Geography
106: Physical
Geography Laboratory
Class
Information (Syllabus)
Fall 2008,
version 1.0, 25 August
| Instructor
(TA) |
Paul
O'Keefe |
Josh Wixom (Head TA) | Chris Napier |
| Office | 114 Brooks | 242 Brooks | 344 Brooks |
| Office Hours |
M – 13:30-15:00 or by appointment |
T – 15:00-16:00 W – 15:30-16:30 or by appointment |
M –
12:00-13:00 T –
13:00-14:00 or by appointment |
| E-mail
|
pokeefe@mix.wvu.edu | joshua.wixom@gmail.com | christoph.napier@gmail.com |
| Sections: ;
009 M 11:30-13:20 002 Tu 11:30-15:20 003 W 09:30-11:20 008 W 15:30-17:20 |
Sections: 006 Tu 16:00-17:50 011 W 11:30-13:20 010 W 13:30-15:20 |
Sections: 001 M 13:30-15:20 007 M 15:30-17:20 005 Th 11:30-13:20 004 Th 16:00-17:50 |
| Lab Co-Ordinator | Dr. J. Steven Kite | G43 Brooks | TU TH 14:00-16:00 or by appointment | steve.kite@mail.wvu.edu |
Web
addresses: http://www.geo.wvu.edu/~kite/106syllabus.html
http://www.geo.wvu.edu/~kite/106schedule.html
Kite, J.
Steven, and
Hessl, Amy E., 2005, Physical Geography Lab Manual Views from the
Mountain
State, Dubuque, Iowa, Kendall-Hunt Publishing Company, 108 p.
Text
Book:
Strahler,
Alan, and
Strahler, Arthur, 2006, Introducing Physical Geography, 4th edition,
John Wiley
& Sons,
Inc., Hoboken,
New Jersey, 728
p.
World Atlas:
de Blij, H.J. and Downs,
R., Editors, 2007, College Atlas of the World, National Geographic:
Wiley and
Sons, 383 p.
****Please bring the Preliminary Exercises to each class. ****
**** Bring
your textbook and World Atlas to Lab. ****
****A
simple calculator is suggested for each class,
quizzes, and exams***
Class Description: Geography 106 is the lab
companion to
Geography 107: Physical Geography lecture. Both classes deal
with
the world we live in, and how it works. The lab will study the
world from
a broad perspective, examining each of the four global environmental
spheres
(atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and lithosphere), with a special
emphasis
on how these environmental spheres are interrelated. Students
will
explore atmospheric circulation and how ocean patterns determine
climate
patterns, and in turn, how climate patterns determine vegetation, and
then how
climate and vegetation influence soils. Our world is an
inter-connected
web!
The class goals are to
develop sophisticated
sets of skills, including map reading and interpretation, graphical
data
manipulation and analysis, and biogeography data collection in the
field. The
class will also help you develop a deeper appreciation of aspects our
physical
environment that play important roles in everyone's life, including
weather,
climate, and "natural" vegetation. The ultimate goal of
Geography 106 is to enable you to become a better citizen of a
delicately
balanced planet.
Geography 106 will reinforce
concepts
covered in the lectures and exercises in the lecture course
(107).
Concurrent registration in both classes is strongly recommended, but
not
required. Geography 106 may be taken after Geography 107 is
completed,
but may not be taken by students who have never enrolled in Geography
107 or an
equivalent class at another university. The format for Geography
106 will
be standardized for all sections. Lecturing will be held to a
minimum, so
students will be expected to complete assigned
preliminary
readings before coming to lab each week. Students should
consider
these readings to be a serious responsibility that must be met every
week. The lab schedule will not permit in-class time for students
who
fail to do the assigned readings beforehand. Lab activities will
focus on
problem solving, usually using “real world” environmental data from
selected
case studies in the earth sciences, many of them from within the
Appalachian
region. Web-based resources and conventional maps will be used
extensively and
at least one local field trip is planned.
