Css134: Course Title: Geography of Nigeria
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NATIONAL OPEN UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCE COURSE CODE: CSS134: COURSE TITLE: GEOGRAPHY OF NIGERIA i CSS134: GEOGRAPHY OF NIGERIA Course Guide Programme: B.Sc Criminology and Security Studies Course: Geography of Nigeria Duration: First Semester Course Developer: Professor K.O. Ologe ii Contents Page 1.0 Introduction ……………………………………….. iii 2.0 What you will learn in this course ……………….. iii 3.0 Course Aim ……………………………………….. iii 4.0 Course Objectives………………………………….. iv 5.0 Working through this course ………………………. v 6.0 Course Materials…………………………………… v 7.0 Study Units…………………………………………. v 8.0 Assignment File ……………………………………. vii 9.0 Presentation Schedule …………………………….. vii 10.0 Assessment ………………………………………. vii 11.0 Tutor-marked Assignments (TMAs) ……………… vii 12.0 Final Examination and Grading …………………... viii 13.0 Course Marking Scheme ………………………. viii 14.0 Course Overview ……………………………….. viii 15.0 How to get the most from this course …………….. ix 16.0 Tutors and Tutorials ……………………………… xi 17.0 Summary………………………………………….. xii iii 1.0 Introduction CSS 108 Geography of Nigeria is a first semester, 100-level, three-credit course. It is a required course for students doing the B.Sc and the Diploma in Criminology and Security Studies. It may also be taken by anyone who does not intend to do these programmes but is interested in learning the geography of Nigeria for purposes of self-improvement. This course will give you an introduction to the nature of the physical environment of Nigeria and the resources which nature has endowed her with. It will also introduce you to the characteristics of Nigeria's population and settlements. Finally, it will introduce you to the economic activities or the ways in which people make a living. The course will relate all these various aspects of the geography of the country to the occurrence, causes, prevention and control of crime and threats to security. Do not worry if you have never studied geography before. You will discover that because much of the subject matter falls within our everyday experiences or are often in the news, it is very interesting. The course will consist of I 9 units. These will cover: Nigeria's location, neighbours and boundaries; its physical environment; human population; characteristics; settlement patterns and its main economic activities. This Course Guide tells you briefly what the course is all about, the course materials you will be using and how to work your way through the materials. It suggests some general guidelines on the length of time you are likely to spend on each of the units in order to complete it successfully. It also guides you on your Tutor-Marked Assignments it tells you about the Tutorial Classes which are linked to the course. 2.0 What you will learn in this course In this course you will learn how the geography of a place is important to an understanding of crime and security threats in that place. You will see how the physical environment, population and economic activities of Nigeria present conditions and opportunities for crime and threats to security. 3.0 Course Aim iv The aim of this course is to enable you to acquire knowledge of the geography of Nigeria, which can help you understand the occurrence, causes, prevention and control of crime and threats to security in the country. This will be achieved by: Introducing you to the relationship between Criminology, Security Studies and Geography; Describing Nigeria's location in relation to the sea and its neighbours; Describing Nigeria's physical environment and resources; Identifying, describing and explaining the main characteristics of Nigeria's human population and settlement; Relating crime and security threats in Nigeria to its location, relations with its neighbours, its physical environment and natural resources, its population and settlement patterns and its economic activities. 4.0 Course Objectives In order to achieve the aims set out above, the course has specific objectives. If you can meet these objectives, then you have successfully completed the course. The objectives of the course are its learning outcomes. They are the things you should be able to do by the time you complete the course. By the time you complete this course, you should be able to: Explain the relationship between Criminology, Security Studies and Geography; Describe the location of Nigeria and state its size; List Nigeria's neighbours and discuss its relationship with them; Describe Nigeria's boundaries and discuss their implications for crime and security; Describe Nigeria's relief drainage, climate and vegetation and discuss their economic importance; . Describe and explain the characteristics of Nigeria's human population and discuss their socio-economic implications; Describe and discuss the country's urban and rural settlement patterns; Discuss the importance