FALL 2015, 8 Weeks, 8/25-10/15: GEOG 1: Physical Geography CRN 20426
Professor Elizabeth Lobb
Email: elobb@mtsac.edu; Course Website: http://faculty.mtsac.edu/elobb/geography1.html
Office: 26D-2481L, Office Hours: Tu/Th 7am – 8am, and 2:45pm – 3:15pm; Wed 10am – 11am (online)
I. COURSE DESCRIPTION & OBJECTIVES:
This course is an introduction to Physical Geography with a goal of providing an understanding of the basic
elements and processes that govern the physical environment of the Earth. Concerns over the physical
environment and humans’ role within it are of particular concern as human population growth and changing
consumption patterns place ever-increasing demands on the physical environment. In this context, people
will be forced to make difficult choices about how resources will be used and in what sort of environment
they wish to live.
The first half of the course is primarily concerned with general atmospheric circulation and its impact on
weather and the systems, which make up the Earth’s climate regions. The final half of the course is
concerned with the overriding concepts of plate tectonics, volcanism and the shaping of the physical
landscape through processes of erosion and deposition.
II. STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Upon completion of Geography 1, students are expected to:
1. Examine the physical forces and processes that operate within the natural environment.
2. Recognize and identify how physical processes differ from place to place on the globe.
3. Apply geographical methodology in the interpretation of spatial relationships involving distance,
area, and direction on the earth’s surface.
4. Students will evaluate the impact of science on their daily lives.
III. COURSE READING:
Visualizing Physical Geography, 2nd edition, Strahler & Foresman. Wiley Publisher.
The textbook can be purchased at the Mt SAC Bookstore new for $100. You can find it online for as little as
$35 (eBay) or $55 (Amazon). Currently the Mt SAC bookstore does not offer this textbook as a rental. The
book is also available at the Mt SAC Library, at the Reserve Desk.
IV. COURSE EVALUATION
Your performance in the course will be assessed through the following:
3 Quizzes
100 points (14%)
5 20-point Map Quizzes
100 points (14%)
3 100-point Exams
300 points (41%)
7 Homework Assignments
140 points (19%)
2 Writing Assignments (50 points each
100 points (14%)
TOTAL
740 points
V. GRADES
A= 90% - 100%
B= 89 – 80%
C= 79 – 70%
D= 69% - 60%
VI. COURSE POLICIES
1. No makeup exams or quizzes are given. Please arrange your schedule so that you will be in class on
the days these assessments are given.
2. There is a zero-tolerance policy regarding plagiarism in this course. ANY evidence of plagiarism will
result in an automatic “F” in the course and possible suspension from the College.
3. No late work of any kind will be accepted.
4. Cell phones must be turned OFF.
5. Laptops may be used for note taking purposes, ONLY.
6. Audio recording requires PERMISSION of instructor.
VII. WRITING ASSIGNMENT
Writing assignments should be 3-4 pages in length. These papers should be original (your OWN work).
The paper should include a Works Cited page with a minimum of 3 sources (Wikipedia and the textbook
are not acceptable sources). Sources for your papers must be from vetted, journalistic sources (any major
newspaper or scientific or academic journal).
Writing Assignment #1: Due Week 5. Comparison/Contrast paper—choose one of the following scenarios
to compare and contrast the place’s climate patterns and the major controls creating this climate: 1) Two
places that are at the same latitude or 2) Two places that have the same Strahler climate type.
Writing Assignment #2: Due Week 8. Choose one of the following natural hazards and discuss its origins
and/or causes as well as the potential human and environmental impacts of a major event:
San Andreas Fault
Cascadia Fault
Puente Hills Fault
Mount Rainier
Mount Popocatepetl
New Madrid Fault
VIII. MAP ASSIGNMENTS
The fundamental requirement for geographic inquiry is being able to locate features and places on a map.
There will be five map quizzes over the next 8 weeks. The list of places you’ll need to know for each map
quiz can be found at the end of the syllabus.
IX. SCHEDULE OF TOPICS AND READINGS
WEEK
TOPIC
1
8/25
Discovering the Earth’s Dimensions
8/27
The Earth’s Global Energy Balance
READINGS
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
2
9/1
9/3
Air Temperature
Atmospheric Moisture & Precipitation
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
3
9/8
9/10
Exam #1
Global Atmospheric & Oceanic Circulation
Chapter 5
4
9/15
9/17
Weather Systems
Global Climates
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
5
9/22
9/24
Global Climates, cont.
