GEOG 1000 Introduction to Physical Geography
Dr. Hester Jiskoot Fall 2012
Lectures
Mon-Wed-Fri: 10:00-10:50, Room: PE-250,
Period: 5 Sept – 7 Dec 2012, Holiday: Monday 8 Oct and 12 Nov.
The course consists of 39 lectures and 3 tests (see Grading for details and dates)
Instructor
Dr. Hester Jiskoot
Office: WE2050 in the Alberta Water & Environmental Science Building (AWESB)
: 403-329-2739, Email: hester.jiskoot@uleth.ca,
Office hours: Mon & Wed 11:00-12:00 or by email appointment.
Course webpage
http://classes.uleth.ca/201203/geog1000a. Lecture notes will be available here.
Required Textbook RW Christopherson, “Elemental Geosystems” (2010: 6th Edition). Prentice Hall.
The book is for sale at the University bookstore as a print or e-book version (cheaper). For more
information on the e-book version contact the bookstore or go to http://uleth.jumpbooks.com. Earlier
editions of the book are acceptable, but their chapter order and content will differ slightly.
Course Description
Fundamental processes and interrelationships between the atmosphere, lithosphere, biosphere, and
hydrosphere using a systems science approach. Topics will include landforms and landscapes,
geodesy, earth surface materials, soils, biogeography, weather and climate, hydrology, water
resources, and glacial processes.
The course objective is to develop an understanding of the major elements and processes of the earth
system and to recognise the effects of anthropogenic activities on our environment, such as pollution,
soil erosion, and climate change. We will cover a vast amount of material in this course and students
are required to do a lot of reading. Students are encouraged to engage in the course content by
keeping up with the required reading, by critically thinking about the material, and by asking and
answering questions in class and participating in class discussions and activities.
Main course topics
I. Introduction (Chapter 1)
Introduction to course, to Physical Geography, Systems and the Scientific Method
Remote sensing and Geographic Information Science (GIS)
II. Determining location on Earth (Chapter 1 & Appendix A)
Spheres, geoid, geographic coordinate systems, time zones
Maps and map projections
III. Earth-Sun-Moon system and our Atmosphere (Chapter 2)
Universe, solar energy, earth motions and seasonality
IV. Weather & Climate (Chapters 3-5 and 7)
Structure and compositions of the atmosphere
Global radiation and energy balances (insolation, radiation and temperature)
Atmospheric and oceanic circulation
Atmospheric moisture and precipitation
Air masses, fronts, storm systems
Introduction to climate; climate classification, distribution & associated vegetation
Global climate change - Greenhouse gases (see also IX)
V. Geology and geomorphology (Chapters 8-14)
Lithosphere, crustal & tectonic processes, geologic time and processes
Earthquakes and volcanoes
Weathering, erosion and mass movement
Fluvial, Aeolian, Marine, Glacial and Periglacial systems and landforms
Landforms close to home
VI. Soils (Chapter 15)
Pedology, Soil characteristics, soil formation
Soil classification and distribution
Soil erosion
VII. Biogeography (Chapter 16)
Ecosystems
Terrestrial Biomes
GEOG 1000 Introduction to Physical Geography
Dr. Hester Jiskoot Fall 2012
VIII. Water Resources (Chapter 6)
Hydrological Cycle and Water Resources
Soil water budget, Groundwater and Water supply
IX. Human-Earth interactions (Chapter17 and revising previous material)
Population issues and the human footprint
Pollution and disturbance of natural systems
Grading
Your knowledge of the course material will be tested through four tests. Test 1 is a short email essay
and tests 2-4 are computer-based through Moodle. They are scheduled to be taken at the student’s
chosen time over a four-day period in the University’s Testing Centre (UHall B7 labs). It is important
that you bring your ID to the Testing Centre and identify yourself both by name and student number.
An email will be sent to all students before each test, to remind students of the material tested on the
exam. The chapters listed in the examination schedule below make reference to the required textbook.
Slight changes in chapters tested may occur and will be announced.
EXAMINATION SCHEDULE FALL 2012
Test
Date
Chapters and Material tested
1
Fri 14 Sept
Email essay
% of
final grade
5
2
9-12 Oct
1-5, 7
31
3
19-22 Nov
8-14 Geology & Geomorphology
31
4
10-13 Dec
6,15-17 Water, Soils, Biogeography, Human-Earth, Review C1-14
33
Intro, Mapping, Earth-Space, Weather, Climate
Late submission for Test 1 will be penalised by 5% per day.
A cumulative percentage mark will be determined using all test results, which will be converted to a
final letter grade as follows:
Percentage Mark
90.0-100
85.0-89.9
80.0-84.9
77.0-79.9
73.0-76.9
70.0-72.9
67.0-69.9
63.0-66.9
60.0-62.9
55.0-59.9
50.0-54.9
< 50.0
Letter Grade
A+
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
F
Grade Points
4.0
4.0
3.7
3.3
3.0
2.7
2.3
2.0
1.7
1.3
1.0
0.0
Grade Category
Excellent
Good
Satisfactory
Poor
Minimal Pass
Fail
Your exam/test marks will be posted on Moodle: https://moodle.uleth.ca/
Your final letter grade for the course will be posted on the Bridge: https://www.uleth.ca/bridge
Instructions will be given as to how to access your test results and grades.
Other Information and Requirements
 If for reasons such as illness or a serious family problem you are unable to attend a test, a doctor's or other
official note is required within one week. Otherwise zero marks will be given for that test. Make-up tests will
be scheduled for students that were legitimately unable to attend a test.
 Students are subject to the student discipline policy for academic and non-academic offenses in accordance
with the University Calendar.
 Each student must have a University of Lethbridge email address.
 Communications and test details will be given via email, in class and on the course website.
 It is your responsibility to keep your email account empty enough so that you can receive emails.