SYLLABUS
COURSE # AND TITLE 155, Introduction to Physical Geography # OF CREDITS _4_
CATALOG DESCRIPTION
Interrelationship of the physical processes that shape man’s environment. Analysis of weather and climate, vegetation, classification and plant distribution, soil development and soil associations, landform features, and geomorphic processes.
Semester Offered: Fall
Prerequisites: None
Common Student Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of San Juan College programs and degrees, the student will....
Learn Students will actively and independently acquire, apply and adapt skills and knowledge to develop expertise and a broader understanding of the world as lifelong learners.
Think Students will think analytically and creatively to explore ideas, make connections, draw conclusions, and solve problems.
Communicate Students will exchange ideas and information with clarity and originality in multiple contexts.
Integrate Students will demonstrate proficiency in the use of technologies in the broadest sense related to their field of study.
Act Students will act purposefully, reflectively, and respectfully in diverse and complex environments.
GENERAL LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Students will demonstrate a thorough, up-to-date knowledge of the central concepts, theories, facts, and issues involved with physical geography. This will include an understanding of the role of physical geography within a larger social and political context.
SPECIFIC LEARNING OUTCOMES
Upon completion of the course, the student will be able to:
1.
describe the earth’s rotation and revolution and the influence the this has on insolation and the seasons
2.
explain global insolation patterns and their seasonal variation
3.
describe the composition and thermal structure of the atmosphere and oceans
4.
define a greenhouse gas and describe the greenhouse effect
5.
explain the daily and annual cycles of air temperature and global patterns of air temperature
6.
describe and explain the processes of atmospheric moisture and precipitation

7.
describe adiabatic heating and cooling
8.
draw and describe the hydrologic cycle
9.
explain why and how circulation occurs in the ocean and atmosphere
10.
define the Coriolis effect
11.
discuss current scientific theories of global climate change
12.
explain atmospheric pressure and its role in global circulation patterns
13.
describe mid-latitude and tropical weather systems
14.
explain the hazards associated with extreme weather and how best to manage these events
15.
describe basic global climates
16.
describe how topography and the oceans influence weather and climate
17.
describe the world’s major climatic zones, including the general location and why they occur where they occur
18.
explain how climate and sea level interact
19.
describe the formation, characteristics, and effects of an El Niño event
20.
discuss the evidence for climate change
21.
describe the carbon cycle (including photosynthesis, respiration, outgassing from volcanoes, combustion, sequestering in rocks) and how humans have affected it
22.
describe the nitrogen cycle and how humans have affected it
23.
describe the oxygen cycle and how it interacts with the carbon cycle
24.
define ecosystem, biome, and keystone species
25.
describe the world’s major biomes, including where they occur and how they correlate with climatic zones
26.
explain the concept of plate tectonics, including types of plate boundaries, the characteristics of those boundaries, the driving forces of plate tectonics, and the unresolved issues
27.
interpret the distribution of earthquakes and volcanoes
28.
describe mountain building in terms of plate tectonics
29.
describe hot spots and locate at least two
30.
draw and describe the rock cycle, including rock types and processes
31.
distinguish between internal and external earth processes and connect those processes to topography
32.
define igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks and give examples of each
33.
describe the differences between mechanical and chemical weathering, and illustrate how each process contributes to erosion
34.
label major soil horizons and list their characteristics
35.
describe how soils develop according to the climate and local rock type
36.
describe different types of mass wasting, controls and triggers, and the hazards associated with each
37.
identify and describe the formation of volcanic landforms based on topographic maps and photographs
38.
describe fluvial processes and identify fluvial landforms based on topographic maps and photographs
39.
classify features of a river system including tributaries, main stem, terraces, base level, competence, capacity, meanders

40.
explain how human alterations such as dams and levees affect the evolution of a river
41.
identify and describe the formation of groundwater-related landforms based on topographic maps and photographs
42.
locate major deserts around the world and describe why they occur where they do
43.
describe how desert features such as sand dunes, desert pavement, and ventifacts form
44.
identify and describe the formation of glacial features based on topographic maps and photographs
45.
describe coastal processes including longshore drift and wave action
46.
contrast features of emergent and submergent coastlines and relate these coastlines to plate tectonics
47.
explain the hazards associated with different types of landforms and earth processes had how these phenomena might influence locating a dwelling.
48.
discuss the pros and cons of large-scale human intervention into natural processes, such as building dams, levees, and jetties, and suggest long-term alternatives
49.
discuss the differences between science and policy in information about environmental issues
50.
draw connections between earth cycles (such as the hydrologic cycle, rock cycle, carbon and nitrogen cycles) using a modern example
51.
use word processing, data base management, and presentation software
52.
read and interpret both reference and thematic maps
53.
read and interpret scientific charts and graphs
54.
create scientific charts and graphs using commonly available software
55.
write a structured scientific paper
56.
view and interpret remote sensing images
Syllabus developed by Daphne White Date: 10/1/04
Syllabus reviewed by _____________________ Date: _____________________
A current syllabus must be on file in the dean’s office for every course being taught during a given semester.