GEOG 201- Physical Geography
University of Tennessee at Martin
Department of Agriculture, Geosciences & Natural Resources
Course Syllabus, Fall 2013
Instructor:
Office:
Email:
Course Time:
Office Hours:
Room:
Required Texts:
Chris Karmosky
201-C Johnson EPS
ckarmosk@utm.edu
TTh 9:30 to 10:45
11:00-12:00 MTWTh, otherwise by appointment (email:
ckarmosk@utm.edu)
204 Brehm Hall
De Blij (et al.): Physical Geography, 4th Edition
Why would I want to take this course?
This course explores key topics in Physical Geography, that is, the geography of the
natural world. This includes: world climates, landforms, biological systems, the
cryosphere (ice), water and water resources, rocks and plate tectonics, and much more!
The hope is that by the end of the course all students will have a deeper understanding of
what natural processes are occurring on the Earth’s surface, where these things are
located, why they are where they are, and how these processes are relevant to humans.
Evaluation:
The grade for this course will be based on several map quizzes, two midterm exams, two
papers, several in-class exercises, and a final exam. The point breakdown is as follows:
Two Midterm Exams (100 Points Each)
Three Map Quizzes (25 Points Each)
Paper #1 (50 Points)
Paper #2 (50 Points)
Eight Homework Assignments (25 points each)
Final Exam (125 Points)
Total: Approximately 700 Points
Students are expected to take all quizzes, midterms, and the final exam on the scheduled
dates. No make-ups will be administered unless the student has made prior arrangements
or has a valid excuse. If no prior arrangements are made to take an exam or quiz at an
alternate time, the exam or quiz shall be administered at the sole discretion of the
instructor. Unless otherwise stated, all projects are due at 5PM on the due date at the top of
the assignment. Electronic submissions of typed work will be accepted. Late work will be
accepted, but only for partial credit. A maximum deduction of 50% of the point value will
apply for work more than 48 hours late. No late work will be accepted after April 26. It is
your personal responsibility to: adhere to the guidelines set forth in this syllabus, keep up
with impromptu changes, study, and complete all assignments and exams. Note that I do
not deduct the lowest exam grade or map quiz grade. All graded evaluations “count”.
Attendance:
Class time is my primary communication of revised deadlines, changes to the syllabus,
and is the primary time that I distribute course handouts and assignments. While such
handouts and assignments are usually also disseminated via email and/or blackboard, it is
not the instructor’s responsibility to provide electronic copies of materials to you if you
were not present in class when they were distributed. Students are responsible for all
course material and are expected to participate in classroom activities and discussion. I
often scoff at the question “Did I miss anything important?” because if I didn’t feel it
were important, I wouldn’t cover it in class. Furthermore, because attendance is an
expectation, not “going above and beyond”, I do not give extra credit points or have an
attendance portion factored into my grading scheme. I do, however, as discussed below,
deduct points if students fail to attend class consistently. If you cannot attend class for
some reason, you are personally responsible for the information covered. ***I will be
happy to discuss what was covered, but it is NOT my responsibility to provide you with a
detailed overview or a set of notes.*** After two unexcused absences, one percentage
point will be deducted from your total course grade for each additional two unexcused
absences.
Religious Holidays:
I will make every reasonable effort to allow students to observe their religious holidays
without penalty. If you must miss class, however, it is still your responsibility to make up
any missed material. Please let me know the dates you will miss well ahead of time.
Academic Honesty:
Academic honesty and integrity is expected in this course (and any other course at UTMartin for that matter). You are expected to produce work that is entirely your own for
each and every assignment. In fact, the first assignment, really it’s extra credit, is to send
me an email at ckarmosk@utm.edu with the subject line ‘very funny’. I’ll forgive y’all
for turning in identical work this time. This must be done before the second class meeting
to actually get the points. All quizzes and exams are closed-note, closed-book, and
closed-neighbor. Take-home assignments must also be your own work. While asking
questions regarding the subject material is permissible, copying and/or paraphrasing
another person’s work will be considered plagiarism.
Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to:
 Copying sections (or even single lines) of another person’s work without
attribution.
 Using a line from another person’s work, and citing it, but not putting it into
quotes or your own words



