HEN404 Fundamentals of Geography

Faculty of Social Studies
Spring 2009
Extent and Intensity
2/0/0. 6 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
prof. RNDr. Jaromír Demek, DrSc. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Ing. Zbyněk Ulčák, Ph.D.
Department of Environmental Studies – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Ivona Tolarová
Timetable
Mon 10:00–11:40 exP52
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The main objectives of the course are the following:
undestanding the basic principles of physical and social geography;
acquainting the analytical approach to analysis of environmental issues.
At the end of the course students should be able to:
understand and explain causes, limits and possible solutions of environmental issues.
Syllabus
  • Earth as spaceship
  • Basic information and the Earth. Litosphere, georelief, atmosphere, hydrosphere, pedosphere.
  • Main environmental contrasts.
  • Main Earth flows - material, energy, information. Sun energy.
  • Space differenciation v- main world ecological zones, tajga, temperate forests, steppes, Mediterranean zone, deserts, savannah, rain forests. Landscape.
  • Risks and uncertanities.
  • Long-term changes, global tectonics, long term climate change.
  • Catastrophes, short term changes.
  • Perception, space perception, human reactions to space.
  • Remote sensing, GIS.
  • Human inbfluence on the Earth.
  • Changes of low intensity, fire, archeophytes, neophytes.
  • Changes of moderate intensity - agriculture, its development, soil fertility, erosion.
  • Changes of high intensity - industry, urbanisation, cities and their climate.
  • Environmental change - global, regional, chorical, topical. Desertification.
  • Resources and inhabitants - population dynamics, Malthus theory.
  • Population density, migration, traditions and culture.
  • Resaources - renewable and nonrenewable, resource location.
  • Isolated state - Thunen.
  • Megalopolis.
  • Borders, importance, states and their borders.
  • Regionalní differenciation, NorthxSouth.
Literature
  • MACKOVČIN, Peter, Matilda JATIOVÁ, Petr SLAVÍK, Jaromír DEMEK, Vít GRULICH, Libor HORT, Karel HUDEC, Hubert KŘÍŽ, Zdeněk LAŠTŮVKA, Josef PETRUŠ, Ladislav PLÁNKA, Miroslav SEDLÁČEK and Jiří UNAR. Brněnsko. 1st ed. Praha: Agentura ochrany přírody a krajiny ČR a EkoCentrum Brno, 2008, 932 pp. Chráněná území ČR, sv. 9. ISBN 978-80-86064-66-6. info
  • MILLER, G. Tyler. Living in the environment : principles, connections, and solutions. 12th ed. Belmont: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company, 2002, xx, 758. ISBN 0534376975. info
  • DEMEK, J. Vybrané kapitoly y krajinné ekologie (Select of landscape ekology chapters). 1st ed. Brno: MU Brno, 1999, 100 pp. vysokoškolská skripta. ISBN 80-210-2168. info
  • DEMEK, Jaromír. Neživá příroda : Vlastivěda moravská. Brno: Vlastivědný spolek, 1992. info
Assessment methods
Lectures, written examination.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
The course is taught annually.
Information on course enrolment limitations: Kurz se otevírá při 5 a více přihlášených studentech.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 1999, Autumn 2000, Autumn 2001, Autumn 2002, Autumn 2003, Spring 2005, Spring 2006, Spring 2007, Spring 2008, Spring 2010, Spring 2011, Spring 2012.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2009, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/fss/spring2009/HEN404