This contemplative practice inquires into the complex web of interdependencies linking global climate change, the War on Terror, Afghan poppy production, opiate addiction, and food security through the lens of systems theory. The exercise challenges students to consider these linkages not only conceptually but also somatically and emotionally.

(Note: this resource was added to OER Commons as part of a batch upload of over 2,200 records. If you notice an issue with the quality of the metadata, please let us know by using the 'report' button and we will flag it for consideration.)

This course considers how, despite its immense diversity, Africa continues to hold purchase as both a geographical entity and meaningful knowledge category. It examines the relationship between articulations of "Africa" and projects like European imperialism, developments in the biological sciences, African de-colonization and state-building, and the imagining of the planet's future. Readings in anthropology and history are organized around five themes: space and place, race, representation, self-determination, and time.

Al-Bab is a portal website designed to introduce non-Arabs to Arab culture by providing links to news sources, country profiles, articles, and a blog on Middle East current events. There are also specific links related to learning Arabic: dictionaries, language classes, textbooks, and other information pertaining to the study of Arabic. A free e-book, The Birth of Modern Yemen, is available for download.

Word Count: 7198

(Note: This resource's metadata has been created automatically by reformatting and/or combining the information that the author initially provided as part of a bulk import process.)

Word Count: 9323

(Note: This resource's metadata has been created automatically by reformatting and/or combining the information that the author initially provided as part of a bulk import process.)

This site makes available for viewing the nearly nine hundred images of modes of transportation taken by American photographer William Henry Jackson in North Africa, Asia, Australia, and Oceania. The site allows searches by subject and Keyword, and gives archival information about it.

Blue Coral Atlas of US Expansion tells the geographic story of the United States from the original thirteen colonies to today. View all the maps together in a single scroll or choose maps either individually or in series together for a closer look.

Blue Coral Atlas of US Expansion is fully responsive in the web browser for large and small devices in both horizontal and vertical orientations.

Short Description:
This first-year geography textbook takes a holistic approach to geography by incorporating elements of physical, human, and regional geography, as well as bringing in methods and perspectives from spatial information science. This textbook applies a fundamental geographical approach to understanding our globally changing world by looking at local processes, which are linked to larger global processes and events. The textbook includes numerous case studies specific to British Columbia as well as a number of suggested service learning activities.

Long Description:
Over the course of four days in June, 2014, five faculty members from across British Columbia supported by a facilitator, librarian, researcher, illustrator, programmer, and instructional designer created this book. This involved drawing on our own research, teaching, and experience and working with the team to put it all together into an online format; one which would be accessible to students and educators alike.

Beyond the unique way in which this book was created in a book-sprint process, there are other elements of this book that make it unique. First, it takes a holistic approach to first-year geography, incorporating elements of physical, human, and regional geography, as well as bringing in methods and perspectives from spatial information science.

Pedagogically, this book incorporates elements of service learning and suggested service learning activities, recognizing that the study of geography is deeply connected to the communities we live in. Many of the suggestions for service learning are illustrated through the use of case studies from across BC.

The book is aimed at a first-year or introductory geography student and would be suitable for a first-year geography course on BC.

Word Count: 48187

ISBN: 978-1-77420-018-6

(Note: This resource's metadata has been created automatically by reformatting and/or combining the information that the author initially provided as part of a bulk import process.)

This first year Geography textbook takes a holistic approach to Geography by incorporating elements of physical, human and regional geography, as well as bringing in methods and perspectives from spatial information science.. This textbook applies a fundamental geographical approach to understanding our globally changing world by looking at local processes which are linked to larger global processes and events. For example mining and its effects are a global issue and we can see how these unfold in BC. A further example is the recent apology to First Nation peoples on the residential school treatment, as similar events occur in the US, Ireland and Australia. Processes of urbanization, a phenomenon which people all over the globe are experiencing, can be seen in Vancouver with our discussion of the city’s development. Geography students, indeed all first year students, need to be able to critically assess their own contexts and environments in order to properly engage with our continually globalizing world.

Compiled and modified for instructional use by: Kate Darby, Western Washington University
In 1887, Robert Towne built a metals smelter two and a half miles northwest of El Paso, Texas, across the river from Ciudad Juarez in Mexico and across the state border from several small towns in New Mexico. The smelter, which processed metal ore from regional mines, was quickly acquired by ASARCO (American Smelting and Refining Company) and became an important visual and economic institution in the region. In 1967, following the mantra of environmental regulation at the time—"the solution to pollution is dilution"—ASARCO erected what was then the tallest smokestack in the world: an 828-foot structure visible from much of the region. While the facility provided jobs to many in the region and produced metals important for a range of manufacturing and consumer products, by the 1970s, residents and scientists began to question the other products from the smelter—especially heavy metals pollution.

