Block seminar with presentations to provide preparatory information

Excursion to Arizona, Utah, Nevada and California with the following route:

Düsseldorf - Phoenix - Prescott - Jerome - Flagstaff - Grand Canyon NP - Monument Valley - Valley of the Gods - Arches NP - Dead Horse Point SP - Bryce Canyon NP - Hoover Dam - Las Vegas - Ivanpah Solar - Tecopa Hot Springs - Death Valley NP - Owens Valley - Los Angeles - Düsseldorf

Map of the route: http://goo.gl/Fw48tK 

Local transport: 5 self-drive vans

Overnight stay: mainly in motels

Catering: independently in restaurants and supermarkets

Return flight: individual

Contents:

•     Regional studies
•     Water supply (e.g. Los Angeles)
•     Vegetation geography
•     agricultural geography
•     Urban geography (Phoenix, Los Angeles)
•     Transport geography
•     Mineral resources/geology
•     Renewable energies
•     Geomorphology (e.g. Grand Canyon NP, Bryce NP, Death Valley NP)

Vorbesprechung (17.01.2024, 10:00-11:30 Uhr, IA 1/123; Blockseminar (19.-23.08.2024, jew. 9:00-17:00 Uhr, IA 1/123) mit Referaten zur vorbereitenden Informationsvermittlung; Exkursion 02.-15.09.2024

Will be announced during the course.

Acquisition of knowledge of current urban and regional geographic issues
as well as fundamental structures of urban and landscape development;
Transfer theoretical knowledge to the example of the city of Vienna and its surrounding region.

The basic structures and processes of urban, regional and landscape development will be shown based on the situation in the city of Vienna and its surroundings. The urban structure (e.g. the historic old town and modern city) as well as the inner functional and socio-spatial organization of the city will be dealt with. Issues of urban renewal, social housing, new urbanity and immigration will also be addressed. Furthermore, the development of Vienna's environs towards new post-suburban structures is discussed. Finally, the natural embedding of the city of Vienna in its surroundings (Danube floodplains; Vienna Woods) will be explored.

Input, presentations, discussion, excursion (01.09.-08.09.2024)

Will be announced during the seminar sessions.

Lectures, the excursion itself and field trips address fundamental geographical contexts and problems and teach them directly on site. 
The day tours to be worked out and carried out under supervision offer the opportunity to try out one's own actions in a leadership position and to reflect on them through comprehensive feedback.
The skills acquired in this way can be used professionally, e.g. in the field of science, project planning but also in teaching activities at school.

The approximately 15 to 20-day excursion to the northwest of the USA is planned for September 2024 and will focus on physical geographical topics. Geology and especially volcanism in various forms, speleology as well as meteorological and climatological phenomena will be the main topics, but the fauna and flora as well as the history of the settlement of the excursion area also offer interesting points of investigation for students of geography.

The final route of the excursion will be announced during the information event on December 5th, so far the following destinations are planned:

Arrival and departure: 
Portland, Oregon.

Volcanism: 

• Mt. Rainier, Mt. St. Helens (Washington), 
• Mt. Hood, Crater Lake, Newberry Volcano, Three Sisters (Oregon)
• Crater of the Moon (Idaho)
• Yellowstone (Wyoming)
• Flood basalts (Oregon, Idaho)
• NN

Caves:

• Bubble Ice Caves in the Obsidian Flow of the Newberry Volcano (Oregon)
• Cleveland Ice Cave (Oregon)
• NN (Idaho)

Other: 

• Steens Mountain (Oregon)
• Alvord Desert (Oregon)
• Glacier Nationalpark (Montana)
• Grand Tetons (Wyoming)
• Traces of the historic "Glacial Lake Misoula"

Transportation is by rental car (minivan).

Accommodation will be in motels and campsites, the latter can sometimes be very basic.

The cost of the excursion will be approx. € 1.625. 

The price includes: Rental car, gasoline, accommodation (motel, campground), various entrance fees. 
Not included are: additional equipment such as tents, sleeping bags and sleeping mats, activities planned by students and your personal follow-up program in the USA.

You will receive further information about the itinerary, accommodation, arrival and other important details during an information event via Zoom on Tuesday, December 5, 2013 at 7 pm (For details, please see "Important additional information" at the bottom).

In addition to the excursion, there will be a mandatory one to two-day preparation and a one-day follow-up as a block seminar.

