GEOG& 100 - Introduction to Geography

• Recognize and explain in written form the essential components inherent within geographic enquiry. Students should be able to identify modes of geographic enquiry and understand and identify the importance of the dynamic nature and uniqueness of place.
  
• Identify through the use of maps the locations of both physical and cultural features of the landscape. Students should be able to locate selected countries, states, provinces, cities, mountain ranges, rivers, lakes, seas, islands, etc.
  
• Demonstrate a knowledge through written work undertaken of the significant place that cartography plays in geographical studies, for instance the work of pioneers in mapmaking to contemporary methods in the use of geographical information systems and related remote sensed imagery.
  
• Recognize and identify through written work the structure of the Earth and the relevance of rock materials and tectonic forces within the Earth’s crust and the myriad of landforms and landform processes that shape the surface of the planet.
  
• Explain in short in-class tests and through the interpretation of weather maps the dynamic nature of the atmosphere. Students should be able to identify why weather and climate varies from place to place. An understanding of the role and impact exerted by the actions of humankind on climate will be discussed and students will be able to identify the close relationships that exist between the physical world and that of the cultural milieu.
  
• Explain in written essays and through discussion a knowledge and understanding of cultural environments in their many settings. Mapwork and short essays will focus on a series of case studies designed to identify the varied nature of cultural interactions both between peoples as well as between a society and its immediate physical environment.
  
• Recognize through written work and map study the spatial distribution of humankind. Students should be able to identify the major causal factors that underpin a given population distribution and density. The student should be able to explain in short essays the importance of both quantitative and qualitative thought and analysis in geographic studies focusing on demography and population.
  
• Accurately and informatively explain in written essays the dynamics of urban environments, for example the internal structure of the city and the immense growth in urban dwellers will allow the student to analyze the impact and implications of such growth on the very fabric of life in urban settings.
  
• Explain in written form a critical appreciation of the importance of the economic component within regions and its role in determining potential values, perceptions and decision-making processes in a society. Students will also be able to recognize the phenomena of globalization on the world community and the rapid pace and increasing scale of global economic integration.
  
• Analyze geographic concepts in writing and be able to use these in appropriate illustrative case study examples, for instance the peripheral position of a country and the implications of such on the geography of the area.

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