GGR 325 – Business and Industrial Geography

In-person or video contact hours:

• Office hours are Wednesday 3:30-5:00PM in DV 3273.
• If this time is not convenient, please e-mail me to schedule an alternative time.
• E-mail is the primary mode of contact outside of office hours. I do not recommend phoning me at my office.

General information and rules about e-mailing me:

• Please read the course syllabus carefully. Answers about course-specific rules, content and procedures (e.g., how to submit documentation regarding a missed assignment, policies about missed quizzes and tests) are already there.
• Always use your University of Toronto e-mail address (@utoronto.ca) for all course-related communications. E-mails from other domains (e.g., hotmail, Rogers, gmail, yahoo, etc.) may be filtered as spam and will at any rate be ignored.
• You can contact me anytime at pierre.desrochers@utoronto.ca. I will do my best to answer you promptly during office hours (Monday-Friday 9AM-5PM).
• Always include the course code (e.g., GGR325) as part of your subject line, along with your full name and student number in the body of the e-mail.
• I do not open attachments and will not answer during weekends.
• E-mail should NOT be viewed as an alternative to meeting with the TA or professor during office hours. Nor should e-mail be used as a mechanism to receive private tutorials (especially prior to tests) or to explain material that was covered in missed lectures. Not receiving replies to e-mails from the TA or professor, or not receiving them in time, will not be an acceptable excuse for pleas for extensions to assignment or exam deadlines.
• Students are advised to consult http://www.enough.utoronto.ca/ for information on university policy concerning the appropriate use of information and communication technology.

Questions about departmental and program-related policies and procedures:

• Questions and queries about departmental or program-related rules and procedures should be directed at the Academic Counsellor for Geography/Environment, at advisor.gge.utm@utoronto.ca

This course uses economic principles and geographical analysis to help you understand the global economic map of the early 21st century. It aims to show the way in which economic activities are organized within and across countries and how this affects people and communities. Both broad patterns of economic organization and specific case studies will be discussed.

Topics covered range from the impact of public policy on regional growth to a case study of the financial services industries. In short, the course attempts to answer the following question about the global economic map: “What is where, and why – and so what?”

The course has five (5) main objectives:

1. To introduce you to the economic and political factors that shape the global organization of business activity;
   
   
2. To provide you with a good grasp of the global economic map;
   
   
3. To improve your ability to critically analyse and write clearly on a number of issues;
   
   
4. To memorize and use, without aids, the basic terminology with which professionals in relevant disciplines communicate their work and their research findings;
   
   
5. To apply a wide range of academic skills in active listening, note-taking, studying, reading, and test-taking to upper-level university courses.

Please note that the Power Point slides used in class will NOT be made available to students.

The course format will alternate between formal classes and open discussions. Students are expected to have read the assigned texts in advance.

The main text for the course is Peter Dicken’s Global Shift, 7th edition, Guilford Press. Additional readings, both required and suggested, are listed on the term schedule below.

Most of the suggested readings are freely accessible from anywhere. Some of them, however, may require you to use a UofT terminal or user code.

Textbook purchasing options through UofT bookstore

Print copy:

978-1-4625-1955-2: DICKEN 7E / GLOBAL SHIFT 7E

Ebook:

978-1-4625-1965-1: VS DICKEN EBOOK / GLOBAL SHIFT 7E 120 DAYS ACCESS

Exceptionally this COVID year, your assignments will consist of the following:

As per the University Grading Practices Policy, please note that “after the methods of evaluation have been made known, the instructor may not change them or their relative weight without the consent of at least a simple majority of the students enrolled in the course. Any changes shall be reported to the division or the department.”

How to Query or Challenge a Mark

Please note that you have two weeks from the date an item is discussed in class to ask for the item to be remarked. Contact the Course Instructor for all queries about course marks, or if you wish to challenge a mark. Absolutely no item will be remarked after the two-week period has passed. Material submitted for remarking must be accompanied by a brief written explanation detailing your reasons for dissatisfaction with the original mark (such as an addition error or something you think the marker may have missed). A request for a remark without a written explanation will not be acted upon.

