BEMIDJI, Minn. — The Department of Geography and Physical Science at Bemidji State University is hosting a week-long series of events in support of National Geography Awareness Week, which runs from Nov. 17-21.

The event kicks off Monday, Nov. 17, with a wild game feast, which will be held in the map library of Hagg-Sauer Hall, room 244. The feast will begin at noon and run until 2 p.m.

The first of two films to be shown during the week will begin at 6:30 p.m. in Hagg-Sauer 112. “Namesake,” a 2006 film directed by Mira Nair and based on a best-selling novel by Jhumpa Lahiri, focuses on a suburban teenager caught between his Indian roots and his American birthright as he seeks a balance between age-old traditions and modern-day sensibilities. “Namesake” stars Kal Penn, known for his role in the “Harold and Kumar” films.

On Tuesday, Nov. 18, Dr. Tom Beech, associate professor of geography, will lecture on the political system of Canada. That lecture begins at 1 p.m. in Hagg-Sauer 245.

The first round of the Geography Bowl, a multiple-choice test focused on North America, will also be held on Tuesday from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. in Hagg-Sauer 244. The second round of the Geography Bowl will be held Wednesday from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., also in Hagg-Sauer 244. Participants in the contest will take the test, and the top three scorers for the week will win prizes donated to the geography club by local businesses.

A map sale will be held on Tuesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the lower Hobson Memorial Union.

The Department of Geography and Physical Science will host an all-day open house in its GISCenter, located in Hagg-Sauer 246, on Wednesday. The open house will showcase the department’s graphic information systems, which integrate hardware, software and data for capturing, analyzing and displaying all manner of geographically referenced information.

The film, “Six Degrees Could Change the World,” will be screened at 7 p.m. Thursday in Hagg-Sauer 112. The 2008 National Geographic documentary, directed by Ron Bowman, written by Mark Lynas and narrated by Alec Baldwin, runs through the effect each degree of temperature change has on the world.

An awards ceremony will wrap up the activities surrounding National Geography Awareness Week Friday afternoon at 2 p.m. in Hagg-Sauer 244.

For more information, please contact the Department of Geography and Physical Science at (218) 755-2880.