2011-2012 CATALOG

This is an archived copy of the 2011-2012 catalog. To access the most recent version of the catalog, please visit http://catalog.miracosta.edu

Geography

Geography is the study of the earth, including the distribution and interconnectedness of all natural and cultural phenomena, and how places are particular expressions of nature and culture. Students take courses to prepare for a major in geography or to fulfill general education requirements. With a bachelor's degree, students find career options in teaching and research, natural resource management, meteorology (weather), cartography (map-making), urban/regional planning, location analysis, and geographic information system (GIS) work.

Contact Information

Department Chair: Herschel Stern

Dean: Carlos Lopez

www.miracosta.edu/GEOG

Department: Social Science

Office: Building 3100, 760.795.6871

Full-Time Faculty

Herschel Stern

Associate Degree

Associate in Arts Degree

Geography

The Geography Program offers lower-division preparation for students who plan on transferring to pursue a bachelor's degree in geography. Students planning to transfer and/or earn this associate degree may also need to complete additional requirements or electives required by the transfer institution, as many CSUs and UCs have unique admissions and preparation-for-the-major requirements. Students should meet with a MiraCosta College counselor to identify required courses and to develop a written plan for their targeted university.

Required courses:
GEOG 101	Physical Geography	3
GEOG 101L	Physical Geography Laboratory	1
GEOG 102	Cultural Geography	3
or GEOG 104	World Geography
Select two elective courses from different disciplines:		6-10
CHEM 110	General Chemistry
CS 111	Introduction to Computer Science I: Java
CS 150	C++ Programming
ECON 102	Principles of Economics: MICRO
GEOG 102	Cultural Geography
GEOG 104	World Geography
GEOG 124	Geographic Information Science and Spatial Reasoning
MATH 103	Statistics
or PSYC/SOC 104	Statistics for Behavioral Science
MATH 150	Calculus and Analytic Geometry I
PHYS 111	Introductory Physics I
Select two elective courses from the following:		8-10
CHNS 101	Elementary Chinese (First Semester)
CHNS 102	Elementary Chinese (Second Semester)
FREN 101	Elementary French (First Semester)
FREN 102	Elementary French (Second Semester)
FREN 201	Intermediate French (Third Semester)
FREN 202	Intermediate French (Fourth Semester)
GRMN 101	Elementary German (First Semester)
GRMN 102	Elementary German (Second Semester)
GRMN 201	Intermediate German (Third Semester)
ITAL 101	Elementary Italian (First Semester)
ITAL 102	Elementary Italian (Second Semester)
ITAL 201	Intermediate Italian (Third Semester)
JAPN 101	Elementary Japanese (First Semester)
JAPN 102	Elementary Japanese (Second Semester)
JAPN 201	Intermediate Japanese (Third Semester)
JAPN 202	Intermediate Japanese (Fourth Semester)
SPAN 101	Elementary Spanish (First Semester)
SPAN 102	Elementary Spanish (Second Semester)
SPAN 201	Intermediate Spanish (Third Semester)
SPAN 202	Intermediate Spanish (Fourth Semester)
Total Units		21-27

Additional foreign language may be required for a four-year degree depending on the university.

How to Read Course Descriptions

Courses listed in this catalog apply to the fall 2011, spring 2012, and summer 2012 terms. Courses are numbered numerically within alphabetically arranged subject areas.

The bolded first line begins with a capitalized abbreviation that designates the subject area. This subject-area designator is followed by the official course number and a descriptive title. The next lines indicate the course's unit value, prerequisites, corequisites, advisories, repeatability rules, enrollment limitations, UC/CSU credit acceptance, and lecture and lab hours followed by a Taxonomy of Program number in parentheses.

Prerequisites: This is a requirement that must be met before a student can enroll in the course.
Corequisites: This is a course the student must take in the same semester.
Advisories: This is recommended preparation the student is advised but not required to have before or in conjunction with the course.
Repeatability Rules: When a course belongs to a group of related courses, students can complete one course or a combination of courses within the group for a maximum of four completions.
Enrollment Limitations: Some courses place limitations on enrollment. These limitations prevent students from duplicating course work or from enrolling in two sections of the same course in any given semester.
Acceptable for Credit: CSU means the course is accepted for transfer at any California State University (CSU) campus; UC means it is accepted for transfer at any University of California (UC) campus. Some courses can be used to satisfy general education or major requirements while others transfer as elective credit. UC Credit Limitation means credit for the course may have UC transfer restrictions; these restrictions are identified at the end of the course description.
Lecture and Lab Hours: These are the number of hours the course meets for lecture and/or lab per week.
Taxonomy of Program (TOP) Number: The TOP number is identified in parentheses after the lecture and lab hours. This number serves an administrative purpose and is not intended for student use.

