Geography 180: Physical Geography Instructor: Irene Naesse Spring 2017 Office: Forum 4 Orange Coast College Drop in Office Hours: Mon 1:00-3:00; Tues & Weds 8:20-9:20 M W 9:35-11:00; 11:10 12:35 or by appointment T Th 9:35 11:00 Phone: 714.432.5032 (call during office hours, email is best) OCC Web Site: http://occonline.occ.cccd.edu/online/inaesse (Google me!) email: inaesse@occ.cccd.edu Student Learning Outcomes: 1. Demonstrate knowledge of the basic principles and concepts related to weather, climate and climate change. 2. Demonstrate knowledge of the theory of plate tectonics and its relation to the formation and distribution of landforms. 3. Demonstrate knowledge of the gradational processes of water, wind and glaciers in reshaping the landscape. 4. Explain the climate and soil adaptations of the earth s biomes. Course Goals & Objectives: The purpose of this course is to introduce you to the earth s physical processes, their geographic distributions and interrelationships. The locations of ocean currents, rainfall, tornadoes, faults and volcanoes, plant species, deserts and streams are the results of specific geographical considerations and physical processes. Over the course of this semester we will study the earth s climatic, hydrologic, tectonic, biologic and morphologic characteristics. In addition to learning about geographic concepts, this course is designed to exercise your critical thinking and writing skills. Recommended Prep: The instructor recommends that all students in this course have successfully completed all basic skills courses in reading, writing and math. This course is articulated to CSU and UC; therefore, you are expected to perform at the college level in this course. Required Texts: 1. T. McKnight & D. Hess, Physical Geography, California 4 nd Edition (ISBN-10: 1-323-27229-9 ISBN-13: 978-323-27229-1) (Copy on Reserve) Using the 3 nd Edition is fine.1 st Edition is too out of date and missing important updates 2. Nystrom Desk Atlas (2008 or more recent) Additional Materials: 1. Calculator (not a cell phone!) 2. Colored pencils (at least 3 colors, bring to each class) 3. 6 Green or Blue scantrons (3 Atlas Exercises & 3 Exams) Course Requirements: To be eligible for a grade of C or higher, all students must complete the following: Attendance and Class Participation OCC Attendance Policy: Students may mot miss more class than it meets during the week Class Participation: On time, do not leave early, stay alert, take diligent notes, no distractions Completion of 3 Exams Completion of 1 Final Project Additional Requirements Completion of 3 Atlas Exercises Completion of Homework Assignments Reading Assigned text chapters and handouts Examinations: Exams will cover material from lectures, textbook, homework and in-class assignments. Exams will be multiple choice and short answer format. Students are expected to write at the college level using appropriate organization, grammar, punctuation and spelling. Study guides, including the short answer questions, will be issued the class meeting prior to the exam. The final is not comprehensive.
Photo Essay: Students will create a photo essay illustrating and explaining the physical geography of Orange County. Absolutely no late projects will be accepted regardless of circumstances! Projects are due at the start time of class No exceptions! You are encouraged to turn them in early if you are concerned about being late or absent. See assignment handout for more details. Atlas Exercises: The purpose of the Atlas Exercise is to familiarize students with the locations of major physical features throughout the world. Additional investigative questions will exercise critical thinking and map reading skills. See assignments for directions on mapping. Atlas Exercise 2 & 3 will be posted on my website under Assignments. Readings: Readings are assigned for various topics. Students can complete and turn in reading questions for extra credit (see extra credit policy!). Answers must be typed and they are due on the day of the exam. Extra Credit: Extra Credit is not a substitute for a poor work ethic, rather a way to challenge and supplement course material for interested students. All students may select one field trip from the text to complete for 5 points extra credit. Photos from the trip may be incorporated into your final project. Students may request permission to use another location for the field trip, but these photos cannot be used in the photo essay. Additional extra credit will be assigned during the semester; however, the points will only count for students who have excellent attendance, class participation and no outstanding assignments at the conclusion of the semester. Total points for all extra credit will be equal to 1.5 percentage points. Grading Policy: The final grade will be based on the percentage of total number points earned by each student. Assignment Points Possible Total Points Percent of Grade 3 Exams 60 180 55% 3 Atlas Exercises 25 75 23 % 1 Final Project 60 60 18 % Homework 5 15 4 % Total Points 330* * note that this is an approximation. Actual total points may vary due to number of in class and homework assignments. Grading Scale: The grading scale for this course is based on the percentage of each student s total number of points accumulated divided by total number of points assigned for the semester. The percentage scale for points earned is as follows: A 100% - 90 % (Passing, surpasses expectations) B 89% - 80% (Passing, above expectations) C 79% - 70% (Passing, meets expectations) D 69% - 60% (Passing, below expectations) F 59% (Does not meet expectations) * note: 1 percentage point equals 3 points FERPA Policy: The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974 is a federal law regarding the privacy of student records. The posting of student grades using the institutional student identification number without the student s written permission is a violation of FERPA. If you wish to access your grades posted by your student I.D. number on the website or in class you must sign the waiver form. Otherwise, you will need to personally come to my office for your class grade and information.
