Anyway, below are my notes from my sample lecture about Boundary-Making Processes in Washington DC, as well as a statement of my teaching philosophy.

Teaching Philosophy

• Conversational
• I am No Smarter Than You, I have Only Read More about Geography
• A Student’s Work Has Value Beyond The Classroom
• The Student Should be able to teach a concept
• Assignments should be Personally Relevant
• Authentic Assessment Strategy
  • Class Participation: Successfully Conversant
  • Homework: Engage the concepts
  • Final Project: Editorial Standards
  • Final Examination: Open Book, Research Based
  • Self-Assessment
  • Washington DC Example: Boundary-Making
    • Map: What is the first thing you notice about the DC Boundary
      • Yes, its square
      • Notch Cut out where Arlington lies

      How many things in nature are diamond? Even diamonds are not diamond shaped in nature. Since it is not a natural phenomenon, how did the DC boundary become shaped like a diamond

      The History is that it was designed by Pierre L’Enfant and Benjamin Banneker appointed by George Washington in 1791

      What I want you to take away from this discussion of the Washington DC Boundary and boundary-making in general, is an understanding that the phenomena we cover in Human Geography are not random.

      • A Pool of Human Decisions
        • Individual decision made over Time by a large group: Not Random, but Evolutionary
        • International Level
          • Treaty
          • War
      • Natural Boundaries
        • It was still a decision!

      In this course, we will cover

      • The Types of Questions Geographers Ask
      • The Tools Geographers Use to Answer these Questions

      Lesson Plan

      • Class Discussion: Theorize the boundary of a nation
      • Assignment: Pick a Nation and research how its boundary was formed.

Washington DC Boundary Example