GEOG 112
Landscapes
Fall, 2011
| Instructor: | Dr. David Kelley |
| Contact info: | dwkelley@stthomas.edu OR phone 962-5569 |
| Office: | JRC 423 Hours: by appointment |
| Texts: | Landscapes Exercise Manual by D. Kelley |
|
Essentials of Geology by F.K. Lutgens and E.J. Tarbuck | |
| Room, Day, and Time: |
JRC 401 Tuesday/Thursday 1:30-3:10 |
COURSE OBJECTIVE
This course is designed to impart a greater understanding of the world around us by understanding the different physical components that constitute our world. It will emphasize the processes of how these components (living and non-living) interact, and a global geographic perspective of how they tie together. After an introduction to the course and to the planet Earth in general, we’ll explore the four spheres: atmosphere (weather and climate), hydrosphere (water), lithosphere (geomorphic processes and landforms), and biosphere (global ecosystems).
LAB EXERCISES
Students will complete 8 lab exercises during the semester. We will make use of the exercise manual for this course, the computing facilities in the Geography GIS lab (JRC 426), and assorted pieces of equipment. These assignments will be explained in detail and will be completed during the regularly-scheduled class period. There will be an assignment sheet for the lab to turn in at the end of the class period.
CASE STUDIES
You will have team work to complete on select case studies. Generally, these case studies give you the opportunity to explore some of the complexities associated with modern landscapes. You will be assigned 3-4 team members randomly for each case study. Working in a team requires effort; each person of the team must put forth some effort if team is to be successful. All team members will receive the same grade for the group work for each case study.
Great River Greening (GRG) is a volunteer organization that organizes native tree and shrub plantings in and around the Twin Cities. I have arranged a day of fieldwork with GRG on Saturday morning, October 15. We will be planting trees and native grasses at the Pond-Dakota Mission Park in Bloomington. This will be a required activity for this course and participation will be graded. This should be a fun and worthwhile activity in a beautiful setting, fairly close to
EXAMINATIONS & GRADING
Lab exercises 8 @ 10 points each
Unit quizzes 4 @ 10 points each
Case Studies 3 @ 10 points each
Field trip participation 20 points
Minnehaha Team Monitoring 20 points
Final exam 20 points
TOTAL: 200 POSSIBLE POINTS (I will drop your lowest score from one of the 10 point assignments)
Grading is on a curve, but based on a 70% minimum for pass/fail.
Late assignments (lab exercises) will earn fewer points, and will not be accepted after one week.
All students are expected to take exams at the scheduled time. If this is impossible due to illness or catastrophe, make-up exams may be permitted at the discretion of the instructor if the reason for missing the exam is adequate.
CLASS SCHEDULE Date Topic Format Task 1 9/8 Introduction Introductions, class outline, case study Lecture, case study 2 9/13 Earth revolution, rotation, and shape Lecture, class exercise Earth’s topography – in lab 3 9/15 Atmosphere The atmosphere: an introduction Lecture 4 9/20 Controls on air temperatures Lecture, lab exercise Lab 1: Controls on temperature 5 9/22 Atmospheric pressure and wind Lecture 6 9/27 Atmospheric moisture Lecture, lab exercise Lab 2: Precipitation patterns 7 9/29 FIELD TRIP to Minnehaha Falls Meet at Mhaha Falls Park Learn field techniques 8 10/4 Weather: normal and severe Lecture 9 10/6 Hydrosphere Case Study 1: Climate Change Clicker case study 10 10/11 Global water sources (QUIZ 1: atmosphere) Lab exercise Lab 3: Global water sources 11 10/13 The Hydrosphere Lecture 12 10/18 Surface water flow Lecture/lab exercise Lab 4: Surface water 13 10/20 Case Study 2: Salton Sea Case study 14 10/25 Lithosphere Internal processes (QUIZ 2: hydrosphere) Lecture 15 10/27 Plate tectonics Lab exercise Lab 5: Plate motion 16 11/1 Volcanoes and earthquakes Lecture 17 11/3 Soils: surveys and uses Lab exercise Lab 6: Soils 18 11/8 FIELD TRIP to Hidden Falls Take a walk 19 11/10 Earth- Fluvial processes (QUIZ 3: lithoshpere) Lecture 20 11/15 Sculpting Solution processes and karst topography Lecture 21 11/17 Processes Desert processes and terrain Lecture, lab exercise Lab 7: Deserts and water 22 11/22 Glacial processes Lecture 23 11/24 Thanksgiving Break 24 11/29 Coastal processes and terrain Lecture 25 12/1 Airphoto interpretation of landforms Lab exercise Lab 8: Landform identification 26 12/6 Biosphere Climatic zones and types Lecture 27 12/8 Productivity and nutrient cycles Lecture 28 12/13 Cycles and patterns in the biosphere Lecture, class exercise Environmental inventory Case Study 3: Ecological Footprint Clicker case study 12/16 FINAL EXAM
Class #
(QUIZ 4: processes)