Geog 1104 syllabus

Geography 1104: Introduction to Physical Geography
Course Syllabus
Meeting Place: McBryde 136

Course objective:
Geography 1104 provides a general introduction to the earth's physical landscape including climate, landforms, and vegetation, and the processes that link them. These environmental components represent the three main branches of contemporary physical geography: climatology, biogeography, and geomorphology. The main objective of the course is for students to gain a basic understanding of the natural processes and human activities that shape physical landscape so that they can evaluate landscapes based on that knowledge. Students will also learn to recognize and analyze environmental patterns. Human-environment relationships will be a prominent and recurrent theme in the course, so we will consider such topics as human impacts on climate, ecosystems, and the earth's surface, and the societal impacts of natural hazards (such as hurricanes, floods, landslides, earthquakes, and volcanism). This course is essential for more advanced studies in geography and will be useful as background knowledge in many other disciplines including both natural and social sciences. At a minimum, you will leave the course with a better understanding and appreciation of the landscapes around you.

Text: TBA each semester

The text will support my lectures. Students will be asked to consult internet sites and do other reading to be assigned during the semester.

Requirements and assessment:
The course grade will be based on three exams of equal value and five homework exercises. I will also consider attendance and participation (including occasional in-class assignments) in assigning borderline grades. Attendance will be recorded randomly at class meetings.

Exercises	25%
Exam 1	25%
Exam 2	25%
Final Exam	25%

Exercises are distributed in class or on Blackboard. It is the student's responsibility to find out about exercises and due dates. Exercises are to be completed independently unless otherwise directed. Due dates (usually 1 week later) will be assigned upon distribution. The exams will focus on material covered in that section, but each section builds on the previous one, so some overlap is unavoidable. Exams will be based primarily on lecture material, but assigned readings, exercises, web site material, and any video material may also be tested. I strongly urge you to attend class regularly. Missed lectures will almost certainly result in lower grades on exams and exercises. Class notes will not be available from the instructor or TA.

Exam policy:
I do not give make-up exams except in the case of a verifiable emergency. For example, if you are sick, you must bring a doctor's excuse that shows the date and time corresponding to the exam period, or a doctor's note stating that you were too sick to participate, to the next class that you are able to attend. Other types of emergencies will also need documentation. If you are going to miss an exam, you should contact me by email unless it is impossible. Make-up exams are typically in essay format unless absence has been pre-approved and exam taken in advance. In-class exams are primarily multiple choice. You may not make up a missed final exam.

Use of "Blackboard":
All participants of the course will use the Blackboard system to receive communication from the instructor (by email and announcement), for dissemination of course materials, for grade review, and possibly for other purposes to be announced. You are responsible for looking at the "Announcements" page for our course on a regular basis, and for reading emails in a timely fashion.

Two important notes:
1) It is of the utmost importance that you adhere to the Virginia Tech Honor Code in this course; cheating will not be tolerated; 2) Students with special needs should contact CAEE (231-4133) for assistance.

TOPICS

Part 1: Weather Processes and Patterns

Introduction, earth-sun relationships, the atmosphere, human-caused and natural atmospheric changes

Energy balance, temperature patterns

Pressure and winds, atmospheric and oceanic circulation, El Nino-Southern Oscillation

Atmospheric moisture and precipitation

Weather, air masses and fronts, mid-latitude and tropical cyclones, severe weather

Part 2: Global Climates and Biomes

Global climates and biomes, biogeography, human impacts on ecosystems

Part 3: Landforms and Surface Processes

Earth structure and dynamics, volcanism, earthquakes, mountains, natural hazards

Karst, weathering, mass movements, human-environment interaction

River (fluvial) systems, human influence on rivers, the "dam" truth