Physical Geography Online at Foothill College

Physical Geography

Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less. Marie Curie

A major topic we will cover throughout the quarter is climate change. Climate change is affecting every aspect of our planet from human societies, to the living world, to the physical processes that shape and reshape the earth. We will look at feedback cycles that are accelerating the rate of change.

Class Introduction

Welcome to Physical Geography! I'm happy to have you in my class. This website is a brief introduction to the basics of the class. Physical Geography is about how our planet works. We will cover such things as seasons, weather and climate, landforms and plate tectonics, rivers, coastlines, and oceans. We will also talk about the living earth: plants and animals (the biosphere) and how they're an integral part of how our planet works.

Concepts that will underlie many of the topics we cover include pattern and process, and human-environment relations. Pattern and process refer to how geographers see the world. We first detect patterns, the what. For example, you may notice on the map of the US (to the left) that the southwestern U.S is dry and the southeastern U.S. is wet (a pattern). Then we ask why this is so? (what is the process, or processes, causing this pattern?).

Human-environment relations refers not only to how we humans are affecting the environment (and we certainly are!), but to how the physical environment affects us. For example, one effect of climate change is rising sea levels (humans affecting the environment). Rising sea levels in some cases means communities are flooded and have to resettle (the environment affecting humans).

Textbooks

Physical Geography, A Landscape Appreciation, 12th edition (Hess). You can rent the physical book or the ebook. Note, a free sample can be downloaded that will give you access to the first two chapters and most of the third chapter of the textbook while you wait for your book to arrive.
Rand McNally Goode's World Atlas 23rd edition (22nd edition is fine). Note: this book is available as a hard copy only--Make sure to order it early to account for shipping delays.
Book club book (choose one):
1. 1. - Under a White Sky: The Nature of the Future, (Elizabeth Kolbert, 2021)
    - The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History, (Elizabeth Kolbert, 2014)

If you're on-campus, these books can be checked out from the Foothill library.

Course Assignments

Laboratory Assignments

You will need to complete four lab assignments during the quarter. Lab assignments allow you to interact with the class content in a way that deepens your understanding. Completing the lab assignments successfully is often the difference between students who do well in the class and those who don't. Here are two example lab questions:

Using the map of North American time zones (Figure 1-28a) for reference, it if is 4:00 am standard time on Thursday in Baltimore, Maryland (39∘N,77∘W), what is the day and time in Honolulu, Hawaii (21∘N,158∘W )?
Why is day length so much longer during the June solstice than during the December solstice for New York? See tables 1-2 and 1-3 in your textbook (think about the circle of illumination and why day length varies as you move away from the equator--day length is always 12 hours at the equator).

Exams and Quizzes

You will have a midterm and a final exam where you will be tested on the concepts learned in this class. In addition, you will have low-stakes quizzes where you will be able to check your understanding of course concepts as the course progresses.

Final Project

You will complete a final class multimedia project on a physical geography topic of your choice. This is your opportunity to follow your interest and use your creativity to put together a visually appealing, informative, and engaging project.

Discussion Forums

Discussion Forums are a way for you to engage with each other about the course content. To get full credit for each discussion, you will need to post a thoughtful, well-written (or recorded) response to the prompt and respond to your classmates’ posts.

Book Club Discussion

The Book Club allows students to explore an area of Physical Geography in greater depth. This quarter you will be able to choose between two books by Pulitzer Award winner Elizabeth Kolbert: Under a White Sky, and The 6th Extinction. The 6th Extinction deals with the unprecedented reduction in biodiversity we're currently experiencing globally largely due to human activities. Under a White Sky looks ahead to possible ways in which humans can adapt to and re-organize a world we have profoundly changed. As you read the book, you will be engaging in discussions with your classmates.

How to Succeed in
GEOG 01

Following the tips below will help you do well in this course.

Mind the deadlines. Do not miss any assignments or activities. At the beginning of each module, you will find the Weekly Overview with an overview of topics and assignment deadlines for the week. These are also included in the Course Calendar in the syllabus.
Check Announcements daily. I regularly post announcements that contain important information that can save you time and work, help you study, and keep you up to date with what's going on in the class.
Ask for help when needed. Don't wait until it's too late. Ask early. Ask often. Ask me. Ask our class tutors. Ask your peers. Ask Canvas support. Just ask!
Follow assignment instructions. Carefully read the instructions that come with every assignment and follow them closely.

Do any and all extra credit opportunities that I make available.
--Check out the resources at Foothill College's Online Learning page for additional help and ideas: https://foothill.edu/onlinelearning/

Accessing our Course

This course uses the Canvas course management system. This is where you will access class content and assignments. You need to be enrolled to log into the course site. Our course site will be available to you a few days before the start of the quarter.

Login to MyPortal using your Student ID Number and Password
Click on the Students tab
Look for "My Online Courses"
Click on "Log into Canvas"

You should have access to a computer. While our class is mobile-friendly (and the Canvas app is great), many assignments require using online mapping sites that you will need to access with a computer web browser.

For more information about Geography or Geospatial Technology degrees and certificates at Foothill, see our Geography program website and the Geospatial Technology program website.

Questions

You can reach me at aguilaralexis@fhda.edu. Once class starts, please contact me via Canvas Inbox or Pronto (a communication tool integrated in Canvas at Foothill) as I use my school email address mainly for administrative Foothill business and it's easy for student messages to get buried in my mailbox.

I look forward to seeing you in class!

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