• Preparation block expected on 07. and 08.06.2024
• Excursion in September 2024
• Follow-up in December 2024

Schmincke, Hans-Ulrich (2013), Vulkanismus, 4. Auflage, Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, Darmstadt, ISBN: 978-3-534-26245-8

Roadside Geology of Washington, Eighth Mountain Press

Roadside Geology of Oregon, Eighth Mountain Press

Roadside Geology of Idaho, Eighth Mountain Press

Roadside Geology of Montana, Eighth Mountain Press

Roadside Geology of Wyoming, Eighth Mountain Press

The course pursues technical and methodological objectives:

• Acquisition of knowledge about basic structures of urban and landscape development
• Practicing (observation) methods for spatial analysis
• Acquiring the ability to apply theoretical concepts to real-life situations
• Acquiring the ability to critically discuss current planning and nature conservation approaches

The excursion focuses on the greater Berlin area. The following urban geography topics will be covered:

• Socio-spatial segregation
• Housing development
• Appropriation of urban spaces (sharing economy, community gardens, squatting...)
• Changing guiding principles of urban development and their significance for today's urban form (building culture)
• Urban development promotion
• Urban ecology
• Inner-city nature conservation
• Climate protection and climate adaptation in urban areas

In addition, it is possible to deal with various landscape areas that are typical or unique for the surrounding area (depending on the size of the group), e.g.

• Spree Forest
• Moorland
• Oderbruch or lower Oder valley

The excursion is expected to take place at the end of July after the end of the lecture period. During the lecture period, a weekly seminar will take place to prepare for what will be seen.

Will be announced during the course.

Teaching basic geography in theory and practice (on site)
Lectures, excursions and field talks
Training and sharpening the geographical view, describing and explaining
Developing an understanding of processes

The Canary archipelago west of Morocco consists of seven islands with a total area of about 7500 km². While the climate is generally stable and dominated by the Azores High and the trade wind belt, there are a variety of microclimates ranging from hot desert climates to subtropical humid climates, and snow frequently falls on Pico del Teide, Spain's highest mountain. At 7500 m above sea level, Teide is also the third largest island volcano in the world. Geologically, the Canary Islands belong to Africa and were formed by interplate volcanism over a hotspot. The eastern islands are up to 22 million years old and relatively flat, while the western islands are much younger and largely still volcanically active. These diverse conditions result in a very high biodiversity and an estimated 500 endemic species.

We will probably visit Tenerife and La Palma.

Focus on physical-geographical topics such as geology, especially volcanism, meteorology and climatology (trade winds and their effects), biogeography: flora and fauna, but also urban and economic geography.

Mandatory preliminary meeting at the beginning of the winter semester 2023/24

Preparatory seminar as block days (15.+16.02.2024, 9 am - 5 pm, IA 1/123)

After elective week, enrollment in a Moodle course, through which communication will hap

Travel period: 09.03. - 22.03.2024

To be announced.

In the scope of the preparatory seminar and the excursion, the students should gain insights into current geographical facts that shape or have shaped the excursion area and the activities of humans in it. This includes topics related to the geography of New Zealand as well as developments and processes that have a decisive influence on the physical as well as the human geography of the North Island as well as the South Island.

Some of the selected contents are:

• The formation of New Zealand and its location in the Pacific Ring of Fire.
• The use of geothermal energy in NZ
• The effects of New Zealand's glaciation on relief, including its retreat
• The vegetation of New Zealand: an overview (incl. climatic conditions)
• New Zealand's fauna: Kiwi & Co
• The (late) settlement of New Zealand: from the arrival of the first humans until today
• The culture of the Maori
• The importance of tourism for New Zealand, incl. the "Freedom Camping" concept
• The urban development of Auckland
• Waterfront development using the example of Auckland harbor
• The impact of the 2011 earthquake on Christchurch's urban development

Initially, the seminar will deal with overarching aspects that affect New Zealand as a whole, before setting specific thematic priorities. The presentations on site are based on the aspects previously discussed in the seminar and complement them with a local or small-scale concretization.

Literatur

Hüttermann, Ar. (1992): Neuseeland (=Beck’sche Reihe; 844), München.

Jebbink, K. und F. Früh (2019): Neuseeland – mehr als Schafe und Kiwis. In: Praxis Geographie 2/2019, S. 4-9.

