GGY 130 Syllabus

Geography 130:

Introduction to Physical Geography

4 Credits, Fall Semester 2009

(Printable PDF version of the course syllabus on this page)

Instructor:        Mike Benedetti
Office:              220 DeLoach Hall
Phone:              910-962-7650
Email:               benedettim@uncw.edu
Website:           http://people.uncw.edu/benedettim/130/
Office Hours:   1:00-3:00 MW, or by appointment.

Lecture: 9:00 9:50 MWF, 100 Morton Hall. This course will include lectures, PowerPoint presentations, Internet demonstrations, and animations from the “Student Animations CD” packaged with the textbook. Your attendance is expected. Students are responsible for any changes to the class schedule and assignments that may be announced in lecture. Occasionally I will ask you to write a response to a “Question of the Day” in class and hand it in. These are used to randomly check attendance at the time the question is asked, and will determine the lecture participation grade.

Lab: Labs meet in 116 DeLoach Hall beginning the week of Aug. 24-26. Before the first lab meeting, you should complete the first Pre-Lab Assignment (the first blue page in the Student Workbook). Click here for a copy of the lab syllabus. Please note these lab policies:

The lab is worth 50% of your overall course grade (150 of 300 total points).
A passing lab grade (at least half the lab points) is required to pass the course as a whole.
Lab attendance is necessary and mandatory. Students are allowed one lab absence during the semester, but additional absences will severely impact your lab grade.
Your lab instructor (T.A.) has the final say on lab attendance, assignments, and grading.
Please bring your textbook and Student Workbook to lab each week.
Please memorize your lab section number ( 20_ ). You will need to write it on your exam answer sheets and any other materials you hand in during lecture.

Resources: The course textbook is Physical Geography: A Landscape Appreciation by Tom L. McKnight and Darrel Hess (8th or 9th ed., Pearson). The lab manual is Student Workbook for Physical Geography by Michael Benedetti (2nd ed., Kendall/Hunt, 2006). Students should bring the textbook and workbook to every lab session. The course syllabus, lab syllabus, lecture outlines, exam review questions, and paper assignment are posted on the course web site.

Grading: Final grades will be based on a ten point scale (A: 93-100, A-: 90-92, B+: 87-89, B: 83-86, B-: 80-82, etc.). Because of the size of this class, extra credit is not offered. Your final course grade is based on exams, lecture participation, and a lab grade:

        45 points    Exam 1 (In class Friday Sept. 25)
        45 points    Exam 2 (In class, Friday Oct. 30)
        45 points    Exam 3 (10:00-11:00 am, Friday Dec. 4)
        15 points    Lecture Participation
        150 points    Laboratory Grade
        300 points    Total Possible

Exams: Each exam will consist of 45 multiple choice questions worth 1 point each. Students need to bring a No. 2 pencil to each exam. Exam questions will cover material covered in lecture, lab exercises, pre-lab readings, other textbook readings, and questions of the day. The 2nd and 3rd exams are not cumulative; they will only cover material presented since the last exam. Contact the instructor ahead of time if you know you are going to miss the day of an exam.

Short Paper Assignment: Students will complete a 2-3 page paper in which you choose a location in the United States and discuss its climate, vegetation, and soils. The paper will be graded by your lab instructor, and will be considered part of your lab grade. The short paper is due at the start of lecture on Monday, November 9. Click here for a copy of the paper assignment.

Course Schedule:

DAY	DATE	TOPIC
W	19 Aug	Course Introduction
F	21 Aug	Introduction to the Atmosphere (Ch. 3)
M	24 Aug	Solar and Terrestrial Radiation Budgets (Ch. 4)
W	26 Aug	Solar and Terrestrial Radiation Budgets (Ch. 4)
F	28 Aug	Global Temperature Patterns (Ch. 4)
M	31 Aug	Wind and Pressure Systems (Ch. 5)
W	2 Sep	Wind and Pressure Systems (Ch. 5)
F	4 Sep	Global Circulation Patterns (Ch. 5)
M	7 Sep	NO LECTURE - LABOR DAY
W	9 Sep	Global Circulation Patterns (Ch. 5)
F	11 Sep	Atmospheric Moisture (Ch. 6)
M	14 Sep	Condensation and Precipitation (Ch. 6)
W	16 Sep	Condensation and Precipitation (Ch. 6)
F	18 Sep	Atmospheric Disturbances (Ch. 7)
M	21 Sep	Global Climate Classification (Ch. 8)
W	23 Sep	Global Climate Classification (Ch. 8)
F	25 Sep	EXAM 1, in class
M	28 Sep	Vegetation Structures (Ch. 11)
W	30 Sep	Vegetation Structures (Ch. 11)
F	2 Oct	Global Biomes (Ch. 11)
M	5 Oct	NO LECTURE - FALL VACATION
W	7 Oct	NO LECTURE
F	9 Oct	NO LECTURE
M	12 Oct	Soil Properties (Ch. 12)
W	14 Oct	Soil Properties (Ch. 12)
F	16 Oct	Global Soil Patterns (Ch. 12)
M	19 Oct	Global Soil Patterns (Ch. 12)
W	21 Oct	The Lithosphere (Ch. 13)
F	23 Oct	The Lithosphere (Ch. 13)
M	26 Oct	Plate Tectonics (Ch. 14)
W	28 Oct	Volcanoes (Ch. 14)
F	30 Oct	EXAM 2, in class
M	2 Nov	Physical & Chemical Weathering (Ch. 15)
W	4 Nov	Physical & Chemical Weathering (Ch. 15)
F	6 Nov	Karst Landscapes (Ch. 17)
M	9 Nov	SHORT PAPER ASSIGNMENT Due at start of lecture Mass Wasting and Slopes (Ch. 15)
W	11 Nov	Drainage Basin Hydrology (Ch. 16)
F	13 Nov	River Channels and Sediment Load (Ch. 16)
M	16 Nov	River Channels and Sediment Load (Ch. 16)
W	18 Nov	Fluvial Processes and Landforms (Ch. 16)
F	20 Nov	Global Sea Level (Ch. 20)
M	23 Nov	Waves and Shoreline Processes (Ch. 20)
W	25 Nov	NO LECTURE - THANKSGIVING VACATION
F	27 Nov	NO LECTURE - THANKSGIVING VACATION
M	30 Nov	Coastal Landforms (Ch. 20)
W	2 Dec	Coastal Landforms (Ch. 20)
F	4 Dec	EXAM 3, 10:00-11:00 am