Exam #2
6
9/29
10/1
The Earth from the Inside Out
Plate Tectonics, Earthquakes and Volcanoes
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
7
10/6
10/8
Weathering and Mass Wasting
Fresh Water of the Continents
Landforms Made by Running Water
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
8
10/13
10/15
Glacial and Periglacial Landforms
Exam #3 (Final Exam)
Chapter 14
SCHEDULE OF ASSIGNMENTS
Thursday, August 27th
Map Quiz 1
Tuesday, September 1st
Turn in Homework 1 & 2
Quiz 1 (chapters 1 & 2)
Thursday, September 3rd
Map Quiz 2
Tuesday, September 8th
Turn in Homework 4
EXAM #1 (chapters 1-4)
Thursday, September 17th
Turn in Homework 5 & 6
Quiz 2 (chapters 5 & 6)
Tuesday, September 22nd
Map Quiz 3
Thursday, September 24th
Turn in Homework 7
EXAM #2 (chapters 5-7)
Tuesday, September 29th
Paper #1 due
Thursday, October 1st
Map Quiz 4
Thursday, October 8th
Turn in Homework 9
Quiz 3 (chapters 8, 9, 10)
Tuesday, October 13th
Map Quiz 5
Thursday, October 15th
EXAM #3 (final exam, chapters 8-12, 14)
Paper #2 due
***SYLLABUS SUBJECT TO CHANGE AT THE DISCRETION OF THE PROFESSOR***
Map #1: Oceans and Seas
Pacific Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
Indian Ocean
Arctic Ocean
Caribbean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
South China Sea
Bering Sea
Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of California
East China Sea
Yellow Sea
Labrador Sea
North Sea
Baltic Sea
Red Sea
Persian Gulf
Black Sea
Adriatic Sea
Aegean Sea
Gulf of Oman
Arabian Sea
Bay of Bengal
Java Sea
Philippine Sea
Tasman Sea
Dead Sea
Gulf of Aden
Map #2: Regions, Deserts and Steppes
North America
South America
Europe
Asia
Africa
Southeast Asia
Arctic Circle
Antarctic Circle
Sahara
Atacama
Mojave
Sonoran
Nubian
Arabian
Northern European Plain European Steppes
Central America
Southwest Asia
Antarctica
Prime Meridian
Taklimakan
Namib
Great Sandy
Sahel
Caribbean
South Asia
Australia
International Date Line
Gobi
Kara Kum
Kalahari
Map #3: Islands, Peninsulas, and Plateaus
Greenland
New Guinea
Baffin
Sumatra
Ellesmere
Solomon Islands
Australia
Polynesia
Sardinia
New Zealand
Newfoundland
Cuba
Mindanao
Ireland
Galapagos
Colorado Plateau
Ethiopian Plateau
Sinai
Iberian
Sri Lanka
Tierra del Fuego
Borneo
Honshu
Tasmania
Micronesia
Celebes
Luzon
Sakhalin
Tibetan Plateau
Kamchatka
Baja California
Map #4: Tectonic and Volcanic Landforms
Mt Everest
Godwin Austin (K2)
Mt. Kilimanjaro
Mt. Kenya
Mt. Pinatubo
Mt. Vesuvius
Matterhorn
Mt. Whitney
Sierra Nevada Mountains Rocky Mountains
Andes Mountains
Guiana Highlands
Atlas Mountains
Alp Mountains
Himalaya Mountains
Hindu Kush Mountains
Verkhoyansk Mountains Pyrenees Mountains
Great Basin (North America)
Mt. Lhotse
Mt. McKinley
Mr. Citlaltepetl
Mt. Fuji
Mt. Etna
Mt. Elbrus
Mauna Loa
Mt. Kosciusko
Sierra Madres (Oriental/Occidental)
Brazilian Highlands
Great Rift Valley
Ural Mountains
Carpathian Mountains
Caucasus Mountains
Great Dividing Range
Cascade Mountains
Appalachian Mountains
Map #5: Rivers
Nile
Mississippi
Parana
Rio Grande
Euphrates
Lake Superior
Lake Nyasa
Lake Poopo
Chang Jiang (Yangtze)
Mekong
Yukon
Danube
Orinoco
Lake Michigan
Lake Ontario
Amazon
Congo
Volga
Indus
Tigris
Lake Huron
Lake Erie
Lake Baykal
Madagascar
Great Britain
Cape Verde Islands
Melanesia
Java
Iceland
Hawaii
Kimberley Plateau
Yucatan
Patagonia
Huang Ho (Yellow)
Niger
St Lawrence
Brahmaputra
Caspian Sea
Aral Sea
Lake Titicaca