Physical Geography (GEOG 1)
El Camino College
Instructor: Michael Reed
Office: NS 209
Email: mreed@elcamino.edu
Phone: 310-660-6016
Website: http://www.elcamino.edu/Faculty/mreed/index.htm
Fall 2006 Office Hours:
M
T
W
TH
F
11:30-12:30
1-2 PM
11:30-12:30
1-2 PM
11:30-12:30
Course Objective: Students will gain an understanding and appreciation of the world’s natural features and phenomena, including
weather, climate, vegetation, and landforms.
Required Texts: Mcknight, Tom. 2004. Physical Geography: A Landscape Appreciation, 6 th,7th, or 8th Edition. Prentice-Hall.
Required.
Goode’s World Atlas: 21st Edition. 2004. Recommended.
Grading:
3 Tests
@ 50 points each
Final Exam
4 Assignments @ 20 points each
Attendance
TOTAL POSSIBLE
=
=
=
=
=
150 points
100 points
80 points
20 points
350 points
Tests:
Heavily based on lecture material, but also on the readings indicated on the study guides. You must buy a
scantron 882 for each test (available at the campus bookstore). Most of the test questions will be multiplechoice, but there will also be a few short answer questions.
Final Exam:
The final covers all material. It is a comprehensive exam.
Make-Up Policy: Make up tests are NOT offered. If you are absent for a test because of a valid pre-approved absence, you must
take the make-up before the next class meeting. Call or email me to make arrangements before the absence if
possible. If a valid absence is granted, the make-up is different (no scan-tron questions) and more difficult than
the test given in class.
Peer contact numbers:
1. ______________________________________________
2. ______________________________________________
3. ______________________________________________
Assignments:
There will be 4 homework assignments during the semester. You may work with 1 or 2 classmates on these
assignments if you’d like, but each student must turn in his/her own completed assignment at the start of class on
the due date. Do these assignments before the due date—don’t scramble for answers from classmates 5 minutes
before it’s due! I reject late assignments. If accepted, late assignments will 5 points.
Assignments will be graded as follows, assuming there are 10 questions:
 20 points = everything was perfect
 18 points = 1 or 2 mistakes out of 10
 14 points = 2-3 mistakes
 10 points = 4-5 mistakes
 6 points = 6-7 mistakes
 2 points = 8-9 or more mistakes
 0 points = too late or not done at all
The maximum number of points you can earn for all of the assignments is 20
Attendance:
Each student begins the semester with 20 points for attendance. With the first absence, nothing
happens to that point total. After 1 absence, 7 points are deducted for each subsequent absence unless it is
college-authorized (field trip for another class, for example) or a documented medical emergency. You are
expected to be punctual as tardiness disrupts the class. Three tardies will count as an absence.
Drops:
I normally drop a student who is absent for 3 consecutive or 4 total class meetings. However, if you want to
drop a class, it is your responsibility to drop instead of relying on the instructor to do so.
Your Progress:
You should keep track of all the points that you earn during the course.
Homeworks:
/20
#1
Tests:
/20
/20
#2
#3
/50
#1
/50
#2
Attendance (keep track of your absences here)
Final Exam
=
/20
#4
/50
#3
___________
/100
At any point of the semester, you can determine your current grade by adding the points you have earned, then
dividing by the number of points possible up to that day. This will give you a decimal (like .88). Drop the
decimal to convert to a percentage (88%) and refer to the chart below to see the grade category for your
percentage.
Schedule of Assignments
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
Topic
Introduction to Geography and the Earth
Earth-Sun Relationships and Time
Homework 1 - Intro, Seasons, and Time
Cartography
GIS, GPS, and Remote Sensing
Introduction to the Atmosphere
Insolation
First Test
Temperature
Atmospheric Pressure and Wind
Homework 2 - Pressure and Winds
Moisture, Clouds, and Precipitation
Chapter
1
1
2
2
3
4
4
5
6
Storms (Atmospheric Disturbances)
Second Test
Climatic Zones and Types
7
Terrestrial Flora and Fauna
Homework 3 – Climate and Vegetation
Earth Structure and Basic Geology
11
8
13
Volcanism, Plate Tectonics and Diastrophism
Third Test
Weathering, Erosion, and Mass Wasting
Homework 4 – Geology and Landforms
Fluvial Processes
14
Desert Landforms
Cumulative Final Exam (last two days of class)
18
15
16
Note: This schedule is a general guide and may be modified. However we will proceed through the topics in this order.