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Orientation
         Transportation & Lodging
         General introduction to the region
Map Reading and Interpretation
         Identify locations using the geographic grid
         Identify physical and cultural features using map symbols
         Identify landforms using contour lines on a topographic quadrangle
         Plot locations using GPS
Data Collection
         Physical Data
              Collecting temperature using Fahrenheit or Celsius
              Calculating humidity with the sling psychomotor
              Collecting soil samples
              Identifying flora and fauna
         Cultural Data
              Research historical human settlement patterns
              Identify regional architecture and its influences
              Identify ethnic influences in the landscape
              Identify primary, secondary and tertiary land uses
The Physical Environment
         Regional Weather and Climate
              Latitude and Seasons
              Coastal vs. Continental location
              Altitude – windward vs. leeward
              Prevailing winds and frontal systems
         Regional Vegetation and Soils
              Adaptation of vegetation to regional climate/s and soil types
              Influence of parent material and weathering in soil
         Regional Geomorphology
              Classification of landform types
              Processes of landform development
         Current Environmental Issues in the Region
The Cultural Environment
         Historical Settlement in the Region
              Migration
              Rural and urban settlement patterns and growth
         Ethnicity in the Region
              Origin of migrants
              Cultural characteristics
         Land Use in the Region
              Role of physical environment in agriculture and extraction
              Relative location and economic development
          Current Cultural Issues in the Region

Utilize field activities to meet objectives of course content. Laboratory activities include but are not limited to:

Map interpretation
Geographic grid
Landform interpretation
Earth-Sun relationships
Weather and climate
Common rock identification
Biogeography
Plate Tectonics

At the conclusion of this course, the student should be able to:

Read topographic, thematic and reference maps of the region
Use GPS units for navigation and data collection
Collect and document physical and cultural field data
         Humidity, temperature, soil, vegetation, geology
         Ethnicity, land use, settlement patterns
Relate observations to cultural and /or physical processes
Identify cultural and physical geographic landscapes

Student participation in collection and analysis of field data and observations
Student presentations
Student field journals documenting their observations and experiences
Student research papers on one aspect of the region visited

Rediscovering The Golden State, William Selby

California, Peters, et al.