The Geographer's Craft, GRG 859A and GRG 859B
Kenneth Foote, Instructor
Office Hours: 10-11 MWF in GRG 302, E-mail: k.foote@mail.utexas.edu
Keene Haywood and Donald Huebner, Teaching Assistants
E-mail: khaywood@mail.utexas.edu and djhuebner@mail.utexas.edu
Office Hours: TBA
General Information
The Geographer's Craft is a new course being developed to provide you with the best possible
introduction to modern geographical research techniques. It takes a new, integrated approach to training
in geographical techniques, an approach based on a problem-oriented synthesis of methods drawn from
cartography, geographical information systems, spatial analysis, remote sensing, and field methods.
Rather than teaching these methods as separate and independent techniques, The Geographer's Craft is
designed to show how geographers employ these techniques together, in concert and as needed, to address
real-world research issues.
The Geographer's Craft project is designed as a two-semester, eight-credit course
(Geography 859A and
859B). Each semester, 2-3 research problems will be presented in class. Each of these will
emphasize the range and types of problems geographers address, relevant literatures, and traditional and
contemporary approaches to particular issues, including the latest techniques in automated mapping and
geographic information systems. The issues are selected so that they raise a variety of technical and
methodological problems that can be discussed and solved in the context of interesting, real-life research
problems. In this way, you will learn by experience how geographers gather and weigh evidence about
natural and human processes, employ maps and databases to represent and model real-life situations,
analyze spatial, temporal, and functional relationships, and communicate findings cartographically and
graphically and in written and spoken presentations. Stress is placed on analytical reasoning and how
such reasoning is supported by the use of computers and information technology.
The course materials for The Geographer's Craft are being developed into hypermedia format as an
on-line "electronic" textbook in the Worldwide Web. Although this work is not yet complete, you will
receive many of your course materials through the Web. The course does not assume previous experience
with GIS technologies or the Internet, but experience with Windows is a prerequisite.
The course is built around
lectures, discussion and, of course, hands-on laboratory experience. The research problems will make use
of many popular mapping, statistical, image processing, and GIS systems on several different types of
computer. Use of this variety of systems will allow you to gain the methodological and technical
versatility and adaptability that will be of value to you in your future professional work.
Grading
Your course grade will be based on three research projects (each 25% of your final grade) and a set of
approximately five warm-up exercises and quizes (25% total or about 5% per exercise). The projects are
1) a campaign strategy report for the next Texas governor's race; 2) a cartographic study of cholera in
Peru; 3) a Web page on a current geographical issue.
Team and Lab Meetings
The class will be divided into teams to work on exercises and prepare material for class. Each team
will meet with a teaching assistant for at least an hour every week. Team membership and schedules for
meetings will be established during the first week of class.
Required Textbooks
Booth, Wayne C., Gregory G. Colomb, and Joseph M Williams. 1995. The Craft of Research. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Some additional readings will be made available at PCL reserve.
Recommended Textbooks (Optional)
Antenucci, John C; Kay Brown; Peter L. Croswell; Michael J. Kevany; and Hugh N. Archer. 1991. Geographic Information
Systems: A Guide to the Technology. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold.
Monmonier, Mark. 1993. Mapping It Out: Expository Cartography for the Humanties and Social Sciences. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
You may like to purchase a guide to HTML and Web publishing.
Required Supplies
During the course of the semester you will need to purchase $20-30 in computer supplies for the laboratory exercises. You will need to buy at least one box (10) of 3.5" high-density (1.44MB)
diskettes. These need to be purchased immediately for use in the second week of class. You will also share the cost of ink cartridges for the Hewlett-Packard inkjet printers, but these do not need to be purchased immediately.
Individually Funded Computer
Accounts
You should establish an Individually Funded computer account with the Computation Center so that
you can print documents from the Student Microcomputer Facility at FAC and from other locations on
campus and pay for Telesys service if you will be using the Web from home.
Electronic Mail Addresses
You will be assigned an account on the Laboratory's Windows NT network during
the second week of class.
You should also establish electronic "mailbox" for yourself through the University's
free University Mailbox Service (UMBS). You can register your e-mail address from any computer in the lab. Please be sure to memorize your e-mail address and password.
Laboratory Use
The course requires you to spend time working in the department's computer lab (room 302). These
are open weekdays from 8:15 AM to 9:00 PM (MTWTh), 8:15-4:45 (F), 9:00-5:00 (Saturdays), except when other classes and seminars are using the lab. (Evening
and weekend hours begin during the second week of class.) You should plan to spend at least 4-5 hours in
the laboratory every week, sometimes more. If your other work and study commitments prevent this, you
may wish to reconsider enrolling in this course. Please study the
guidelines for using the computer laboratory which is available on-line. A copy of these
guidelines is posted in room 302. These rules will be enforced strictly during the semester and their
violation will result in loss of laboratory privileges.
Last revised 27 August 1996. KEF.