Class Policies and Information: Unless otherwise instructed, all assignments must be typed, double-spaced, 10-12 point font with standard margins (.5 to 1 inch). Assignments turned in handwritten will be returned to the student with a zero score. Points will be deducted for assignments turned in that do not conform to the above format. Make Up Exams Students who miss either Exam 1 or Exam 2 for any reason will take a make up exam at the end of the semester. The make up exam is a 100 question comprehensive multiple choice exam and must be taken on May 26 no exceptions. All students must take Exam 3 at the scheduled time. The time of the make-up exam TBD. Late work will NOT be accepted. Student can turn in ONE assignment late in case of emergency. It is up to the student to decide what constitutes the emergency. Fill out and attach the Late Work Coupon at the end of the syllabus to your assignment. Any late assignments due to emergency must be turned in within one week of the due date. Once the late option has been used, no other assignments can be turned in late regardless of circumstances. The burden of proof is on the student if the instructor s records show the LWC has been used. This does not include the final project which can not be turned in late! Please check your OCC email account regularly or forward it to your personal email account. I do not use Blackboard. Petitioners are responsible for adding the course by the next class meeting or your seat will be given to another student. Students with learning disabilities are required to inform the instructor if they require special assistance for notetaking and examinations. No laptops or ipads are allowed in class. Students may not photograph lecture material from the board or screen. Students who wish to record the lecture must first ask permission from the instructor and sign an agreement on the use of recorded intellectual property. Be aware that recording, sharing or otherwise disseminating recordings of the instructor or students is a violation of CCCD Administrative Regulation #5500, Code of Conduct #43 & #44, and California Penal Code Sec. 632. The classroom is not a public space. Behavior that is disruptive to the instructor and other students will not be tolerated. This includes but is not limited to the following: Cell phones must be turned off and stowed in your bag during class no exceptions! Text messaging - Do not have your cell phone on your desk or in hand at any time during class! Interrupting the instructor or other students; talking to your neighbors while lecture is in progress Sleeping or working on assignments for this or other classes Handbags and backpacks must be stored on the floor not on your desk. Tardiness and stepping outside during class.use the bathroom before class. Students who are chronically tardy will be sent to the Dean of Students. Students who engage in these behaviors may be dismissed from the class. This is your warning! It is the student s obligation to file the appropriate paperwork to drop the course. I will drop the no-shows from the first week. After that it is your obligation to drop the class. Failure to drop will result in an F in the class. Important Dates Saturday, February 11 Last day to drop with refund Sunday, February 12 Last day to drop to avoid a W Sunday, April 30 Last day to drop with a W Protect your transcript! Avoid W s, F s and D s by being realistic about your classes and dropping prior to deadlines!
