Syllabus Information

1. General information

1.1. Aims of the course

The course and its expected results respond to the following approaches and objectives: The teachings of the Master's degree are aimed at the acquisition by the student of advanced training, of a specialized or multidisciplinary, oriented to academic or professional specialization, or to promote the initiation in research tasks.
The objectives of the master's degree are to provide teachers of Compulsory Secondary Education, Baccalaureate, Vocational Training, Language, Artistic and Sports Education with the pedagogical and didactic training required in our society for the exercise of the profession. In this context, the subject Disciplinary Contents of Geography is part of module 4 of the Master's Degree: Curriculum Design in the specialty, which deals with the specific competence number 4, "Plan, design and develop the program and the learning and evaluation activities in the specialties and subjects of their competence", in what refers to its Block 1 of subcompetences: "Competences related to curriculum design". The aforementioned module 4 includes the subjects "Curricular design of the subjects of the specialty of..." and "Disciplinary contents for the subject of..." and "Disciplinary contents for the subject of...". (specialty of...)" (complementary training and scientific disciplinary updating offered for the (complementary training and scientific updating offered for the different subjects of the specialty being studied). Both subjects constitute two independent subjects: Curricular design of the subjects of the specialties of Philosophy, Geography and History and Economics and Disciplinary Contents of Geography. But both are taught sequentially, coordinating in such a way that the overview and analysis of the disciplinary contents of Geography is based on the project carried out in the first subject. That is to say, after learning how to make the curricular designs for Geography, the student in this subject reviews, analyzes and deepens in the contents that can be approached in each part of that curricular design.

Within this framework, the subject Disciplinary Contents of Geography has the following general objectives:
 - That students are able to select and prioritize the curricular framework of the teachings of Geography, the characteristics of the training cycle, the context of the students and the Center and the state of the art of Geography. of Geography. 
- That students are able to make an overall assessment of the materials and contents of the subject. 
 
These approaches and objectives are aligned with the following Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations Agenda 2030 ( https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/es/), so that the acquisition of the learning outcomes of the subject provides training and competence to contribute to some extent to their achievement.

Goal 3: Health and well-being. 
Goal 4: Quality education. 
Goal 5: Gender equality. 
Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth. 
Goal 9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure. 
Goal 10: Reduction of inequalities.
Goal 11: Sustainable cities and communities.
Goal 13: Climate action.
Goal 15: Life of terrestrial ecosystems.
Goal 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions.
Goal 17: Partnerships to achieve the goals.

1.2. Context and importance of this course in the degree

History or Art History and who lack sufficient geographical knowledge to teach Geography content in Secondary and Baccalaureate.

Geography studies the terrestrial surface or portions of it, singularized by its location and characterized by all the objects and phenomena territorially related to it. In this sense, geographic science contributes to the social sciences the knowledge of the spatial dimension of social facts, their distribution, their impact on the environment and the conditioning factors that this exerts on human actions and societies, understanding these interactions as the factors that determine the organization of the territory and, in part, social behaviors.

Learning in Geography is a useful tool for training in skills related to the knowledge of the physical world and the social context, since, by providing skills for understanding the interactions that occur between social facts and their spatial framework, this learning collaborates in the ultimate goal of enabling the understanding of the problems posed to citizens by their context and enables them to provide adequate responses.

1.3. Recommendations to take this course

This course is recommended for those who have not taken geography subjects in their previous degrees.

2. Learning goals

2.1. Competences

Basic and general competences

CG04.- Plan, design, organize and develop programs and learning and evaluation activities in the subject of Geography.

CB6.-To possess and understand knowledge that provides a basis or opportunity to be original in the development and application of ideas in a research context.

CB7.-To apply the acquired knowledge and solve problems in new or unfamiliar environments within broader (multidisciplinary) contexts related to Geography.

CB8.-To be able to integrate knowledge and face the complexity of making judgments, based on information that includes reflections on social and ethical responsibilities linked to the application of their knowledge and judgments.

CB9.-To know how to communicate their conclusions and knowledge, as well as the ultimate reasons that support them, to specialized and non-specialized audiences, in a clear and unambiguous manner.

CB10.-To possess learning skills that allow them to continue studying, so that they are autonomous.

