Alan Arbogast courses taught

Introduction to Physical Geography (GEO 206)

The primary purpose of GEO 206 is to provide a detailed overview of the physical environment in which we live. Specifically, this course seeks to provide students with (1) an awareness of the important concepts, facts and terminology of physical geography, (2) an introduction into the way natural systems (such as climate, the hydrological cycle, soils) function at global and regional scales, and (3) an appreciation of the interrelationships between humans and their environment. If you wish to see a syllabus for the course, access here. In addition to the traditional (lecture-based) course, this class is also offered online every summer. If you would like to see a preview of the online version of this course, you can access it here.

Earth-Sun Relationships	Precipitation
Plant Geography	Soil Formation
Fluvial Processes and Landforms	Eolian Processes and Landforms
Glacial Processes and Landforms	Coastal Processes and Landforms

Regional Geomorphology (GEO 407)

This course is intended for those students who have an intermediate background in physical geography, biology, geology, and/or earth science. The major goal of GEO 407 is to provide students with a detailed overview of regional geomorphology (e.g., Rocky Mountains, Great Plains, Central Lowlands, etc) around North America. Emphasis will be on the geomorphic record from these areas and the prehistoric interpretations that can be derived.

Outer Banks - North Carolina	Smoky Mountains - Tennessee
Coastal Sand Dunes - Lake Michigan	Great Bend Sand Prairie - Kansas
Front Range - Boulder, Colorado	Basin and Range Province - Nevada
Monument Valley - Utah	Coastal Bluffs - Northern California

The highlight of the course is a week-long field trip to the central Great Plains, which takes place at the end of the semester (early May).

Included in this trip are stops in Iowa, Nebraska, and Kansas. We spend most of our time in Kansas, focusing on landscapes in the Smoky Hills and the Great Bend Sand Prairie.

To check out the gist of the field trip, follow this link.

Stream Systems and Landforms (GEO 411)

This course examines the classic themes associated with the behavior of streams, including channel hydraulics, sediment transport, hydraulic geometry, regime theory, channel patterns, river networks, and landform evolution. If you wish to see a syllabus for the course, access it here.

People and the Environment (ISS 310)

ISS 310 is an interdisciplinary course offered through the College of Social Sciences at MSU. This course is designed to provide a survey of global and regional interactions among people, their geographic location and utilization of space, and the physical environment. The primary emphasis of ISS 310 is how natural systems operate and what the human response has been. As a result, ISS 310 is a merger of Physical Geography with Social Science, although aspects of the former dominate. Political and social/societal aspects of human-environment interaction are discussed but not stressed. Significant parts of this course have more physical/natural science content than social science content. In addition to the traditional (lecture-based) course, this class is also offered online every summer. If you would like to see a preview of the online version of this course, you can access it here.

Although I usually teach ISS in a large lecture class, I also offer it in association with MSU's Study Abroad Program. The program I work with is called is MSU Summer Sports Program Down Under. This program is designed for MSU varsity and club athletes, as well as those who take athletics pretty seriously. The athletes train with Aussies in their respective sports and take my class on the side. We spend about 5 weeks down under hanging out in Sydney and Cairns. Highlights include a weekend in the Blue Mountains and 4 days in Cairns to check out the Daintree Rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef. To learn more go to this site.