The goal of physical geography is to explain the structure of the spheres of the Earth (atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere) and how we interact with them. This course uses problem-centered integrated inquiry activities to introduce students to the composition of the cosmos and its scale of space and time; the principles on which the universe appears to operate; what causes earthquakes, volcanoes, and floods; and how these events and others shape the surface of the planet.