Curriculum and Research Vita

Geography Home

Instructor:         Dr. Joy Wolf                        

Class time:        Tuesday/Thursday:  11:00 - 12:15 pm

Phone:               595-3221                             

Email:                  wolf@uwp.edu      

Course Goals.  This is a General Education Course in the natural sciences.  This class is designed to facilitate student learning about the physical diversity and processes on our living planet.  Specifically, students will apply critical thinking skills to conceptualize the interrelatedness of dynamic systems on Earth including seasonal changes, weather patterns, river and glacial landforms and ecological processes.   My goal is to encourage you to develop learning skills to understand concepts about physical and living systems on Earth. 

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Class Activities.  In-class exercises will help you learn concepts such as Earth and Sun relationships, rock formation, map interpretation, and fire ecology.   Critical thinking questions will challenge you to think about the consequences of your own activities in the natural world and how the subject matter applies to your daily life.  These activities cannot be made up or substituted.  When working in a group, you are required to interact with each other to complete the exercises and you are responsible for your own work (cheating results in a low grade!).  You could be “pop-quizzed” during an exercise.  Make sure your group members understand the answers. 

Exam questions can be from the lectures, class discussion, group questions, lab exercises, and the textbook.  The tests are multiple choice but require problem solving!!  Read them carefully and completely.  If you have special needs or a documented disability that will impact your learning, please contact me in the first couple weeks to discuss your needs. You may want to register with Disability Services in WYLL D175.

Here are ways to success and enjoy this class:

1.  Your attendance in this class is important.   Come to class every time!
2.  Let the concepts that you learn in the lab exercises, group discussions, critical thinking questions, and quizzes tangible and applicable to your life. 
3.  You will be challenged in this class.  Read the assigned readings before class – come prepared!
4.  It is your responsibility to check D2L regarding exams, syllabus changes or course activities.  
5.  Seek out help.  Rick Vorpagel (vorpa000@rangers.uwp.edu), will be here to assist you on lab days and conduct help sessions on _____________________.  These sessions are meant to help you understand concepts that other students have found more difficult – come with questions!  Students who attend them find that these sessions improve their overall grade.  
6.  Have a sense of commitment and respect (and humor!), come to class regularly, participate, take copious notes. 
7.  Other than class discussions, I will not tolerate talking in class - you will be asked to leave.  You don’t want to miss any class time – it can result in a lowered grade. 
8.  Finally, I encourage you to talk to me if you have trouble or something is not working for you, and we will try to work it out.  I want you to do well in this course! 

Text (Required):  Elemental Geosystems, 6^th Edition, Christopherson, R.W.  © 2010 | ISBN-10: 0321633091 You can get this as either bound or unbound (3 hole punch for binder) style.  I strongly encourage you to check out the web page for helpful links and study questions: http://www.prenhall.com/christopherson

Grading:  Your final grade will be based on the following: 

25%     In-class lab exercises, thought sessions, and other activities (not including tests)

68%     Four Exams (including Final):  17% each.  No make-up tests will be given

7%     Participation and Attendance

Lectures, Exercises, and Reading Assignments – LAB DAYS SUBJECT TO CHANGE!!!!

To satisfy the goals of a General Education Course, students in this class will have competency in (at least) the following three areas.  Grading Scales are based on scores of 1 (left blank), 2 (weak answer, no effort), 3 (adequately answers question, but little to no critical thinking, 4 (includes reasoning, answer is beyond what is asked).

1.  Goal/Competency: A: Communication, Information Technology Competence - using modern   information technology to retrieve and transmit information

 

Learning Outcome: Students can use maps to read contour lines, landforms, river systems, and decipher several grid systems. They also learn about technologies of geography, such as GIS and remote sensing as ways to analyze the physical environment. 
Grading:  In the map lab, students are graded on their ability to use topographic maps, convert map scales, quantify azimuth, and understand contour lines, latitude/longitude, symbols, landforms, magnetic declination, grid systems, and use critical thinking regarding remote sensing and GIS with aerial images.  

 

2.  Goal/Competency: B: Reasoned Judgment, Analytical skills - understanding how to produce and interpret quantitative and qualitative information

Learning Outcome: As an example, students can analyze atmospheric adiabatic heating and cooling, determine atmospheric temperature at different lapse rates, or explain differences in surface temperatures and humidity, using the principles of latent heat and compression.

Grading:  In a lab on atmospheric moisture dynamics, students are graded on their use of math / science skills to quantify humidity based on scenarios and interpret data graphs, illustrate temperature and humidity changes and lapse rate with elevation, understand orographic processes in saturated and unsaturated air, and draw conclusions using critical thinking skills.  

3.  Goal/Competency: C: Social and Personal Responsibility - Individual accountability – to understand what a responsible choice is and that education and learning is a personal responsibility

Learning Outcome: Students understand that their own actions have effects on our dynamic Earth and realize the impact they have on the ozone hole, habitat destruction, soil erosion, and global climate change.
Grading:  Students participate in debates that help them identify their accountability to the natural environment.  For example, students could be assigned as ‘pro’ or ‘con’ to creating dams.  They might be on a side they don’t want to defend, but learn to listen more openly and understand more clearly both sides.   This format encourages students to consider alternative actions to their own lifestyles.    In this case, they would be graded on their level of preparedness, understanding of physical and biological systems connectedness, ability to recognize cause/effect between environment & human activity, ability to see both sides of the issue/problem, consideration of alternative activities, and use of critical thinking in the final writeup which may include an understanding of one’s own actions that influence the natural world.