Mark W. Williams

Department of Geography and

Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research

University of Colorado at Boulder

SYLLABUS: GEOG 3251: MOUNTAIN GEOGRAPHY

Instructor: Mark Williams
Telephone: 492-8830
Office Hours: MW 1-1:45pm
Where: Gugg 203 E-mail: markw@snobear.colorado.edu
web site: http://snobear.colorado.edu/Markw/mark.html

Teaching Assistant

• Rory Cowie
• E-mail: Rory.Cowie@Colorado.EDU>
• Telephone: (Gugg): 492-6854
• Room: Guggenheim 310, 3rd floor
• Office Hours: 1:30 to 3pm, MW

Text (required):

None. Use web notes.

Mountain geography presents a geographic overview of major mountain ranges in the world, and provides an introduction to the physical, biological, and anthropological processes that shape these mountain environments. Changes in the mountain environment caused by humans will be evaluated and land use strategies to minimize these human impacts will be discussed. There are no prerequisites for Mountain Geography. Students should take this course who are interested in the geologic origin of mountains, the erosional processes that shape mountains, vegetation and animal life in mountains, and resource problems and mitigation efforts in mountainous areas. My intent with this course is to provide incentives for you to pursue more detailed classes in physical and human geography, biology, geology and anthropology.

The course is primarily lectures, supplemented with a lot of slides, videos, and other media. Course material will be presented in two sections: i) an overview of the physical, ecological, and cultural processes that produce and shape mountains and the people that live in those mountains, and ii) investigation of these processes in specific mountain ranges. Several guest lectures will present material; the order of lectures will undoubtedly be changed to accomodate their schedules. The emphasis of the course will be primarily on material presented in class. Regular attendance is therefore suggested, since much of the material presented in class is not covered in the text. Exams will emphasize memory, understanding, and to a lesser extent the ability to apply knowledge in a new context. The exam format will consist of multiple choice, short answer, and essay questions. Test questions are based on lecture material and to a lesser extent on reading. Tests are comprehensive and long; there will be questions from each lecture.

Midterm 1, 1999

Midterm 2, 1999

Midterm 3, 1999

Final, 1999

Review Questions, 2003