Please note that you are allowed two questions where you and the instructor can agree to disagree (meaning you believe that you are entitled to a higher mark, but your instructor disagrees) without penalty. Beginning with the third question where you and your instructor disagree, one point will be taken off your final mark by question for which a revised mark was requested by you and denied by the instructor.

Discussions of the test/exam and written assignments can be found below.

Turnitin
All assignments need to be submitted through Turnitin (course ID and password will be communicated through Quercus). Students unfamiliar with Turnitin are directed to the Turnitin guide from the University of Toronto’s Centre for Teaching Support and Innovation.

Normally, students will be required to submit written assignments to Turnitin.com for a review of textual similarity and detection of possible plagiarism. In doing so, students will allow their assignments to be included as source documents in the Turnitin.com reference database, where they will be used solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism. The terms that apply to the University’s use of the Turnitin.com service are described on the Turnitin.com web site (www.Turnitin.com). If you have an objection to the use of Turnitin for the submission of your work, please make an appointment to speak personally with the Course Instructor to discuss alternative arrangements.

Please note that submitting your paper through Turnitin.com or making alternative arrangements with your professor before the relevant deadlines is not optional. Failure to do so will result in a grade of 0 for your assignment. The late penalties describe in this syllabus will apply.

SHORT WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS
You are asked to submit at least five written assignments that consist of a one page (single space) reflexion on the REQUIRED READINGS for the week. To clarify

• Neither the videos nor the suggested readings are to be covered in this assignment.
• You must cover the readings that will be discussed in class that day. For exemple, on January 18th you must submit a written assignment based on the readings to be discussed in class on January 18th, not the readings discussed the previous week.
• The deadline to submit your written assignment through Turnitin is 6:59PM the day of the lecture.
• The point here is not to summarize the readings, but to identify the main theme(s) and how some of the readings complement or contradict each other. You do not need to cover all the required readings.
• You can refer to the author’s last name only (e.g., “Dicken” for Peter Dicken)
• You do not need to include a bibliography as your professor already knows the readings.
• Each assignment will be graded out of 10. Your five best marks will be compiled to determine 50% of your final grade.
• You can write up and submit up to 11 short written assignments.

Term Test and Final Exam

In light of exceptional circumstances, there will be no in-class term test and final exam for this course in the Winter 2021 semester. Instead of a term test and final exam, students will be given a take-home term test and an online final exam worth respectively 20% and 30% of their final mark.

• The term test will consist of short essays (5-6 pages for the term test) based on a question selected by the student out of two or three options given the professor. These questions will cover some of the material discussed in class (including the required videos), the mandatory readings and the suggested readings.
• The term test questions will be posted on February 8 and the deadline is February 22, 6:59PM.
• The final exam will take place on the day scheduled by the Registrar’s Office. It will use an open book format. You will have three (3) hours to answer two (2) questions selected by your professor out of up to five (5) themes given in advance. More detail will be given towards the end of the semester.

Specifications:

Please use the following guidelines for the term test.

• Text should be written in full sentences and paragraphs organized in a clear and coherent fashion.
• The reflection should be written from a first-person perspective (i.e., you can use “I”, “me”, and “my” in this assignment).
• Text should be 11-12 point font and 1.5 line spacing on all pages. If applicable, block quotes and bibliography should use 1.0 line spacing.
• Pages should have regular 1 inch (2.54 cm) margins.
• Citation styles: Please look up the University of Toronto Library webpage devoted to citing sources and creating your bibliography. You are free to follow any of the Standard Documentation Formats.

