2014-15 SECOND SEMESTER COURSE OUTLINES

GRY 207: Elements of Climatology                  

Second Semester 2014/15

                                   

Tuesdays from 2:30 to 5:00pm at Biology Lab Chancery

Instructor: Mr. Sambou Darboe

Tel: 36 50 134/ 64 88 702     

Email: sdarboe@utg.edu.gm/mahmoodsambou@gmail.com

INTRODUCTION

This course introduces students to the sub discipline of climatology by discussing and analyzing the workings of the atmosphere. It incorporates the basic treatment of all the elements of weather and climate. The course will look at the composition and structure of the atmosphere, insolation and heat budget, temperature of the atmosphere, air pressure and winds, humidity, precipitation & air masses; as well as climatic types and their distribution.

Text: Bhutani, S. (2005) Our Atmosphere: A Climatological   

                     Perspective

Additional Reading: Lal, D.S. (2003) Climatology

    

COURSE OUTLINE

 Week 1: Composition and Structure of the Atmosphere.

Week 2: Insolation and Heat Budget

Week 3: Temperature of the Atmosphere

Week 4: Distribution of Temperature

Week 5: Air Pressure

Week 6: Quiz

Week 7: Winds

Week 8: Humidity & Clouds

Week 9: Precipitation

Week10: Air Masses

Week 11: Climatic Types & Their Distribution

Week 12: Quiz

 Course Requirements:

Students are expected to attend all the lectures and to participate actively in class discussions (10% of course grade).

Students will do two quizzes in weeks 6 and 12; each of which will account for 20% of the course grade. There will be no makeup quiz for students who miss the quizzes; hence, all the students should take note of the quiz schedules.

Final Examination: 50%

The examination will consist of seven essay questions and the students are expected to attempt any five; all of which will carry equal marks.

Class Policies

• Students late for more than 15 minutes will not be allowed into the lecture.
• All mobile phones must be on silent mode during lectures.

GRY 107: Economic Geography

Second Semester 2014/15

                                                          

                                                             

Mondays from 14:30 to 17:00 at Chemistry Lab, Public Health

Instructor: Mr. Sambou Darboe

Tel: 36 50 134/ 64 88 702     

Email: sdarboe@utg.edu.gm/mahmoodsambou@gmail.com

INTRODUCTION

This course introduces students to the interaction of geographical and economic conditions with emphasis on the environment. Issues to consider include production, spatial distribution, exchange and consumption of wealth, as well as the economic factors affecting the areal differentiation of the earth’s surface.

Text: Bali, P.K. and Sekhon, M.S. (2007) Economic Geography: an environmental perspective

Additional Reading: Estall R.C. and Buchanan, R.O. (1980) Industrial Activity and Economic Geography

COURSE OUTLINE

 Week 1: Components of Resource and Environment

Week 2: Distribution, Utilization and Conservation of Water Resources

Week 3: Distribution, Utilization and Conservation of Soils

Week 4: Distribution, Utilization and Conservation of Forests

Week 5: Distribution, Utilization and Conservation of Mineral Resources

Week 6: Distribution, Utilization and Conservation of Energy Resources

Week 7: Quiz #1

Week 8: Human Resources

Week 9: Population Resource Relationship 

Week 10: Environment Resource Interface

Week 11 Emerging Environmental Issues

Week 12: Quiz #2

 Course Requirements:

Students are expected to attend all lectures and to participate actively in class discussions (10% of course grade).

Students will do two quizzes in weeks 6 and 11; each of which will account for 20% of the course grade. There will be no makeup quiz for students who miss the quizzes; hence, all the students should take note of the quiz schedules.

Final Examination: 50%

The examination will consist of seven essay questions and the students are expected to attempt any five; all of which will carry equal marks.

Class Policies

·         Students late for more than 15 minutes will not be allowed into the lecture.

·         All mobile phones must be on silent mode during lectures.

