Southern Utah University

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Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Spring Semester 2026

Globalization in the 21st Century: World Regional Geography (Face-to-Face)

GEOG 1300-01

Course: GEOG 1300-01
Credits: 3
Term: Spring Semester 2026
Department: GEOS
CRN: 11012

Course Description

A systematic study of the World’s major cultural regions, emphasizing physical, biological, cultural, demographic, economic, and political considerations. Issues such as natural hazards, environmental concerns, and human problems are discussed within the context of globalization. A minimum grade of "C" (2.0 or above) must be earned in this course before it can be counted in a Geosciences major or minor or as a prerequisite for any other course. (Fall, Spring) [Graded (Standard Letter)] Registration Restriction(s): Intensive English Program majors may not enroll General Education Category: Social and Behavioral Sciences

Required Texts

OPTIONAL Textbooks:
John R. Short (2019) World Regional Geography: A Short Introduction, 1st Ed. Oxford University Press. ISBN-10: 0190206705. NOTE: There is a copy in the library’s T-Bird Collections.
OR Caitlin Finlayson's (2019) World Regional Geography. https://pressbooks.pub/worldgeo/

REQUIRED Technology:
A FREE Poll Everywhere account; which requires you to using your name and email.

Learning Outcomes

Course Learning Outcomes
Students will be assessed based on how well they achieve the following course learning outcomes.
  1. Read and interpret different maps, map symbols, scales, and other cartographic elements.
  2. Describe their “mental map” of the world, including the locations and patterns of important physical and human features and conditions, the main processes, and their relative importance.
  3. Describe the relationships between humans and the natural environments they occupy, including the different ways that societies culturally adapt to, use, and modify the natural environment(s) they occupy, and explain both sustainable development and environmental ethics.
  4. Apply the concepts of region and movement (migration) at local, regional, and global scales.
  5. Explain the importance of culture as the primary influence on how humans, as societies, live.
Knowledge Area Learning Outcomes
This course fulfills General Education requirements for the Social and Behavioral Sciences Knowledge Area. Students will be assessed based on how well they achieve the following learning outcomes.
  1. Demonstrate understanding of relevant social and behavioral science methodologies and how they are used to understand or explain human relations or interactions.
  2. Identify general principles of behavioral and social functioning.
  3. Connect those questions and issues to the students’ own experiences.
  4. Demonstrate a critically reasoned understanding of social patterns and individual variation congruent with and divergent from those patterns.
Essential Learning Outcomes 
Students will be assessed based on how well they achieve the following essential learning outcomes.
  1. 9.0. Intercultural Knowledge and Competence: Fluent students 1. Cultural self-awareness: articulate insights into own cultural rules and biases; 2. Cultural worldview frameworks: demonstrate sophisticated understanding of the complexity of elements important to members of another culture in relation to its history, values, politics, communication styles, economy, or beliefs and practices; 3. Empathy: interpret intercultural experiences from the perspectives of own and more than one worldview and demonstrate the ability to act in a supportive manner that recognizes the feelings of another cultural group; 4. Verbal & Nonverbal Communication: articulate a complex understanding of cultural differences in verbal and nonverbal communication and is able to skillfully negotiate a shared understanding based on those differences; 5. Curiosity: ask complex questions about other cultures, seeking out and articulating answers that reflect multiple cultural perspectives; 6. Openness: can initiate and develop interactions with culturally different others.
  2. 15.0 Teamwork: Students demonstrate productive interaction with others (in or out of class) to complete assignments, tasks or projects.

Course Requirements

PARTICIPATION:It is important for you to actively engage with lecture material, so this class uses student response systems (clickers) that (a) help me understand what you know, (b) give everyone a chance to participate, and (c) provide review material for the tests. 
QUIZZES: The purpose of the quizzes is to promote learning of course material. The quizzes are designed using an on-line and open-book format. Questions are drawn mostly from lecture material. They consist of approximately 20 questions and are mostly multiple-choice. Each quiz may be attempted 3 times, and the “highest score” will be recorded. See Canvas for each quiz’s due date. 
VIRTUAL REALITY FIELD TRIPS:  Students are expected to explore the distinguishing characteristics of physiographic regions, urban landscapes, and heritage sites for the world regions covered in this class. These occur on Fridays in the Multipurpose Center (Room 109). See Canvas for further details.
REFLECTIVE ESSAYS:Students are expected to select a short film, watch it, and write a reflective essay on the content for 7 of the different films available this semester (see assignment on Canvas).
DESIGN A VR FIELD TRIP: Students are expected to create a short travel itinerary using the Wander app. Choose any world region, select four locations within that region to create an itinerary. Then write an introduction and one question for each location, so 4 locations and 4 questions in total.
FINAL EXAM: Choose 1 of the following options. OPTION 1: Complete AT LEAST 10 of the VR Field Trips and BE EXEMPT from the final exam. OPTION 2: Write the final exam during exam week, which will include 20 multiple-choice questions (from the clicker questions), and 1 short-essay question.

OPTIONAL EXTRA CREDIT OPPORTUNITIES: 
1. Empathy Survey: Students will earn 1 point toward their final grade if they anonymously and honestly complete a 28-question survey. 
2. Mid-Semester Course Feedback: Students will earn 1 point toward their final grade if they honestly and fairly complete a 13-question survey.
3. VR Experience Surveys: Students will earn 2 points toward their final grade if they, complete both pre- and post-experience surveys regarding their experience with VR Field Trips. 
4. International Movie-Night: Students will earn 3 points toward their final grade if they write a “reflective essay” on the international film for this semester (see Canvas for more details). 

