Time Schedule:
Douglas Mercer
GEOG 490
Seattle Campus
Field methods for contemporary urban research. Survey designs used in the analysis of transportation, land use, location of employment, shopping and housing, political fragmentation, and environmental degradation. Field report required, based on field work in the Seattle region.
Class description
This is a field course on the Seattle region. In the first half of the course students will visit sites in the region organized by the professor: exploring Ravenna Park's restoration, riding the #48 bus, visting Bellevue's downtown, and more. Each of these explores are designed around a geographical concept. Students will design and do their own explores in the second half of the course. The primary product for the course are the explore plan and report.
Student learning goals
To learn how your interpretation of the world is shaped by ideas.
Gain a better appreciation for the vernacular landscapes of the Seattle region
To learn the history that produced Seattle's landscapes
To create .htm documents from .ppt
General method of instruction
Lecture, discussion, field trips
Recommended preparation
Upper Class standing
Class assignments and grading
Assignment summary (navigate to detailed assignment descriptions with links)
Assignment % Due Description Concept reading 5%
Individual Grade April 3 Find a concept and propose it to class Explore Presentation 5%
Group Grade April 17 Your group presents a draft of your Explore Explore Plan 20% April 24 Your group’s plan for how to explore a concept in the context of the Seattle region. Mid-term Exam
20%
Individual May 1 Based on content from lectures, readings and field trip Explores done to that point. Trailblazer Presentation 5%
Group May 29/31 Formal presentation of Trailblazer Report. Class provides feedback. Trailblazer Report 15%
Group
June 5 Final ELECTRONIC submission of your .ppt Trailblazer Report. Final version should reflect feedback from presentation. Anonymous Peer Evaluation 10% Individual June 7 You MUST fill out the anonymous peer evaluation and turn it in on the last day of class. Explore Report 10% Individual May 29 A documentation of your experience doing another group’s Explore. Final
10%
Individual June 7 NOT cumulative. Based on materials presented after the midterm.
