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Greetings and Welcome Aboard!

An Introduction To Geography 450
("Location Theories")

(faculty.washington.edu/krumme/450/firstpage1.html)

"I have a bias against general systems, general theories, general structures. It seems what we need mostly today in economics is not to build upwards, toward general systems and theories, but rather to build downwards, toward some understanding of the individual decision-making units and their actions and interactions." (Roland Artle)

This theoretical discussion will draw upon "real world" examples from a wide variety of specific spatial choice situations, including choices related to residence, recreation, employment, migration, communications (education, advertising, location on the Web), shopping, marketing, health care, and industrial investments. The discussion will cover (potentially) all spatially-significant activities in the private, corporate and public sectors, including spatial behaviors affected by government regulations, i.e. spatial behaviors in uncertain, complex and ambiguous environments at local, national and international levels. Some background or a strong interest in microeconomics (Econ 200/300) or economic geography (Geography 207) is highly desirable.

Geography 450 is a highly conceptual and theoretical course requiring a significant degree of rigor and mental discipline. The class is structured on the basis of the instructor's belief and four decades of experience that you have a better chance of taking something worthwhile away from this class if you 'take charge' and assume a substantial degree of responsibility for your own achievements in critical thinking. Given this emphasis on your personal learning outcomes, join us for an active and interactive learning experience in the "Collaboratory"!

Major Course Objectives:

At the end of this course, you should be able to:

• communicate a basic understanding of the locational concepts, principles and theories presented in class and the readings;
• evaluate the strengths and shortcomings of these principles and theories;
• apply your conceptual and theoretical knowledge to practical, "real world" contexts, issues and, most specifically, your area(s) of interest.

You will find more detailed class objectives and expected outcomes here

Evaluation:

• Your grade will be determined as follows: 1/3 will be based on in-class tests & quizzes [closed note-books for short answers; open note-books for essay-type questions], 1/3 on the project (research & writing) component of the class [Roots: Rediscover the Origins of Theoretical Space] and 1/3on participation (including attendance, preparations and involvement), corrections of tests or assignments, peer collaborations and assistance, and exercises. [see also Krumme's Grade Conversion Table]

• Missed classes: Please remember that every class meeting represents 5% of the total scheduled class time. If you have to miss a class due to an emergency, make sure you familiarize yourself with the class materials covered during your absence. If you cannot do that due to the nature of the emergency, be sure you contact me by Email before the next class meeting.

• Due dates have to be observed [Assignments make no or less sense when completed "out-of-sync"]-. Partial credit may still be given for one week after a due date. After due dates have passed, all assignments remain due and have to be corrected (if needed) a.s.a.p.; otherwise there will be additional deductions.

• The grading in this class will reward improvements. Sustained higher performance toward the end of the quarter will (at least partially) preempt weaker starts. Sliding performance, on the other hand, will lead to an averaging of grades.

• The determination of the materials required in the in-class examinations will happen in class. If materials are not mentioned or referred to in class or are not covered by the explicitly required readings, they will NOT be tested.

• While an initial concentration on "conceptual terminology" and the specifics of basic concepts is essential, there will also be questions of a relatively broad nature designed to probe your general understanding of frameworks and ideas, giving you substantial choices as to which specific materials you want to use to make your points. Thus, a broad range of optional readings will be very useful for substantiating your general understanding. In your selection of optional readings, be guided by what is happening in class and by your own interests, project work and plans to make sure that you are NOT just preparing yourself for examinations!

Texts and Readings:

Book Title	Access Required or Optional? That Depends...!
The Web Book of Regional Science [Regional Research Institute, West Virginia University] (geography, economics, sociology) is comprised of about twenty regional science contributions covering diverse subjects such as regional networks, land use, migration, regional specialization... Each book is completely accessible by Internet and includes a bibliography as well as links to other sites.
Hoover, Edgar M. and Frank Giarratani, An Introduction to Regional Economics [Full text of 3rd, 1985 edition of the classic!] [for Geog 450: Chs 2-8]	Required text (Online). Required Readings: Chapters 2-6; Optional: 7 & 8
Essential Principles of Economics: A Hypermedia Text [Second Revised Draft, 1998, William King (Drexel)] [An OnLine Introductory Text] Microeconomic Topics	Having a micro-economics text for reference purposes at your fingertips will be helpful for all
Dicken & Lloyd, Location in Space, 3rd edition, 1990 (pink) [HF1025.D53]	This 207 text (used by Professor Beyers in his Geography 207 class) is a recommended purchase for all 450 students without Geography 207 background or without an alternative text in economic geography with a good emphasis on location theory, such as Stutz (below)
Golledge, Reginald G. and Robert J. Stimson, Spatial Behavior: A Geographic Perspective. New York: Guilford Press, 1997. [GF95.G65.1997] [Amazon.com ($40)] [More Details]	Contains required readings. "This is not a book oriented toward a single narrow viewpoint; it is certainly not Marxist or materialist; it is somewhat realist; it is partly postmodern; it has elements of positivism; it draws in part on the tradition of spatial analysis; but above all, it focuses on decision making and choice behavior. We have no ideological axe to grind in this book. We think it reflects a lot of geography as it is done today." (Preface, p.vii)
Hayter, Roger. The Dynamics of Industrial Location: The Factory, the Firm and the Production System. Wiley 1997.	Contains required readings.
Johnston, R.J. et al., Dictionary of Human Geography. Blackwell, 4th ed., 2000; or 3rd ed, 1994. [ Amazon's U.K.Page (with reviews)]	This book has been a text for this class in the past; it is still useful as reference
Malecki, Edward J., Technology & Economic Development: The Dynamics of Local, Regional and National Competitiveness. 1991/ 2nd edition, Longman 1997. [HC79.T4.M346]	Optional; This excellent book provides the conceptual context for those of you who are interested in regional economic development and in linking the "micro-approach" of this class to more "macro" perspectives. Ask instructor for other books which may perform a similar role for those of you interested in other subfields of Economic Geography.
Stutz, F.P. and A.R. de Souza, The World Economy: Resources, Location, Trade, and Development. 3rd ed., Prentice Hall, 1998.	This or another alternative 207 text should be on the shelf of any student taking this class (also those with 207 background)

