GEOG 1021 - Physical Geography

1. Cartography and geographic tools Human organization of the Earth Graticule and time zones Introduction to cartography Tools and applications of technical geography GPS, Remote Sensing, GIS Class lab exercise: Organizing Space and Cartographic Basics
2. Gradational Processes and landforms Weathering and mass movement Karst landscapes and caves Fluvial systems Glaciation Deserts and winds Marine and coastal processes Human adaptation and action Class lab exercises: Weathering and Sedimentary Rocks, Living in Hazardous Zones
3. Introduction to physical geography and Earth systems Geography as a science and the scientific method Earths movements and planetary features Introduction to earth systems and ecology Class lab exercise: earth movements and seasons
4. Study and classification of Earth’s climates, Biomes, and soils Relationship between biomes and climate regions Human adaptation, exotic species Class lab exercises: Koppen Climate System, Soils
5. Study of the atmosphere Solar energy and the Earth Temperature and heating Global Warming Atmospheric and oceanic circulation Water in the atmosphere Air masses and fronts Storms and weather Human adaptation and action Class lab exercises: Energy and the Earth, Humidity and Condensation, Pressure and Winds, Fronts
6. Study of the hydrosphere Introduction to oceanic systems El Nino events, impacts, forecasting Class lab exercise: Ocean Currents and El Nino
7. Study of the lithosphere Geomorphological processes and landscapes Earths interior, structure, and constituent materials Plate Tectonics, volcanoes, and earthquakes Human adaptation and action Geologic Time Class lab exercises: Plate Tectonics Theory Development, Relative Dating

1. inter-relate characteristics and patterns of the physical earth with the processes and systems governing them
2. describe, using scientific vocabulary and constructs, characteristics and geography of the physical earth
3. use geographic perspectives to demonstrate how the physical environment and processes thereof influence human activities and occupation of the Earth
4. demonstrate an understanding of the earth in which we live as a dynamic, inter-dependent global system comprised of inter-connected sub-systems
5. use geographic perspectives (e.g. spatial, earth and ecological science, people-environment) and scientific methodologies (e.g. data organization, analysis, and summarization) to illustrate theories and perspectives related to human alteration of environmental systems

Courses and Registration