15% of the class grade is based on e-mail participation. Each week, students should send at least one message to my e-mail address,
These messages should report on the weekly material, especially your ideas on the weekly questions and your experience/perspective regarding the Web Exercise, Map Exercise, Site Visit, and Newspaper Article(s). In addition, students are encouraged to send messages with questions and their comments on Virginia geography.
Students who may never meet in person will be able to talk together, online, but I moderate the discussion so we can interact online. Portions or all of those messages may be shared with other students to stimulate class discussions on the VIRGINIA-GEOGRAPHY-L listserver (moderated by the instructor). My e-mails to you (including those distributed through the VIRGINIA-GEOGRAPHY-L listserver) will be sent to your official GMU e-mail account, so don't let it get clogged up and start rejecting messages.
Students registered for the class are encouraged to send me inquiries and perspectives on the geography of Virginia, to ask questions ("think the high concentration of people with college degrees in Northern Virginia is due to GMU, or are the college-educated residents getting their education elsewhere and moving to NOVA?") and to suggest answers ("One way to check: get statistics from the Alumni Office on how many graduates from GMU live in this region"), and to share information so we stimulate additional discussion ("Iit will take decades for Southside Virginia can match the educational attainment statistics for NOVA, even if they open a new college in that region... but taxes from NOVA should be used to make it happen, just like taxes from NOVA upgraded Route 58").
Current events in Virginia - traffic jams at all times, drought in June-August, hurricanes in September, elections in November, etc. - are opportunities to learn how to apply your new geographical "smarts" to real-world situations. There's a reason the wealth and the voters are concentrated in Northern Virginia. There's a reason why pockets of poverty and unemployment are more common in Southside and the Appalachian Plateau. There's a reason why the endangered mussels and clams in Virginia are concentrated in the rivers of Southwest Virginia. Use this semester to learn why...
Because I will be moderating the traffic, all messages will go to me first. I will retransmit some of that incoming material to everyone in the class. This may delay transmission until I check my mailbox (at least once a day)... but no one in this class needs more e-mail. I will consolidate messages from different students, and of course I will filter out the latest joke of the day, the rant of the day, etc.
Think of your e-mails as "class discussion" without the hassle of having to drive to campus. You'll learn best whenever you participate in the conversation and contribute your ideas. Don't worry about providing the "right" answer in the discussion - if you knew all the answers, why would you take the class? (Hint: The instructor doesn't know all the answers either; studying Virginia is a never-ending journey.) Please remember your netiquette - be polite in presenting your comments, questions and answers. For example, the use of ALL CAPITAL LETTERS IS LIKE SHOUTING. We're not politicians trying to make the last point on a Sunday morning talk show; treat your e-mail messages as if the person on the other end had feelings, even if you have never met them face-to-face.
NOTE: Take advantage of the computer support specialists at GMU for tech support, and send me your geography questions.
Yes. Assuming we'll have about 35 students, you could be seeing an average of several messages every week. On occasion, something will strike a cord and generate a flurry of online discussion. Those are the moments a teacher lives for, incidentally - that's when I know you're really learning, rather than just regurgitating stuff that I've transmitted earlier.
Not all messages will get retransmitted . I'll filter out off-topic messages, and consolidate similar comments from different students. Before the messages get too far off-topic and debate the bowl chances of the Virginia Tech football team, for example, I'll steer the conversation back to geography.
Some topics trigger our emotions. When we talk about sectionalism, or even tourism, it's appropriate to discuss the battle flag of the Confederacy. I know that can stir more in some people than just geography questions; emotions are part of who we are. We will have elections, sports contests, NASCAR races, and a few other timely topics that could stir the pot during the semester. If you get hot and bothered, count to 100 before sending an e-mail. If necessary, count to 150. Don't add fuel to a fire. Admiral Hiram Rickover reportedly said, "Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people." So please aim for being a great mind... and remember, I'm filtering the messages, so I'm the only person who will see the "flames" or inappropriate messages.
REMINDER: You get your money's worth by asking questions. Don't be shy or passive. Since you're taking the class, I assume that you don't already know all the answers - and you'll soon discover that I don't either. In many cases other students in the class may stimulate your learning as they address such questions as "Where was the original home of Pocahontas?" and "Why did Virginia vote for a Democratic governor, but a Republican-controlled House of Delegates and State Senate, in 2001... and do it again in 2005?" |
If you quit getting Geography of Virginia messages, perhaps your mailbox is "full." Perhaps your Internet Service Provider really wants to get you to pay the bill, or perhaps the e-gremlins have struck again. If you forward your e-mail from your GMU account to another mailbox, but then change accounts - be sure to update the forwarding address.
