Physical Geography: From Weather to Rocks AP

Did you ever admire a dramatic rock outcrop, or wonder what was the worst hurricane ever? Take this short course to learn how geographers see natural phenomena like these.

What you'll learn:

Did you ever admire a dramatic rock outcrop, and notice that its surface is made up of streaks of different colors? Did you ever wonder if the hurricane that’s in the news really is the worst one ever? And did you realize that geographers use their knowledge of everything from water to plants to soils to the atmosphere to understand both these phenomena? Watch the two videos in this course and begin to see the world in a new way! Take two short quizzes on the videos and earn a digital badge that demonstrates you’ve started on the path towards seeing the world as a geographer!

Note: This course is not hosted on the Starbucks Global Academy platform. After enrolling, the course content will direct you on how to complete registration for this content.

Meet Your Instructors

Ron Dorn

Professor, ASU School of Geographical Sciences & Urban Planning

Dr. Dorn has been a professor of geography at Arizona State University since 1988. Previously, he served on the faculty at Texas Tech University. He is Associate Director of the Undergraduate Program at ASU SGSUP, and is co-coordinator of the Arizona Geographic Alliance, a K-12 outreach program that aims to promote geographic education in Arizona. Dr. Dorn is a Fellow of the Geological Society of America and the Arizona/Nevada Academy of Science, and a member of the Association of American Geographers and the Association of Pacific Coast Geographers.

Randall Cerveny

Professor, ASU School of Geographical Sciences & Urban Planning

Dr. Cerveny is a professor of geography at ASU, where he has taught since 1986. He serves as Rapporteur on Extreme Records for the United Nations/World Meteorological Organization, and in this connection is responsible for researching and verifying global weather records. At ASU, he directs the meteorology program, and was awarded the title of President's Professor in recognition of his contributions to undergraduate education. He is contributing editor for the magazine Weatherwise, and is the author of numerous journal articles as well as two books: Freaks of the Storm, Thunder's Mouth Press, 2006, and Weather's Greatest Mysteries Solved!, Prometheus Books, 2009.