2012-2013 CATALOG

This is an archived copy of the 2012-2013 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 OC3100, 760.795.6871

Full-Time Faculty

Herschel Stern

How to Read Course Descriptions

Courses listed in this catalog apply to the fall 2012, spring 2013, and summer 2013 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 64 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 75 hrs paid or 60 hrs non-paid work per unit.
Enrollment Limitation: Instructor, dept chair, and Career Center approval. May not enroll in any combination of cooperative work experience and/or internship studies concurrently.
Acceptable for Credit: CSU

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)

This course gives students an opportunity to study topics in Geography that are not included in regular course offerings. Each Topics course is announced, described, and given its own title and 296 number designation in the class schedule.

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.