Discipline: Geography Degree Credit  [ ]
Non Credit  [ ]
Nondegree Credit  [ ]
Comm Service  [ ]
 

Riverside Community College District
Integrated Course Outline of Record

Geography 1


COURSE DESCRIPTION
1 Physical Geography Units: 3.00
 
Prerequisite: None.
 
The interacting physical processes of air, water, land, and life which impact Earth’s surface. Topics include weather and climate, the water cycle, landforms and plate tectonics, and the characteristics of plant and animal life. Emphasis is on interrelationships among systems and processes and their resulting patterns and distributions. There is a heavy emphasis on maps as descriptive and analytical tools. Students may not receive credit for both GEG-1 and GEG-1H. 54 hours lecture.
 
SHORT DESCRIPTION FOR CLASS SCHEDULE
The interacting physical processes of air, water, land, and life which impact Earth’s surface.
 
ADVISORY ENTRY SKILLS
None.

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
 Upon successful completion of the course, students should be able to:
  1. Identify and explain basic facts, rules, principles, and mechanisms of the atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere;
  2. Assess the impact of location on the elements of air, water, land, and the biosphere;
  3. Ascertain interrelationships between the four spheres and demonstrate a problem solving perspective to interconnections;
  4. Communicate geographic and scientific information correctly including the ability to articulate multiple perspectives on physical processes;
  5. Utilize geographic tools appropriately, such as maps, graphs, data, and images to develop critical thinking and problem solving skills;
  6. Apply geographic methods to analyze, evaluate, and explain spatial issues and problems in ways that demonstrate critical thinking.

 
 
COURSE CONTENT
  TOPICS
 
  1.   Shape and motions of Earth
    1.  Maps
    2.  latitude and longitude
    3.  scale and projections
    4.  GPS and GIS
    5.  rotation and revolution
    6.  time
  2.  Global energy
    1.  Radiation
    2.  Composition of the atmosphere
    3.  Seasons
    4.  Ozone depletion
  3.  Temperature
    1.  Temperature scales
    2.  Daily and annual cycles
    3.  Temperature controls
    4.  Greenhouse effect/global warming
  4.  Atmospheric moisture
    1.  Hydrologic cycle
    2.  Humidity
    3.  Adiabatic processes
    4.  Clouds
    5.  Precipitation
    6.  Pollution
  5.  Atmospheric circulation
    1.  Air pressure & wind
    2.  Global wind and pressure patterns
    3.  Ocean currents
  6.  Weather systems and storms
    1.  Air masses
    2.  Cyclones
    3.  Anticyclones
    4.  Severe weather
  7.  Climate
    1.  Controls of climate
    2.  Classification
    3.  Distribution
  8.  Vegetation
    1.  Ecosystems
    2.  Global biomes
  9.  Soil
    1.  Properties of soil
    2.  Soil water budget
    3.  Soil development
    4.  Soil orders
  10.  Earth materials
    1.  Igneous rocks
    2.  Sedimentary rocks
    3.  Metamorphic rocks
  11.  Plate tectonics
    1.  Earth structure
    2.  Plate boundaries
    3.  Plate motions
    4.  Volcanoes and earthquakes
  12.  Weathering
    1.  Mechanical
    2.  Chemical
    3.  Mass wasting
  13.  Ground water
    1.  Water table
    2.  Aquifers
    3.  Pollution
  14.  Surface water
    1.  River dynamics
    2.  Floodplains   
  15.  Landform processes
    1.  Coastal
    2.  Wind
    3.  Ice

Students are also assigned reading, writing, and other outside assignments equivalent to two hours per one hour lecture.
 
METHODS OF INSTRUCTION
 Methods of instruction used to achieve student learning outcomes may include, but are not limited to:

  • Lectures, discussions, and demonstrations in order to develop an understanding of terminology and basic processes and to develop critical thinking skills;
  • Handouts and in-class assignments in order to enhance understanding of geographic processes and concepts;
  • In-class and take home writing assignments in order to develop an understanding of interrelationships between different spheres and foster the ability to articulate multiple perspectives on physical processes;
  • Screening of selected videos/slides/power point/computer-based media to reinforce course content and to provide additional examples in addition to the textbook;
  • Conferences in order to provide personal assessments of individual students’ strengths and weaknesses;
  • Guest lecturers in order to provide expert and personal insights into Earth processes.

 
 
METHODS OF EVALUATION
 Students will be evaluated for progress in and/or mastery of learning outcomes by methods of evaluation which may include, but are not limited to:

  • Written in-class quizzes, tests, and examinations designed to demonstrate understanding of textbook and lecture material;
  • Class discussions of course content which gauge individual student’s grasp of terminology and concepts;
  • Individual and group oral presentations which demonstrate understanding of basic physical processes and insights into the interrelationships between the four spheres;
  • Writing assignments in which students demonstrate the demonstrate knowledge of terminology and concepts.

 
ASSIGNMENTS

Required Reading Assignments


Required Writing Assignments


Other Outside-of-Class Assignments
 
COURSE MATERIALS
 All materials used in this course will be periodically reviewed to ensure that they are appropriate for college level instruction. Possible texts include:

  • Arbogast, Alan F. . Discovering Physical Geography. 1 ed. any: Wiley, 2007.
  • Christopherson, Robert W.. Geosystems. 6 ed. any: Prentice-Hall, 2006.
  • De Blij, Harm J. . Physical Geography. 3 ed. any: Oxford, 2003.
  • Gabler, Robert E., James F. Petersen, and L. Michael Trepasso. Essentials of Physical Geography. 8 ed. any: Thompson, 2007.
  • McKnight, Tom L. and Darrel Hess. Physical Geography. 8 ed. any: Prentice-Hall, 2005.
  • Strahler, Alan, and Arthur Strahler. Introducing Physical Geography. 4 ed. any: Wiley, 2006.
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