Geography Curricular Inventory Project

Geography 450: Location Theories
Objectives and Outcomes

Günter Krumme

(http://faculty.washington.edu/krumme/courses/geog450lo.html)

Supporting & Related Pages:

• Geography 450 Syllabus
• What's Needed to Do Well..."
• Bloom's Taxonomy
• General Class Objectives
• Geography 207 Objectives>/A>
• Geography 350 Objectives
• Krumme's Learning Matrix

Learning Objectives with Examples of Expected Outcomes

• Demonstrate a basic (factual) knowledge of locational concepts, theories and theoretical developments.
  • Define 207-level- and a specific range of additional 450-level terms and concepts
  • Identify major contributors to location-theoretical thought
  • Sketch the major theoretical traditions by tracing "Who inspired whom in the evolution of location-theoretical thought".

• Demonstrate an Ability to Apply Location Theories:
  • Identify and explain microeconomic sources of locational change in an economy;
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the nature and method of micro- economic location theory and of a set of selected locational principles and theories;
  • Apply location theory in the explanation of resource allocation patterns in space
  • Examine the role of government in the promotion and/or regulation of industry and markets to improve spatial patterns and further regional development;

• Evaluation: Assess the strengths and limitations of micro-economics based, normative, partial-equilibrium theories of location:
  • Evaluate the theoretical significance of "assumptions" made by particular classical or neoclassical location theories (e.g. when using "linear transport cost functions" to derive optimal locations).
  • Differentiate between locational implications of linear and non-linear functions in a variety of theoretical contexts related to production, consumption and transportation.

• "Cross-apply" conceptual models covered by class or text in one context to other related contexts.
  • Use the classical model of industrial location or that of agricultural land use to derive some simple theoretical insights which might be useful for explaining residential, recreational or tourist locations.
  • Break down the location decision process into component parts (such as environmental strain, decision triggers, search processes, etc.), identifying theoretical underpinnings of such components and recombining the resulting conceptual and theoretical constructs by recognizing existing and developing new links between the component frameworks .

• Understand the concept of uncertainty and its significance for location-theoretical theorizing.
  • Explain the characteristics of selected game-theoretical strategies and their significance when applied to location problems.
  • Relate the concepts of "information", "transaction" and "learning" to the concept of "uncertainty" in the context of spatial behavior of individuals and organizations.

• Compare, contrast and respect alternative locational perspectives in light of
  • the complexity of individual and collective human behavior and decision-making in space
  • the importance of historical and contemporary theoretical points of view
  • (and therefore,) the need for
    1. paradigmatic tolerance and diverse vantage points, conceptualizations and theoretical statements and
    2. the dialectic creativity of competing epistemologies, paradigms and theories.

• Communicate, develop projects, acquire information and present findings and insights at an individually improved level after having had the opportunity to practice such skills hands-on.
  • Summarize and evaluate some specific location-theoretical literature.
  • In the context of class projects, access, evaluate, extract and utilize information from a variety of sources available on campus, in the community, or electronically for preparing and executing rudimentary forms of applications of theoretical concepts and ideas to interpretations or the formulation of expectations of locational developments.

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