Inserting a quote without appropriate context—at that point you are turning in the
other person’s work, not your own
Using information that is not “basic knowledge” from a source without citing the
source, even if you put that information into your own words
Writing facts and figures without attributing their source
Facilitating academic dishonesty is also considered academic dishonesty. Again,
operating by the “better safe than sorry” principle works best, and I would encourage
students who feel uncomfortable giving assistance to a student to refer that student to me
for assistance. While I may not be able to detect each and every instance of plagiarism,
know that this is something I take seriously, and I have assigned failing grades for
assignments where plagiarism has occurred in the past. For me to do otherwise would be
unfair to the majority of students who are honest. In the world outside of the university,
representing another person’s work as your own is something that can get you fired from
a job and can incur fines and prosecution depending on the severity. Any academic
dishonesty will result in a failing grade for the assignment, and will be reported to the
Division of Student Affairs.
Classroom Etiquette:
1. Cell phones should be turned off or set to vibrate when entering the class. Text
messaging is NOT allowed during class at any time. If you receive a call or
message, ignore it until class is over (or leave the room if the call is an emergency)
2. Texting, consulting notes, or consulting electronic material of any sort during
exams is considered a violation of academic integrity. This includes looking at a
phone, iPod or tablet to check the time. You will be asked to turn in your paper
immediately, receive a “0” for that exam, which may lead to failing the course.
Operating by the “better safe than sorry” principle is expected. If you opt to take a
call or message and leave the room during any graded (closed-book) activity, you
will NOT be allowed to continue. You will be required to turn in the paper
immediately. IF you find yourself entering an exam with the expectation of an
urgent message that cannot wait for the end of the session (e.g., family medical
situation that could change at any moment), please inform me of that issue prior
to class. Depending upon the situation, I may be able to make suitable
arrangements.
3. Refrain from excessive talking as it disrupts the normal learning environment. If
you desire to engage in such behavior, you may be asked you leave the room.
4. Laptops and tablets are not generally allowed to be used in the classroom, though
if special circumstances arise, please consult with me. Web surfing or instant
messaging during class will not be tolerated—you will be dismissed from the
class and recorded as an unexcused absence.
5. Please inform your instructor when you may have to arrive late or leave early,
preferably in advance.
6. Be patient and courteous to other students and your professor. Courtesy includes
having a good attitude, paying attention (listening to me when I am speaking and
others when they ask a question), even when the subject may be obvious to you.
7. The classroom operates under a “Hats Off” policy during exams and sunglasses
should not be worn in the classroom; absolutely not during examinations.
8. Communication between students and instructors via email is common. Emails
should be written in standard English, complete with appropriate punctuation.
Emails written in “text speak” will not be read.
Student Success Center, Office of Disability Services:
If you require additional accommodations as the result of a disability, it is your
responsibility, within the first two weeks of class, to coordinate with the Office of
Disability Services as per the guidelines below.
Students have the following roles in the academic accommodation process:

Identify themselves to the Office of Disabilities Services if they need
accommodations;

Provide documentation of their disability to the Office of Disabilities Services;

Participate with the Office of Disabilities Services in the interactive process of
determining and implementing reasonable accommodations;

Make arrangements for accommodations by providing their professors with a
letter from the Office of Disabilities Services approving accommodations and
work directly with the professors and staff involved in the provision of an
approved accommodation; and