Useful links to help you write your assignments
The University of Toronto Library staff has compiled several links on researching and writing term papers and other types of work. Please look them up, along with the various university resources available to you:

• Writing (University of Toronto Mississauga Library)
• Writing at the University of Toronto
• Robert Gillespie Academic Skills Centre
• University of Toronto Library Research Guides: Geography
• University of Toronto Mississauga Library liaison librarian Andrew Nicholson

Please note that the Power Point slides used in class will NOT be made available to students.

Questions for the term test and final exam will be communicated to students through Quercus.

Use of ChatGPT / Generative AI

Student Technology Requirements and Connection Tools

Privacy and Use of Course Materials Notifications

Communications Policy

1. Always use your University of Toronto email address (…@mail.utoronto.ca) for all course-related communications.
2. Include the course code as part of your subject line, and include your full name and student number in the body of the email
3. Check the course Quercus site before emailing a question, to make sure that it has not already been answered

Snow days

Missed Term Work

1. Accommodations due to late registration into the course will NOT be approved.
2. In courses with final exams, there will be no re-writes or make-ups for term tests/quizzes missed for University-accepted, verifiable reasons. Instead, the final exam will be re-weighted by the value of the term test/quiz.
3. For in-class or online quiz/test, students CANNOT petition to re-write a quiz/test once it has begun.  If you are feeling ill, please do not start the online or in-class test and seek medical attention immediately.
4. Extension requests are not permitted for open-book, take home tests. Extensions are built into the time provided for the test.
5. Assignments cannot be re-weighted to the final exam.
6. For extension requests, maximum extension (where/when possible) is ONE week.
7. Extension requests must be made IN ADVANCE of the assignment due date.
8. Assignments handed in AFTER the work has been returned to the class cannot be marked for credit.
9. Students are responsible in ensuring strong reliable internet connection. Special consideration requests due to poor internet connection (ie. unable to complete online quiz / unable to submit assignment before deadline) will not be accepted.
10. Students are expected to back up their work at all times.  As such, extension requests due to computer issues (stolen, crashed, damaged etc.) will not be considered.
11. Extension requests will NOT be approved for Group Assignments
12. It is every student’s responsibility to ensure that their online submission is submitted successfully by the due date.  Accommodations will not be made for unsuccessful submissions due to, but not limited to: i) the system timing out ii) submitting the incorrect document(s) iii) poor internet connection / no internet connection etc.
13. Holidays and pre-purchased plane tickets, family plans, your friend’s wedding, lack of preparation, or too many other tests/assignments are not acceptable excuses for missing a quiz, a test, an item of term work, or requesting an extension of time. Such requests will be denied.
14. For extensions of time beyond the examination period you must submit a petition through the Office of the Registrar. https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/registrar/forms

1. You must submit an online Special Consideration Request using the following link: https://utmapp.utm.utoronto.ca/SpecialRequest within 24 hours. Note: The system only supports Microsoft Internet Explorer and Firefox for the time being.
2. Students registered with Accessibility Services are also required to submit an online Special Consideration Request using the following link: https://utmapp.utm.utoronto.ca/SpecialRequest
3. Email your course instructor.
4. ACORN Absence Declaration Tool: Use of this new online declaration does not require supporting documentation and should be used in addition to the missed term work policy outlined in the course syllabus. Students can use this absence declaration tool only once per term. When using this tool, students should expect to receive reasonable academic consideration from their instructor without the need to present additional supporting documentation. In addition, Instructors may exclude one test or quiz from the one-time absence declaration, in which case the student would be required to provide supporting documentation. To submit a request: https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/registrar/utm-absence

Equity Statement and Academic Rights

• address the complexity of our disciplines’ histories, and
• hold ourselves and others to account in order to challenge how we, as individuals and as part of larger institutions, continue to perpetuate inequity and injustice as we seek to create a more equitable and inclusive future.

