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Geography
Melanie Patton Renfrew, Lead Discipline Faculty
Los Angeles Harbor College
Summary of Identified
Issues
Geography had a good first year, and we are looking forward
to more faculty understanding and participation to improve
the transfer majors. Like any ecosystem, each organism has
its own niche, and competition arises most strongly where
the niches are very close. We hope to support each unique
contribution and work toward greater "symbiosis."
Major discussion topics included attitudes
about California community college transfers by CSU and UC
faculty, transfer preparation, evaluation of CAN descriptions,
risks and advantages of field trips in teaching geography,
and tightening equivalency requirements for instructors.
Geography's spatial perspective, physical and cultural branches,
rigor, and integrative power are generally not well understood
by the American public nor by colleagues in other disciplines,
who may reduce it to place location or think that it could
be taught by anyone.
Identified Trends/Future
Directions
Several CSU professors reported that the California community
college transfers usually outranked their own majors, which
was encouraging to the California community college professors
who are "giving birth" to the geography majors.
Concern was expressed that in order to do spatial statistics,
manipulate map projections, and other quantitative tasks,
geography majors should have more mathematics.
Four new CAN descriptors were proposed and
discussed for World Regional Geography, Introduction to Geographic
Information Systems, Geography of California, and Introduction
to Weather and Climate. The biggest debate was about Geography
of California: the issues are about academic and enrollment
"turf" and trust between the different segments.
California is widely taught at California community colleges,
but is usually taught at CSUs as a junior-level class, and
opinion varies regionally and locally about whether it should
be articulated. Some CSUs already offer a "waiver"
when it is recognized that the content and difficulty are
comparable.
Comments from Statewide Meeting and the General Field
January 19 Meeting (Metro-Cerritos)
The discussion started about geographical
patterns of transfer and how to ease and strengthen the transfer
process. Students who want to go to UCLA get in honors programs
to use as a stepping stone. The UCLA participant spoke about
UCLA's geography outreach program to community colleges started
in the 1980s, which was "life-changing," and the
national network of Geographical Alliances was born of that.
CSU Fullerton also uses graduate students from their Master's
program to teach and reach out to surrounding CC's.
Cal Poly Pomona wants community colleges to offer Introduction
to Global Information Systems (GIS). It's a natural recruiting
aid and the four-year universities have three concerns: they
do not want to teach so many basics repeatedly; there is pressure
on them to offer GIS as a service course to other majors,
and there is need to favor geography majors because of a limited
number of seats (e.g., 24) in computer labs.
CSU Northridge changed their 300-level Introduction
to GIS to a 200-level so incoming community college courses
will be transferable. At Rio Hondo, GIS has an intense program
taught by Warren Roberts, in Landscape Architecture and Administration
of Justice, a "police GIS."
We then discussed the overall decline in
students electing geography as their major. Michael Shin said
in a UCLA study, Geography showed less growth in numbers of
majors than other disciplines, perhaps because students rated
Geography 1 Physical and 3 Cultural Geography, and the professors
of these courses, as "difficult." In the 1990s,
2/3 of the geography majors were Geog/Environmental Studies
majors, but the proportion has declined somewhat. Also in
the 1990s, other area/regional studies majors competed.
A review of the Physical Geography CAN descriptor
recommend slashing "landforms" with geomorphology,
and to add GIS with the list of techniques to make it current.
In the afternoon, we were invited to cross-discipline
discussions with Economics and Political Science faculty (all
at California institutions). Many of these faculty were from
foreign countries where they studied geography regularly in
their school systems, and they queried us why the American
students were so poor in geography. We told them we have the
same students! We all contributed significant ideas about
how they can incorporate geography and can contextualize that
study. We suggested:
· map exercises,
· atlases,
· GIS exercises,
· guest lectures, etc., and
· recommending that their students take more geography.
The exchange was fun and invigorating; geographers
are very enthusiastic about our discipline and zealously defend
it.
Statewide Meeting--April 12-13, 2002 (Los Angeles)
First we reviewed Regional Meeting Notes, and summarized highlights
with the addition of information from the Los Angeles Metro
Meeting, 1/19/02 (see notes above), where there was discussion
related to ideas for field trips, the possible addition of
new CAN numbers, and an afternoon session with joint Economics
and Political Science Discipline groups. We shared what we
could do to work together to improve geographic understanding
in a variety of disciplines.
