What is this
course about?
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An introductory Physical Geography course is a survey of the various interacting systems that come together at the earth's surface to form the environment in which we live. Thus we talk about the four "spheres", including the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, the lithosphere (i.e. the solid earth), and the biosphere. Our concern is with the spatial patterns of environmental factors (such as temperature, moisture availability, landforms, soils, and vegetation) and the interactions that control these patterns and their evolution through time. The exponential increase in available information from all over the globe is now beginning to allow us to explore these patterns on a scale and with a level of detail that was never available in the past. This information explosion coincides with an increasing amount of evidence that human activities are influencing global climate, biodiversity, and other aspects of our environment in profound ways. Thus the subject matter that is our concern in this course has very strong practical implications for the future of human society, and it is for this reason that we are beginning to see an increasing emphasis by governments and research institutions on the study of what is referred to as "earth system science". How is El Nino related to drought in Australia or flooding on the west coast of the U.S.? How is fire in the western U.S. related to the risk of landslides? How is the weather in sub-Saharan Africa related to the frequency of Atlantic hurricanes? How is the use of nitrate fertilizer on farms in the midwestern U.S. related to the occurrence of a large "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico? What is the connection between the global carbon budget and global warming, and how might that in turn affect crops, viability of different kinds of ecosystems, sea-level rise, and coastal flooding? The accelerating power of computer technology now allows modeling and visualization of these patterns in a way that we could barely have imagined only ten or fifteen years ago, and you will be able to see some of the results as we proceed through this semester. Although many of our questions will be related to the atmosphere-ocean system, we will also spend some time looking at soils, landforms, and the relationship between plate tectonics and landscape evolution. The traditional form of this course is a three-credit lecture-based presentation of material, and there is an enormous volume of information that we typically attempt to cover during a semester. Several years ago I realized that the sources of environmental information available over the World Wide Web were so rich and diverse that they were creating tremendous educational opportunities for exploration of global patterns in real time. I therefore instituted GEOG 110H as an augmentation of the traditional Physical Geography lecture course, and for one hour each week I met with a small group of honors students and, using a series of exercises, encouraged them to explore the range of information available over the Web. Students enrolled in GEOG 110H will meet with section 101 of GEOG 110 in Lecture Hall 3 on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10-11:15 a.m., but will also meet separately on Wednesday mornings from 9 to 10 a.m. Because of the extra time commitment (including extra assignments), the honors section earns 4 credits instead of 3. What makes this an honors course? I expect honors students to take on the same responsibilities that are incumbent on all students, but in this class you will also be expected to demonstrate on a regular basis that you have read the material in advance, completed additional assignments, and given some serious thought to the topics you are studying. I don't require any prior background in science and math. I do require that you make a commitment to be in class and to participate. Assignments will be due on Wednesday; although not everyone will necessarily have a chance to make a presentation every week, you should be prepared every week to present your results to the other students in the class. If you are having difficulty with some aspect of the course, you should get in touch with me so that I can help you to resolve the problem. As honors students you are expected to take a large measure of responsibility for your own education. Therefore, during our time on Wednesdays I will expect the students to do most of the talking and to learn from each other. My role will be to pose problems, ask questions, and facilitate discussion. The goal of this course is to help you to see the world differently. All course materials other than the required textbook will be made available over the Web, and you will be expected to make extensive use of Web resources in your study of earth systems and in completing class assignments. I hope the experience will be as rewarding for you as it has been for me. |