Keene State College
KSCommons
Syllabi
Fall 2010
ISGEOG 204-02 Physical Geography
Chris Brehme
Sciences and Social Sciences, School of
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ISGEOG 204 Fall 2010
Physical Geography
ISGEOG 204 Section 02
Fall 2010
Time & Location
Tu/Th 10:00 – 11:45 AM
Science 275
Instructor
Dr. Chris Brehme Office: Science 279 Phone: 358-2197
e-mail: cbrehme@keene.edu
Office Hours: T/Th 1:00 – 2:00 PM and by appointment
Course Description
This course examines the dynamic processes that shape the Earth's landscapes. Special attention is
given to weather, climate, maps, and landforms.
Required Materials
Textbook: D. Hess. 2010. McKnight’s Physical Geography: A Landscape Perspective, 10th Ed.,
Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ.
Lab Manual: Hess, D. 2010. Laboratory Manual for Physical Geography: A Landscape Appreciation
Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ.
Regular pencil, colored pencils and a calculator will help in your completion of lab exercises.
Expectations
Attendance: Successful performance in this course requires regular attendance. If a student misses
a class they must obtain notes from another student, not the instructor. Do not arrive late to class.
If you know that you need to arrive late or leave class early, let me know in advance.
Portable Electronic Devices: Keep cell phones, pagers, music players, etc. turned off during class.
Weather/Closures: If the College is closed due to inclement weather or for other emergencies,
assume that what was scheduled that day (including exams and quizzes) will take place at the next
class meeting. I will use Blackboard and e-mail to notify you about schedule changes.
Students with Disabilities: It is KSC policy to provide reasonable accommodations to students with
disabilities. If you are a student with a disability, you should make an appointment with the Office
of Disability Services (ODS) in Elliot Center, ext 8-2353, in order to discuss your eligibility for
academic accommodations.
Academic Honesty: Students are expected to adhere to the College’s policies regarding Academic
Honesty. Please to refer to page 59 in the Student Handbook, available online at:
http://www.keene.edu/policy/academichonesty.cfm
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ISGEOG 204 Fall 2010
Grading
Point Distribution:
Exam 1
Exam 2
Final Exam
Quizzes
Exercises
Total Possible
Course Grade:
Letter
A
AB
B
BC
C
CD
D
F
100
100
100
100 (25 pts each) 6 quizzes will be given, the 4 highest grades will count.
100 (10 pts each) 10+ exercises will be completed, 10 grades will count.
500
Points
463-500
438-462
413-437
388-412
363-387
338-362
298-337
0-297
Percent
93-100
88-92
83-87
78-82
73-77
68-72
60-67
0-59
Exams: There will be three exams, with the first two each covering one-third of the course
material. The final exam will cover all material, though it will emphasize material from the last third
of the semester. Exams will be comprised of fill-in-the-blank, multiple choice, matching, and short
answer questions. Students will be asked to use diagrams or other illustrations to answer some
questions. Exams will cover lecture, textbook and lab material, and knowledge of place-name
geography will be expected (see page 4 of this syllabus).
Quizzes: There will be six quizzes comprised of fill-in-the-blank and multiple choice questions.
Quizzes will be based on material from the textbook. Only the four best quiz grades will count.
Lab Exercises: Throughout the semester we will work on exercises drawn primarily from the lab
manual. You will have time to work on these exercises during class time, but some labs may require
completion outside of class. Lab assignments are due at the beginning of the next scheduled class.
Lab grades will be reduced 1 point for each day they are overdue, (weekends count as one day). A
lab handed in after class will count as one day late.
Make-ups: Students can only make up exams if they have a valid and documented excuse. Dates
and times for make-up exams will be announced during the semester. Make-up exams may differ
from the original exam in length and format. Quizzes, lab exercises and other assignments cannot
be made up.
