Whatcom Community College
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Geography Pathway
This pathway assumes:
- You will be a full-time student.
- You will start in the fall.
- You are ready to take 100- and 200-level classes.
If not, you can still complete the pathway! You will just need to make adjustments. Talk with your advisor to customize your plan.
GEOGRAPHY, ASSOCIATE IN ARTS & SCIENCES (AAS/DTA) (90 CREDITS)
Follow this recommended pathway to earn the AAS/DTA degree and prepare for a university major in geography. Or you can customize your plan even more. Talk with your advisor about adapting it for your individual goals.
Quarter 1
EDPL 100 College Success (2 credits)
| Description | Designed for students new to the college environment. Introduction to college services; study skills and time management; educational planning and career exploration; and skills necessary to become a successful student. Lectures, small group discussion, and experiential exercises. (UE) |
| Enrollment Requirements | None |
| Course Attributes |
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GEOG& 100 Introduction to Geography (5 credits)
| Description | Introduction to basic principles of physical and human geography. Covers patterns of settlement, population, resource and economic development, climates, and landforms. (SSgs) |
| Enrollment Requirements | None |
| Course Attributes |
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ENGL& 101 English Composition I (5 credits)
| Description | This course helps students become more effective writers in academic and professional settings. Students learn to enter ongoing academic conversations, analyze and use secondary sources to formulate, develop, revise, and communicate ideas in writing, and shape their message to different purposes, audiences, and media. (CC) |
| Enrollment Requirements | Completion of ENGL 95 or placement in ENGL& 101. |
| Course Attributes |
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CMST& 101 Introduction to Communication (5 credits)
| Description | Fundamental course in communication theory. Students will apply knowledge in variety of settings including interpersonal, public speaking, and small group communication. Recommended preparation: placement in ENGL& 101. (OC) |
| Enrollment Requirements | None |
| Course Attributes |
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Total credits this quarter: 12-17
Course note: EDPL 100 is optional, but it can be very helpful if you don't have a lot of college experience. Take it with two or three of the other courses.
Career exploration: Find your people! Attend area-of-study activities and connect with clubs related to your career goals.
Action item: Meet with your advisor to build your degree plan.
Action item: Have your transfer-in credits officially evaluated.
Quarter 2
GEOG& 102 World Regional Geography (5 credits)
| Description | Formerly GEOG 105. This course is a study of the world in terms of its physical, historical, cultural, economic, and environmental factors. Focus is on each region of the world and how its residents create their own cultural landscape. (SSgs) |
| Enrollment Requirements | None |
| Course Attributes |
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ENGL 201 Advanced Composition (5 credits)
| Description | This course helps students become more effective communicators through the production of various forms and mediums of writing. Students develop effective rhetorical strategies through analysis of texts and contexts, as well as engaging in independent research as part of meaningful and ethical scholarship. (CC) |
| Enrollment Requirements | Completion of ENGL& 101 with a minimum grade of C-. |
| Course Attributes |
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MATH& 146 Introduction to Stats (5 credits)
| Description | Rigorous introduction to statistical methods and hypothesis testing. Includes descriptive and inferential statistics. Tabular and pictorialmethods for describing data; central tendencies; mean; modes; medians; variance; standard deviation; quartiles; regression; normal distribution; confidence intervals; hypothesis testing, one and two-tailed tests. Applications to business, social sciences, and sciences. (QSR,MS) |
| Enrollment Requirements | Completion of MATH 088 or MATH 099 with a minimum grade of C. |
| Course Attributes |
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Total credits this quarter: 15
Career exploration: Compare the different geography majors at universities you're interested in. Would you rather specialize in physical, cultural or environmental geography?
Quarter 3
GEOG 110 Introduction to Physical Geography (5 credits)
| Description | This course is presented from a social science perspective toward the physical processes on the surface of the earth, including landforms, weather, river systems, earthquakes and volcanoes; and how these processes affect humans and their societies and environments. This class will include investigative activities, field trips and outdoor experiments. (SSgs) |
| Enrollment Requirements | None |
| Course Attributes |
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BIOL& 100 Survey of Biology (5 credits)
| Description | Fundamental concepts of biology including biodiversity, process and application of science, intersections of science and society, ecological principles, and genetics. For non-science majors. Lab work included. (MSwl) |
| Enrollment Requirements | Placement in ENGL& 101 |
| Course Attributes |
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POLS& 202 American Government (5 credits)
| Description | Outlines the main structure and function of American government. Also deals with politics in theory and in practice emphasizing political concepts, protest and reform movements. (SS) |
| Enrollment Requirements | None |
| Course Attributes |
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or HIST& 148 US History III (5 credits )
| Description | Survey course exploring the social, political, and economic history of the United States since World War I. (SSd) |
| Enrollment Requirements | None |
| Course Attributes |
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Total credits this quarter: 15
Career exploration: Look for a summer job or internship related to your career goals.