Discussion of CAN Numbers: Jose Michel, Director
of CAN, joined our discussion group and offered the following
ideas:
1. Past practice was that there was no set rule other than
four CSU or private institutions teaching the class at the
lower division level.
2. Unless there is a prerequisite, the upper division status
of a course may not be warranted. (Renfrew's note: Many CSUs
want to keep the upper division status of their course because
of money given to departments for upper division enrollments.)
3. Geography's intersegmental solution may be in terms of
numbering to facilitate common courses.
4. Find schools that are articulating equivalent upper division
courses to help transfer and establish numbers to facilitate
articulation.
5. A number of courses CANned does not mean they are all articulated.
6. Electives and core courses can be "CANned."
7. Having a course canned does not mean that it will have
to have to be accepted as applicable to the major.
8. Articulation will recruit more students.
9. Look for crossover courses and those accepted electives
that are not required as a part of major.
10. As we continue to discuss our field, academic interests
should take precedence over enrollment and funding decisions.
11. "Non facilitation of similar courses does not take
student interest into concern."
12. CANning of lower division courses does not preclude universities
from offering an upper division course of a similar topic.
13. CAN agreements may result in increased majors and larger
numbers of student transfers.
14. The end product of CAN is to encourage a proliferation
of articulation agreements and facilitate the transfer of
geography students.
On Saturday of the meetings, the group reviewed
a draft proposal of 4 geography courses: World Regional, Geography
of California, Introduction to Geographic Information Systems
(G.I.S.), and Introduction to Weather and Climate. There was
extensive discussion about CCC/CSU "turf" and transfer
issues, especially about California. Melanie represented the
CSU/UC (upper division) viewpoints as forwarded by Steve Cunha
(CSU Humboldt) and by her experience at UCLA, CSUDH, and CSULA.
Other community college faculty represented the California
community college viewpoints that if the courses are very
similar, use the same book, and are even taught by the same
instructors in several cases, that transfer students should
get credit for it as the same course. Having a CAN number
does not mandate that any particular school must articulate
it. In the end, it was decided to go forward with the proposal
of all four courses to get CAN numbers, to present the proposal
at a panel at the California Geographical Society meeting
in Lone Pine May 3-4, and see how the CSU responded.
Addendum: After this meeting, IMPAC leaders
were asked by Steve Cunha not to forward all four courses
for CAN until more CSU and UC faculty have a chance to participate
in the discussion. They argued that some did not know about
the IMPAC meetings where these CAN descriptions were discussed
and approved.
Gary Anderson led a discussion about changing
"Minimum Qualifications" for California Community
College geography instructors. The problem is with the 2 branches
in geography:, and "militant adjuncts who try to claim
territory they can't support," e.g., a historians may
want to teach physical or geologists want to teach cultural,
when they have never had geography coursework to equip them
with a genuine spatial perspective; these minimum qualifications
must also be applied to adjuncts in assigning them only to
courses they are prepared to teach. After some discussion
about the possibility of making 2 different requirements,
one for physical and one for cultural, it was decided instead
to recommend requiring a minimum of a Master's Degree in Geography.
The "Disciplines List" Review is on a 3-year cycle,
so the next review is not until Fall 2004, and this recommendation
will be forwarded at that time.
Note: Though not an IMPAC regional meeting,
these matters were also discussed at the annual geography
conference held at Lone Pine, California. For a summary of
that discussion, please see the report of this meeting contained
in Appendix A below,
or on the IMPAC website where the Geography link will provide
you with that summary:
http://www.cal-impac.org/BusGovernm/
Recommendations
for the Discipline
At the statewide meeting, participants voted to recommend
a change to require a Master's Degree in Geography at the
next (3-year) review cycle of Minimum Qualifications for California
community college Instructors (Fall 2004).
It is recommended that the following proposed
CAN descriptor be discussed at IMPAC Regional Meetings in
2002-2003:
Geography Of California (3 Units Lecture)
Introduction to the state's diversified geography
including climate, landforms, natural vegetation, water resources,
the cultural landscape, our Native American past, urban and
agricultural regions, and the economic challenges of the future.
