GEOG 141 Natural Environment

This course is designed to introduce geographic concepts and major components of the physical environment including landforms, weather patterns, global climates, and global flora and fauna distribution patterns. Students will apply geographic principles, theories, and methods to understand and identify the processes shaping the Earth's surface, including analysis of extreme weather events, human impacts on environmental change, and natural processes found with American national parks.

Credits

4

Course Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
1. Apply analytical skills to social phenomena in order to understand human behavior: Apply Geographic spatial analysis and scientific methods to understand the relationship between natural environment and human activity/response
2. Apply knowledge and experience to foster personal growth and better appreciate the diverse social world in which we live: Apply Geographic knowledge in a scientific "systems approach" to understand location, place, region and overall diversity of nature and resulting cultural activities
3. Understand the role of individuals and institutions within the context of society: Reading material, current natural hazard events and structured class discussions focus on personal responsibility and collective impacts of human activity. Settlement patterns affecting human alteration of the natural environment through modern technology and human impacts are investigated in scales ranging from global to local
4. Assess different theories and concepts, and understand the distinctions between empirical and other methods of inquiry: Course covers multiple scientific theories, concepts and methodology used to understand the lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere of the earth. Discussion of diagrams, models and maps based on empirical data, statistical analysis and qualitative data show how scientific inquiry supports theories
5. Utilize appropriate information literacy skills in written and oral communication: Information Literacy is achieved by Geographic Information Systems (GIS) activities, online animations, documentaries, and use of on-line data bases and search engines for research
6. Understand the diversity of human experience and thought, individually and collectively: Course addresses cultural response to scientific findings. Responses vary regionally, politically and economically
7. Apply knowledge and skills to contemporary problems and issues: Current natural hazard events are brought forward as examples on local to global scale