·         Those who want to make or receive calls must step out of the lecture room to do so.

 GRY 201: Elements of Geomorphology

Second Semester 2014/15

                                                              

                                

                                                             

Thursdays from 08:00 to 10:30 at Agric 3

Instructor: Mr. Sambou Darboe

Tel: 36 50 134/ 64 88 702     

Email: sdarboe@utg.edu.gm/mahmoodsambou@gmail.com

INTRODUCTION

This course introduces students to geomorphology, the study of landforms and the processes that produce and modify them. Emphasis is placed on the mechanics of geomorphic processes and on the relationships between properties of earth materials and the forces applied to them by gravity, wind, water, waves and humans.

Text: Singh, S. (2006) Geomorphology

Additional Reading: Gupta, A. & Kale, V.S. (2001) Introduction to Geomorphology

COURSE OUTLINE

 Week 1: Nature of Geomorphology: Definition, scope, & evolution.

Week 2: Fundamental Concepts in Geomorphology

Week 3: Constitution of the Earth’s Interior, Continents & Ocean Basins

Week 4: Rocks & Earth’s Movement

Week 5: Vulcanicity, Land Forms & Mountains

Week 6: Quiz #1

Week 7: Weathering, Mass Movement & Hill Slope

Week 8: Drainage Systems, Patterns, & Morphometry of Drainage Basin

 Week 9: River Valleys,  Graded River, Profile of Equilibrium &Channel    

                  Morphology

Week 10:  Fluvial & Karst Geomorphology

Week 11: Coastal , Arid & Semi- Arid Geomorphology

Week 12: Quiz #2

 Course Requirements:

Students are expected to attend all lectures and to participate actively in class discussions (10% of course grade).

Students will do two quizzes in weeks 6and 12; each of which will account for 20% of the course grade. There will be no makeup quiz for students who miss the quizzes; hence, all the students should take note of the quiz schedules.

Final Examination: 50%

The examination will consist of seven essay questions and the students are expected to attempt any five; all of which will carry equal marks.

Class Policies

·         Students late for more than 15 minutes will not be allowed into the lecture.

·         All mobile phones must be on silent mode during lectures.

·         Those who want to make or receive calls must step out of the lecture room to do so.

GRY 205: Introduction to Map Analysis

Second Semester 2014/15

                                                               

                            

                                                             

Mondays from 08:00 to 10:30 at Agric 2

Instructor: Mr. Sambou Darboe

Tel: 36 50 134/ 64 88 702     

Email: sdarboe@utg.edu.gm/mahmoodsambou@gmail.com

INTRODUCTION

This course exposes students to the study of different map types based on projections and usages. The course looks at the different types of map projections, weather maps, distribution maps, and Aerial Photo Maps.   

Text: Khullar, D.R. (2006) Essentials of Practical Geography &

 Sebert, L.M. (1986) Map Reading

COURSE OUTLINE

 Week 1: Map Projections: Definition and types

Week 2: Cylindrical Map Projections

Week 3: Conical Map Projections

Week 4: Zenithal Map Projections

Week 5: Conventional Map Projections

Week 6: Identification and choice of Map Projections

Week 7: Quiz

Week 8: Weather Maps

Week 9: Distribution Maps 1

Week 10: Distribution Maps  2

Week 11: Aerial Photo Maps

Week 12: Quiz

 Course Requirements:

Students are expected to attend all lectures and to participate actively in class exercises (30% of course grade).

Students will do two quizzes in weeks 7 and 12; each of which will account for 10% of the course grade. There will be no makeup quiz for students who miss the quizzes; hence, all the students should take note of the quiz schedules.

Final Examination: 50%

The examination will consist of seven essay questions and the students are expected to attempt any five; all of which will carry equal marks.

Class Policies

·         Students late for more than 15 minutes will not be allowed into the lecture.

·         All mobile phones must be on silent mode during lectures.