Academic Rights

• Receive a syllabus by the first day of class.
• Rely upon a syllabus once a course is started. An instructor may only change marks’ assignments by following the University Assessment and Grading Practices Policy provision 1.3.
• Refuse to use plagiarism detection tool (you must be offered an alternative form of submission).
• Have access to your instructor for consultation during a course or follow up with the department chair if the instructor is unavailable.
• Ask the person who marked your term work for a re-evaluation if you feel it was not fairly graded. You have up to one month from the date of return of the item to inquire about the mark. If you are not satisfied with a re-evaluation, you may appeal to the instructor in charge of the course if the instructor did not mark the work. If your work is remarked, you must accept the resulting mark. You may only appeal a mark beyond the instructor if the term work was worth at least 20% of the course mark.
• Receive at least one significant mark (15% for H courses, 25% for Y courses) before the last day you can drop a course for H courses, and the last day of classes in the first week of January for Y courses taught in the Fall/Winter terms.
• Submit handwritten essays so long as they are neatly written.
• Have no assignment worth 100% of your final grade.
• Not have a term test worth 25% or more in the last two weeks of class.
• Retain intellectual property rights to your research.
• Receive all your assignments once graded.
• View your final exams. To see a final exam, you must submit an online Exam Reproduction Request within 6 months of the exam. There is a small non-refundable fee.
• Privacy of your final grades.
• Arrange for representation from Downtown Legal Services (DLS), a representative from the UTM Students’ Union (UTMSU), and/or other forms of support if you are charged with an academic offence.

Academic Integrity/Honesty or Academic Offenses

• The Code of Student Conduct is available from the U of T Mississauga website (Registrar > Academic Calendar > Codes and Policies) or in your print version of the Academic Calendar.
• The Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters is available from the U of T Mississauga website (Registrar > Academic Calendar > Codes and Policies) or in your print version of the Academic Calendar.

• Accessing unauthorized resources (search engines, chat rooms, Reddit, etc.) for assessments.
• Using technological aids (e.g. software) beyond what is listed as permitted in an assessment.
• Posting test, essay, or exam questions to message boards or social media.
• Creating, accessing, and sharing assessment questions and answers in virtual “course groups.”
• Working collaboratively, in-person or online, with others on assessments that are expected to be completed individually.

University Plagiarism Detection Tool Conditions of Use Statement

How to Query or Challenge a Mark

Accessibility

Policy on Religious Observances

• “It is the policy of the University of Toronto to arrange reasonable accommodation of the needs of students who observe religious holy days other than those already accommodated by ordinary scheduling and statutory holidays.
• Students have a responsibility to alert members of the teaching staff in a timely fashion to upcoming religious observances and anticipated absences. Instructors will make every reasonable effort to avoid scheduling tests, examinations or other compulsory activities at these times. If compulsory activities are unavoidable, every reasonable opportunity should be given to these students to make up work that they miss, particularly in courses involving laboratory work. When the scheduling of tests or examinations cannot be avoided, students should be informed of the procedure to be followed to arrange to write at an alternate time.
• It is most important that no student be seriously disadvantaged because of her or his religious observances. However, in the scheduling of academic and other activities, it is also important to ensure that the accommodation of one group does not seriously disadvantage other groups within the University community.”
• With respect to minimum advance notice, the Policy provides that “Students have a responsibility to alert members of the teaching staff in a timely fashion to upcoming religious observances and anticipated absences.” Since students would normally be aware of upcoming religious observances as well as examination schedules in advance, a minimum of three weeks advance notice will be considered sufficient.
• More information and some dates of potential relevance for the U of T community are available at viceprovoststudents.utoronto.ca/publicationsandpolicies/guidelines/religiousobservances.htm.
• As with any academic accommodation request, students must submit an on-line Special Consideration Request @ https://utmapp.utm.utoronto.ca/SpecialRequest

RGASC Statement

UTM Library’s Statement

• Reference and Research Help via in-person drop-in and the Ask a Librarian virtual chat service
• Research guides developed by subject expert liaison librarians, plus individual consultations on request
• Workshops on navigating databases, finding relevant articles, using software, citing correctly, and more