This course is designed to advance competency and mastery of physical geography material by focusing on the primary techniques and methods used in spatial analysis. Students are tasked with gathering and processing data into meaningful information that contributes to the geographic body of knowledge by completing exercises that require critical analysis and synthesis. These exercises assess the student’s use of prior knowledge to solve novel problems and identify connection and relationships to new situations.
This course examines the variations of Earth’s global systems and how humanity adapts to operate within them. These systems differ geographically, and this course explains why those differences occur. This course benefits students by supplying them the scientific knowledge that is both basic and foundational to life’s existence. It also provides additional critical elements explaining why and how the landscape and the human experience differ over space.
Disparate environmental conditions (or spheres) across Earth’s surface shape how people operate and adapt to such conditions. This course is important because livelihoods and experiences largely depend on the expression of the intersection of Earth’s systems across space. By taking this course students learn the science explaining why Earth’s systems differ spatially and how they interact to create the unique environments and landscapes from the macro to micro scales.
"In the beginning God created..." Gen 1:1. In this course students get to see the creativity of God by learning the formulas and process God uses to keep Earth’s systems functioning harmoniously. Students learn some of the “fine tuning” employed that makes Earth habitable for the creation of life. "He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together." Col 1:17.
As students live/work in and travel to different locations, experiencing God’s creation, understanding a portion of the inner workings of that handiwork inspires and humbles His servants to worship the Creator and care for His creation.
The content of this course directly strengthens the students’ environmental competence on global and local scales. Of use in humanities calling to make disciples of all nation is a deep understanding of not just the nation, but also the environment within which their cultures have evolved.
Because this course focuses on Earth’s systems and the environment from global to local scales and how/why they differ over space, this focus may be employed as the backdrop to reach the diverse groups of people living and operating within them.
This course offers basic knowledge of Earth’s systems and environment and how/why they differ over space. Students may use this knowledge to apply the concepts and principles to their location and lived experience no matter where they are.
Students who take this course are offered opportunities through coursework to gather and analyze data where they are located and aggregate that with fellow students to begin to build a real-world picture of the diversity of Earth’s environments.
