Geography 141:
The Natural Environment
Fall, 2011
Instructor:
Daniel Gavin (dgavin@uoregon.edu)Office: 110 Condon Hall; Phone: 541-346-5787
Office Hours: T.B.D. in 110 Condon
Lecture: Tuesday, Thursday: 8:30 – 9:50 in 282 Lillis.
GTFs & weekly lab sections (all in 206 Condon)
T.B.D.
Required Materials:
- Geosystems,8th edition. by Robert W. Christopherson (Pearson). (ISBN-10 0321706226).
- Laboratory Instructions, these will be made available to you via Blackboard. We expect you to print them up and review them before the lab section.
- i>Clicker remote control (available in the Bookstore)
- Other material will be made available on blackboard.uoregon.edu
Strawberry Lake above the John Day River
valley, central Oregon.
Course
Overview
This course
will introduce you to the major processes that shape the natural world,
including the weather, climate, vegetation, and landforms that we
experience each day.
Students will develop an understanding of the major disciplines that comprise physical geography: climatology, geomorphology, and biogeography. This course serves as the prerequisite for 300-level physical geography courses. Specific topics include:
Students will develop an understanding of the major disciplines that comprise physical geography: climatology, geomorphology, and biogeography. This course serves as the prerequisite for 300-level physical geography courses. Specific topics include:
- Weather and Atmospheric processes
- Seasons, eath/sun relations, controls of temperature including the greenhouse effect
- Winds, moisture, clouds, atmospheric stability, and the basis of weather systems
- Climate and Biogeography
- Global climates
- Soils
- Patterns in vegetation
- Global distribution of biomes
- Geomorphology
- Weathering and mass wasting
- The fresh water resource
- Landforms made by rivers
- Landforms made by glaciers
- Two exams corresponding to the three main subject areas listed above.
- Participation in in-class activities through use of the iClicker.
- Weekly laboratories will be used for in-depth learning of the topics in lecture.
- Laboratories will engage you in the tools of physical geography, including map analysis, aerial photography, interpreting weather and climate, and understanding patterns of vegetation and landforms. The laboratories will be based mostly on the Pacific Northwest bioregion.
Further information and a detailed syllabus
Department
of Geography, University of Oregon
Modified June 16, 2011