Inform the Office of Disabilities Services when accommodations are not
provided, accommodations are not working, accommodations need to be
modified, or symptoms change.
I will work within the guidelines suggested by the student success center, and will take all
reasonable actions necessary to provide necessary accommodations.
Please visit the following page for more information:
http://www.utm.edu/departments/success/disability.php
Writing Center:
The Hortense Parrish Writing center is a resource for any student who would like
individualized help in improving their writing. The
Writing Center is open to students for tutoring,
computer use, printing, workshops, reading, and
general study, and I encourage you to take
advantage of this resource! Their web URL is below:
http://www.utm.edu/departments/writingcenter/
***I reserve the right to make changes to the syllabus as we go along. You will still
be responsible for the changes announced in class***
Schedule: (Assigned Readings in Italics)
Week 1:
Tuesday (8/27)
Introduction and Expectations, Unit 1:
Introducing Physical Geography (pp. 2-11)
Week 2:
Week 3:
Week 4:
Thursday (8/29)
Unit 2: The Planet Earth (pp. 14-25), Begin Unit 3:
Mapping Earth’s Surface (pp. 26-34)
Tuesday (9/3)
Unit 3: Mapping the Earth’s Surface (pp. 35-41),
Begin Unit 4: Earth-Sun Relationships (pp. 42-49)
**Assign Homework #1, Earth-Sun
Relationships**
Thursday (9/5)
Unit 4: Earth-Sun Relationships (pp. 49-52), Unit
5: Radiation and the Heat Balance of Planet
Earth (pp.53-63)
**Assign Paper #1, Atmosphere**
Tuesday (9/10)
Unit 6: Composition and Structure of the
Atmosphere (pp. 66-81)
**Homework #1 Due**
Thursday (9/12)
Unit 7: Temperatures of the Lower Atmosphere
(pp. 82-92)
**Map Quiz #1**, **Assign Homework #2,
Energy Budget and Atmospheric Structure**
Tuesday (9/17)
Unit 8: Air Pressure and Winds (pp. 93-102),
Unit 9: Circulation Patterns of the Atmosphere
(pp. 103-114)
Thursday (9/19)
Unit 10: Circulation of the World Ocean (pp.
115-127), Unit 11: Atmospheric Moisture
Balance (pp. 128-141)
**Homework #2 Due**
Week 5:
Week 6:
Week 7:
Week 8:
Week 9:
Week 10:
Tuesday (9/24)
Unit 12: Precipitation, Air Masses and Fronts
(pp. 142-154)
Thursday (9/26)
**Exam #1**, Units 1-11
Tuesday (10/1)
Unit 13: Weather Systems (pp.155-169)
**Assign Homework #3, Weather**
Thursday (10/3)
Unit 14: Climate Classification and
Regionalization (pp. 172-181), Unit 15: Tropical
and Arid Climates (pp. 182-192)
**Paper #1 Due**
Tuesday (10/8)
Unit 16: Mild Midlatitude Climates (pp. 193-202),
Unit 17: Higher Latitude and High Altitude
Climates (pp. 203-213)
**Homework #3 Due**
Thursday (10/10)
Unit 18: Natural Climate Change (and
variability, pp. 214-225)
**Map Quiz #2 (World Climates)**
Tuesday (10/15)
Fall Break (No Class)
Thursday (10/17)
Unit 19: Global Warming and Human Impacts
on Climate (pp. 226-241)
**Assign Homework #4, Climate Change**
Tuesday (10/22)
Unit 20: Climate, Soil, Plants and Animals (pp.
244-251), Unit 21: Formation of Soils (252-260)
Thursday (10/24)
Unit 22: Properties of Soil (pp. 261-269), Unit 23:
Classification and Mapping of Soils (pp. 270-284)
**Homework #4 Due**, **Assign Homework
#5, Soils**
Tuesday (10/29)
Unit 24: Biogeographic Processes (pp. 285-297),
Unit 25: The Global Distribution of Plants (pp.
298-309), Unit 26: Zoogeography (pp. 310-321)
**Homework #5 Due**
Thursday (10/31)
Week 11:
Week 12:
Week 13:
Week 14:
Unit 27: Planet Earth in Profile (pp. 324-333),
Begin Unit 28: Minerals and Igneous Rocks (pp.
334-342)
**Assign Paper #2, Biosphere/Lithosphere**
Tuesday (11/5)
**Exam #2**, Units 12-26
Thursday (11/7)
Finish Unit 28: Minerals and Igneous Rocks
(pp. 334-342), Unit 29: Sedimentary and
Metamorphic Rocks (pp. 343-353)
**Assign Homework #6, Rocks**
Tuesday (11/12)
Unit 30: Plates of the Lithosphere (pp. 354364), Unit 31: Plate Movement (pp. 365-372)
**Map Quiz #3, North American
Landforms**
Thursday (11/14)
Unit 32: Volcanism and its Landforms (pp.
374-385), Unit 33: Earthquakes and
Landscapes (pp. 386-395), Unit 34: Faults,
Folds and Landscapes (pp. 396-405)
**Homework #6 Due**, **Assign
Homework #7, Tectonics**
Tuesday (11/19)
Unit 35: The Formation of Landforms and
Landscapes (pp. 408-414), Unit 36:
Weathering Processes (pp. 415-423)
Thursday (11/21)
Unit 37: Mass Movements (pp. 424-433), Unit
38: Water in the Lithosphere (pp. 434-443)
**Homework #7 Due**, **Assign
Homework #8, Water and Weathering**
Tuesday (11/26)
Unit 39: Slopes and Streams (pp. 444-455),
Unit 40: Landscapes Shaped by Stream
Erosion (pp. 456-467)
**Paper #2 Due**
Thursday (11/28)
Thanksgiving Holiday (No Class)
Week 15:
Tuesday (12/3)
Unit 41: Landforms of the Fluvial System (pp.
468-479), Unit 42: Karst Processes and
Landforms (pp. 480-489)
**Homework #8 Due**
Thursday (12/5)
Selected topics from: Unit 43: Glacial Erosion
and Deposition (pp. 492-501), Unit 44:
Landforms and Landscapes of Continental
Glaciation (pp. 502-514), Unit 45: Landforms
and Landscapes of Mountain Glaciers (pp.
515-524), Unit 46: Periglacial Environments
and Landscapes (pp. 525-531)
Week 16: Final Exam: *****, 204 Brehm Hall
Please refer to http://www.utm.edu/departments/registrar/final.php for any
changes regarding the final exam scheduling.