More on Mapwork 2

Hey, for some reason there is a significant drop-off in the number of assignments I received. Very strange in the sense that I have never had such a decrease in the number in any of the online classes in the past.

I am now beginning to wonder whether my decision not to have discussion questions was a bad idea; whether that is a cause for a couple of students not to feel connected enough. I have always bugged students with discussion questions, and from a pedagogical perspective, I thought it was not delivering the kind of output I had imagined. Actually, it is not just me, and this is not merely in online classes--generating discussions have always been a challenge to most instructors, in the "real" and "virtual" worlds alike. In any case, if you have any thoughts on this, please let me know; student feedback has helped me a lot over the years in improving what I do. (Be thankful, therefore, that you were not in my classes when I started this career, if what I am today is an "improved" condition!!!)

I have posted my comments and the grade for your Mapwork 2. I noticed that most of you had not referenced the readings. So, I went back to the assignment details and noticed that the mandate to make appropriate references to the readings is not clear at all. I have mentioned it, but not emphasized it, which means that some of you might have interpreted the task different from how I had envisioned it. So, I need to own a part of that blame. Tell you what; when it comes down to calculating the course grades, I will make appropriate upward adjustments.
For the final mapwork, which is due next week, please make sure that you appropriately bring in arguments/quotes from the readings into the discussions.

Here are a few thoughts related to the Mapwork in addition to those I had posted earlier.

Some of you mentioned that a major contrast between North Africa/Southwest Asia and the US is: in the US, most women do not wear hijab, and most men do not have beards.

Well, I have a beard. It used to be dark with streaks of grey, and then it became salt-and-peppery. Now, it is grey with some stray blackness :-) I suppose it is also worth mentioning that my beard has nothing to do with my religion, or lack of one.

That light-hearted comment aside, yes, religion plays a huge role in this region. To quote verbatim from a student:

I found it interesting as I read this week's readings how much Islam influences the cultural in these two regions and I thought at first that it was strange until I thought about how the U.S. and its cultural has been greatly influenced by the Christian faith throughout history. Once I realized that it seemed logical that the society and culture of North Africa and Southwest Asia should be shaped by Islam because it is the most common religion in the two regions and since religion is such a big part of many people's lives it makes sense for it to play a big role in society and culture.

Related to all these: liberal democracies in the West are now having to deal with an important public policy issue—what if immigrant women from North Africa or Southwest Asia decide to continue with their traditions in the liberal democratic country that they immigrate to? Should they be allowed to practice their traditions? What about the possibility that some, or even most, of these women wear the hijab or a burqa because of explicit or implicit pressures from the elders in that tradition, despite the women not in favor of wearing it?

You think these are hypothetical questions? Not at all; this is a “global issue”, and France, in particular, has been having a tough time with this. There are quite a few immigrants from North Africa--especially from Algeria--relating to the French colonial days. I thought this might be a neat example on how GEOG 410 builds on, and differs from, GEOG 310.

Water, as many of have noted, is a precious commodity in these regions. The Nile stands out, and we easily see the entire areas around the Nile as having much higher population densities compared to other places in North Africa.

Finally, pay attention to spelling. One paper had the student's first name mis-spelt. Another had "contras" when the student meant to convey "contrast." "Contras" is the correct spelling, yes, but not the word we want in that context. "Mubarak" was incorrectly spelt in more than one assignment. It might sound like I am nitpicking here. (BTW, ever wondered what "nitpicking" means? Click here for the original meaning, and here for what it has come to mean as a metaphor.) But, remember, your boss and the public will expect nothing but the best from you in your employment post-graduation. So, this is all a part of the training.

BTW, did you realize that we are now getting really close to the end?

If there is one reason I don't enjoy summer classes, it is this: just as I begin to understand the students in the class, the term ends and leaves me hanging .... Perhaps I will see a few of you in a course or two later on, and I will have opportunities to continue the conversations .... (Of course, I do have students in this class with whom I have interacted in at least one other course before.)