.06 Introduction to Human Geography. What follows are a
few notes of guidance to help you through the course.
First Half Course Schedule
We have provided a course schedule below with key dates highlighted for the first part of the
course. The most important dates are the assignment due date and the date of the mid-term test.
Please note that the mid-term examination is in-class.
The schedule also notes which topic you should be doing each week. This is a guide only, you
can do the topics ahead of time if you wish, but we do not recommend you fall behind! You
must have topics 1-6 completed before the mid-term examination because this is the
material you will be tested on! Note that the exam will draw from both the lecture material and
lab/exercise material. Note that topic six contains some optional fieldwork so you may want to
consider this earlier. (Material for the second half of the course will be presented at
www.yorku.ca/anderson – navigate to the summer 2011 course.)
The Mid-Term Examination
The mid-term examination will consist of multiple choice questions all of which are to be
answered. It is essential that all the material in the course kit, including the labs, is completed in
preparation for this examination. The examination will take place between 8-14 June: Exact
location and time will be sent to you. Length of exam: one hour and 15 minutes.
___________________
What if I am too far away to write the exam on campus?
If you are more than three hours away from campus you can make arrangements to write the
exam elsewhere. Please see under Examinations in the Distance Education: Frequently Asked
Questions below. Also available at: www.yorku.ca/laps/disted/faq.htm
Submitting Assignments
If you are submitting your assignments ONLINE please refer to the instructions in the Distance
Education: Frequently Asked Questions under section Assignments. This gives instructions
on how to use the Assignment Upload Website.
Alternatively you can deliver the assignment in person at TEL 2120 or by mail:
Hours of Operation:
Mon-Thurs 8:30am-7pm
Fri 8:30am-4:30pm
Fri 8:30am-3:30pm (June to August)
Room: 2120 TEL Building
Phone: 416-736-5831
Toll Free in North America: 1-866-261-1790
Fax: 416-736-5637
Questions?: [email protected]
Off-site Exams: [email protected]
Computing Help: [email protected]
Mailing Address:
eServices Office
Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies
Suite 2120, Technology Enhanced Learning Building
York University
4700 Keele Street
Toronto, Ontario
M3J 1P3
Web site: www.yorku.ca/laps/disted
Your assignment will contain graphs. Unless you can effectively insert digital versions into your
document I recommend that you submit your assignments by mail or in person. Alternatively
you could use a good quality scanner to create a digital copy of your work and submit online.
If you are using the Assignment Upload web site:
Use Internet Explorer (Firefox will not work)
No spaces in file name – if there are spaces, the file will not attach
Formats accepted: MS Word, Excel, Word Perfect, pdf files
Assignment
Upload
is
available
here,
http://www.yorku.ca/laps/disted/coversheetweb.htm
along
with
instructions
and
details:
Stephen Swales, Human Geography
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Late Penalties
Please note that your assignment must arrive on the due date. There are penalties for lateness as
indicated on the assignment and these penalties will be strictly applied. This is to be fair to all
students and to enable scheduled grading to take place.
Lab-Exercises
Most of the topics in the course kit are accompanied by lab-exercises that complement the
lecture material. Please note that these exercises are NOT to be submitted but the material in
them will be tested in the mid-term examination. You may wish to share your findings with class
colleagues in the optional discussion forum (see below).
Discussion Forum on the Internet
An optional forum where you can post your questions and observations for class colleagues (and
tutors) to consider can be found at:
http://jacinth.eso.yorku.ca/LotusQuickr/2011su-apgeog1410a-06/Main.nsf
Via: http://www.yorku.ca/laps/disted/nextsteps/courses/2011/correspondenceS11.htm
Note: you will need a York University email address and Passport York Account to access this;
see details in the FAQ section below and York University web site
Contacting Staff, Tutors, Professors and Classmates
Tutors will regularly monitor your questions via the course email address: [email protected].
Before you use the email address please consider:
Are you sure the answer is not in the course kit?