Plagiarism is taking credit for someone else s words or ideas. All work must be properly cited from the text or other sources. If you do not know how to cite sources see the instructor, librarians or weblinks under Student Resources. There are no group projects in this course and students are expected to turn in assignments using individual ideas, analysis and words. Anyone caught plagiarizing will be sent to the Dean of Students and will fail the assignment regardless of extent (one sentence, one photo or entire paper). This is a rigorous course in both scope and topics. It is important that you review text and lecture material each week in order to be prepared. The suggested amount of time for a college course is two hours per week per unit outside of class time. (3 unit class) x (2 hours per week) = 6 hours per week It is the student s obligation to be familiar with all of the policies set forth in the syllabus. By remaining in the course, you are agreeing to abide by these policies. Exam and Assignment Due Dates M W 9:35 M W 11:10 T Th 9:35 Homework TBA TBA TBA No Class February 20 February 20 Atlas Ex. 1 Exam 1 March 8 March 8 March 7 Spring Break No Class No Class No Class Atlas Exercise 2 April 19 April 19 April 20 Exam 2 Photo Essay Final Project May 10 May 10 May 18 Atlas Exercise 3 May 24 May 24 May 25 Exam 3
Course Schedule and Assignments Spring 2017 Chapter Reading Guides are posted on the website Page numbers are based on the California 4 nd Edition of the text This is the order that topics will be covered, you will need to attend class to know where we are Textbooks are on reserve in the library and in the reference section. Lecture Outlines are posted on the website. I recommend printing them all out and bringing them to class. Assignment Course Topics Concepts Reading Guides on Web Site Ch. 1 p. 3-17 Ch. 2 Introduction to Geography Basic Mapping Concepts Geography, Geographic Grid latitude & longitude, spheres, Maps, scale, map essentials, projections, Ch. 1 p. 17-27 Ch. 3 p. 55-67 Earth / Sun Relationships Earth s Atmosphere Rotation, seasons solstice, & equinox, types of rays, time zones Composition, temperature, pressure, ozone, climate change Ch. 4 Ch. 3 p. 67-71 Ch. 6 p. 142-145 Insolation & Temperature Solar energy, insolation, long & short wave, heating & cooling, types of transfer, latent heat, land & water differences, albedo, lapse rates Ch. 5 p. 109-131 Ch. 4 p. 94-96 Ch. 3 p. 70-72 Atmospheric Pressure & Wind Local Winds Ocean Circulation Patterns Pressure, & temp, pressure gradient, coriolis, friction, high & low pressure (cyclones) Global wind & pressure system seasonal shifts; Localized winds Santa Ana, Sea /Land& Mountain / Valley Ocean temps & transfer of energy temperature patterns on a global scale Hydrologic cycle, evaporation, condensation, humidity, stability, cloud types, precipitation, lifting mechanisms, global patterns of rainfall Air masses, types of fronts, midlatitude cyclones, violent weather El Nino Ch. 6 Hydrologic Cycle Atmospheric Moisture Ch. 7 Weather Ch. 5 p. 131-135 El Nino Ch. 8 Climatic Zones & Types Koppen classification system characteristics, Constraints & global distribution Ch. 10 p. 279-282 Ecosystems Environmental relationships, biome, ecotone, wildfire p. 292-303 Distribution & characteristics of global biomes Ch. 11 Biogeography Global distribution & characteristics Ch. 12 Soils Soil formation, components, properties, regimes, Soil types, characteristics and distribution Ch. 13 Earth s Interior Interior layers, rock types igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic Ch. 14 p. 399-430 Plate Tectonics & Volcanoes Continental drift, Plate tectonics, types of boundaries, landforms, subduction, volcanoes Ch. 14 p. 430-441 Diastrophism & Earthquakes Folding, faulting, types of stress, landforms, earthquakes Ch. 15 Weathering & Mass Wasting Weathering agents, types of mass wasting Ch. 16 Fluvial Processes & Landforms Erosion & deposition, channels, valleys, floodplains, landform development, Davis model Ch. 20 Coastal Landforms Coastal processes, transport, deposition & landforms Ch. 19 Glaciers Types of glaciers, formation, erosion, deposition, landforms Ch. 18 Arid Lands Water, wind erosion & deposition Name: LATE WORK COUPON: USE ONLY IN CASE OF EMERGENCY! Class and Time: Date: Remove and attach this coupon to your assignment when you turn it in Assignment must be received by the instructor within one week of the original due date May NOT be used for the Final Project Final Projects may not be turned in late! Once you have used this coupon, you may not turn in additional late work REGARDLESS OF CIRCUMSTANCES!