·         Those who want to make or receive calls must step out of the lecture room to do so.

 GRY 403: History of Geography & Geographers

Second Semester 2014/15

                                                              

   

                                                             

Tuesdays from 17:15to 19:00 at Biology  Lab Chancery               

Instructor: Mr. Sambou Darboe

Tel: 36 50 134/ 64 88 702     

Email: sdarboe@utg.edu.gm/mahmoodsambou@gmail.com

INTRODUCTION

This course introduces students to the philosophy, history and methodology of geography by exploring the major thinkers and key theoretical developments in the field of geography.  The course incorporates prehistory of geographical ideas, the works of classical and modern geographers as well as contemporary movements in geography. 

Text: Husain, M. (2006) Evolution of Geographical Thought.

Additional Reading: Holt-Jensen, A. (1988) Geography: History and Concepts

COURSE OUTLINE

 Week 1: Greeks contribution to Geography

Week 2: Romans contribution to Geography

Week 3: Ancient Indian and Chinese Geographical Concepts

Week 4: Arab Geographical Thought 

Week 5: The Impact of Explorations and Discoveries

Week 6:  Founders of Modern Geographical Thought

Week 7: Schools of Geography

Week 8: Dichotomy between Determinism and Possibilism

Week 9: Dualism and Dichotomies in Geography

Week10: Quantitative Revolution, Paradigms, System Analysis and Region  

Week 11: Models in Geography

Week 12: Modern Themes in Geographical Thought

 Course Requirements:

Students In years Three and Four majoring in Geography

Students will do twelve short quizzes, the best ten of which will account for the 50% of the continuous assessment. A quiz will be conducted before every lecture on the topic to be covered to assess prior reading of the course material.

Final Examination: 50%

The examination will consist of seven essay questions and the students are expected to attempt any five; all of which will carry equal marks.

Class Policies

• Students late for more than 15 minutes will not be allowed into the lecture.
• All mobile phones must be on silent mode during lectures.

Berending : ENSA A SAHO MAT NO: 2110118

The village of Berending is found in Lower niumi in north bank region and located just ten kilometers from Barra point. According to sources, Berending was located near the crocodile pool (woyotoo) which was very close to a virgin forest. The name came as result of the presence of a small stone close to the pool where the village was located and hence termed the village around the small stone (Berending).  However, the settlement has moved its present site to get closer to the upland farms away from the swamps the initial site which is liable to flooding.

The crocodile pool is said to have very important bearing on the history of the village because it serves the village and its surrounding settlements as a sacred place of worship. People visit the place from far and wide to perform some rituals in order to be successful in attaining a desired venture.  

The founders are said to be warriors at the time and therefore, located the village close to a forest for two reasons; to make their site difficult to locate by the enemies during wars; and, to use the forest as a hideout in the event of surprise attack   by the enemies. The village was and is still is dominated by the sonko clan who are Mandinkas and the original founders of the settlement of Berending.

The present alkalo is said to be the 17^th alkalo since the settlement began. Berending is an old settlement which served as in the capital of the ancient kingdom of Niumi. As a settlement of warriors who were only proud of how many human heads they brought home during wars and how much alcohol they drank cherished the title Soninke. Even their descendants are called and praised by the griots using the title Soninke during ceremonies.

The Mandinkas are the dominant ethnic group; the other ethnic groups are Fulas, Turka, Serere, and Wollof which together form less than 10 per cent of the population of the village.

The current main economic activities of the village are farming (upland groundnut and wetland rice cultivation) during the rainy season. Horticultural garden takes the lead during the dry season.

