Professor Steven C. Hackett
|
Note: In addition to lecture/discussion and examinations, there is an additional project: Country Report: Each student will produce a written and oral country report. Students will submit a rank-ordered wish list of at least 5 countries (list must contain at least one country from Africa, one country from Asia, and one country from Central/South America/Caribbean Basin) by Tues 31 January 2006. I will attempt to honor requests from these lists, and will assign each student a country no later than Tues 07 February 2006. In order to receive a passing grade, each country report must have (i) analysis of a minimum of six separate sustainability indicators (drawn from http://www.humboldt.edu/~envecon/econ_309/Econ 309 Indicator List.htm) that span the three pillars (economy/community/environment), (ii) the country’s experience with structural adjustment or development (if available), (iii) analysis relating to the economics of sustainability for that country, (iv) appropriate tables and figures, and (v) content and writing of acceptable quality and sophistication, utilizing at least 5 authoritative sources (Wikipedia does NOT count as an authoritative source for your report). Written country reports will have the following format: 1. Cover page with country name, your name, course name and number, and date. 2. FOUR to FIVE double-spaced pages of narrative (fewer pages = lower grade, more pages = lower grade). Narrative must be double spaced in at least 10 font or larger, be in the student’s own words, must show a sophisticated interpretation and analysis of the sustainability indicators addressed in the report (including trends over time), and must have all information sources fully cited in the narrative and in a list of sources at the end of the report. 3. Quality diagrams and tables, with information sources listed in a footnote to each. 4. List of sources cited. 5. No plastic covers, just white paper stapled in the upper left hand corner. Your written country report grade will be based on (i) the sufficiency, quality and sophistication of content and (ii) the quality of writing (i.e., a well-organized and coherent report with appropriate subsections, good sentence and paragraph structure, no grammatical or typographical errors, clear exposition, and depth and breadth of coverage). Brief oral country report presentations: You will also present this research to the class in a brief summary analysis in the last few weeks of the semester as indicated in the calendar below. Students in the 8:00 class will have approximately 20 (if 3 presenters on a given day) to 25 minutes; students in the 9:30 class will have approximately 15 (if 4 presenters on a given day) to 20 minutes. Your oral country report presentation grade will be based on (i) the same sufficiency, quality and sophistication of content outlined above, as well as (ii) presentation quality and mechanics (i.e., being well-paced, clear, coherent, making use of visuals such as handouts, posters, transparencies, displays, chalkboard, and/or PowerPoint (if you use this, it must be loaded and ready to go before your talk), making good use of your available time without running over (!), and engaging and interacting with the audience through the use of questions, role-play, handouts, or some other simple interactive element). |
Topical Outline and Course Calendar:
Part I: Introduction, Economic Foundations
Week 1: 15-19 Jan
Week 2: 22-26 Jan
Week 3: 29 Jan-2 Feb
Part II: Thinking Globally
Week 4: 5-9 Feb
Week 5: 12-16 Feb
Week 6: 19-23 Feb
*** ASSIGNMENT: Carefully read the “thinking long-term” material at the end of Chapter 13
Week 7: 26 Feb-2 Mar
Week 8: 6-9 Mar
***Spring Break, 12-16 March***
Week 9: 19-23 Mar
Part III: Acting Locally
Week 10: 26-30 Mar
Week 11: 2-6 April
Part IV: Student Presentations
Thurs Week 11, all of weeks 12, 13, 14, and Tues of Week 15 (5 April - 01 May)
Thurs Week 15 (03 May)
Week 16: (7-11 May)
My responsibility as professor is to lead and motivate students who are committed to the learning process, and to determine the extent to which students have mastered the material covered in this course. I aim to be courteous, respectful, and responsive to student needs. Grades are assigned based on my professional judgment of the quality of your work and are not subject to negotiation. Students are responsible for their learning outcomes and their performance on all assignments. Students are expected to attend class regularly and on time, are expected to be active learners who contribute to the classroom discussion, and are expected to be courteous and respectful of others. Coming to class late is unacceptable. Leaving the room during class is disruptive. Use the restroom before class starts. Turn your cell phones off during class. University protocol is such that you are supposed to contact me first if you have a problem or a conflict relating to the course. I will not accept any material handed in late – all late and missing work will receive a 0 (on a 0 – 100 scale). I will not provide make-up exams, alternative projects, extra credit projects, or make-up times for missed presentations. The optional final exam is the All of us are subject to HSU and CSU policies, which include nondiscrimination, academic honesty, student discipline, reasonable accommodation for people with disabilities, and family educational rights and privacy.
While it is important to be clear on these points, the overwhelming majority of us understand how to act appropriately in the classroom. It is my goal to create a friendly, inclusive, and rigorous classroom culture in which everyone is welcome to comment and contribute, and in which diversity is respected. I want this to be a class that we all look forward to attending, and that we can look back upon as having been a very positive experience.
Grading:
Country Report
Outline (5 points): Due date shown in course calendar.
Semester Examination (30 points): You will have one semester examination as shown in the course calendar. You can review old exams with answers on the Internet.
Written Country Report (30 points): This is described in the text box near the top of the syllabus document. Due date shown in course calendar.
Oral Country Report Presentation (30 points): Date and time assigned to you. Note: The final exam cannot replace your oral presentation grade.
Class Participation (5 points): Addresses class attendance and participation, including any written in-class problem-solving exercises homework that is turned.
Optional Comprehensive Final Examination (30 points): The final exam is optional, and can be used to replace your grade on the semester exam or the written country report. This is the only opportunity provided in class to make up for missing an assignment. You can elect not to take the final exam if you are satisfied with your scores. Your final exam score will only count if it exceeds your lowest score from the following: the semester exam, the written country report, or the oral country report. Date and time shown in course calendar.
Final Grade:
On each graded element above you will get a score equal to the percentage of the available points that you received. I will sum these points to get your course numerical score. The course numerical score will then be converted into a letter grade based on the following scale:
100 - 93: A
92.99 - 90: A-
89.99 - 88: B+
87.99 - 83: B
82.99 - 80: B-
79.99 - 78: C+
77.99 - 73: C
72.99 - 70: C-
69.99 - 65: D+
64.99 - 60: D
59.99 - 0: F