Geography 101: Physical Geography s1

Syllabus Geography 101: Physical Geography Spring 2007, Cerritos College Instructor: Mr. Tor Björn Lacy Class Times: Monday and Wednesday 12:30 p.m.-2:00 p.m., S101 Email: [email protected] Web address: http://e-courses.cerritos.edu/tlacy/ Phone: 860-2451 x2662 Office: Room A, Physical Sciences Building Office Hours: Mon. – Thurs. 2 – 2:30 p.m. and Weds. 6 – 7:00 p.m. Class Overview Welcome to Physical Geography. In this course you will begin to learn why the dynamic world around us looks and behaves as it does. This course will focus on the study of the atmosphere, biosphere, and lithosphere. Topics will include: locating important geographic landmarks, atmospheric processes, weather and climate, the spatial distribution of plants and animals across the earth's surface (biomes), plate tectonics, and the shaping landforms through mountain building and erosional processes. I will make every effort to provide you with an interesting class that you can look forward to attending each week. In order to achieve this I expect you to adhere to the following classroom rules of conduct:

1. Cell phones will remain off while in class. If your cell phone rings/vibrates during class, you may be asked to leave. 2. You will be dropped for repeated disruptive behavior, absences, or failing exam and quiz scores. 3. You are expected to be an active listener in the class and therefore should expect to be called on to answer questions or contribute comments. 4. No food or drink allowed in the classroom. Leave water bottles, etc., either outside or tucked away in your bag. 5. If you are late or are unable to attend class it is up to you to get the missing notes from a classmate. If you do not contact me beforehand explaining why you are late/absent you may miss handouts or other class materials. I suggest you get contact info from others in class and strongly recommend establishing small study groups to help prepare you for quizzes and exams. 6. Cheating will result in a failing class grade. 7. Dropping the class is your responsibility. If you forget to drop the class formally, you will receive an F grade. 8. You are expected to attend each class from start to finish. If you leave early or arrive late you may not be given credit for attending class on that day. If you leave to take or make a call you may be asked to leave for the day. 9. I expect your attention throughout the class. Socializing, note passing, reading (unless assigned), and sleeping are unacceptable behaviors. 10. You may not attend other lecture sections for this class, nor may students from other lecture sessions attend this class. 11. Ask questions! I have no way of knowing that you don’t understand the material unless you ask questions. Required Materials  McKnight, T.L, and Hess, D., 2002, Physical Geography: A Landscape Appreciation: Prentice Hall, ninth edition.  Scantron test answer sheets (at least 10, 815-E “shorties”, and 4 regular sized 882-E), pen, pencil, and calculator (cell phone and other communication devices are unacceptable).  Atlas: Hammond, Comparative World Atlas (recommended)  Bring your textbook and atlas to class each day. Attendance Attend all class sessions. Students that attend all classes sessions typically do well. If you are truly sick or have an emergency situation to attend to, notify me beforehand and I will excuse you for the day. However, you must find a way to get the notes from a classmate. You may make up a quiz or exam ONLY if you inform me of the absence ahead of time via Email or phone message. Note: the official policy at Cerritos College regarding attendance states: if your hours of absence exceed one more than twice the number of class hours per week, the student may be dropped from the class. Assignments Class and homework assignments for the semester are outlined in the table below. You will be notified of modifications or additions to the schedule during class. It is assumed that you possess the textbook, Physical Geography. There is also a copy of this book on reserve in the library, although the page numbers may not coincide to the newest edition. Reading assignments are to be completed BEFORE the class session that will be covering that topic. It is also assumed that you have access to the internet, as some assignments will require that you do some internet-based research. Assignments will be designed to prepare you for quizzes and exams. Completion of these assignments will undoubtedly increase your quiz and exam scores. Reading will be assigned at the end of each class session and will generally follow the tentative course outline below. Week Date Topic Reading 1 8/13&8/15 Class introduction & “Place Name Geography” assignment; “An Ch.1 Inconvenient Truth” 2 8/20&8/22 Introduction to the atmosphere Ch.3

3 8/27&8/29 Introduction to Climates; Insolation and Temperature Ch.8

4 9/3&9/5 Insolation and Temperature Ch.4 5 9/10&9/12 Insolation and Temperature; Exam 1 6 9/17&9/19 Atmospheric Pressure and Wind Ch.5

7 9/24&9/26 Atmospheric Moisture Ch.6

8 10/1&10/3 Atmospheric Moisture; Exam 2 9 10/8&10/10 Atmospheric Flows and Disturbances (Storms) Ch.7 10 10/15&10/17 Biome Project; Cycles and Patterns in the Biosphere; Flora and Fauna Ch.10

11 10/22&10/24 Flora, Fauna, and Biomes; Biome Project Ch.11

12 10/29&10/31 Exam 3; Climate Zones; Biome Project Ch.8

13 11/5&11/7 Biome Report Presentations 14 11/12&11/14 Introduction to Landform Study Ch.13

15 11/19&11/21 Exam 4; Holiday 16 11/26&11/28 External Processes (of Earth) Ch. 14

17 12/3&12/5 External Processes (of Earth) Ch. 15 Ch. 16 Ch. 18 Ch. 20 18 12/12??? Final Exam Notes I will present the material to you in Power Point format. You are expected to elaborate on the material presented to you according to verbal explanations by the instructor or your classmates. You are expected to further expand your notes as you read the textbook. Biome Report and Presentation All students will participate in group report and presentation of one of Earth’s biomes. Details about this report will be provided during class. Geography Atlas Exercises You will locate and record important physical and political landmarks on maps provided to you by the instructor. These map-based exercises will be assigned 3 or 4 times during the semester and will account for approximately 5% of your total grade. Exams Four exams will be given during the semester, each worth ~15% of your grade. The lowest scoring of these exams will be dropped. The final exam will be cumulative and worth ~20% of your grade.

Grading Note: the points and percentages given are approximations and may vary slightly Total points Total % Biome Research Report and Presentation 75 15% A = 85%-100% Exams: ~75 points each ~300 ~60% B = 75%-84% Geography Atlas Exercises ~25 ~5% C = 65%-74% Final Exam: ~100 ~20% D = 55%-64% Total Points/Percentage possible 500 100% F = < 55%