Is the nature of your question administrative? If so then it likely will be answered in the
Distance Education FAQ’s in the course kit below. If the answer is not here contact the
eServices Office (Formerly Centre for Distance Education), 416-736-5831.
For academic questions related to course content, assignments and exams etc. leave a
message at [email protected]. The tutors and professor monitor this email address.
If you need to contact me do so at [email protected] (or for Professor Anderson in the
second part of the course: [email protected]).
In almost all cases you should use the course email address ([email protected]) before you
contact me.
Tutors will also provide you with their e-mail addresses.
I hope you enjoy the course! You will be covering interesting and worthwhile material. Learn
and enjoy!
Stephen Swales
HUMAN GEOGRAPHY 1410 – SUMMER 2011
FIRST HALF OF THE COURSE
SCHEDULE AND IMPORTANT DATES
WEEK OF MAY 2:
Complete Topic One: What is Geography?
.
WEEK OF MAY 9:
Complete Topic Two: Geographic Literacy
WEEK OF MAY 16:
Complete Topic Three: Changing Mobility in a Shrinking
World.
WEEK OF MAY 23:
Complete Topic Four: The World Economic System:
MAY 25:
ASSIGNMENT ONE DUE. Submit as directed in course kit.
Late penalties will apply.
WEEK OF MAY 30:
WEEK OF JUNE 6:
Complete Topic Five: Location Analysis.
Complete Topic Six: Settlement.
MID-TERM EXAMINATION: The examination will take place one evening between 8-14
June: the exact time and location will be sent to you. Length of exam: one hour and 15 minutes.
All multiple choice questions based on course kit lectures, labs and major assignment.
____________________________________
Course email address: [email protected]
Stephen Swales, Human Geography
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FIRST HALF
MAJOR ASSIGNMENT
HUMAN GEOGRAPHY 1410.06 (SUMMER 2011)
ASSIGNMENT ONE (25%)
A SHRINKING WORLD?
Do we live in a shrinking world? Digital communications, improved transportation, increased
mobility, and greater interconnectedness and interaction, have produced, more than ever before,
a single global entity, the so called global village. We hear of a global economy, global
recession, global cities, a new global order, global markets, global culture, global brands, a
global environment, and the like. Please see lecture 3 in the course kit and various discussions of
globalization in the textbook, including the distinction between “The Fast World and the Slow
World” in chapter 2.
In this assignment you will explore some of these ideas using information from your everyday
experience together with literature sources. Read the entire assignment before you begin.
A. DATA COLLECTION (It is important that the data you collect is current.)
1. Modes of Communication
Revolutionary changes in communications involve the development and adoption of ever
more efficient modes of communication. Over a period of three days note the frequency
that you use the following modes of communication:
face-to-face verbal communication (count the number of conversations- exclude
those of only a few words)
written communication (handwritten, typed, word-processed)
electronically mediated communication (telephone – local and long distance,
cellular phone, text messages, fax, Internet, Intranet, e-mail, Facebook, MySpace,
web blogs, web based courses, atm transaction, toll-road transponder monitors,
etc.)
Note in your assignment the three days of the month that you collected the data.
2. Inter-generational Mobility Changes
Compare your present mobility patterns with those of an older family member or elderly
friend when they were about your age. Approximately how far (in distance and time), and
by what mode of transportation (walk, bicycle, horse, automobile, streetcar, bus, subway,
railway, ferry, airline …) did they travel to:
school
work
Stephen Swales, Human Geography
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Shop
health and other services
recreation
social activities
vacation ?
Note the information for your own mobility too. Clearly indicate the week that you collected the
data.
3. Media Coverage of Changing Mobility
Identify two current stories (or commercials) from the media (T.V., radio, print, Internet) that
you think relate to the theme of this assignment. State the content, date and source of your stories
and briefly describe how you think the stories relate to the theme of the “shrinking world”.