of mining, animal husbandry, food crop agriculture, export crop agriculture, modern manufacturing, internal trade, transport and communications to the country's economy; Discuss the Main characteristics of these economic activities; Discuss the problems facing these economic activities: and Suggest possible ways of tackling these problems. v These are the specific objectives of this course. In addition, each of the units making up the course has specific objectives by which you can measure your own progress. These are always set out at the beginning of the unit. You are expected to read them carefully before moving on to the rest of the unit. You are also expected to refer to them again after you have completed the unit. In this way you can be sure that you have done what is required of you by the unit. 5.0 Working through This Course In order to complete this course you are required to read all the study units as well as other materials, which may be recommended by the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN). At the end of each unit, there is a list of further reading and other materials. While it is not absolutely necessary for you to read them in order to complete the course successfully, it will be to your advantage if you can. They are recommended for learners who wish to have a deeper understanding of the subject matter. Each unit contains a self-assessment exercise by which you can assess your own progress. At various points in the course you are required to submit assignments for assessment purposes. These are called Tutor- Marked Assignments (TMAs). At the end of the course there will be a final examination. You will be expected to spend between one week and three weeks on each of the units. However, you may find out that you have to spend more or less time on particular units because of their volume or level of difficulty or your own level of preparedness. So do not be discouraged if you have to spend more time on any particular unit. 6.0 Course Materials The major components of the course are: 1. The Course Guide. 2 . The Study Units. 3 . Further Reading and Other Materials. 4 . Presentation Schedule. 7.0 Study Units The course is made up of 19 units as follows: 1 . Unit 1: Criminology, Security Studies and Geography. 2 . Unit 2: Location, Size, Neighbours and Boundaries of vi Nigeria. 3 . Unit 3: Relief and Drainage of Nigeria. 4 . Unit 4: Climate of Nigeria. 5 . Unit 5: Vegetation. 6 . Unit 6: Population, Size, Growth and Distribution. 7 . Unit 7: Age-Sex Characteristics and Ethnic Composition. 8 . Unit 8: Population Migration. 9 . Unit 9: Rural Settlements. 1 0 . Unit 10: Urban Settlements. 11. Unit 11: Mining. 12. Unit 12: Fishing. 13. Unit 13: Animal Husbandry 14. Unit 14: Food Crop Agriculture 15. Unit 15: Export Crop Agriculture 16. Unit 16: Irrigated Agriculture 17. Unit 17: Modern Manufacturing 18. Unit 18: Internal Trade 19. Unit 19: Rail and Road Transport Unit I sets the stage by explaining the relationship between Criminology, Security Studies and Geography. Unit 2 looks at Nigeria in relation to her neighbours. In Units 3, 4 and 5 we look at the physical environment and the natural resources of Nigeria. Units 6, 7 and 8 describe and discuss the characteristics of Nigeria's population. Units 9 and 10 look at settlement patterns while the rest of the course. Unit 11 to 19 focus on economic activities. Each study unit normally consists of between one and three weeks' work and includes: Introduction Objectives Main text Conclusion Summary Self-assessment Exercise (SAE) Tutor-marked Assignment (TMA) Further Reading and Other Materials. In general the exercises are based on the materials you have just covered. You may be required to apply the knowledge you have acquired as a way of helping you to assess your progress and reinforcing your understanding of the material. The Self-Assessment Exercises (SAE's) and the Self-Marked Assignments (SMAs) are very important because together, they will assist you to achieve the learning objectives of the individual units and of the course as a whole. Maps are very important in geography and you will be expected to use them in your vii SAE's 8.0 Assignment File There are eight TMAs in this course. These TMA's will cover: Nigeria's neighbours; The climate of Nigeria; The population of Nigeria; Urban settlements in Nigeria; Irrigation agriculture and Internal trade. 9.0 Presentation Schedule The presentation schedule included in your course materials gives you the important dates for this year for the completion of Tutor-marked assignments and attending tutorials. Remember that you are required to submit all your assignments by the due date. You should guard against falling behind in your work. 10.0 Assessment There are three aspects to the assessment of this course: First, there are self-assessment exercises; Secondly, there are Tutor-marked Assignments (TMA's); Thirdly, there is a final, written examination.