 

MY VILLAGE (SIBANOR) AND HOW IT EVOLVES OVER TIME by CHERNO SILLAH MAT.#: 2110969

Sibanor is now the biggest settlement in terms of size and population in Foni. The village was founded by one Mandinka man from Niumi Sika called Mankamang Saho in the late 1800s, who under the advice of a marabou, crossed River Gambia to the south in pursuit of a more flourishing life. On arrival in the Fonis, he searched for place in Bintang District to settle down. He then found a big space of land between two small Jola settlements - Manyina and Sitta. He sought permission from them to settle between these two communities. Mankamang was shown where to settle down by the chiefs of the two communities. At the time of allocating the area to him, hamerkops (Sibanoras in Jola) were perching there and were used as landmark. Thus the village became known as SIBANOR. Shortly after Mankamang and his family settled, one Jola family, Badjies, joined them there. Sibanor later grew into a big village because during colonial and post colonial days, ‘SIBANOR TENDA’ was a popular trading post and many groundnut purchasing firms had outlets there                            

 Sibanor is a multi ethnicity community comprising different ethnic groups today. The Mandinkas formed the majority despite the village being in a Jola dominated region, Then Jolas, followed by the Fulas; the other ethnic groups are the Manjangos and Sereres.

Sibanor as a settlement shifted twice since its establishment. The settlement was first located  along the bank of the River Gambia where there was a big silk cotton tree called (“BANTANGOTO”), it  then moved some hundred meters away from this location to the old south bank link road that linked villages from Brikama to Kalagi and beyond. After the construction of the South Bank Trunk Road, the village moved  to its present site.

 I will not do justice for not naming my source who is no other person than ( BA SAIKOU KASSAMA) the most  elderly person in the village now.

 

A HISTORY OF MY VILLAGE-GUNJUR by Sidia Touray MAT NO. 2110902

 The name of my village is Gunjur. With the exception of the Atlantic Ocean, Gunjur has no known physical features today. It is located on a flat plain with Kartong on its south, Sanyang on its north and Sifoe on its east .It is about a kilometer east of the Atlantic Coast in Kombo South District, West Coast Region of The Gambia. Gunjur actually started as a small Mandinka village, with its initial site about 200m from the Atlantic Ocean, near the Sibindinto shrine. The settlement, believed to be founded by a man called Mayaiba Talaji Darboe, fondly called Darboba, was then called Fayunku. Mayaiba had migrated from Tendinto in the Kabu Empire with his family and followers. However, it is said that the Darboes later found out that they were not alone in the area but with some other people. These were the Biyarros, a probable adulterated form of the surename Biyai, a Bainunko tribe.

During the period, a well known saint named Amatora Touray started visiting this part of The Gambia from Mali for religious seclusion on annual basis. It is said that after one of those visits, he had a vision that he should settle down along the Atlantic Coast. Amatora was inspired in the vision that he was to settle down, near a knoll (an anthill) close to a big tree that would have a dead deer under it and vultures perched on its top. He left Mali with his family and students in search for that location. Among his students was a highly spiritually gifted blind student called Arafang Tassali. On reaching the Gambia he went to the king of Brikama, to seek permission. He was permitted to search for a place of his choice. During the search for a place along the coast with Arafang Tassali, the blind student, Arafang moaned of pain. When asked, he replied that it was as if his forehead had struck the roof of a house. Upon thorough scrutiny, Amatora saw all the signs he had seen in his dream: an anthill; near it a big tree under which was a dead deer and on its top were vultures.

 He then went back to get the rest of his students to get the place cleared and named it Tunjur which later became mispronounced as Gunjur. Amatora came in contact with Darboba through the latter’s children. It is said that at night, when Amatora’s students sat around the fire to read the Qur’an, Darboba’s children would come around to listen to their recitation of the Holy Qur’an. Even though the children received severe punishment from their parents for having close contact with the strangers they persisted in visiting the place. The news of their beating reached Amatora which prompted him to convince Darboba to shun animism for Islam. This marked the amalgamation of the two families into a small Muslim village. When the issue of leadership came up, Darboba was naturally made the Alkalo (village chief) and Amatora, the Imam(religious head in Islam). They stayed together at the initial site for nine years. Then they relocated about 800m east of the sea, to what is known today as Tumbungto (ruins) in Mandinka. The Alkalo of village then was Afamara Banna Darboe and the Imam was Foday Ansumana Touray.

