Ian Boles, B.A., M.A.

Greetings! My name is Ian Boles. I am an adjunct professor of geography here at Cypress College. My main academic interests are Geographic Information Systems (GIS), world geography, and population geography. I encourage you to explore our course offerings in the outstanding Department of Geography at Cypress College.

Professional

In my day job, I am the GIS Analyst at the Center for Demographic Research based on the campus of California State University Fullerton.

Travel

Like any good geographer, I have a love affair with travel. Whether it is a weekend trip to the Sierras or a trip abroad, I make it a point to explore our planet with all of my senses, and I encourage my students to do the same.

I have traveled to China, Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Iceland, France, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Czech Republic, Monaco, Turkey, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Jamaica, Mexico, Canada, the great states of Alaska and Hawai’i, and across the greatest state of all, California.

GEOG 230 C: Intro to GIS

If you have ever wondered about the art and science of map making (cartography) or the interactions of people and environments, Intro to GIS may be the class for you! Learn the theories behind and practical applications of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in GEOG 230 C, Intro to GIS. This course provides a broad overview of GIS applications, emphasizing the real-world skills that are in high demand in the private and public sectors.

• ArcGIS.com
  Web GIS from ESRI. Sign up for a free account to get a feel for GIS.
• GIS Stack Exchange
  GIS stack exchange for GIS professionals and students alike.
• Cal-Atlas
  The California Geoportal provides easy and convenient access to freely distributed spatial data for California.
• DIVA-GIS
  Free spatial data at the national and subnational level for the entire world.

GEOG 100 C Course Description

An introduction to today’s physical and political regions, emphasizing location, population, political status, land use problems and potentialities, and providing opportunities for worldwide research.

Students are introduced to world geography through a regional survey of the world’s cultural and physical environments. Geography is more than just maps and globes. It is a lens through which to better understand phenomena that exist on earth. Geography informs our critical analysis of events with a spatial perspective.

3 semester units. UC Credit Limitation/CSU, AA GE, CSU GE, IGETC. Duplicate credit not granted for GEOG 100HC.

Course Materials

• Required text: Geography: Realms, Regions, and Concepts, (16th Edition). De Blij, H.J., Peter O. Muller, Jan Nijman. Wiley, 2014. (Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-118-67395-9; Binder-ready ISBN: 978-1-118-70760-9) Available at campus bookstore and online (Amazon.com, eBay.com, etc.)
• Scantrons: Scantron Forms #882 for midterm and final examinations.

Weekly Workload

Students will be assigned chapter readings each week. At the conclusion of each week’s readings, students will be tested on the material.

GEOG 160 C Course Description

Cultural Geography investigates and interprets the interrelationship of human activities with cultural background, physical environment and the diffusion of ideas. Emphasis is placed on where and why people locate, the distribution of different cultural characteristics on the earth’s surface, how people earn a living in various parts of the world, how people organize their lives and how their problems may result from the use of the earth’s resources. Cultural geography helps us understand where and why spatial patterns exist among human interactions on earth.

3 semester units. UC/CSU, AA GE, CSU GE, IGETC, C-ID: GEOG 120)

Course Materials

• Required text: The Cultural Landscape: An Introduction to Human Geography (12th Ed.), Rubenstein, James.
• Scantrons: Scantron Forms #882 for midterm and final examinations.

Weekly Workload

Students will be assigned chapter readings each week. At the conclusion of each week’s readings, students will be tested on the material.

GEOG 230 C Course Description

If you have ever wondered about the art and science of map making (cartography) or the interactions of people and environments, Intro to GIS may be the class for you! Learn the theories behind and practical applications of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in GEOG 230 C, Intro to GIS. This course provides a broad overview of GIS applications, emphasizing the real-world skills that are in high demand in the private and public sectors.

Intro to GIS will introduce the student to the latest GIS technologies, as well as standard practicies in today’s GIS industries. Students will be taught how to retrieve and apply data in their chosen business and/or academic area of interest.

Term hours: 36 lecture and 54 laboratory. $4 materials fee – payable at registration. (CSU, C-ID: GEOG 155)

Course Materials

• Required text: Getting to Know ArcGIS (4th Ed.), Law, Michael and Amy Collins, 2015.

Weekly Workload

Students will be assigned weekly labs, in addition to a semester-long GIS project of their choosing.