Jebbink, K. und F. Früh (2019): Leben mit der Flut. Die Gefahr von Tsunamis in Neuseeland. In: Praxis Geographie 2/2019, S. 16-20.

Littbarski, E. (2005): Ressourcenmanagement in Neuseeland. Konstanz.

Mückler, H. (2020): Australien, Ozeanien, Neuseeland. Frankfurt/Main.

Robinson, G. M., Loughran, R. J.  und P. J. Tranter (2000): Australia and New

Zealand – Econoy, Society and Environment, Environmental Hazards and

Environmental Management. London. S. 309-328.

Through lectures, the excursion itself and field talks on the excursion, basic geographical contexts and problems are addressed and communicated directly on site. The day's work, which is carried out under supervision, offers the opportunity to test one's own actions in a leadership position and to reflect on them through comprehensive feedback. The competences acquired in this way can be used professionally, e.g. in the field of science, project planning but also in teaching activities in schools.

Further aims of the course are

•     to sharpen one's view and to question one's surroundings,
•     to scientifically understand characteristics, processes and backgrounds of the earth's body,
•     To work out content-related questions (partly in teams) and to prepare them (partly also digitally) in such a way that they can be summarised in a scientifically explanatory way, to summarise and present processed topics creatively, (mainly) visually and digitally.

The excursion will focus on physical geographic topics. Geology, volcanism, caving and meteorological and climatological phenomena of tropical islands will be the main topics, but also the fauna and flora as well as the history of the settlement of Hawaii offer interesting points of study for geographers.
 
During the excursion the following points on the main island Big Island will be visited or the following topics will be dealt with:
A comparative view of the five volcanoes located on the island, with Mauna Kea at 4205 m a.s.l. the highest volcano on the island, as well as the two active volcanoes Mauna Loa and Kilauea, being the main interest. A drive up to the highest peak of the North Pacific is planned, as well as a hike to the caldera rim of Mauna Loa.

When visiting the "Vulcanoes National Park", we will hopefully be able to see active volcanism, but its expression is unpredictable and depends on Kilauea's current activity. Currently, a several hundred metre deep collapse crater can be visited here, which is filling up again with lava. This lava lake lights up the night sky with a magnificent red glow. In addition, we will drive the road that runs through the park, all the way to the Pacific Ocean, ending at a cooled lava river that crossed the road a few years ago. Numerous inactive volcanic craters, various lava rivers as well as the steep edge of slipped island surfaces will be the subject of the drive. At the transition to the Pacific Ocean, we will visit the impressive cliffs, which are often pounded by metre-high waves that have created numerous surf caves and a "sea arch". The lava in this area, which is still jet black and only a few years old, can be explored on your own. In addition, further in-depth hikes are planned in the park.
 
If there are any accessible active lava flows, we will visit them as well. At the moment this is not possible, but the situation can change at any time. The possibility to visit active lava from a helicopter is given, but the additional costs (approx. 225 Euro) for this are NOT included in the excursion price.
 
Volcanism has created many different beaches, ranging from grey to black and white to deep black and green, through its ever-active lava flows into the sea. We will visit all of these and take a closer look at their components. With a bit of luck we may also observe resting sea turtles at the "Black Sand Beach". There will be plenty of opportunities to go swimming and, with a little luck, to swim with turtles or watch dolphins.

Numerous lava caves have been created by the flowing lava, and visiting and exploring them will form another main part of the excursion. In addition to simply visiting several easy-to-walk-in lava caves, crawling tours of another cave system can also be done if you are more interested. Helmets, knee and arm protectors will be provided, a headlamp is to be brought along.

In addition to the main topics mentioned above, we will focus on climatological issues as well as the fauna and flora of Big Island. The numerous climatic and vegetation zones in deeply cut valleys, on plateaus covered in fog and on lava surfaces above the clouds will be revealed during drives across the island as well as longer hikes. Tropical rainforest and lava desert are often less than an hour's drive and/or metres in altitude apart. We will record and analyse the climatic range of variation through our own measurements and observations.

In addition to other physical geographic topics, such as tsunamis, coastal comparisons and the spread of invasive plants, we will also look at the settlement of the island and the remaining traces of the indigenous people. A visit to a coffee farm and a small organic farm with subsequent tasting of chocolate, coffee and honey are also part of the programme.

