2023-2024 Pierce College Catalog 
    
    Oct 06, 2024  
2023-2024 Pierce College Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Geography (AA-DTA) STEM Career Pathway Course Map


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Created by Pierce faculty, this map outlines the initial coursework for this career field and for transfer to a four-year institution. It provides you a clear path to complete your degree by listing a specific set of courses relevant to your program and career. The map is designed with the appropriate number of credits and meets degree requirements. Courses are organized in a recommended sequence; please schedule accordingly. If a course is unavailable, select the next appropriate course within the sequence. If you want to change a course on this map you must speak with an advisor to assure you meet all degree requirements. For each course, a purpose statement explains how the content relates to your career field. On this map, there may be instances when you will be required to select a course from several options. Use these purpose statements and notes to choose the course that best aligns with your interests and needs. You will also find action items to complete to assure you progress and graduate on time. While this map is a great guide to courses required to complete an Associate in Arts - Direct Transfer Agreement (AA-DTA) Degree Requirements  Degree, you are responsible for fulfilling all degree requirements. Questions? Your Success Network is ready to help you!

Important note about transfer: colleges and universities may change their requirements at any time, so this map is not a guarantee of transfer. You will need to check transfer requirements with your intended four-year school. 

1. College Success


  • Course purpose: This is a foundational course in which you will explore and affirm a career choice and build upon the skills, knowledge, and resourcefulness that will support you at Pierce College and beyond.

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  • Note: The College Success course you select will depend on the Career Pathway Map you are following. Your advisor will assist you in selecting either the 3- or 5- credit version of the course. Should you choose to repeat a College Success course you must enroll in a College Success course with the same credit amount as the original course; a COLLG 110 course grade can only be replaced with a grade from another COLLG 110 course and a COLLG 115 course grade can only be replaced with a grade from another COLLG 115 course.

2. English Composition I


  • Course purpose: Clear and strategic written communication is a central feature of all careers connected to geography. In this course you will learn and practice reading and writing skills that will be foundational to your future coursework and professional life.

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  • Note: Your advisor will assist you in reviewing your Guided Self Placement and selecting either the 5-credit or the 7-credit co-requisite ENGL& 101 + ENGLC 101 course. 

3. Research Essentials


  • Course purpose: This course will help you apply research skills and strategies needed to better access information, evaluate it for credibility, and apply it for a variety of purposes in your life.

Action Item: Meet with Advisor


Use your Success Network!  In your first quarter, meet with your advisor to revisit your career and transfer path, make adjustments to your goals as needed, and plan for your next steps.  

4. Geography/Environmental Science Course Recommendation


Choose one

  • Course purpose: Geographers must be able to describe and explain the distribution of environmental and societal phenomena on a global scale. This introductory course will familiarize you with the various approaches developed by geographers to carry out this fundamental task.

  • Course purpose: Geographers must be able to describe and explain the distribution of environmental and societal phenomena on a global scale. This introductory course will help you to understand the unique spatial patterns of environment and society in Europe, the Americas, Australia, and Oceania.

  • Course purpose: Geographers must be able to describe and explain the distribution of environmental and societal phenomena on a global scale. This introductory course will help you to understand the unique spatial patterns of environment and society in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.

  • Course purpose: Geographers must be able to describe and explain the distribution of environmental and societal phenomena on a global scale. In this course you will analyze the way in which social and ecological differences lead to distinct environmental problems around the world.

Action Item: Grade Check


At the end of each quarter complete a grade check. UW requires a grade of 2.0 of greater to count towards the major. With a cumulative GPA in geography courses of at least 2.5, CWU and WWU require a grade of 1.7 or greater in all courses that count towards the major.

5. English Composition II


6. Introduction to Statistics


  • Course purpose: The analysis of geographic data very often requires the use of statistical approaches. This course will help you learn basic statistical techniques and prepare you to take later coursework in geostatistics. 

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  • Note: The math course you select will depend on the Career Pathway Map you are following, the transfer institution/degree that you select, and your math placement guidance. Your advisor will assist you in selecting the relevant 5 or 7 credit course(s) based upon co-requisite options. 

7. Geography/Environmental Science Course Recommendation


Choose one

  • Course purpose: Geographers must be able to describe and explain the distribution of environmental and societal phenomena on a global scale. This introductory course will familiarize you with the various approaches developed by geographers to carry out this fundamental task.

  • Course purpose: Geographers must be able to describe and explain the distribution of environmental and societal phenomena on a global scale. This introductory course will familiarize you with the various approaches developed by geographers to carry out this fundamental task.

  • Course purpose: Geographers must be able to describe and explain the distribution of environmental and societal phenomena on a global scale. This introductory course will help you to understand the unique spatial patterns of environment and society in Europe, the Americas, Australia, and Oceania.

  • Course purpose: Geographers must be able to describe and explain the distribution of environmental and societal phenomena on a global scale. This introductory course will help you to understand the unique spatial patterns of environment and society in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.

8. Physical Geography


  • Course purpose: Geographers need to understand how the physical systems of planet Earth work, as well as how they interact to produce particular natural environments in particular locations around the world. This course provides that fundamental knowledge.

9. World Language (1)


10. Social Science Course Recommendation


Choose one

  • Course purpose: Geographers must understand the societal processes that produce the fundamental patterns of human activity on planet Earth. This course will provide you with detailed knowledge about how human cultures function and how they are studied.