Course Outline

  | MODULE | DATE | LECTURE TOPICS | READINGS | QUIZ
| 1 | Wed-Jan-7 | Course Format, Expectations, and Overview | Canvas/Syllabus |   
| 1 | Fri- Jan-9 | A World of Difference | Short, Ch. 1 |   
| 2 | Mon-Jan-12 | A Global Context | Short, Ch. 2 |   
 | 2 | Wed-Jan-14 | North America | Short, Ch. 13 | 1
 | 2 | Fri-Jan-16 | VRFT Introduction to Hardware & Software |    |   
| 3 | Mon-Jan-19 | NO CLASS – MLK Day |    |   
 | 3 | Wed-Jan-21 | North America | Short, Ch. 13 |   
 | 3 | Fri-Jan-23 | VRFT1 – North America |    | 2
| 4 | Mon-Jan-26 | Central America and Caribbean | Short, Ch. 3 |   
| 4 | Wed-Jan-28 | Central America and Caribbean | Short, Ch. 3 |   
| 4 | Fri-Jan-30 | VRFT2 – Central America and Caribbean |    | 3
| 5 | Mon-Feb-02 | South America | Short, Ch. 4 |   
| 5 | Wed- Feb-04 | South America | Short, Ch. 4 |   
| 5 | Fri-Feb-06 | VRFT3 – South America |    | 4
| 6 | Mon-Feb-09 | Europe | Short, Ch. 5 |   
| 6 | Wed-Feb-11 | Europe | Short, Ch. 5 |   
| 6 | Fri-Feb-13 | VRFT4 – Europe |    | 5
| 7 | Mon-Feb-16 | NO CLASS – Presidents’ Day |    |   
| 7 | Wed-Feb-18 | NO CLASS – Design a VR Field Trip |    |   
| 7 | Fri-Feb-20 | NO CLASS – Design a VR Field Trip |    |   
 | 8 | Mon-Feb-23 | Russia and Its Neighbors | Short, Ch. 6 |   
 | 8 | Wed-Feb-25 | Russia and Its Neighbors | Short, Ch. 6 |   
 | 8 | Fri-Feb-27 | VRFT5 – Russia and Its Neighbors |    | 6
 | 9 | Mon-Mar-02 | East Asia | Short, Ch. 7 |   
 | 9 | Wed-Mar-04 | East Asia | Short, Ch. 7 |   
 | 9 | Fri-Mar-06 | VRFT 6 – East Asia |    | 7
 | 10 | Mon-Mar-09 |    |    |   
 | 10 | Wed-Mar-11 | NO CLASS – Spring Break |    |   
 | 10 | Fri-Mar-13 |    |    |   
 | 11 | Mon-Mar-16 | Southeast Asia | Short, Ch. 8 |   
 | 11 | Wed-Mar-18 | Southeast Asia | Short, Ch. 8 |   
 | 11 | Fri-Mar-20 | VRFT 7 – Southeast Asia |    | 8
| 12 | Mon-Mar-23 | South Asia | Short, Ch. 9 |   
| 12 | Wed-Mar-25 | South Asia | Short, Ch. 9 |   
| 12 | Fri-Mar-27 | VRFT 8 – South Asia |    | 9
| 13 | Mon-Mar-30 | Middle East and North Africa | Short, Ch. 10 |   
| 13 | Wed-Apr-01 | Middle East and North Africa | Short, Ch. 10 |   
| 13 | Fri-Apr-03 | VRFT 9 – Middle East and North Africa |    | 10
| 14 | Mon-Apr-06 | Sub-Saharan Africa | Short, Ch. 11 |   
 | 14 | Wed-Apr-08 | Sub-Saharan Africa | Short, Ch. 11 |   
 | 14 | Fri-Apr-10 | VRFT 10 – Sub-Saharan Africa |    | 11
 | 15 | Mon-Apr-13 | Australasia and Oceania | Short, Ch. 12 |   
 | 15 | Wed-Apr-15 | Australasia and Oceania | Short, Ch. 12 |   
 | 15 | Fri-Apr-17 | VRFT 11 – Australasia and Oceania |    | 12
| 16 | Tues-Apr-21 | Exam Week - Final Exam - Day 2 - 11:00am |    |   

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

LATE POLICY: Late assignments are accepted at the sole discretion of the instructor. If accepted, they may be penalized up to 10% per day and return time may be severely impacted.
MAKEUP POLICY: Technical difficulties are not acceptable excuses for missing due dates for quizzes, tests, and tasks unless the school or regional network is down for a prolonged period. If you encounter technical difficulties when taking a test, please contact me directly. If you experience a prolonged absence from school due to illness or personal situation, please let me know.

Attendance Policy

Students are expected to regularly attend lectures. Lectures will start promptly, so please show respect to the instructor and other students by arriving on time. If you are ill, you may request access to Zoom or a recording of the lecture. It is the responsibility of the student to arrange with the instructor an opportunity to complete missed material during excused absences (SUU Policy #6.30).

Course Fees

3 Credit(s) | $40.50 Fee

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.