Instructor: John Boyer
125 Major Williams
231-4071
joboyer@vt.edu
Office Hours: TBA. Or by appointment.   
For On-line Office Hours go to Plaid Avenger or Ustream to have a user name.
And you will see me LIVE answering questions that you have sent to me through AIM. My screen name is: geog1014 or you can contact me through Google chat at prof.john.boyer - I only answer questions sent in through AIM or Google Chat but you can also feel free to converse with your fellow students in the chat room that you will see. These office hours are also recorded to watch at a later date on Ustream.
To use a ICR client (such as mIRC for Windows and Colloquy for Mac)
chat server: c.ustream.tv
room name: world-regions-office-hours

TAs: TBA

Required: The Plaid Avenger's World, 5th edition, 2011
ITS THE 5th EDITION! ISBN 978-0-7575-9385-7
....that godforsaken book won’t be at the bookstores until a few days before classes begin, at the earliest! And its like $95 bucks.  Damn the man making us pay! Of course, its still probably a lot cheaper than all those serious rip-off chemistry and/or personal health textbooks.

And yes, you have to get a copy of the new edition in order to keep up with tons of new current events and world leaders. Old editions from previous semesters will contain all sorts of out-of-date info that will be wrong for current quizzes and tests....and will serve to confuse you and screw you up.

More importantly, you MUST HAVE THE 5th EDITION in order to get an unused passcode (in the inside front cover) which you must have to access the textbook website where all the course materials and grades are managed. Please don't bother with any attempted scams to use old passcodes, or old editions, or a 'shared' passcode....none will work, and I've already heard all the BS stories that you could possibly come up with to get out of buying a book. But I don't blame you for trying!

TBA

The Plaid Avenger's World has a stand alone textbook site that you will need to access with the passcode from the new 4th edition. Textbook website: http://webcom6.grtxle.com

www.plaidavenger.com is also required reading for the course. Content derived from the current event exploits of the Avenger and the global Leaders pages will be part of the weekly quizzes, as well as into the midterm and final exams.

Other Web Resource
Often referenced and utilized international news sources of the instructor:
World Press Review has a daily update on global news--from news sources around the globe, reported from the countries themselves.

The International Herald Tribune on-line edition 

BBC News

Al Jazeera

Asia Times Online

The Economist

Foreign Affairs

CIA World Factbook

10 X 10

TBA

Schedule TBA

Film viewing guidelines
For each of the films you will be given a short quiz at the end of it. You must pick up a scantron when you enter the room. They will be available before the movie. Once the film starts the scantrons will no longer be available. If you come late you will not have a scantron and thus will not get credit for attending the movie. Please be on time!

-You will need a #2 pencil.
-Be respectful of the people around you, please no talking during the film.
-Laptops are NOT to be used during the movie. The bright screens are distracting to everyone around you.
-Please turn your cell phones OFF during the film.
-Whatever food/drinks you bring into the movie need to be thrown away when leaving.
-We will not hesitate to ask people to leave if they cannot follow these simple request (yes, even the cell phone one).
-The quizzes are pretty easy and you should get a 100 on them. If you do not, you can watch an extra film and the lowest grade will be dropped.
-Please check your movie grades throughout the semester to make sure you got credit for the ones you attended. Sometimes student numbers are bubbled in wrong and you may not get credit.