Welcome to GEOG101: World Regional Geography

Specific information about this course and its requirements can be found below. For more general information about taking Saylor Academy courses, including information about Community and Academic Codes of Conduct, please read the Student Handbook.

Course Description

Use a regional approach and spatial perspective to study the Earth's physical features and atmosphere, including landscape development, weather, climate, and geology, by exploring how humans' cultural, economic, and political activity are related to those features.

Course Introduction

In this course, we explore the physical and human landscapes of the world by dividing them into ten regions. We explore physical characteristics, such as location, climate, terrain, and natural hazards, and human characteristics, such as culture, ethnicity, language, economics, and politics. Our goal is to begin understanding each region's physical and human attributes from a spatial perspective and place them within a global framework. We will use maps to locate places and features within regions to help us understand global issues, such as international conflict, cooperation, environmental degradation, population growth, and globalization. We will respond to the following questions, among many others. How does a regional approach to studying the world help us understand it? What tools and methods do geographers use to study the world? Who lives in each region? What languages do they speak there and why? What explains the locations of their cities? How does geography help explain conflicts in some regions? Why do so many earthquakes occur in some places? Why does the landscape look different from region to region? Keep in mind that this course is designed to look at the world from a geographical perspective. We only touch on many aspects of local and regional history and political situations that are more appropriate as topics for another type of course. In addition, the world is constantly changing. Inevitably, the issues we frame as current will become part of history. Of course, it is impossible to thoroughly explore the world in one course. One of our goals is to help you learn how to ask informed questions you can put into a world regional geography framework. We hope to provide a spatial perspective you can use to seek data and information. We challenge you to explore on your own. Now, let's get started on our journey around the world, region by region.

This course includes the following units:

Unit 1: Introduction to Geography. Unit 2: Europe. Unit 3: Russia. Unit 4: North America. Unit 5: Middle and South America. Unit 6: Sub-Saharan Africa. Unit 7: North Africa and Southwest Asia. Unit 8: South Asia. Unit 9: East and Southeast Asia. Unit 10: Oceania.

Course Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:

[1] locate the world's regions and identify the geographic features that define them; [2] use world regions to explain how a spatial perspective distinguishes geography from other disciplines; [3] use maps to interpret human and physical phenomena; [4] describe the tools and methods geographers use to visualize, explore and understand the world; [5] name the factors that influence population distribution; [6] explain the impact of colonialism on human geography and territorial borders; [7] outline the role location plays in terms of communication and economic development; [8] describe the interconnectedness of world regions in terms of natural hazards and environmental issues; [9] describe conflict from a human geography perspective; [10] apply geographical concepts such as diffusion, distance decay, centrifugal and centripetal forces, core and periphery, globalization, and rural-to-urban migration to understand places; [11] explain how internal and external processes affect the physical landscape.

Throughout this course, you will also see learning outcomes in each unit. You can use those learning outcomes to help organize your studies and gauge your progress.

Course Materials

The primary learning materials for this course are articles, lectures, and videos.

All course materials are free to access and can be found in each unit of the course. Pay close attention to the notes that accompany these course materials, as they will tell you what to focus on in each resource and will help you understand how the learning materials fit into the course as a whole. You can also see a list of all the learning materials in this course by clicking on Resources in the navigation bar.

Evaluation and Minimum Passing Score

Only the final examination is considered when awarding you a grade for this course. To pass this course, you will need to earn 70% or higher on the final exam. The exam will be password-protected and requires a proctor.

Your score on the exam will be calculated as soon as you complete it. There is a 14 days waiting period between each attempt. You may only attempt the final exam a maximum of 3 times. Be sure to study in between each attempt! If you do not pass the exam after 3 attempts, you will not complete this course.

There is also a practice exam that you may take as many times as you want to help you prepare for the final exam. The course also contains end-of-unit assessments in this course. The end-of-unit assessments are designed to help you study and do not factor into your final course grade. You can take these as many times as you want to until you understand the concepts and material covered. You can see all of these assessments by clicking on Quizzes in the course's navigation bar.

Tips for Success

GEOG101: World Regional Geography is a self-paced course, meaning you can decide when to start and complete the course. We estimate the "average" student will take 37 hours to complete. We recommend studying at a comfortable pace and scheduling your study time in advance.

Learning new material can be challenging, so here are a few study strategies to help you succeed:

  • Take notes on terms, practices, and theories. This helps you understand each concept in context and provides a refresher for later study.
  • Test yourself on what you remember and how well you understand the concepts. Reflecting on what you've learned improves long-term memory retention.

Technical Requirements

This course is delivered entirely online. You will need access to a computer or web-capable mobile device and consistent internet access to view or download resources and complete auto-graded assessments and the final exam.

To access the full course, including assessments and the final exam, log into your Saylor Academy account and enroll in the course. If you don’t have an account, you can create one for free here. Note that tracking progress and taking assessments require login.

For additional guidance, check out Saylor Academy's FAQ.

Optional Saylor Academy Mobile App

You can access all course features directly from your mobile browser, but if you have limited internet connectivity, the Saylor Academy mobile app provides an option to download course content for offline use. The app is available for iOS and Android devices.

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Fees

This course is entirely free to enroll in and access. All course materials, including textbooks, videos, webpages, and activities, are available at no charge. This course also contains a free final exam and course completion certificate.