Geography Announcements, 9/14/08
New 9/14/08 Announcements, Syllabi, China Map Comparison Exercise
1. Links
Fall 2008 Syllabi
Geography 1 Physical Geography Syllabus (MW 9:35, 11:10, 5:20)
Geography 7 World Regional Geography Syllabus (W 7-9:45 p.m.)
Geography 15 Physical Geography Laboratory Syllabus (M 7-9:45 p.m.)
2. Textbooks: A few Earth books are in the bookstore, and more of all Geog 1 & 7 books and atlases have been ordered, so check at the end of the week: 310-233-4170.
3. On Library Reserve: For Geography 7, several copies of an earlier, longer textbook, Salter & Hobbs’ Essentials of World Regional Geography, are at the Circulation Desk, and you may use maps of China’s Population, Climates, & Biomes on pp. 274 and 278.
4. Field trip dates will be announced soon! Watch this website, and the board in class.
5. IMPORTANT: I am your professor, cheerleader, and coach, but not your mom. I will not do the work for you or give grades you do not earn. STUDENTS WHO DO NOT STUDY are like many people I know in L.A., sadly, in their 40s and 50s even, who are not married or in an interesting job because they will not act on their feelings, pursue a dream, or even try. It is a mythical delusion that “magic” or “fate” will somehow cause a happy marriage and career to “happen,” and if year after year it does not, they give in to the misunderstanding, “Maybe it wasn’t ‘meant’ to be.”
I would like to ask, “Just who would ‘mean’ them not to be happy or successful?” It’s as ludicrous as if potential Olympic athletes sat back, watched TV, never worked out, and concluded, “Maybe it wasn’t meant to be”!
In today’s global economy, it’s “survival of the fittest.” Darwin didn’t think that up, “nature” did. The creatures who didn’t figure it out, died. We are “created to create,” to reproduce our creativity and thrive, but we need to develop our own skills to get good enough jobs. In geography classes, I try to teach you not just about geography, but about how to be smart about life, and make good decisions! Don’t buy a house on a cliff. Save your money to travel! Get a frequent-flier credit card so you can accumulate “miles” or points every time you purchase anything, and over the years, you’ll get award seats free! Use the “scientific method” when you check out possible mates to date: make observations, gather data, test out your hunches. Intuition is good, but test it out with facts. Treasure your family above all else, because that’s where we most experience God’s love and mercy.