UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, Department of Geography
Spatial Analysis in Geography (GEOG 416/616)
SPRING 2005
Syllabus
Dr. Franco Biondi
Course Description
Understanding spatial patterns is at the core of Geography. The objective of this class is to go beyond descriptive mapping, to explore the realms of quantitative modeling, prediction, and explanation. After briefly reviewing introductory statistical methods, we will proceed to the identification of spatial relationships, explain the statistical modeling of georeferenced data, and conclude with principal component analysis of spatial fields. We will investigate point and area patterns, as well as spatial autocorrelation and various methods used to quantify it. It is anticipated that, for majors, this course will provide the ultimate opportunity to apply statistical inference in their curriculum. Special software used in class will be available in the Geography computer laboratory, which is ideally suited for providing on-line, hands-on instruction. Tests and assignments will be aimed at keeping students up-to-date during the semester. Every student will be asked to work on a research project, and various adjustments will be made to differentiate undergraduates from graduates.
Class Hours and Location: Lecture: Mon. & Wed., 2:30 – 3:45 pm, in 321 Mackay Science Hall. Computer Laboratory: 221 Mackay Science Hall.
Office Hours: Mon. & Wed., 4:00 – 5:00 pm or by appointment. Please come and see me to talk about any questions you might have on the class. I am here for you.
Office: 225 Mackay Science Hall Phone: 784-6921 Email: fbiondi@unr.nevada.edu
Web site: http://unr.edu/homepage/fbiondi/teach.html (course material, grades, etc., will be available through UNR’s WebCT system - see detailed instructions below).
Prerequisite: a course in college-level statistics.
Special Needs. If a student requires special classroom or exam accommodations because of a documented disability, please let the instructor know at the beginning of the semester.
Course Materials
Undergraduate Requirements
Undergraduate students will be graded according to their score on two Exams, five Quizzes, two Homework assignments, a Research Project, and Participation. All tests count, so make sure you take all of them, and turn in all of your assignments on time. There is no final exam because the research paper is due the day of the final exam.
All graduate students are expected to draw upon their experience and knowledge gained elsewhere to enhance the formation of connections between the topics covered in this course as well as related topics not explicitly covered in the course.
Homework assignments and tests include extra questions for students enrolled in Geog 616. Those questions are aimed at the more advanced aspects of the course subjects. Graduate students are expected to demonstrate a deeper understanding of course material; hence they are graded together as a subset of the total course enrollment using higher standards than those employed for undergraduates.
Students enrolled at the 600-level have to prepare a research paper and a class presentation on a topic of interest to them, and approved by the instructor. As explained below, the research project provides an opportunity for investigating course subjects at an advanced level. The outcome of the research project is a paper written according to the Guide for Authors of an international, peer-reviewed, scientific journal chosen by the student. The grade assigned to the paper will then depend not only on research quality and text clarity, but also on how closely the student followed the journal’s instructions. The graduate students’ technical presentation is aimed at improving the ability to speak in front of an audience, and serves as a synthesis experience, combining explicit class material with external, independently researched information to develop a greater understanding of the subject.
Grading breakdown GEOG 416 GEOG 616
|
Quizzes (5 x 10) |
50 |
50 |
|
Exams (2 x 50) |
100 |
100 |
|
Homework (2 x 30) |
60 |
60 |
|
Undergraduate Research Project (100) |
100 |
|
|
Graduate Research Paper (100) |
|
100 |
|
Class Presentation (20) |
Extra Credit |
20 |
|
Attendance and Participation (40 undergrad., 20 grad.) |
40 |
20 |
|
TOTAL |
350 |
350 |
Final letter grades may have a plus or minus according to the following scheme:
A = 93% or higher; A- = 90-92.9%; B+ = 87-89.9 %; B = 83-86.9 %; B- = 80-82.9 %;
C+ = 77-79.9 %; C = 73-76.9 %; C- = 70-72.9 %; D+ = 67-69.9 %; D = 63-66.9 %;
D- = 60-62.9 %; F = < 60 %.
Students will be able to monitor their individual grades (including the final letter grade) on the class WebCT site.