  • Course purpose: Geographers must understand the societal processes that produce the fundamental patterns of human activity on planet Earth. This course will provide you with detailed knowledge about how human political systems function and how they are studied.

  • Course purpose: Geographers must understand the societal processes that produce the fundamental patterns of human activity on planet Earth. This course will provide you with detailed knowledge about how human political systems interact globally and how these interactions are studied.

  • Course purpose: Geographers must understand the societal processes that produce the fundamental patterns of human activity on planet Earth. This course will provide you with detailed knowledge about how human social structures are produced and how they are studied.

Action Item: Apply for Graduation


Way to go!  It is time to apply for graduation. Visit the Pierce College Graduation website for details.  https://www.pierce.ctc.edu/graduation

11. Human Geography


  • Course purpose: Geographers need to understand the fundamental processes that affect the spatial distribution of people, wealth, languages, religions, and political systems around the world. This course will provide you with that foundational knowledge.

12. World Language (2)


13. Natural Science Course Recommendation


Choose one

  • Course purpose: Geographers must understand how Earth’s natural systems operate and how they affect the global distribution of environmental phenomena. This course will help you to understand how Earth’s atmosphere works and why it produces different weather in different places.

  • Course purpose: Geographers must understand how Earth’s natural systems operate and how they affect the global distribution of environmental phenomena. This course will help you to understand how Earth’s lithosphere works and why it produces different geological phenomena in different places.

  • Course purpose: Geographers must understand how Earth’s natural systems operate and how they affect the global distribution of environmental phenomena. This course will help you to understand how Earth’s ocean works and why it differs from place to place.

14. World Language (3)


15. Humanities Course Recommendation


Choose one

  • Course purpose: Geographers should learn how people from different cultures express themselves and how these self-expressions can be used to better understand different world regions. This course will provide you with valuable strategies for communicating more effectively within and across cultures. 

  • Course purpose: Geographers should learn how people from different cultures express themselves and how these self-expressions can be used to better understand different world regions. This course will provide you with a deeper understanding of how literary production varies between different cultures and societies.

  • Course purpose: Geographers should learn how people from different cultures express themselves and how these self-expressions can be used to better understand different world regions. This course will provide you with a deeper understanding of how film-making varies between different cultures and societies.

  • Course purpose: Geographers should learn how people from different cultures express themselves and how these self-expressions can be used to better understand different world regions. This course will provide you with a deeper understanding of how religious belief varies between different cultures and societies.

16. Social Science Course Recommendation


Choose one

  • Course purpose: Geographers need to have a nuanced understanding of cultural diversity in the contemporary world as well as the social scientific methods that are used to study it. In this course you will learn about cultural diversity in the present-day United States.

  • Course purpose: Geographers need to have a nuanced understanding of cultural diversity in the contemporary world as well as the social scientific methods that are used to study it. In this course you will learn to apply various analytical frameworks to the study of human cultural diversity.

  • Course purpose: Geographers need to have a nuanced understanding of cultural diversity in the contemporary world as well as the social scientific methods that are used to study it. In this course you will learn about the cultural diversity of indigenous people in North America.

  • Course purpose: Geographers need to have a nuanced understanding of cultural diversity in the contemporary world as well as the social scientific methods that are used to study it. In this course you will learn about the various ways in which race has been constructed, understood, and theorized over time.

17. Humanities Course Recommendation


Choose one

  • Course purpose: Geographers must often communicate their knowledge using visual representations such as maps or diagrams, and/or oral presentations to live audiences. This course will provide you with fundamental design concepts that will help you to present visual information effectively.

  • Course purpose: Geographers must often communicate their knowledge using visual representations such as maps or diagrams, and/or oral presentations to live audiences. This course will provide you with instruction and practice in drawing, a skill that will help you to visually illustrate geographic concepts.

  • Course purpose: Geographers must often communicate their knowledge using visual representations such as maps or diagrams, and/or oral presentations to live audiences. This course will provide you with valuable strategies for communicating more effectively within and across cultures.

  • Course purpose: Geographers must often communicate their knowledge using visual representations such as maps or diagrams, and/or oral presentations to live audiences. This course will provide you with valuable practice presenting oral information to a range of audiences.

18. Natural Science Recommendation


Choose one

  • Course purpose: Geographers often study the ways in which human societies interact with their natural environment to produce environmental problems. In this course you will learn about the most widespread and consequential of these environmental problems around the world.

  • Course purpose: Geographers often study the ways in which human societies interact with their natural environment to produce environmental problems. I In this course you will learn about environmental hazards resulting from resource use, waste disposal, and other human activities in particular environments.

  • Course purpose: Geographers often study the ways in which human societies interact with their natural environment to produce environmental problems. In this course you will work through the arguments surrounding many of our contemporary environmental problems.

19. Social Science Recommendation


Choose one

  • Course purpose: Geographers must be able to think carefully about the validity of social scientific information as well as the ethical implications of using it. In this course you will learn how anthropologists use non-destructive methods to build valid knowledge about ancient societies.

  • Course purpose: Geographers must be able to think carefully about the validity of social scientific information as well as the ethical implications of using it. This course will help you to understand how the global community gathers and uses information about genocides.

  • Course purpose: Geographers must be able to think carefully about the validity of social scientific information as well as the ethical implications of using it. In this course you will learn how sociologists construct knowledge about deviant social behavior.

Total Credits 90


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