Welcome to the Internet version of course materials for History 185, "From Mobile to Margaritaville: Human Geography in the Music and Fiction of Jimmy Buffett" taught by Prof. Marv Slind at Luther College during January terms 2012 and 2013.
Marv Slind
Office: Retired
Office Hours: "It's 5:00 Somewhere!"
Homepage: http://www.norse.org
The Course
This course uses the fiction and extensive musical repertoire of Jimmy Buffett as a focal point for studying world geography and the human interactions associated with it through the course of history. Geographic references in Buffett's songs and fiction served as a springboard for student presentations, discussion, and writing.
Required Reading:
- Buffett, Jimmy, Tales from Margaritaville
- ________, Where is Joe Merchant? A Novel Tale
- ________, A Salty Piece of Land
Assignments: (Follow this link for more details about individual assignments)
Four group in-class presentations (30%)Violations of the Honor System will be referred to the Honor Council, which will assess the appropriate penalties.
Two individual in-class presentations -- with accompanying written assignments (50%)
Attendance and class participation (20%)Attendance: because this course is based on discussion, attendance is essential for the effective functioning of the class. Consequently, roll will be taken daily, and unexcused absences will be penalized on the following basis: for every three unexcused absences, a student's course grade will be lowered one third of a grade (e.g., from B to B-, B- to C+, etc.). Students with 12 or more unexcused absences will automatically fail the course. If an unexcused absence results in a student missing a scheduled presentation, there will be an additional penalty of the course grade being lowered one third of a grade. (Please note: roll will be taken at each class meeting, i.e., at 9:15 and again at 11:00. Missing an entire day will thus count for two absences.)
Please note: Some of Jimmy Buffett's music and fiction contains references to excessive use (or abuse) of alcohol or other controlled substances. Such activities are neither endorsed nor encouraged by this course or its instructor.
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