University of Washington
GEOGRAPHY  207:  Economic Geography
Autumn  1998
Overview
When, Where, and Who
Requirements
Grading
Schedule (with links to notes)
 
 

OVERVIEW
This course is an introduction to and overview of economic geography:  patterns, trends, and theories of the geographic arrangement and interaction of economic resources, activities, and institutions.  The intra-urban, interregional, and international scales are covered.  Given this broad sweep of material, the course is relevant to students pursuing studies in geography, economics, planning, business, and regional studies.
 


TIMES  AND  PLACES
Lectures:  MTWF 9:30 - 10:20 a.m., 211 Smith Hall
Sections:  Thursday, various times and places
Office Hours:
Professor James W. Harrington, 303D Smith Hall, Mondays 1:30 - 2:30;  Fridays 10:30 - 11:30;  or by appointment
Nick Velluzzi, 417 Smith Hall, Tuesdays 11:30 - 12:30;  Wednesdays 2:30 - 3:30;  or by appointment
Contact Information:
Professor James W. Harrington:  jwh@u.washington.edu;  tel. 206-616-3821;  fax 206-543-3313; http://weber.u.washington.edu/~jwh
Nick Velluzzi:  nvelluzz@u.washington.edu
 


REQUIREMENTS  
The course format entails four lectures and one exercise/review section each week, weekly review exercises, four graded exercises, and four 50-minute tests.  Two of the exercises are in the form of two-page examples of concepts or principles studied in class, resulting from each student's empirical investigation.  Short, required readings will occasionally be distributed or linked to the appropriate date in the on-line syllabus (URL above).  There is no required textbook.  Students who would benefit from the additional explanations, examples, and graphic content of a textbook have their choice of three books, available at the University Bookstore and at the reserve desk of the undergraduate library:


GRADING
Grades on tests and assignments.  Each test and assignment will be graded on a percentage basis.  The exercises will be graded primarily for (a) content:  clear indication that students understand the underlying principles, have mastered the basic mechanics of the technique, and can relate the mechanics to the principles.  In addition, (b) clarity of writing and (c) appropriateness of format matter in getting these points across.  Corrected exercises may be revised and resubmitted within one week of their return to the student, for additional credit.

Late assignments.  Tests must be taken on the scheduled day, except by prior arrangement with the instructor or ex post written communication with the instructor based on illness (in this latter circumstance, the instructor will need documentation of your illness or that of someone in your care;  this will be handled on a case-by-case basis).

Exercises are to be brought to class on the specified day.  An exercise can be submitted by 5:00 p.m. on the next day without penalty.  An exercise received by 5:00 p.m. a week later (7 days after the due date on the schedule below) will be penalized by 15 percentage points (e.g., a 5-day-late assignment that is judged to be 85% successful would receive 70% credit).  Exercises received more than 8 days late will be penalized by 50 percentage points.  Because of the deadlines for grading, the instructors cannot accept any material after noon Tuesday 15 December.

Final grades.  The final grade for the course will be calculated as follows.  Each graded item (four tests and four exercises) can contribute up to a specified number of points toward the quarter’s total.  Each student’s final grade reflects the number of the 100 possible points the student has earned during the quarter.

Total scores (on a scale of 0 - 100) will translate into final grades (on a scale of 0.0 - 4.0) according to the following scale: Withdrawal.  The University's rules for dropping courses changed last year.  According to the University's course-registration web site, 11 October is the last day for unrestricted dropping of a course (with a $20 fee).  Only one course per year can be dropped after that 14-day period.

Incomplete work. A grade of “I” (Incomplete) is given only when the student has been in attendance and has done satisfactory work until within two weeks of the end of the quarter and has furnished proof satisfactory to the instructor that the work cannot be completed because of illness or other circumstances beyond the student's control. To obtain credit for the course, an undergraduate student must convert an Incomplete into a passing grade no later than the last day of the next quarter. The student should never reregister for the course as a means of removing the Incomplete. An Incomplete grade not made up by the end of the next quarter is converted to the grade of 0.0 by the Registrar unless the instructor has indicated, when assigning the Incomplete grade, that a grade other than 0.0 should be recorded if the incomplete work is not completed. The original Incomplete grade is not removed from the permanent record.
 

