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

General Education Requirements

Sci/Math/CS Non-Lab

Course Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

1. Apply geographic analysis skills and scientific methodology to build a scientific appraisal of the natural environment

2. Interpret the interconnectedness between natural processes by utilizing a “systems approach” to illustrate natural phenomena across regions

3. Develop & model a comprehensive demonstration of how various natural processes continually shape landscapes, both spatially and temporally

4. Explain principles of scientific theories and processes, distinguishing between empirical and theoretical methods

5. Model scientific literacy through project-based research and presentation

6. Explain major concepts related to systems and cycles of atmospheric events, tectonic processes, landform evolution, glaciation, and the biosphere

7. Articulate the connections between human activities and their impacts on the natural environment