Geography 1710.005 – Fall 2026
Course Syllabus Lyceum, University Union, TuTh 11:10AM - 12:30PM
INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Harry Williams Office: EESAT 210G Email: HarryF.Williams@unt.edu Class Canvas page: GEOG 1710.005:
access to online quizzes, quiz and exam scores and reviews and class
announcements. You cannot access lectures on Canvas; the class Canvas page does
not include lab grades. Office hours: T, TH 2-4, and by
appointment. COURSE DESCRIPTION: the Earth Science
class is a broad introduction to the study of the physical characteristics of
the earth. It includes the lithosphere (rocks, soil), atmosphere, hydrosphere
(oceans, lakes, rivers, rainfall) and biosphere (plants). The first part of the
course deals mainly with weather. The second part concerns geology and
landforms of rivers, deserts and coasts. COURSE OBJECTIVE: the objective of the
course is to gain a basic understanding of the major features, processes and
interactions of the physical environment of the earth's surface. COURSE GRADE: your grade will be based
on your lab grade, lecture quizzes and lecture exams. LABS: You must be registered for an earth
science lab - the lab is worth 30% of your final grade. Labs give you
hands-on experience on a variety of earth science topics e.g. finding locations
on campus and on a globe, making weather observations, analyzing soils. Teaching,
testing and grading of lab work is the responsibility of your lab TA (Teaching Assistant).
Labs are 1 hour, 20 minutes and are scheduled in room 390 in the Environmental
Science Building (EESAT). Note that every week there are pre-lab and post-lab
assignments to be completed on your lab Canvas page. Labs begin in week 2,
but there are pre-lab activities, so check the lab Canvas page before attending
your first lab. LECTURE QUIZZES: a short quiz follows every lecture. Quizzes are on
canvas. Each quiz opens at the end of a lecture and closes 24 hours later. You
are encouraged to take good notes during lectures; you may refer to your notes
when answering the quizzes. The 22 quizzes are worth 33% of your final grade
(1.5% each). LECTURE EXAMS: there are seven
multiple-choice lecture exams, worth 37% of your final grade (5.3% each). Exams
will consist of 50 multiple-choice questions selected from preceding quizzes
and lectures. Exams are closed book (no notes). Exams are taken in class. Scantrons
will be supplied. An exam review will be posted on canvas about a week before
each exam. ATTENDANCE: attendance is required in this class. Students with
three or more unexcused* absences may be dropped from the course (* some
absences, e.g. illness, may be excused; “official” documentation
must be provided, e.g. doctor’s note). Roll will be taken at the
beginning of selected lectures. COURSE TEXT BOOK: Required: None; Optional: Christopherson, R.W. and
Birkeland, G.H. 2015. Geosystems, 9th edition. This is an older edition of this
book; inexpensive used copies can be found online. Most of the lecture material
is based on this book. This book is not required; it is simply suggested for
students who like to have a textbook to accompany the lectures. LAB MANUAL: Department of Geography, University of North Texas Earth
Science Laboratory Manual, 31st edition. Extra Credit: The Department of Geography and the
Environment does not allow extra credit assignments (work not specified on a
course syllabus).
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