Section 63650Mondays 1:00 – 2:50 AM

Geography Five:Physical Geography Lab

About This Class…

• Physical Geography Lab is field observation and analysis of the physical environment designed to accompany Physical Geography (Geography Four).– The course consists of in class

labs an on-site interpretation of climate, soils, landforms, plant distribution, and more.

• On-site interpretation means field trips.

Prerequisite

• Geography Four (Physical Geography) is a prerequisite for this course.

• You must be currently enrolled in or already completed Geography Four to be eligible for this course.

• If you drop Geography Four or earn a D or an F, you may receive an incomplete in this course.

Class Schedule

Monday January 24

Monday January 31

Monday February 7

Monday March 7

Saturday March 12

Fri-Sun April 8-10

Monday May 2

Monday May 23

Intro

Lab One

Lab Two

Meeting/Orientation

Field Trip One

Field Trip Two

Journal Due

Journal Return

In Class Labs

• Lab One January 31– Longitude, Latitude, and Time– You will need your atlas.

• Lab Two February 7– Earth Sun Relationships, Topographic Maps,

and Compasses.– You will need your California Road Map and

your Compass.

Field Trips

• Saturday March 12– 9:00 AM to approximately 7:00 PM– Mormon Rocks/Mojave Desert

• Friday-Sunday April 8-10– 9:00 AM April 15 to approximately 4:00 PM

April 17– Northern Owens Valley/Mono Lake

Requirements

1. Attendance and ALL class meetings and All field trips is required.

2. You must turn in a photo journal.

3. You must reserve a motel room or make arrangements to share a room before March 7, 2011.

4. You must feed yourself on field trips, money or food is required.

Materials• World Atlas• California Road Map• Compass• Camera• Hard Cover 1-inch, 3-ring binder

– Recommended but not required: A physical Geography textbook

– “Introducing Physical Geography” by Strahler and Strahler is on reserve at the library for your use during this class.

Strenuous Activity Warning• This class requires strenuous physical activity.• If you have any medical/physical condition which

may impair your full participation, check with your physician.

• Field Trip One requires approximately 2 miles of walking on a rough trail.

• Field Trip Two requires approximately 4 miles of walking on several types of trails, especially up and downhill.

Parental Permission

• If you are under 18 years old, your parent or guardian must give written permission for you to go on the field trips.

Grading

Lab One

Lab Two

Field Questions

Photo Journal

________________

Total

10 points

10 points

20 points

60 points

________

100 points

Grading

100-90 points

89-80 points

79-70 points

69-60 points

59-0 points

A

B

C

D

F

Rules and Regulations

• Drop Policy– If you decide to drop the class, you must do

so formally.– Failure to drop in a timely manner will result

in a grade of an F.

• Late Work– Assignments are due at the end of class or

on the stated date and will not be accepted late.

• Graded Work– It is your responsibility to pick up graded

work.– It will be held for 30 days after the end of the

semester and then discarded.

Academic Honesty

• Plagiarism includes using someone else’s photographs in your journal.

• Students are not to share photos.• If I see duplicate pictures in photo

journals, I have no way of knowing who the original photographer is.

• Any incidences of plagiarism will be reported to the dean.

• Should you use ANY photographs or images in your journal that are not your own, the source MUST be cited.

• If you have or think you might have a disability which might impair your performance in this course, contact the Disability Services Program office immediately at (909) 652-6398.

• If you need any accommodations made, you must talk to me about them immediately.

• Accommodations will Not be made after February 7, 2011.

• You must reserve a room or make arrangements to share a room by April 1st.

• At the March 7, 2011 class meeting you are required to have a motel confirmation number.

– We will be staying at Bristlecone Motel101 North Main Street (US HWY 395)Big Pine, CA, USA 93513Phone: (866) 609-3785

Contacting Me

• I do not have office hours.

• The best way to reach me is by e-mailing me.

• My email address is listed at the top of the syllabus Lisa_M_Schmidt@yahoo.com

Contacting You

• I would like to be able to reach all of my students by e-mail or phone.

• This is just in case there are any problems such as weather or road conditions that might prevent us from making our scheduled trips.

• Please list your phone number and e-mail address on the contact information page of the syllabus provided for you and let me know which is the best way to reach you.– Make sure to hand that page in!

Drivers

• I will require four volunteers to drive.

• You must have a valid drivers license.– Drivers must provide licenses by

February 7, 2011.

• This course is designed to accompany Physical Geography.– At each stop there will be many

points of interest that relate to Physical Geography.

• We will travel to different climate regions:– Mojave Desert– Sagebrush Desert– Alpine Regions

• We will also see evidence of past climate change– Fossil Falls– Mormon Rocks– Mono Lake

• We will study the distribution of plants and animals in Eastern California.

• We will travels through different biomes:– Mojave Desert Biome– Sagebrush Biome– Alpine Biome– Riparian Areas

• We will travel across the San Andreas Fault.

• We will travel across the Garlock Fault.

• We will see tectonic landforms such as tilted fault blocks at Mormon Rocks and a sag pond at Diaz Lake.

• We will travel to the Coso Volcanic Field.

• We will see lava flows, cinder cones, and many other volcanic landforms.

• We will also travel to a geothermal area, Hot Creek.

• The southernmost glacier on the planet, The Palisades Glacier, is on our route.

• Glaciers shaped the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range.

• We will study the landforms left by the glaciers.

• Manzanar is on our route and we will stop there.

• A trip through the high desert also provides for a lesson in suburban sprawl, and leapfrog development.

• No trip to the Eastern Sierra Nevada would be complete without a lesson on imported water.

Expectations for Photo Journals

1. You will be given a list of objects to photograph. Your journal must include ALL of them or you will not receive full credit.

2. You will be given instructions for your journal, you MUST follow them or you will lose points.

3. Photo Journals are required to be typed and must look professional.

4. When you are asked to write one-page about a topic in your journal, if you do not have one page, you will lose points.

5. As an alternative to the ‘paper’ photo journal, you may create a digital photo journal-but it must be exactly as instructed.

Field Trip Stops

Mormon Rocks

Kramer Junction

Cinder Hill

Diaz Lake/Lone Pine

Manzanar

Big Pine

Mono Lake and Panum Crater

Hot Creek and Convict Lake

• January 31, 2011

• Bring your atlas to class!

• Drivers bring your drivers licenses.