Transversal competences

CT01.-To be able to reflect and make decisions in the personal, intellectual and social sphere.

CT02.-To be able to integrate and apply knowledge for the formation of judgments and problem solving.

CT03 / CT04 / CT05 / CT06.- To develop self-esteem, self-motivation and self-control, as well as the capacity for autonomous learning.

CT07.- To communicate ideas and reasoning to different types of audiences.

CT08 / CT09 / CT010.-To develop empathy, leadership and the ability to work cooperatively with other colleagues and people.

2.2. Learning goals

Argue about the formative value of the fundamental concepts in Geography.

Is able to analyze and evaluate the contents (information, concepts, models, theories or procedures) of Geography and to select the most convenient ones for the curricular design of the subjects of and select the most convenient ones for the curricular design of the subjects of secondary education and high school.

Is able to obtain, select and use information of geographic content to locate and interpret territorial phenomena and their interrelationships.

Is able to describe and characterize the territory as the result of the activities and interrelationships of the social groups that inhabit it, identifying its complexity and the processes that occur in it.

Identifies geographic processes aimed at understanding the surrounding environment.

Is able to use maps as essential elements for the representation of geographic information.

Explain the meaning of organizing concepts in geography such as scale, location and spatial distribution, causal explanation and interrelation, as well as their didactic implications.

Is able to pose and solve simple practical cases of geographic facts and transmit the results obtained.

2.3. Importance of learning goals

Learning in Geography is a useful tool for training in competencies related to the knowledge of the physical world and the socioeconomic context.

By providing skills for the understanding of the interactions that, in a bidirectional sense, take place between social facts and the physical-spatial framework in which they develop, this learning collaborates in the final objective of allowing the understanding of the problems posed to citizens by their context and enables them to provide the appropriate answers.
This understanding is achieved through knowledge of the components of the physical and socioeconomic environment, the acquisition of skills to classify, compare and interpret territorial information, to apply cartographic or other representation tools, and to recognize the necessary elements of multicausality.

The subject, therefore, in addition to its own field of knowledge, also collaborates in the personal development of those who study it, making them more competent in the handling of logical and linguistic instruments, favoring their learning capacity and allowing them to advance in the understanding of their role as a member of a society, improving their personal autonomy.

3. Assessment (1st and 2nd call)

3.1. Assessment tasks (description of tasks, marking system and assessment criteria)

Continuous evaluation system:

An individual project consisting of a content proposal for a Geography subject in E.S.O. or Bachillerato will be presented.
 
On the date indicated by the teacher in charge of the subject, the student must submit a text document as a draft of the project, which will contribute 20% of the total grade for the subject. This draft will be reviewed by the teacher so that, at the end of the course, the student presents in class the complete project with all the necessary contents and support media, which will be equivalent to 20% of the total grade, and submits the final text document, which will be equivalent to the remaining 60% of the total grade. A minimum grade of 5.0 points must be achieved in all three assignments to average the total grade. 

It will be valued its adequacy to the corresponding educational level, the time contemplated and the sequencing for its exposition, the didactic support materials used (images, videos, maps, diagrams, chronological axes, bibliography, etc.), the selection of the contents considered a priority, and the orientation and approach to them.

In continuous assessment, the student will know his grade at least three days before the global test so that he can take the global test (either if he fails or if for other reasons he considers it appropriate), prior notice to the person in charge of the subject.

Global evaluation test:

As this possibility is intended for students who cannot attend class, it is a single test in which they must demonstrate knowledge of the contents taught throughout the course from the bibliography provided and the materials provided by the teacher. This test represents 100% of the course grade. The evaluation criteria will be the same as in the continuous evaluation test.

Following the evaluation regulations of the University of Zaragoza, total or partial fraud or plagiarism in any of the evaluation tests will result in the failure of the subject with the minimum grade, in addition to the disciplinary sanctions that the guarantee committee adopts for these cases, once informed by the faculty responsible for the subject.

Any student may be called to tutoring to defend all or part of any of the evaluation tests submitted, whether individual or group in order to ensure original authorship and participation in all of them.