General Education
Curriculum: Completion
of Geography 106 and 107
fulfills the "Lab" requirement for WVU
General Education Curriculum
(GEC) Objective
2:
Basic Mathematical Skills and Scientific Inquiry (Group B). Required
quantitative skills do not exceed basic algebra and geometry, but the
lab will
require
critical spatial reasoning and analysis of data table, graphs, and many
different types of maps. Alternately, these
two classes may be used to fulfill the "Additional
Course from Groups A, B, or C" Requirement in Objective 2 or GEC Objective 4:
Issues of Contemporary Society. Many topics in
the course are
related to
human interaction with the environment and problems associated with
global
change and resource depletion. Students entering WVU before August 2005
may
take Geography 106 and 107 to meet requirements for 4 hr. of lab
science
credits in WVU LSP Cluster C.
Grades will be determined from
short-answer dominated tests (50%),
announced and unannounced quizzes (20%), and attendance, participation,
and
graded in-class exercises (30 % total). Students will have to
work to
earn good grades in the class. Unless otherwise noted by the
instructor,
lab exercises will be due at the beginning of the lab immediately
following the
in-class exercise. Late work is unacceptable. A standard 10 point
scale
will be used, although tests may be "curved", if they are especially
difficult. The last lab test will be given during the last
scheduled
class, which typically falls during "dead week." Labs do not
meet during exam week.
Attendance is
required. If you miss a class, generally, you
will have to complete the exercise on your own time. The
individual attention and assistance available in the lab section may
not be reproducible outside of your scheduled section, but you are
encouraged ask for assistance during TA office
hours, provided you already have made a good faith effort to complete
the exercise on your own.
Missing a
test or
quiz is strongly discouraged. If you must miss a test or quiz for
a valid
reason, contact the instructor (TA) as soon
as
possible, preferably before the missed class.
Make-up tests or quizzes may be in essay format. It is your
responsibility
to promptly explain the reason for your absence, to document the
validity of all non-medical excuses, and to arrange and complete each
make-up exam or quiz. Successive absences, especially without
contacting the instructor, may lead to forfeiture of any option
to take a make-up.
Academic
Dishonesty and Ethics: EVERYONE in this class is
required to read and adhere to this pledge when taking tests:
I
adhere to all of the guidelines regarding academic
dishonesty (cheating) in the WVU University Student
Conduct Code (http://www.arc.wvu.edu/rightsa.html). I have
read and understand these guidelines. I have not given or received help
from
anyone (besides lab instructors or proctors) during this test. I have
not seen
any form of this year's test. I have not used a cheat sheet, crib note,
textbook, study guide, cell phone, radio, dictionary, or other aid
while taking
this test, unless explicitly permitted in writing by the instructor. I
have not
copied answers from another student's test or answer sheet, nor will I
knowingly allow another student to copy from my test or answer sheet.
I do not know of any other student who has given or received help
during this
test. I will report as soon as possible any suspicious, dishonest, or
unethical
conduct related to this test to a proctor, a teaching assistant, Dr.
Kite, or
the head of the Department of Geology and Geography. I understand that
this
class has "zero-tolerance" of academic dishonesty. Any form of academic
dishonesty will be fully pursued by the staff and members the
department, the
The
policy for quizzes
requires that anyone turning in a quiz must turn in the results their
own
work. Some quizzes require class attendance, and turning in a
quiz
bearing the name of someone who is not in the class is dishonest
conduct.
Some quizzes allow collaboration with other students or friends; in
these
cases, each student is held to a standard in which each individual must
significantly and meaningfully participate in group efforts that yield
answers
to the quiz questions.
Disability
Statement: If you are
a person with a disability and
anticipate any type of accommodation in order to participate in this
class,
please advise your lab instructor or Dr. Kite early in the semester and
make appropriate
arrangements with Disability Services (293-6700).
Social
Justice Statement:
Link to GEOG
106 Schedule (www.geo.wvu.edu/~kite/106schedule.html)