This case study includes discussion questions and data sources for further information.

(Note: this resource was added to OER Commons as part of a batch upload of over 2,200 records. If you notice an issue with the quality of the metadata, please let us know by using the 'report' button and we will flag it for consideration.)

Compiled and modified for instructional use by: Lisa Phillips, Illinois State University, llphill@ilstu.edu
On September 10, 2012, several million southern California residents reacted with alarm to an unfamiliar noxious scent. The Air Quality Management District officials in the Los Angeles region were initially at a loss to determine the odor's source. Investigators from Ventura to Palm Springs looked for toxic spills, sewage plant leaks, and gas line breaks—all for naught.

The smell's origin was the Salton Sea more than 150 miles away and not usually upwind. The smell of an algal bloom and subsequent massive fish kill released odor molecules redolent with the stench of environmental decay.

This case study includes discussion questions and data sources for further information.

(Note: this resource was added to OER Commons as part of a batch upload of over 2,200 records. If you notice an issue with the quality of the metadata, please let us know by using the 'report' button and we will flag it for consideration.)

This case study is an examination of the chemical and sensory impacts of a variety of environmental issues including sand mining, leaking underground gasoline storage tanks (LUSTs), and a railroad.

Wedron is a small, unincorporated town of approximately 100 residents in north central Illinois. A large sand mine has been in operation on the south and west sides of the town for many decades, and the mine property includes several abandoned and active pits, a processing plant, and a train car loading facility. Railroad tracks are located along the east side of town as is a grain elevator (storage and loading facility).

The following information was obtained from the US EPA web site about Wedron, personal visits to the town, and published news articles.

This case study includes discussion questions and data sources for further information.

(Note: this resource was added to OER Commons as part of a batch upload of over 2,200 records. If you notice an issue with the quality of the metadata, please let us know by using the 'report' button and we will flag it for consideration.)

This is a 'citizen science' research project where students to apply their knowledge of landslide processes in an investigation of the natural and anthropogenic causes of a real-world landslide catastrophe. Students produce a 'magazine' article discussing the Zhouqu, China, August 8, 2010 landslide catastrophe.

(Note: this resource was added to OER Commons as part of a batch upload of over 2,200 records. If you notice an issue with the quality of the metadata, please let us know by using the 'report' button and we will flag it for consideration.)

Open Textbooks for Rural Arizona participants are invited to remix this template to share their courses, textbooks, and other OER material on our Hub.

To address the cost of resources for exercise manuals in GIS, I have developed a series of class exercises that can be used with QGIS, a free and open source software.
In addition, some class activities address more general ideas associated with cartography, such as color theory. To make these resources fully accessible to students, I have recorded publicly available videos documenting how these class activities can be completed. There is one video for each classroom lesson in this course offering, and links to all of the videos on the website Vimeo are linked to.

DESCRIPTION
Develops skills needed to produce maps using ArcGIS Desktop software. Outlines cartographic principles and map use. Emphasis on mapping techniques within a GIS. Intended for students enrolled in GIS or UAS programs.

LEARNING OUTCOMES
1. Demonstrate knowledge and apply skills essential to the discipline.
2. Coordinate and manage the delivery of reliable, valid, GIS data including analysis and specialized user needs products.
3. Communicate effectively and appropriately within a professional setting in both written and oral form.
4. Utilize professional communication skills to achieve project outcomes in collaboration with GIS users across disciplines.
5. Research, interpret and apply data/information in the professional setting.
6. Develop and implement GIS services for users who may or may not be GIS knowledgeable.

Students learn about local and planetary physical geography / geology, toponymy, planetary landing site selection and cartography. The students learn a complex process of landscape evaluation and city planning, based on the interpretation of photomaps or digital terrain models.

CultureTalk - Arab World features native speakers from across the Arabic-speaking world giving filmed interviews, in Arabic and sometimes English, on selected topics. Text-based translations and transcriptions are often provided as downloadable documents for most Arabic videos. The videos engage a number of region/country-specific topics, including cultural traditions, religion, politics, and sports.

CultureTalk - Arab World features native speakers from across the Arabic-speaking world giving filmed interviews, in Arabic and sometimes English, on selected topics. Text-based translations and transcriptions are often provided as downloadable documents for most Arabic videos. The videos engage a number of region/country-specific topics, including cultural traditions, religion, politics, and sports.

This project is an attempt to build a comprehensive database of Arabic place names that covers the entire world, not just place names in the Arabic speaking world. The place names are proofread carefully to ensure adherence to the rules of hamza orthography, something often ignored in most publications. The database gives the correct name in Arabic script, its name in English or transliteration, spelling variants, and common errors in spelling. Frequency of variants is also given.

 Describe different sociological models for understanding global stratificationUnderstand how studies of global stratification identify worldwide inequalities