Accommodation will be in a hostel in Hilo for 2 days (assuming a relaxed Corona situation) , but we will mostly be staying in the area of a small caving research station in yurts, these will be provided, bring a light summer sleeping bag and sleeping mats.

Costs:

The cost of the excursion will be around 1.750 Euro (excluding flights). Due to the aftermath of Corona in Hawaii and the war in Ukraine, these are the currently determined costs, which I cannot guarantee. These may change in either direction within the next few months.

The price includes: Food (half board plus for 13 days), rental car, fuel, accommodation, equipment (helmet, knee and elbow pads), various entrance fees.

Not included are: additional equipment such as sleeping bag and sleeping mat, activities planned by students as well as your personal connection programme in Hawaii or on the mainland as well as daily meals on the two days with overnight stay in Hilo.

Flight bookings are made individually by the participating students. However, I will give you the name of a travel agency that knows the general conditions very well and to which you can then turn.

For further questions, please contact: andreas.pflitsch@rub.de

Non-binding info event: Tuesday, 06.06.2023, 18:15 h, via Zoom (for link please see "Important Information" at the bottom)

Presence, 3 blocks Preparation: December 2023 or January 2024

Excursion: February/March 2024

Follow-up: Summer semester 2024

There will be a compulsory preliminary meeting immediately after the allocation of places. Please check the e-mails you provided when you made your choice. The date will be searched for and set via Doodle poll.

In October, the lecture topics will be assigned. In January, the preparatory seminar will be held on a weekend at the RUB or digitally as a Zoom meeting, here the first part of the lectures will be given.

This will be followed by the excursion in February/March.

The follow-up is planned for the summer semester after consultation, where the remaining lectures will be given.

The three European capitals Vienna (Austria), Bratislava (Slovakia) and Budapest (Hungary) are located relatively close to each other (in the case of Vienna and Bratislava, they are the closest two European capitals at all) and are connected by the Danube. Moreover, the three cities are characterised by a common historical past based on the Habsburg monarchy.
Nevertheless, the different developments on this side and on the other side of the so-called Iron Curtain after 1945 have led to considerable differentiation features, which - since the opening of the borders to Eastern Europe and currently still continuing - can be seen in different processes of change and adaptation of the respective urban developments.
Using appropriate comparative grids, these different patterns of urban systems are to be observed.
The aim is to observe, work out, discuss and interpret these different patterns of urban systems with regard to urban structures, developments and planning on site.
discussed and interpreted.

• Participation fee: 5470 € incl. 9 nights with breakfast in shared rooms in Vienna (6 nights) and Budapest (3 nights), entrance fees & programme, transport in Vienna, to/in Budapest and to/in Bratislava and back, information material, excursion printout.
•  Arrival and departure have to be organised by yourself!   
• 170 Euro are to be paid in cash at registration.

    The remaining amount (300 Euro) has to be transferred to the following account by 01.12.2023
    IBAN: DE40 5005 0201 1244 7099 20
    BIC: HELADEF1822
    Account holder Rudolf Juchelka

•      Please note: a later cancellation of the excursion can only lead to a refund of the participant fee if a substitute participant is named. If necessary, travel cancellation insurance should be taken out privately.

    Preliminary meeting: Monday, 30 October 2023, 10 - 11 am, Campus Essen, room SM 102. Personal attendance is compulsory. Presentation topics will be assigned and organisational questions clarified.

    2-day block seminar to prepare for the excursion: n.V. in February 2024; for logical reasons, attendance is compulsory; the date will be set in the preliminary meeting.

    Excursion: probably 12.-21.03.2024 (plus/minus 2 days)

• Accommodation:
• - Vienna: t.b.a. probably a Meininger Hotel/Hostel (6 nights).
• - Budapest: t.b.a. probably a hostel near the city centre (3 nights)

Start of the excursion: Meeting point at the accommodation in Vienna on Tuesday 12 March 2024 at 13:00 (on time!).
Check-in at the quarters will be done together, so please do not check in individually!
End of excursion:
Thursday 21 March 2024, approx. 1pm at Vienna Central Station.
Please note, if you are flying back by plane: there will be no departure time from Vienna before 16:00! If you are not travelling back to Vienna from Budapest, please inform Prof. Juchelka by email by 01.12.2023 at the latest. Unfortunately, a reduction of the participation fee is not possible.