Hey, glad you're thinking about taking the Geography of Virginia class, GEOG380 at George Mason University in the 2008 Fall Semester. It is a hybrid class, offering both online and (optional) in-class instruction. Course is worth three hours of undergraduate credit at George Mason University. [Actually, it's priceless... not that I'm biased, of course.] 2008 Class Schedule NOTICE for the Fall 2008 "Geography of Virginia" (GEOG 380) class: - If you are in the Fairfax (Virginia) area, there will be optional classes on the Fairfax campus, starting on Thursday, August 28, 4:30-6:00pm in Robinson Hall B, Room 108 (Fairfax Campus). - Come by to introduce yourself, meet the instructor in person, ask questions, and talk about Virginia. In-person class discussions are optional - if you're comfortable taking an online course and interacting just via e-mail... that's fine. - The in-person meetings are valuable opportunities to expand your understanding. Typically, in-erson discussion can help to clarify the quiz questions, so you can improve your grades on later quizzes. However, attendance is not required. You can come to zero (zippo, nil, zilch...) classes, or just one class, or intermittently as your schedule permits, or to every one of the in-person classes. - You can take the class even if you are not getting a degree from GMU, but you must register as a student. This is a hybrid class, including "distance learning" with Web pages, e-mails, online readings, and optional Virginia Journeys video segments broadcast by GMU-TV. This class will be fun, as well as educational. What you learn in the course is directly relevant to what you see every day. There's a good chance that you will remember some of the content of this class longer than anything else you learn in college. If you take advantage of the distance learning option, so you'll save the time commuting to campus - but the workload is equivalent to a standard college class. THIS CLASS REQUIRES THE SAME AMOUNT OF YOUR TIME EACH WEEK AS AN ON-CAMPUS CLASS. Schedule enough time - three hours in class/on the Internet, plus about one-two hours doing homework each and every week. You can not wait until Thanksgiving and then try to catch up. It will require an unusual personal commitment to learn on your own initiative through the weekly Internet assignments, e-mails, and videos. You will not be able to sit in a class and just osmose geography wisdom as others around you do the heavy lifting, ask questions, and get savvy about Virginia. Remember, you can't wait until Thanksgiving and then try to catch up. Schedule all the car wrecks, crisis assignments at work, family illnesses, and trips to Belize for next year. Budget your time now, so you can handle the workload in each week of the class. (Did I already mention that ya gotta participate every week, and that you need to read, study, and learn some geography every week if you expect to get a good grade? Every week...) If you learn by listening, discussion, reading, or watching, this class offers all those choices... and free parking, too. Interested? Feel free to contact me via e-mail at

Frequently Asked Questions Welcome letter (for registered students) What is the class schedule, with deadlines for assignments? How do I register to take the class officially? What will I learn in this class? What are the required materials? When does the class start? Can I prepare in advance? When and how do I watch the videos? What are the class prerequisites? What technology will be required? How is the class taught online? Can I take the class for credit via the Internet? If there are no class meetings, how do I know when to study? How do I participate via e-mail? How do I take take the quizzes/exam using Blackboard? How will grades be determined? Are there field trips? How can I contact other students? How can I contact the instructor? Who is the instructor?

covered bridge over Sinking Creek (Giles County)

The Delorme Atlas and Gazetter is the class "textbook." Hey, it's a geography class - you were expecting maps, weren't you? Get into the habit of looking at the Delorme Virginia Atlas and Gazetteer every day to find the highways, cities, mountains, rivers, and other sites discussed in the class material, and you'll become intimately familiar with the places of Virginia by the end of this course.

Quizzes and the final exam will be taken online using the class Blackboard site. The course materials will be transmitted via the class website, videos, Blackboard, and listserver messages. The optional (i.e., good for extra credit but not required) video segments will be broadcast by GMU-TV on Northern Virginia cable channels, and will be available as prerecorded videotapes. The content in the atlas, videos, and Web pages can be studied in advance.

In addition, I will transmit information via the class listserver and post copies of relevant news articles and reports on Blackboard regularly. For example, if there is a hurricane headed for Virginia, I may find an article or link to a government web page that illustrates some aspect of Virginia geography. There should be lots of timely articles related to the political geography of Virginia; the 2007 election for 140 members of the General Assembly will be held on November 6, 2007.

Be sure to pay attention to the listserver messages and read those articles - quiz and exam questions will be based in part on that material. Quizzes and the exam are open book - use all the reference material you can find on websites, notes that you took in other classes, books and magazines from the library, etc. Just don't ask anyone else for assistance, and remember that George Mason University has an honor code.

There are excellent library and research materials available on the campuses of George Mason University.

There's always the possibility that distance learning can be perceived as delayed learning - "Oh, I'll get to that material tomorrow." After all, there's no mandate to appear in person in a classroom where the teacher might ask you a question, right? So... the course is stuctured so you have to communicate often with the instructor via e-mail, and to take lots of quizzes that ensure you are keeping up with the material. (Don't procrastinate and try to cram through the material just before the quiz deadline. Remember, it wasn't raining when Noah started to build the ark.)

There is no requirement to attend any classes in person. However, during the semester, I am available to meet in person with students in the Northern Virginia area virtually every week. Even if you live in Blacksburg, Roanoke, Richmond, Danville, or Virginia Beach, we may be able to meet in person during the semester.

NOTE: If you are a student with a disability and you need academic accommodations, please see me and contact the Office of Disability Services (ODS) at (703) 993-2474. All academic accommodations must be arranged through the ODS.

Questions? Contact me via e-mail at

pumpkins for sale in October at roadside stand (Roanoke County)