Course emphasizes ethnic diversity; human alteration of the
landscape; and contemporary social, economic and environmental
issues, using maps and other geographic imagery.
Rationale:
Geography of California is a survey course taught in more
than 27 colleges. It is often a recruiting course that introduces
the first-time student to geography. It is also a crossover
course accepted as an element or requirement of the California
Studies major, teacher preparation curriculum, and general
education ethnic diversity requirement.
Topics for Further
Discussion
1. Desired exit skills for Geography majors.
2. Geography's role in General Education in California: strong
and weak areas, impacts on enrollments and numbers of majors,
plans for improvement.
3. Field trip risks and benefits: discussion, pooling of successful
field trip experiences, locations, and skill-building exercises.
4. GIS Articulation.
5. Additional possible CAN Descriptors with discussion of
difficulty levels and content (see below).
6. Development of A.A. or A.S. programs for geography majors
(for California community college faculty who are interested).
7. Items of concern to participants.
Recommendations
Forwarded/to be Forwarded to:
CAN:
Revisions to Existing CAN Descriptions:
Introduction to Human/Cultural Geography CAN GEOG 4
This course is a study of diverse human populations, their
cultural origins, diffusion and contemporary spatial expressions.
Topics include demography, languages and religions, urbanization
and landscape modification, political units and nationalism
and economic systems and development. Emphasis is given to
interrelationships between human activities and the biophysical
environment.
Physical Geography GEOG 2
This course is a spatial study of planet Earth's dynamic physical
systems and processes. Topics include Earth-sun relations,
weather, climate, water, geomorphology/landforms, soils, and
the biosphere. Emphasis is on interrelationships among systems
and processes and their resulting patterns and distributions.
Tools of geographic inquiry include maps, remote sensing,
Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and Global Positional
Systems (GPS).
Proposed CAN Additions:
World Regional Geography (3 units lecture)
Introduction to the world's major geographic regions. Survey
of population distribution; cultural, political, and economic
development; general land use patterns and their correlation
with environmental elements including climate, water resources,
and landforms. Interpretation of maps and other geographic
imagery; emphasis on geography's uniquely spatial perspective
within an interdisciplinary approach.
Rationale:
Over 38 California colleges currently teach world regional
geography as an introductory course. This course is taught
at a majority of the universities with the following teaching
it as a lower division course: CSU Long Beach, CSU Fresno,
CSU Fullerton, CSU Humboldt, and CSU Northridge.
It is recommended or required at many institutions for major/minors
in International Relations, International Business, Travel
and Hospitality, and Liberal Studies (Multiple Studies Credential).
There is a high degree of similarity among published texts
for this course, and it is offered without prerequisite at
every institution surveyed.
Introduction To Geographic Information Systems (3 Units Lecture/Lab)
Introduction to the use of computer systems
and software for geographic analysis; the nature of spatial
data; geographic data structures; acquisition, analysis, display
of geographic data, and examples of practical application.
The course combines discussion of conceptual topics with practical
exercises using microcomputer software. Rationale:
Geographic Information Systems is a survey course that introduces
students to the technological realm of computer mapping and
analysis. Often students begin this course without elementary
knowledge of mapping or the computer skills necessary to develop
a practical layered map. This introductory course is useful
to the college and university student alike, as a foundation
for further GIS studies.
GIS competency is now a nearly universal requirement for the
geography major, and is increasingly recommended or required
preparation for geology, resource management, forestry, life
science, marketing, administration of justice, anthropology,
CAD, computer information sciences, (CIS), fire science, surveying,
construction management, and other majors. The establishment
of a CAN description will facilitate transfer in any of these
areas by defining a level of competence with the software
and techniques.
This technology is so dynamic that current
research indicates that this course will be standardized as
a lower division course in universities and colleges to allow
more advanced applications to be taught in additional specialized
GIS courses.
Outreach presentations made by members of this group:
California Geographical Society (approx. 35 members in attendance):
Lone Pine, May 4, 2002, Dr. Melanie Renfrew (see meeting notes
below).
Appendix A
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