Other Books on Reserve in OUGL: (Some of these books may also be available in theUW Bookstore or at amazon.com):

• Barnes, Trevor J. and Gertler, Meric S., eds., New Industrial Geography : Regions, Regulations and Institutions (Routledge Studies in the Modern World Economy, 22) Hardcover, December 1999 Publisher: Routledge
• Beckmann, Martin. Location Theory. Random House, 1968.
• Blaug, Mark. Economic Theory in Retrospect. 4th edition, 1985 [includes Ch.14, "Spatial Economics and the Classical Theory of Location"]
• Brunn & Leinbach. Collapsing Time and Space. 1991 [HE7631.B785] Cadwallader, Martin, Urban Geography: An Analytical Approach. Prentice Hall 1996 [GF125 .C34 1996]
• Chapman, Keith & David F. Walker, Industrial Location: Principles and Policies, 2nd ed., Blackwell, 1991. [HD58.C37]
• Clark, Gordon L., Maryann P. Feldman, and Meric S. Gertler, The Oxford handbook of economic geography. Oxford, England ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2000 [Suzzallo/Allen Stacks HF1025 .O94 2000]
• Dean, Robert D. et al., eds., Spatial Economic Theory. 1970.
• Dicken, Peter & Peter Lloyd, Location in Space, 3rd edition, 1990. [HF1025.D53]
• Gaile, G. and C.Willmott, eds. Geography in America At the Dawn of the 21st Century. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2000(?) [with: Harrington, J.W., Barnes, T.J., Glasmeier, A.K., Hanink, D.M., and Rigby, D.L. Economic Geography: Reconceiving "The Economic" and "The Region."]
• Golledge, Reginald G. and Robert J. Stimson, Spatial Behavior: A Geographic Perspective. New York: Guilford Press, 1997. [GF95.G65.1997]
• Goodall, Brian. The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography. Paperback. [GF4 .G67 1987] If you can get your hands on this out-of-print book: Congratulations! Otherwise: use the Undergraduate Reserve Library. There is a useful Glossary online ("under construction") for Economic Geography, but it is not yet entirely adequate for this upper-level class.
• Graham, Stephen and Simon Marvin, Telecommunications and the City: Electronic Spaces, Urban Places. London: Routledge, 1996 [HE7631.G73]
• Harrington, J.W. & B.Warf, Industrial Location: Principles, Practice & Policy. 1995. [HC110.D5 H36 1995]
• Hayter, Roger. The Dynamics of Industrial Location: The Factory, the Firm and the Production System. Wiley 1997.
• Hoover, Edgar M. and Frank Giarratani, An Introduction to Regional Economics 3rd, 1985 edition
• Jones & Simmons. The Retail Environment. 1990 [HF5429.275.J66]
• Johnston, R.J. et al., Dictionary of Human Geography. Blackwell, 4th ed., 2000;
• Krugman, Paul. Development, Geography and Economic Theory. M.I.T.Press 1995. [HD75.K79]
• Krugman, Paul. The Self-Organizing Econmy. 1996.[HB199.K75.1996]
• Laulajainen, Risto & Howard A. Stafford. Corporate Geography: Business Location
• Leinbach, Thomas R. and Stanley D Brunn (eds). Worlds of E- Commerce: Economic, Geographical and Social Dimensions. Text for this class! Chichester: John Wiley, 2001 isbn 0-471-494550.
• Ponsard, Claude. History of Spatial Economic Theory. Berlin: Springer 1983.
• Smith, David M., Industrial Location, most recent edition.
• Stutz, F.P. and A.R. de Souza, The World Economy: Resources, Location, Trade, and Development. 3rd ed., Prentice Hall, 1998.

The list of books which are "on Reserve" for Geog.450 in the Undergraduate Library (OUGL) can be found in the UW Library Catalog (Search for Krumme).

Further locational references & literature

Course Outline:

Last Day of Class: December 11 (All assignments due!)

Final in-Class Examination:

Take-Home Examination due:

Old 450 Examinations

The presentation of the syllabus on this Internet "Home Page", particularly the interconnected, "hypertextual" nature of its organization, may convey the impression of an excessively demanding and complex class. Once you get the "hang" of clicking your way from place to place, you will appreciate the quantity and detail of information about this class and its content and the simplicity of its logistics.

This Internet presentation comes to you courtesy of a large amount of your instructor's "spare time". Please accept the challenge of this new communications medium, its still experimental use in this class, and the fact that electronic transactions and telecommunications services are part of our concern in Economic & Business Geography; try to understand the benefits and drawbacks of this educational technology, make suggestions for its improved use and, as an up-and-coming economic geographer, experiment yourself with the substitution of physical and virtual forms of spatial interaction. Most of all: Enjoy! :-)