4. Telephone Rates
For one of the major telephone companies (e.g. Bell) collect telephone rates per minute for 15
countries. These countries should include a diversity of distances from Canada and also include
core countries (e.g. in Europe), semi-periphery countries (e.g. parts of South America and Asia)
and periphery countries (e.g. in Africa). (See figure 2.1 in chapter two in the textbook for coreperiphery terminology.) Companies have different rates depending on plans – it does not matter
which set of rates you use as long as you use the same set consistently (e.g. all regular rates, or
all discount rates within a plan). The rates must be current as of May 2011.
5. Mode of Transportation by Gender
Mode of transportation to work (commuting) data for Ontario by gender are available in
Appendix Two. Create two pie charts, one each for male and female modes of transportation.
Guidance on creating pie charts follows this assignment.
6. Mobility
Identify and present two other variables for the Toronto CMA from Appendix Two that reflect
levels of mobility.
7. Mode of Transportation by CMA
The table below shows mode of transportation for the CMA’s of Canada. Compare the Toronto
CMA to contrasting CMA’s. Create three charts to show modes of transportation, one chart for
Canada as a whole, the second for the Toronto CMA and a third for a CMA you think contrasts
the experience of Toronto. Note that in the table there are 6 different modes of transportation
(“Total” is not one of them).
8. Mobility Data for Your Home Neighbourhood (Census Tract)
You can collect transportation to work (commuting) data for your home neighbourhood by
visiting the Statistics Canada website: www.statcan.gc.ca
From the Home page > Census > Census Tract Profiles; then enter your postal code (with no
spaces) > Submit. (If you live in an area with no census tracts (which is unlikely), use the postal
code of York University). Select View data profile. Your census tract neighbourhood will show
together with the city (for most, the Toronto CMA) and the province.
Create a pie chart of Mode of transportation to work for your home census tract (there are five
categories or “slices” for your pie. Also provide a map of your census tract (there is an option for
downloading a map beside the ct number at the top of the column).
B. DATA PRESENTATION
Present the data you have assembled above in graph and table form as appropriate. For example,
the different modes of communication could be presented in a pie chart, with each pie slice
representing a different mode of communication. Many of you will use computer programmes to
generate the figures above, but neat hand-drawn figures are acceptable. Try to limit the number
of pages you have by combining similar graphs on the same page.
Instructions on how to create pie charts are provided below under “An Example of Graphing Data”.
C. DISCUSSION
Using the data you have collected, the course lecture material (particularly the changing
mobility section), the course textbook, and any other sources you consider relevant, discuss
the notion that we live in a "shrinking world". Is the experience of such a "shrinking
world" common to all?
The written component of this assignment should not be longer than six type-written pages
double spaced (exclusive of graphs, tables and appendix). Avoid unusual font styles and sizes.
You can submit your assignment online, in person or by mail. Only submit online if you can
effectively incorporate your graphs digitally into the assignment.
To be sure that the assignment is received exactly as you wish it to be viewed, submit a paper
copy in person or by mail. Staple, do not bind your assignment. Do not fax your assignment.
Attach in appendix the raw data you used to generate the graphs and tables, but the actual graphs
and tables should be included at appropriate places in the discussion (generally as soon after their
first mentions as possible).
DUE DATE: MAY 25, 2011. Please see the course kit for details above on how to submit your
assignment. You can either use the Assignment Upload Website (if your graphs are included in the
document digitally) or submit a paper copy. Assignment Upload is available here, along with
instructions and details: http://www.yorku.ca/laps/disted/coversheetweb.htm
LATE PENALTY: There is a late penalty of 20% per late day and it will be strictly applied.
Stephen Swales, Human Geography
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AN EXAMPLE OF GRAPHING DATA
A number of different graph types can be used to graph data. The purpose of graphs is to provide
a clear visual representation of data. In this example you will use graphs to display selected 2001
census data for the Toronto Census Metropolitan Area (CMA). A CMA is a large urban area
with a population of at least 100,0001, and includes adjoining rural and urban areas that are
functionally integrated with the core through commuting. In 2001 there were 27 CMAs in
Canada; this had increased to 33 by 2006. The 2001 data for the Toronto CMA are reproduced in
Appendix One.