Gunjur just had its 6^th alikalo in the person of Alhaji Panding Sulu Sulayman Touray whilest Imam Kawsu Touray is still the 13^th imam. It was at Tumbungto that Gunjur as a Muslim village attracted the attention of the crown in Brikama which was till then an animist kingdom. Gunjur being a muslim village did not patronize the animistic religion of the Kombo Kingdom. So, Gunjur being the only Muslim village defied orders from Brikama which led to clashes between them. The clashes continued into the 19^th Century when Ebrima Foday Kombo Sillah Touray (commonly known as Foday Sillah) led Gunjur against Brikama. He later turned this resistance into a jihad “holy war” converting the conquered people into Islam. The jihad posed a threat to the French and the British especially by disrupting the cultivation of groundnut which they were particularly interested in. So they attacked Gunjur from the sea razing it to the ground with their bombs. Some of the survivors took refuge in a village called Baifairre near Nyaffrang in Cassamance. They later came back and once again relocated to the present site. When Gunjur was conquered and Kombo partitioned by the British, it becomes part of Kombo South. So, the issue of where the chief should come from was never a serious problem since Gunjur had already imposed its supremacy over all the villages within the newly created District. Thus, Chieftaincy naturally fell to the Tourays of Gunjur. Madi Kulay Touray became the first chief of Kombo South. Sherif Ajay Janneh   who was hired and fired twice is the 13^th chief of Kombo South.

HISTORY OF SITTA-HUMA VILLAGE NAME: SAMBA DEM MAT NO: 2120512 SCHOOL: EDUCATION COURSE: SETTLEMENT GEO.

Sareh Gido or wellingaraba commonly known as Sitta-Huma village is located in the central Jarra District, Lower River Region in the Gambia. This village was named after its founder Gido Bah and Sareh Gido literally means Gido`s village in Fullah. The village is a Fula dominated settlement with few manjakos.

The name Sareh Gido was later change to Wellingara literally easy to come in Fullah. However, sellement is commonly called Sitta-Huma, by the mandinka villages who settled the area because at the initial site, there was a big baobab tree at the centre of the village with a big hole inhabited by bees which were very violent. Every year they used to spread out and bite people especially during harvesting  season, this led to the assigning of the name sitta-huma to the village by the mandinkas because of their experience with the bees.

The village is made up of twenty-four compounds, which are further divided into three kabilos, namely; Bah Kunda, Dem Kunda, and Sabally Kunda. The village is located near a valley that was once traversed by Musa Molloh during his Islamic holy war ``jihad” expeditions. The founder of the village was a renowned pastoralist who came there with more than five hundred cattle. He travelled from the region of Cassamance into the Gambia in search of better pasture for his cattle and travelled for several days before reaching his destination. When he saw the area, he was overwhelmed with joy because of the attractive nature of the pasture and its proximity to water source. He made up his mind to settle in the area and sent for his family to join him there in 1890.

Later other people came and settled with him, and that’s how the village grew. Initially the village was inhabited by disbelievers but due to the spread of Islam in the area, many converted. The alkaloship  of the village is  with Bah Kunda family and the imamship is  with  Dem Kunda family who were believed to have been well versed in the holy Quran. Sitta-huma became widely due to the construction of a primary school and the acquiring of the chieftaincy from Jappineh which lasted for thirty-two years.

Initially, the main economic activity of the village was cattle rearing, because almost every family possessed some cattle to rear. With time, when they experience a decline in the number of cattle they possessed, they shifted crop cultivation, in order to meet their family needs. Now potato, rice and groundnut are their major food and cash crops.

Due to high mortality, famine and other natural calamities, the village shifted away from its original location to a few hundred meters southwards to its present site.