Geography 1000B – Introduction to Physical Geography
Instructor:
Office:
Office hours:
Website:
Teaching assistant:
E-mails:
Class Schedule:
Textbook:
Readings:
Course Web-site:
Dr. Matthew G. Letts, Associate Professor
WE 2052, Tel: 403-317-2842
Mondays, 13h30 – 15h00 or by appointment
http://people.uleth.ca/~matthew.letts/
Owen Brown, M.Sc. candidate, Dept. of Geography
matthew.letts@uleth.ca, owen.brown@uleth.ca
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 09h25 – 10h40, in PE 250
Christopherson, R.W. 2010. Elemental Geosystems,
6th Edition. Prentice Hall, New Jersey, USA, 620 pp.
Additional required readings may be provided.
https://moodle.uleth.ca/
Course Description
Geography is the study of the physical and human characteristics of the world, including patterns,
processes, variation and change in time and space. The goal of this course is to develop an
understanding of the nature of physical geography and the elements and processes that make up
the Earth’s natural environments and physical cycles: energy, air, water, climate, weather,
geology, landforms, soil and vegetation. Modern spatial analysis methods important in
Geography will also be emphasized. Contemporary issues surrounding global environmental
change, sustainability and impacts of human activities will also be discussed, emphasizing a
systems science approach.
Textbook and iClicker
New or used textbooks can be purchased or rented from the University bookstore. The bookstore
also sells a digital e-format (PDF) version of the book, for about one-half the price of the bound
version. For more information on the various purchasing options, contact the University of
Lethbridge Bookstore. Further information on the e-book version is available at:
http://uleth.jumpbooks.com. In addition to the course textbook, we will begin using iClickers
during the second week of classes. This will help you to interact with the instructor in a large
classroom setting, and to identify concepts that you need to work on before your exams.
Marking Scheme
Map Quiz
Essay Proposal
Essay
5%
5%
25%
Midterm
Final Exam
25%
40%
Testing
To ensure that all students have a basic understanding of the relative position of continents and
the locations of major countries and cities, a map quiz will be held during the second week of
classes. The midterm and final exam will both consist of multiple choice, short response and/or
short essay questions, some of which may include calculations. No calculators, electronic
devices, or aids of any kind are permitted during these tests. The final exam will cover the entire
course, but with a strong emphasis on material covered after the midterm. N.B.: Students must
present their University of Lethbridge ID cards at both the midterm and final examination.
Essay
Students are responsible for writing a properly referenced, 2000 word (maximum) term paper on
a topic in physical geography. You may work in pairs. The due dates for the proposal and essay
are February 10 and March 24, respectively. Further details will be provided in class.
Final grade
Your grades will be available on Moodle (moodle.uleth.ca). You can log in with your e-mail
username and password. You will receive percentile marks for the all graded components. Your
overall percentage score will be converted to a letter grade for your final transcript grade, which
corresponds to a specific grade point value, as follows:
Percentage
90.0 to 100.0
85.0 to 89.9
80.0 to 84.9
76.7 to 79.9
73.4 to 76.6
70.0 to 73.3
Letter Grade
A+
A
AB+
B
B-
Grade Points
4.0
4.0
3.7
3.3
3.0
2.7
Percentage
66.7 to 69.9
63.4 to 66.6
60.0 to 63.3
55.0 to 59.9
50.0 to 54.9
0.0 to 49.9
Letter Grade
C+
C
CD+
D
F
Grade Points
2.3
2.0
1.7
1.3
1.0
0.0
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is a serious academic offence and carries penalties varying from a written reprimand
and failure in an assignment, to debarment from the University. Any student found to have
plagiarized or cheated in this course would receive a mark of zero on the work in question, in
addition to a written reprimand copied to the Registrar’s Office. Further action would be taken
for repeat offenders. Definitions and policies regarding plagiarism can be found in the University
of Lethbridge 2010-2011 Calendar.
Late Essays / Missed tests
A mark of zero will be assigned to all late assignments or missed quizzes and exams, except in
the case of documented health or personal reasons.
Class Schedule
The schedule below has been prepared to provide you with a general idea of the progression of
topics planned for this course. The instructor reserves the right to change topics and dates, to
adjust for learning requirements and to take advantage of current events related to physical
geographical concepts.
Month
January
February
March
April
Dates
11
13, 18
20
25, 27
1, 3
8, 10
15, 17
22, 24
1, 3
8, 10
15, 17
22, 24
29, 31
5, 7
12, 14
28
Topic
Essentials of Geography (Ch. 1)
Dynamic Planet and Plate Tectonics (Ch. 8, 9)
Earthquakes and Volcanoes (Ch. 9)
Hydrologic Cycle, Weathering, Mass Wasting (Ch. 6, 10)
Fluvial and Aeolian Geomorphology (Ch. 6, 11, 12)
Coastal Landforms / Glaciology (Ch. 13, 14)
Glacial Landforms (Ch. 14)
READING WEEK (no classes)
Solar Energy and the Atmosphere (Ch 2, 3)
Weather and Climate (Ch. 4, 5)
Biogeography (Ch. 15, 16)
Geodesy and Cartography* (Ch. 1 + assigned readings)
Geographical Information Systems* (assigned readings)
Remote Sensing* (Ch 1 + assigned readings)
Global Environmental Change (Ch. 7, 17)
Final Examination (2 hrs, 14h00, PE250)
Graded Components
MAP QUIZ (Jan 20): 5%
PROPOSAL (Feb 10): 5%
MIDTERM (Feb 17): 25%
ESSAY (Mar 24): 25%
FINAL EXAM: 40%
* Guest Lectures: Prof. Derek Peddle, Department of Geography, University of Lethbridge.