Action item: Check the GPA and other entry requirements for your future major. Are you on track?
Summer
If you opted for 12 credits in Quarter 1, this might be a good time to catch up.
Quarter 4
GEOG& 200 Human Geography (5 credits)
| Description | An introduction to the cultural, economic, and environmental factors that influence the spatial distribution of people on local and global scales. Emphasis will be placed on problems of population growth and sustainable resource use as well as studies of populations in disaster-prone areas. (SSgs) |
| Enrollment Requirements | None |
| Course Attributes |
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ENVS& 101 Introduction to Environmental Science (5 credits)
| Description | Introductory lab science course emphasizing a scientific approach toward understanding nature and real-world environmental problems. Includes an examination of how living systems are interconnected, the impact humans have on ecosystems, and societal issues that arise. An at-homelab kit is utilized to examine course concepts and practice the scientific process. Either ENVS& 100 or ENVS& 101 may be taken for credit, not both. (MSls) |
| Enrollment Requirements | Placement in ENGL& 101 |
| Course Attributes |
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WORLD LANGUAGE (5 credits)
or another HUMANITIES click for list (5 credits)
or another HUMANITIES click for list (5 credits)
Total credits this quarter: 15
Course note: World languages at WCC include American Sign Language, Chinese, French, German, Japanese and Spanish.
Action item: Meet with your advisor about applying to universities. Start your transfer applications.
Action item: Apply for next year's financial aid.
Quarter 5
GEOG& 250 Geography of Pacific Nw (5 credits)
| Description | Formerly GEOG 115. This course explores the cultural and physical geography of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Alaska, and Lower British Columbia. During this course students will examine physical geography concepts and their relationship to settlement, population, and economic patterns. (SSwds) |
| Enrollment Requirements | Placement in ENGL& 101 |
| Course Attributes |
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PHYS& 110 Physics for Non-Science Majors (5 credits)
| Description | Introduction to selected physics concepts and theories. Emphasis on conceptual understanding of how physics explains our world. Class activities include learning about experimentation, measurement, and simple mathematical modeling. Recommended preparation: MATH 098. (MSl) |
| Enrollment Requirements | None |
| Course Attributes |
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ART& 100 Art Appreciation (5 credits)
| Description | Approach to art appreciation designed to develop an understanding of visual art forms, and to develop the vocabulary necessary to discuss them. Content will focus on issues and concepts in contemporary art. Topics include the purpose and function of art, creative process, and visual and design elements that go into the making of art. (Hw) |
| Enrollment Requirements | Placement in ENGL& 101 |
| Course Attributes |
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Total credits this quarter: 15
Action item: Meet with the Learning Contracts coordinator about independent study with a faculty mentor. You can take a WCC course that's not in the schedule or design a course around your own topic.
Action item: Apply to graduate by week 3 of this quarter.
Quarter 6
SALI 201 Introduction to The Salish Sea (5 credits)
| Description | An introduction to the complex ecologies and human experiences of theSalish Sea region. This interdisciplinary course introduces students to content in the natural and social sciences, and integrates experiential learning through local regional field trips, including cross-border experiences. (SSdgs) |
| Enrollment Requirements | None |
| Course Attributes |
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MUSC& 105 Music Appreciation (5 credits)
| Description | An introduction to the art of listening through the study of the principal genres, forms, and composers of the Western tradition. The course examines societal influences on music throughout history in addition to the current issues in music and art. Open to all students. (Hg) |
| Enrollment Requirements | None |
| Course Attributes |
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IDS 170 Introduction to Sustainability (5 credits)
| Description | An interdisciplinary, introductory course designed to expose studentsto the history, concepts, and practices of sustainability in three general areas: environmental (ecology), economic (business), and social (community). Includes a practical application of the concepts learned in the class as well as an exploratory section on environmental careers. (SSwgs) |
| Enrollment Requirements | Placement in ENGL& 101 |
| Course Attributes |
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LEARNING CONTRACT (2-5 credits)
Total credits this quarter: 15-20
Course note: Take this quarter's learning contract if you need it to reach 90 credits in 100- and 200-level courses. Otherwise, it's optional.
Course note: If SALI 201 isn't going to be available in your Quarter 6, rearrange your other courses to take it earlier. Don't miss this opportunity for hands-on application of things you've learned in your other geography courses.
Action item: Attend the spring job fair.