Rules of Conduct (the tough stuff)
Research Project
Each student will be required to complete an original research project. This will expose students to an unsolved question, and to the challenge of finding the best possible answer by means of creative and critical thinking. A research project implies making new observations, reading the scientific literature, and analyzing data. The outcome of the project will be a written report (undergraduates) or research paper and class presentation (graduates). The research project will include the following components:
--------- DUE EARLY TO ALLOW FOR FEEDBACK
--------- FIRST GRADING (10%)
--------- SECOND GRADING (40%)
----------- THIRD GRADING (50%)
Specific deadlines are set in the class calendar for each component of the project. Every time students turn in a new component of the project, they need to attach the previous components as well. Each phase (first, second, and third) is graded individually, but with a possibility of revision. As usually happens in any research project, ideas and plans are refined as work progresses. By revising their previous work, students have an opportunity to improve their previous grades. For example: the title, abstract, and dataset identification are due after the first week of the semester, to allow the instructor to give students early feedback on their ideas. The first score (10% of the whole Research Project grade) will be assigned after students turn in the justification and objectives (at this time, graduate students must also submit the Guide for Authors of the journal they’ll write the paper for). If the scope of the research is vague and not well justified, the first score will be low. However, this is only an indication that the student needs to work diligently to refine the research question. The second grade (40% of the whole Research Project grade) will be assigned after students submit the literature review and study plan. At this time, if along with the new components students provide a revised research justification and objectives, the instructor will revise the first score as well as assign the second score.
Therefore, with each new phase of the project, students can revise and improve their work, so that they can continue to increase their scores throughout the semester. At the end, undergraduate students are required to provide a class report by joining and ‘cleaning up’ the individual project components. Graduate students will need to submit their research as a paper suitable for publication in a scientific journal. The length of the paper should not exceed 2000 words (excluding references, tables, and figures). While papers from graduate students need to follow the Guide for Authors of a preferred journal, papers from undergraduate students do not. It is recommended to turn in a first draft of the completed project/paper at least two weeks before the final deadline. Although the feedback you receive from the instructor will not include a grade, such early comments are likely to improve your grade. The final version of graduate papers and undergraduate reports will be due the last day of class (check the calendar for details).
Presentation of the research project to the class will need to be in PowerPoint format, which can easily be displayed using the smart classroom equipment. Presentations are scheduled for the last week of class. We will mimic the style of professional meetings, with about 20 minutes allocated to each speaker. PLEASE REGISTER by providing your presentation title and the time you would prefer. Each slot will be filled on a first-come first-serve basis.
Speaking in front of an audience is a useful opportunity to sharpen communication skills. Please try to leave one-two minutes at the end of the talk for questions and comments. Also, students may want to consider the following suggestions:
(1) Make your figures simple and clear. Labels need to be large and visible from a distance. The smart-classroom equipment is very effective at enlarging viewgraphs, but remember that text needs to be readable from the back of the room.
(2) There isn’t much time, and at least one minute should be spent on each illustration. Therefore, restrict the number of slides to those that are most relevant to the project.
(3) Organize the talk. Start with the problem: what was the reason to research this issue?, why should the audience care? Continue with the method: which data were collected?, what kind of analysis was performed? Proceed with the results: what was learnt?, what still needs to be done?
(4) Try to have only one or two conclusion points. If it’s possible to summarize the research in one sentence, please do so at the end of the talk.
How to succeed in this class
ü Read the assigned materials
ü Ask questions
ü Be aware of deadlines, and prepare in advance
ü Become familiar with the software programs needed for homework and research project
ü Use the web, and follow the links that will be provided on the class web site
ü Think carefully about your research project
ü Make sure you have the resources available to produce your final report/paper
Each student will have an account in the Department of Geography computer laboratory, which has 11 PCs running Windows XP. You need your UNR netID to use the computer lab. To activate your netID, if you have not already done so, please direct your Web browser to http://computing.unr.edu/authenticate.html.
Login instructions:
ü Turn on the computer
ü Press Ctrl-Alt-Del to log in
ü A window will come up asking for your Username and Password (use your NetID ones)
All
of your work needs to be saved inside your folder, which is a subdirectory
located on the lab server (check with the lab administrator for the actual
path). Anything saved outside of your folder may be lost as soon as you log
out. Make sure that each program you use will save files to your
subdirectory.
Class web site
The class web site is located on UNR’s WebCT system.
Login Instructions:
1. Go to http://webct.unr.edu/
2. Click on LOG ON! to myWebCT
3. A window will come up asking for your WebCT ID and Password
***** These are the same as your UNR NetID and Password *****
(Make sure you activate your UNR NetID and Password before trying to access the class web site. Also, once you activate your NetID, it will take some time - at least 5 minutes - before the WebCT system will recognize them.)
After logging, you will be directed to the myWebCT page, which contains a link to all your WebCT courses. For this class, the web site will be used to post any updates to the calendar, additional class materials, and your grades. Please remember to hit the "Reload" button of your web browser to view the most recent changes. Material made available on the web is not intended to be a synthesis of material required for the exams.
NOTE: Although WebCT can be used for virtual discussions, chat rooms, class e-mail, electronic tests, etc., we will not use those functions.