2
ISGEOG 204 Fall 2010
Schedule (Subject to Change)
Wk
1
2
3
Day
T
R
T
R
T
Date
8/31
9/2
9/7
9/9
9/14
R
T
R
9/16
9/21
9/23
T
R
T
R
T
R
9/28
9/30
10/5
10/7
10/12
10/14
8
T
R
10/19
10/21
9
T
10/26
R
T
R
T
R
T
10/28
11/2
11/4
11/9
11/11
11/16
15
R
T
R
T
R
T
11/18
11/23
11/25
11/30
12/2
12/7
16
R
T
12/9
12/14
4
5
6
7
Topic
Intro to Course, Earth-Sun Relations
Maps, Scale and Projections
Map Reading, GIS
Atmosphere and Climate Introduction
Quiz 1: Chapters 1, 2 & 3
Temperature, Heating and Cooling
Pressure and Wind
Atmospheric Moisture
Quiz 2: Chapters 4, 5 & 6
Fronts, Storms and Severe Weather, Maps
Weather, Review for Exam 1
Exam 1
Readings
Global Climate Zones
The Hydrosphere
Quiz 3: Chapters 7, 8 & 9
Cycles in the Biosphere
Soils Ecosystems, Flora & Fauna
Geomorphology
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 7
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 13
10
11
12
13
14
Quiz 4: Chapters 10, 11, & 13
Geomorphology, Review for Exam 2
Exam 2
Air Photo Interpretation
Plate Tectonics, Volcanoes
Karst Topography
Veteran’s Day (NO CLASS)
Quiz 5: Chapters 13, 14, & 17
Weathering and Mass Wasting
Fluvial Processes
Deserts, Aeolian Processes
Thanksgiving Holiday (NO CLASS)
Continental Glaciers
Alpine Glaciers
Quiz 6: Chapters 15, 16, 18 & 19
Coastal Processes
Coastal Processes cont’d. Review for Final Exam
Final Exam 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 17
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 20
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ISGEOG 204 Fall 2010
Geographic Locations: As this is a geography course, you are expected to be able to locate well-known
physical features and political entities around the world. Quiz and exam questions will include
references to these locations. Use your textbook, Google Maps, classroom maps and other resources to
learn these locations
Continents and Oceans
Continents: North America, South America, Europe & Asia (Eurasia), Africa, Australia, Antarctica
Oceans: Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic, Southern (encircles Antarctica)
North America
Political: Canada, including all provinces and territories, United States, including all states and Puerto
Rico, Greenland, major US and Canadian Cities (Boston, San Diego, Vancouver, Miami, Houston, etc.)
Physical: Coast Ranges, Cascade Range, Sierra Nevada, Rocky Mountains, Appalachian Mountains, Great
Basin (Basin and Range Province), Columbia Plateau, Colorado Plateau, Canadian Shield, Great Plains,
Atlantic Coastal Plain, Aleutian Islands, Mojave Desert, Sonoran Desert, Ogallala Aquifer
Water features: St. Lawrence River, Connecticut River, Hudson River, Ohio River, Mississippi River,
Missouri River, Colorado River, Rio Grande, Snake River, Columbia River, Great Lakes (Superior,
Michigan, Huron, Erie, Ontario), Bering Sea, Hudson Bay, Gulf of St. Lawrence, Gulf of Mexico, Gulf of
Maine, Great Salt Lake
Middle and South America
Political: Mexico, Belize, Cuba, Colombia, Peru, Brazil, Argentina, Chile
Physical: Baja California, Andes Mountains, Atacama Desert, Pampas, Amazon Basin, Brazilian Highlands
Water features: Amazon River, Sea of Cortez, Parana River (Rio Parana), Caribbean Sea
Eurasia (Europe and Asia)
Political: Iceland, Ireland, United Kingdom, Norway, Spain, France, Germany, Poland, Switzerland, Italy,
Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, Ukraine, Romania, Greece, Turkey, Russia, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Iraq,
Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Dubai, India, Mongolia, China, Burma, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia,
Philippines, North & South Korea, Japan
Physical: Alps, Ural Mountains, Himalayas, Tibetan Plateau, Gobi Desert
Water features: North Sea, Baltic Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea, Caspian Sea, Aral Sea, Persian Gulf,
Lake Baikal, Yellow River, Yangtze River, Ganges River
Africa
Political: Libya, Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Somolia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Kenya,
Tanzania, Morocco, Namibia, Botswana, South Africa
Physical: Atlas Mountains, African Rift Valley, Sahara Desert, Namib Desert, Kalahari Desert, Mount
Kilimanjaro
Water features: Nile River, Congo River, Lake Victoria, Lake Tanganyika, Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi), Red
Sea, Gulf of Aden
Australia and New Zealand
Political: Australia, New Zealand
Physical: Great Sandy Desert, Great Victoria Desert, Simpson Desert, Great Dividing Range, Southern
Alps
Water features: Murray and Darling Rivers
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