Santa MonicaCollegeInstructor: Vicki Drake
SPRING 2008(310) 434-8652 – Office DH 314 L
Web Page:
Office Hours: Mon/Wed: 10:00-11:00 am (or by appointment)
CALIFORNIA - GEOGRAPHY 14
Course Description AND OBJECTIVES
This course is designed to highlight California’s diverse regions through lectures, a field trip, slides and small group presentations. Landform provinces within California, as well as the human occupants within these provinces, will be explored. A special section will be devoted to California water: rights, laws, acquisition, transportation and appropriation. The California Gold Rush will also be examined for its social, economic and cultural impacts on California.
California will be viewed at several levels: individual places, groups of places (subregions) and, finally, broad regions themselves. Eleven geographic regions, based on landform provinces, land uses, and other traits, are recognized as the framework for this course. Through the use of geographic tools (maps, slides, charts), lectures, and a field trip (location to be determined), a regional exploration of California will be completed.
Required TextS
Rediscovering the Golden State – California Geography, 2nd edition , by William A. Selby
California Geography Supplement by Vicki Drake
COURSE EVALUATION
Evaluation is based on: attendance and participation in class, completed assignments (as directed by instructor), a group project, three exams and a final exam. The first three exams will consist of objective questions, short answer essays and take-home essay questions. The Final Exam will consist of objective questions, of which 25% may be comprehensive, short answer essays and take-home essay questions. If all of the first three examinations are attempted, the lowest score will be dropped. NO MAKEUP EXAMS ARE GIVEN. If you miss an exam, that will be the exam dropped. Everyone must take the Final Examination: failure to do so will result in a grade of FAIL no matter the grade going into the Final! Grades will be computed mathematically based on the number of points received per exam. Point totals are used in calculating grades, not letter grades.
Keep your attendance regular and punctual, absences in excess of 3 may result in exclusion from the class. Arriving late for class is disruptive for everyone, and habitual tardiness may result in exclusion from class.
GETTING HELP!
If you are having difficulty with the concepts presented in class, I will be happy to help you. Please see me after class or during my office hours if you are having problems. You may leave a message for me on my Voice Mail or contact me through e-mail. Getting help early in the semester will assure a more successful course grade!
ACADEMIC HONESTY
Students violating college policies regarding personal conduct and academic honesty are subject to disciplinary measures. Disruptive behavior in the classroom will not be tolerated and may result in temporary (or permanent) removal from the class. Additionally, cheating, copying, plagiarism (either from another’s paper, from a pre-written assignment, or downloaded from the Internet) of written assignments or during an exam will result in removal from the class, a grade of F for the semester and possible expulsion from Santa MonicaCollege. Please refer to the Standards of Student Conduct or the current Santa MonicaCollege catalog.
CALIFORNIA GEOGRAPHY SCHEDULE
(Tentative Schedule – Subject to Change!)
DATE SUBJECTREADING
Week 1 Feb 16-18PRESIDENT’S DAY HOLIDAY
Introduction to CaliforniaChapter 1
Week 2 Feb 23-25Geologic Hazards
Plate Tectonics/GeologyChapter 2
Assignment # 1 – Follow this link to the USGS Website on Volcanic Eruptions Hazards. Select Four (4) volcanic centers from the summary. Identify the Center by name, and describe the type of eruptive materials possible and, most importantly, the most probable future potential hazard.
Week 3 Mar2-4Landform ProvincesChapter 1 and 3
Geomorphic Regions
Week 4 Mar 9-11 EXAM # 1 (March 11) – 1ST ESSAYS DUE
ClimateChapter 4
Week 5 Mar 16-18ClimateChapter 4
Week 6 Mar 23-25EnergySupplemental
Week 7 Mar 30-Apr1California Biomes/VegetationChapter 5
Week 8 Apr 6-8EXAM # 2 (April 8 - 2ND ESSAYS DUE
California WaterChapter 6
Week 9 Apr 13-15SPRING BREAK
Week 10 Apr 20-22California WaterChapter 6
Week 11 Apr 27-29Historical CaliforniaChapter 7
Week 12 May 4-6California Gold RushSupplemental California’s Ethnic Groups, Cultures and Lifestyles Chapter 8
Week 13 May 11-13EXAM # 3 (May 13) –3RD ESSAYS DUE
Agriculture in CaliforniaChapter 9
Week 14 May 18-20Primary Industries and Rural LandscapesChapter 9
Week 15 May 25-27MEMORIAL DAY HOLIDAY
California’s Modern EconomiesChapter 10
Week 16: June 1-3California’s Urban LandscapeChapter 11
California’s Future – using GeographyChapter 12
FINAL EXAM ESSAYS DUE MONDAY June 8
FINAL EXAM: MONDAY June 15: 12:00-3:00PM
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