SCHEDULE
For each day, relevant notes and (at times) readings will be linked electronically to the date in the on-line syllabus, and helpful reading from the textbooks will be noted.

Monday 28 September
Introduction

Tuesday 29 September
Economics, Geography and Economic Geography
Stutz & deSouza:  33-39;  41-45

Wednesday 30 September - Friday 2 October
Introduction to Economic Relationships (macro and micro)
material will be distributed in class:  link to supplemental notes on microeconomic relationships
WEEKLY  REVIEW  SHEET for Thursday sections

Monday - Tuesday 5 - 6 October
Location of Agricultural Activities
Hanink:  29-48
Stutz & deSouza:  261-269

Wednesday - Friday 7 - 9 October
Location of Urban Activities
Hanink:  49-62
Stutz & deSouza:  Chapter 6
WEEKLY REVIEW SHEET for Thursday sections

Monday 12 October
First test

Tuesday 13 October
Review test

Wednesday - Friday 14 - 16 October
Spatial Interaction
Hanink:  202-210
Stutz & deSouza:  182-189; 310-311
WEEKLY REVIEW SHEET

Monday - Tuesday 19-20 October
Transportation
Hanink:  193-201;  211-223
Stutz & deSouza:  164-181

Wednesday 21 October
Library Resources for Student Examples
DESCRIPTION  OF  THIS  EXERCISE

Thursday 22 October
Discussion of Student Examples
WEEKLY REVIEW SHEET

Friday 23 October
Transportation and Communication Policy
Hanink:  Ch. 6
Stutz & deSouza:  190-203

Monday 26 October
Why Cities?
Hanink:  119-122;  311-318
Stutz & deSouza:  273-280

Tuesday 27 October 
Central Place Theory
Hanink:  247-250;  283-288
Stutz & deSouza:  307-335

Wednesday - Friday 28-30 October
Retail Analysis
Hanink:  273-282;  288-299
Stutz & deSouza:  182-184;  310-311

Thursday 29 October
Exercise 2:  meet in CSSCR, Savery Hall
WEEKLY  REVIEW  SHEET

Monday 2 November
Second test

Tuesday - Thursday 3 - 5 November
Industrial Location;  Scale Issues in Industrial Location
Hanink:  p. 12 and Chapter 7
Stutz & deSouza:  pp. 343-368;  383-388
note that Stutz & deSouza Ch. 9 and the Peter Dicken book contain much potentially useful information for the second "example" exercise
WEEKLY  REVIEW  SHEET

Friday 6 November
Review of second test

Monday - Tuesday 9 - 10 November
International Trade Theory
Hanink:  pp.341-363
Stutz & deSouza:  pp.428-431;  436-437
note that Stutz & deSouza Ch. 11 and the Peter Dicken book contain much potentially useful information for the second "example" exercise
First example due, Monday 9 November

Wednesday 11 November
No class meeting

Thursday 12 November
WEEKLY  REVIEW  SHEET
Retail exercise due

Friday - Tuesday 13 - 17 November
International Trade Policy;  Review
a reading assignment has been distributed in class
Hanink:  pp.363-391
Stutz & deSouza:  pp.454-460
(link to International Monetary Fund's interpretation of the East Asian financial crisis)

Wednesday 18 November
Third test

Thursday 19 November
Review third test

Friday 20 November
Resources and the Physical Environment
Hanink:  Ch. 5 and Ch. 12
Stutz & deSouza:  pp.58-62;  109-142

Monday 23 November
No class meeting

Tuesday - Tuesday 24 November - 1 December
Regional Economic Growth
Hanink:  311-314;  322-332
see three Seattle Times articles on Boeing's announcement of production cutbacks , the resultant impact on the regional economy , and debates about the use of economic multipliers

Thursday - Friday 26 - 27 November
No class

Wednesday - Monday 2 - 7 December
Economic Development
Hanink:  Ch.11
Stutz & deSouza:  pp.416-417;  528-534;  537-538;  548-550

Thursday 3 December
Economic Base exercise
Second example due

Tuesday 8 December
Review (WEEKLY  REVIEW  SHEET)

Wednesday 9 December
Fourth test
Economic-base exercise due

Thursday 10 December
Economic-base exercise can be submitted by 5:00 p.m. without penalty