Important:

Total or partial fraud or plagiarism in any of the evaluation tests will result in the failure of the subject with the minimum grade, in addition to the disciplinary sanctions that the guarantee commission adopts for these cases. For a more detailed knowledge about plagiarism and its consequences, please consult: 
https://biblioteca.unizar.es/propiedad-intelectual/propiedad-intelectual-plagio#Que

4. Methodology, learning tasks, syllabus and resources

4.1. Methodological overview

Learning in Geography is a useful tool for training in skills that have to do with knowledge of the physical world and the social context, since, providing skills for understanding the interactions that occur between social facts and their framework spatial, this learning collaborates in the final objective of allowing citizens to understand the problems their context poses and enables them to give them adequate answers.

This understanding is based on knowledge of the physical and socioeconomic environment, as well as the acquisition of skills to measure, classify, compare and interpret information about the territory, apply cartographic or other representation instruments and recognize the elements of multi-causality necessary.

The learning process has been structured starting from the representation of geographical facts, to then address the domains that characterize the physical and socioeconomic environment, identify the interactions that are established with the societies that develop in it, through the uses that they do and the environmental impacts they have and the consequences they entail.

Afterwards, the study of economic activities is proposed, attending to the characterization of its current problems, identifying the conditioning factors that globalization processes suppose and the commitment to sustainable development. The understanding of the territorial repercussions that these activities have leads to the analysis of their distribution and the imbalances that this poses, making it possible to learn the contents that have to do with territorial planning policies. In this sense, the contents on the population and its forms of settlement are also addressed. The identification of the elements that make up its dynamics, its structure and its distribution gives rise, subsequently, to the study of how urban networks organize the territory and to the understanding of the political-administrative forms that Spanish society has been endowed with.

4.2. Learning tasks

This is a 6 ECTS course organized as follows:

• Theory sessions (30 hours).
• Practice sessiones (30 hours).
• Tutorials (24 hours).
• Autonomous work and study (60 hours).
• Assessment tasks (6 hours).

The learning activities are detailed in the following specific activities:

Activity 1. Seminar on cartographic techniques: analysis of plans and maps and their components, calculations and measurements on the maps.

Activity 2. Cycle of exhibition sessions on the physical environment: relief, climate, vegetation, soil and water resources.

Activity 3. Analysis of practical cases: search, obtaining and selection of relevant information for the knowledge of the physical environment. Direct observation, cartographic, statistical and bibliographic sources.

Activity 4. Cycle of expository sessions on the socioeconomic environment: population, urban systems, economic activities, transport and communications systems, territorial governance, basic geopolitics and land planning.

Activity 5. Analysis of practical cases: search, obtaining and selection of relevant information for the knowledge of the socioeconomic environment. Direct observation, cartographic, statistical and bibliographic sources.

Activity 6. Seminar on the environment and environmental degradation processes.

Activity 7. Content writing proposal for a Geography topic for the ESO or Baccalaureate curriculum.

Activity 8. Presentation and defense of the topic.

4.3. Syllabus

The course will address the following topics:

1.- Cartographic techniques: analysis of plans and maps and their components, calculations and measurements on the maps.

2.- The physical environment: relief, climate, vegetation, soil and water resources. The search, obtaining and selection of relevant information for the knowledge of the physical environment. Direct observation, cartographic, statistical and bibliographical sources.

4.- The socioeconomic environment: population, urban systems, economic activities, transport and communications systems, territorial governance, basic geopolitics and land planning. Search, obtaining and selection of relevant information for the knowledge of the socioeconomic environment. Direct observation, cartographic, statistical and bibliographical sources.

5.- The environment and processes of environmental degradation.

4.4. Course planning and calendar

Further information concerning the timetable, classroom, office hours, assessment dates and other details regarding this course will be provided on the first day of class.

Calendar of in-person sessions and presentation of works.

The face-to-face sessions will be three hours. In accordance with the planned activity plan, the sequence and content of each of the sessions will be as follows:

Activity 1. Two sessions.

Activity 2. Five sessions.

Activity 3. Two sessions.

Activity 4. Five sessions.

Activity 5. Two sessions.

Activity 6. Two sessions.

Activity 7. Two sessions.

Activity 8. Two sessions of work presentation.

The calendar and key dates are defined on the website of the Faculty of Education.

4.5. Bibliography and recommended resources

http://psfunizar10.unizar.es/br13/egAsignaturas.php?codigo=63203