The first column (Toronto CMA/RMR) of each page of the data shows the CMA values. The
columns thereafter, beginning with 0001, show the values for the census tracts within the CMA.
Census tracts are neighbourhood-scale geographic areas within cities that are roughly
homogeneous in economic and social characteristics. They should have about 4,000 people, but
in reality range from a few hundred in industrial areas (as in 0001 in the Toronto harbour area) to
more than 10,000 in high density areas. They do, nonetheless, average about 4,000 people. There
are more than 900 census tracts in the Toronto CMA; those shown in Appendix One just happen
to be the ones (0001 to 0006) on the same data pages as the CMA in the profile book.
The census data are derived from two types of survey. One is the 100% sample; that is the short
form of questions that were asked of all households. The second is the 20% sample, which is the
more comprehensive set of questions that were asked of one in five households. This 20%
sample is thought to be representative and the actual numbers in the Profiles are the values for
the whole population. The variables shown in the Appendix are drawn from both the 100% and
20% samples. Note that the income data is for 2000 not 2001; why do you think this is the case?
Similarly income data for the 2006 census are for 2005.
It is evident that the census offers a very comprehensive set of variables for relatively small areas
of the city. The same variables can be obtained for even smaller areas known as enumeration
areas (E.A.’s, renamed dissemination areas – D.A’s in the 2001 census) which average only a
few hundred people – there are about 2200 E.A.’s in the Toronto CMA. The key disadvantage of
the census as a data source is that it is taken only once every five years and it also takes some
time to fully report the data. May 16, 2006 was the last Census Day but this was released in
paper version for census tracts in April, 2009. Virtual releases came earlier; for the latest
information on census reporting you can visit the Stats Canada web site: http//www.statcan.ca.
Consult Appendices One and Two to get an impression of the great variety of variables in the
census. You may be aware that the quality of these variables will be compromised for the next
census (2011) because the government is making the long form questions voluntary. Graph the
data as directed below. Many of you will have computer graphics programmes that enable you to
easily draw the graphs. It does not harm, however, to draw them by hand at least once; it is the
best way to understand how they really work! It is also acceptable to submit hand drawn graphs
in your major assignment. In the following graph the subject population is the whole CMA.
Remember to give all your graphs titles.
To create a pie chart showing private households by size for the Toronto CMA
1
This core requirement was reduced to 50,000 for the 2006 census.
Note: this is an example, not the actual one you have to do for the assignment.
The relevant data are on page 34 of data in Appendix One (line numbers 368-372). The pie will
have five slices, one for each household size: 1 person, 2 persons, 3 persons, 4-5 persons and 6 or
more persons. It is important to understand the concept of a pie chart. The size of a slice of the
pie is proportional to that particular groups (e.g. 1 person households) share of the total (all
private households). The slices make up a total of 100% of the data (in this example the
household sizes make up the 100% of total private households). Since a circle has 360° each 1%
of the data is represented by 3.6° of the pie. Ten percent of the data is represented by 36° of the
pie (10 x 3.6°). After establishing a base line within the pie it is easy to measure the slices using
a protractor. In our example 1 person households at 326,230 represent 21.92% of total
households (1,488,375) and this 21.91% share is represented by 78.91° (21.91 x 3.6°) of the pie.
This slice can be placed on the pie using a protractor. The slices should, of course, sum to 360.
Once all the slices are drawn it is useful to distinguish between them using a colouring or
shading scheme. Again, you may have a computer application that calculates and draws these
pies quickly, but it is good experience to draw them by hand at least once. An example with the
actual degree shares is shown below.
Alternatively you could have used a bar graph summing to 100% with the bar divided into
portions to reflect each household size.
An oldie-but-goodie guide on data description and presentation in Geography is: Peter Davis
(1974) Data Description and Presentation Oxford: Oxford University Press.
As noted above, for the latest reporting of data from the 2006 census consult:
http://www.statcan.ca