The course description summarizes the purpose and key topical areas of the course, and it includes special requirements if any exist. Some course descriptions end with information about whether the course was "formerly" another course, how many times the course may be repeated, if the course is offered pass/no pass, or what the UC credit limitation is.

How to Read Course Descriptions

Courses

GEOG 101: Physical Geography

Units: 3
Prerequisites: None
Acceptable for Credit: CSU, UC
Lecture 3 hours. (2206.00)

An introduction to the natural environment from a spatial perspective. Examines processes, distributions, and interrelationships of climate, water, life forms, soil, and landforms, and their significance in environmental issues.

GEOG 101L: Physical Geography Laboratory

Units: 1
Prerequisites: GEOG 101.
Corequisite: GEOG 101 if prerequisite not met.
Acceptable for Credit: CSU, UC
Laboratory 3 hours. (2206.00)

Designed to accompany GEOG 101. Emphasizes map reading and the collection, presentation, and interpretation of physical geographic data.

GEOG 102: Cultural Geography

Units: 3
Prerequisites: None
Acceptable for Credit: CSU, UC
Lecture 3 hours. (2206.00)

This course takes a broad view of geographic patterns of human behavior, including the development, distribution, ecological relationships, and landscapes of cultural features and processes, at scales ranging from local to global. Topics include population dynamics, economic activity, politics, language, religion, folk and popular culture, ethnicity, and urban settlement.

GEOG 104: World Geography

Units: 3
Prerequisites: None
Acceptable for Credit: CSU, UC
Lecture 3 hours. (2206.00)

This global survey course examines the distinguishing features of major culture regions and the interrelationships among culture regions set in the context of physical and human geography. Principal areas of focus include economic development, geopolitics, ecological relationships, socio-cultural issues, and globalization.

GEOG 108: Environmental Sustainability and Society

Units: 3
Prerequisites: None
Acceptable for Credit: CSU, UC
Lecture 3 hours. (2206.00)

This course examines a broad range of environmental issues from multiple perspectives by using a geographic framework to study natural resources and environmental degradation in relationship to politics, economics, ethics, and other socio-cultural processes. It addresses the basic science behind environmental issues while emphasizing the social dimensions of problems and sustainable solutions. Topics include basics of physical geography and demography, exploitation of water, mineral, energy, and biological resources, and the degradation of life, land, water, and air, including climate change.

GEOG 124: Geographic Information Science and Spatial Reasoning

Units: 3
Prerequisites: None
Advisory: MATH 101 or MATH 101B with a grade of C or better or qualification through the Math Competency Exam or approved equivalent.
Acceptable for Credit: CSU, UC
Lecture 3 hours. (2206.00)

This course introduces the fundamental concepts, calculations, and applications of modern geographic information science, including geographic information systems, cartography, remote sensing, spatial analysis and statistics, and global positioning systems. The course also examines the use of critical technologies in addressing human and environmental problems.

GEOG 292: Internship Studies

Units: 0.5-3
Prerequisites: None
Corequisite: Complete 60 non-paid or 75 paid hours of work per unit.
Acceptable for Credit: CSU
(2206.00)

This course provides students the opportunity to apply the theories and techniques of their discipline in an internship position in a professional setting under the instruction of a faculty-mentor and site supervisor. It introduces students to aspects of the roles and responsibilities of professionals employed in the field of study. Topics include goal-setting, employability skills development, and examination of the world of work as it relates to the student's career plans. Students must develop new learning objectives and/or intern at a new site upon each repetition. Students may not earn more than 16 units in any combination of cooperative work experience (general or occupational) and/or internship studies during community college attendance.

GEOG 296: Topics in Geography

Units: 1-3
Prerequisites: None
Acceptable for Credit: CSU
Lecture 1 hour.
Lecture 2 hours.
Lecture 3 hours. (2206.00)

A study of relevant topics in the discipline not covered in the current selection of courses. Designed to meet special needs; content determined by participating faculty members in consultation with students and the community.

GEOG 298: Directed Study in Geography

Units: 1-3
Prerequisites: None
Enrollment Limitation: Instructor and department chair approval and successful completion of 12 units of college work with at least a 3.0 grade-point average.
Repeatability Rule: May be taken for a total of 3 units.
Acceptable for Credit: CSU
Laboratory 3 hours.
Laboratory 6 hours.
Laboratory 9 hours. (2206.00)

This course allows students to pursue a special area of interest in order to achieve specific goals beyond the scope of existing courses within the discipline. Students work independently and interact directly with an instructor on an individual basis and as prescribed by the Directed Study Agreement.