California State University, Chico

Dr. GUY KING, Professor of Geography

GEOGRAPHY 352, The United States

Alexis de Tocqueville, the famous French political thinker who authored the 1835 book Democracy in America stated the following about the geography of the United States:

"A sort of methodical order seems to have regulated the separation of land and water, mountains and valleys. A simple but grand arrangement is discoverable amid the confusion of objects and the prodigious variety of scenes."

This course focuses on that “methodical order” and “simple, but grand arrangement” of the American landscape. From a geographical perspective, the landscape consists of natural and cultural features. Geographers ask three basic questions: “what are the landscape features, where are they located, and how did they get there?” I love the study of geography and teaching GEOG 352.  The United States is a wonderful place filled with many diverse cultures and contrasting physical environments.  We live in a time of great cultural and environmental change not only in this country, but also globally. So an important part of this course also is appreciating how the United States is connected to the rest of the World.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Professor of Geography, Department of Geography and Planning, California State University-Chico, 1988 to Present.

Department Chairperson, Department of Geography and Planning, California State University-Chico, 1998 to 2001.

Assistant Professor of Geography, Department of Geography, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, 1985 to 1988.

Imagery Analyst, Defense Intelligence Agency, Washington, D.C., 1983 to 1985.

Cartographer/Photogrammetrist, Defense Mapping Agency, St. Louis, 1983.

Instructor, Truckee Meadows Community College, Reno, 1982.

United States Army, Army Aviation, 1971-1973.

EDUCATION

Ph.D. in Geography, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, 1982.

M.S. in Geography, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, 1978.

B.S. in Geography, Mackay School of Mines, University of Nevada, Reno, 1976.

RESEARCH

Temperature Extremes in California, The California Geographer 49: 71-84, 2009.

The Hottest and Coldest Places in the Conterminous United States, Association of Pacific Coast Geographers Yearbook: Vol. 68, 2007.

Crossing the Forty-Mile Desert, Overland Journal 21: 122-137, 2004.

The Forty Mile Desert Emigrant Trail: its Natural and Human History. Camp Nevada Publications, 2002.

Geomorphology of a Dry Valley: Adrian Pass, Lahontan Basin, Nevada. Association of Pacific Coast Geographers Yearbook 58: 89-114, 1996.

Late Quaternary Paleolakes of Butte Valley, Siskiyou County, California. The California Geographer 34: 41-56, 1994.

Late Quaternary History of the Lower Walker River and its implications for the Lahontan Paleolake System. Physical Geography 14: 81-93, 1993.

Geomorphology of Piedmont Vernal Pool Basins, California. The California Geographer 32: 19-38, 1992.

Geography and GIS Technology. The Journal of Geography 90: 66-72, 1991.

Morphological Regions of the Great Basin. Forum for the Association of Arid Lands Studies 2: 65-72, 1986.

COURSES TAUGHT AT CHICO STATE

GEOG 101 Physical Geography
GEOG 106 The American West

GEOG 260 Natural Hazards
GEOG 313 Introductory Cartography

GEOG 314 Aerial Photo Interpretation
GEOG 319 Introductory Geographic Information Systems
GEOG 342 Geomorphology

GEOG 343 Climatology

GEOG 352 The United States
GEOG 413 Advanced Cartography
GEOG 417 Field Techniques in Geography
GEOG 418 Remote Sensing

GEOG 435 Historical Geography
GEOG 600 Intro to Geographical Research Seminar
GEOG 602 Physical Geography Seminar
GEOG 606 Special Topics Seminar

SOSC 301 Spatial Concepts

SOSC 302 Temporal Concepts