Geography Department Courses

Geography Course List

Below is a complete listing of the Geography Department's course offerings. (This list took effect in Fall 2007, when the current requirements for the Geography major began.)

Note: Some courses count towards more than one of the three areas of emphasis and are therefore listed under each.

Introductory Courses:

101 – World Regional Geography (3): An appreciation of spatial patterns in the distribution of physical and human characteristics of the major regions of the world (See Course web site.)

102 – Introduction to Human Geography (3): An examination of the political, economic, and cultural processes that shape the distribution, spaces, and places of contemporary societies. (See sample syllabus)

110 – Physical Geography I (4): Foundational concepts of physical geography. Concentration on weather, climate, and world vegetation regions. Laboratory (See sample syllabus.)

111 – Physical Geography II (4): Prerequisite: Geography 110. Survey of the processes, both tectonic and climatic, that shape the earth’s surface. Laboratory. (See sample syllabus.)

Methods Courses:

250 – Introduction to Geographic Information Systems and Cartography (4) An introduction to the principles of GIS and cartography and their use in presenting and analyzing geographic information. Laboratory (See sample syllabus.)

255 – Mobile Geographic Information Systems and Global Positioning Systems (4) Introduction to the concepts and techniques of field mapping using Mobile GIS and GPS.

340 – Remote Sensing and Air Photo Interpretation (4) Prerequisite: Geography 250. Analysis of remotely-sensed images with emphasis on the interpretation of aerial photographs and the use of imagery in geographical research. Laboratory.

351 – Applications of Geographic Information Systems (4) Prerequisite: Geography 250. Concepts and applications of geographic information systems (GIS). Emphasis on the use of GIS as a method for analyzing and solving geographic problems. Laboratory.

365 – Field Methods in Geography (4) Prerequisite: 18 hours in Geography. Methods of systematic observation, survey design, interview techniques, mapping, writing reports based on field experience, and exploratory trips to a variety of locales.

410p - Qualitative Methods in Geography (3) Seminar focused on teaching qualitative research methodologies practiced within the field of Geography (Spring 2009 only.)

Community, Development, and Culture Courses

221 – Geography of Eastern North America (3) Regional geography of the eastern United States and Canada, stressing similarities and differences in land, life, and livelihood (See sample syllabus.)

222 – Geography of Western North America (3) Regional geography of the western United States and Canada, stressing similarities and differences in land, life, and livelihood (See sample syllabus.)

301 – Geography of Latin America and the Caribbean (3) Regional geography of the lands and peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean, with particular emphasis on the cultural, political, economic and historical bonds that unify the region.

304 – Geography of the Middle East (3) An examination of the Middle East in the world including the political, cultural, social, and economic processes that orient perceptions of and in the Middle East

305 – Geography of Sub-Saharan Africa (3) A study of Africa south of the Sahara, focusing on the political, economic and social development of the region (See course website for syllabus.)

330 - Introduction to Planning (3) A survey of basic concepts, laws, and methods used in city and regional planning, illustrated with case studies.

331 – Race and Place in America (3) An analysis of how place and space have shaped our understandings and experiences of race in the United States. Topics include segregation, white supremacy groups, immigration, and how law has interpreted racialized geographies.

336 – Globalization and Local Development (3) Analysis of the history and current conditions of the world-economy focusing on local-global relationships and on the roles of technologic change, the state, and transnational corporations in explaining the geographies of globalization.

337 – The Nature of Cities (3) Examination of the multiple intersections between cities and nature, including the environmental explanations for the location of cities, the role of green spaces in cities, ecological models of cities and environmental justice issues (See sample syllabus.)

338 - Globalization and Local Development (3) Analysis of the history and current conditions of the world-economy focusing on local-global relationships and on the roles of technological change, the state, and transnational corporations in explaining the geographies of globalization.

339 – Geography and Development (3) An examination of local and global geographies of uneven development, including a review of theoretical approaches and a spatial approach to cultural, economic, political, and environmental problems of uneven development.

Globalization Courses

300 – The Geography of Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific (3) A study of Australia, New Zealand, and the islands of the South Pacific, focusing on the political, economic, and social development of the region.

303 – Geography of Europe (3) A geography of the European region, with particular emphasis on cultural, political, economic, and historical forces of unification and disintegration within the region.

305 – Geography of Sub-Saharan Africa (3) A study of Africa south of the Sahara, focusing on the political, economic and social development of the region.

307 – Geography of Asia (3) A survey of the human and physical geography of Asia with emphasis on the cultural, economic, and political conditions within Asia and the region’s relationships with the rest of the world. The course will often focus on one of Asia’s subregions (See course website.)

332 – Migration Politics in a Globalizing World (3) An examination of the politics of movement and mobility in international migration and of the spaces created by interactions between migrants, governments, and residents (See sample syllabus.)

338 – Geopolitics (3) An analysis of power, ideology and identity in and across space. The class focuses on how geopolitical theories have changed over time and vary across places and introduces students to critical geopolitics.

Nature and Society Courses:

221 – Geography of Eastern North America (3) Regional geography of the eastern United States and Canada, stressing similarities and differences in land, life, and livelihood.

240 – Natural Hazards (3) The study of natural hazards from a geographic perspective including physical processes, risk factors, and the vulnerability of populations in both more and less developed countries.

310 – Human Environment: Perception and Utilization (3) An examination of the dynamic relationship between humans and the natural environment, with emphasis on natural processes.

325 - Dynamic Climatology (3) Prerequisite: GEOG 210 or permission of instructor. A study of the atmospheric dynamics that control earth’s climates.

327 - Climate Change (3) An examination of the mechanisms and evidence for climate change over various timescales.

Other Courses:

410 – Advanced Topics in Geography (variable 1-4). Advanced seminar dealing with a preselected topic of current interest. May include laboratory. (May be repeated for credit with change of topic) See some sample syllabi: 1 2

485 – Readings in Geography (variable 1-3) Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor. Directed readings on a selected topic in geography under the guidance of a member of the geography faculty.

490 – Senior Seminar in Geography (3) Prerequisite: Senior majors only. An intensive study of one of the subfields of geography, with emphasis on critical reading of the literature and group discussion.

491 – Individual Study in Geography (variable 1-6) Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor. Intensive individual research of some geographic issue under the guidance of a member of the geography faculty.

499 – Internship (variable 1-6) Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor. Supervised off-campus experience. Pass/fail only. Does not count toward geography major

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Geography Major: Electives in Related Fields

(Last revised December 11, 2006)

Electives related to Community, Development and Culture:

ANTH341: Practices of Memory
CLAS 390: The Ancient City
ECON 354: Urban and Regional Economics
HISP 209: Planning History and Practice
HISP 309: Preservation and Land Use
PSCI 332: Metropolitan Problems
SOCG 313: Urban Sociology

Electives related to Globalization:

ANTH 317: Gifts and Commodities
ANTH342: Touring Cultures
ANTH343: Culture and Identity in Europe
ANTH 401: The Anthropology of Globalization
PSCI 321: Theories of International Relations
SOCG 404: Global Inequality and Development
SOCG 335: Global Perspectives on Health and Illness

Electives related to Nature and Society:

BIOL 210: Introduction to Ecology
CHEM 331: Environmental Chemistry
GEOL 305: Introduction to Hydrology
EESC 308: Introduction to environmental soil science
EESC 313: Fluvial geomorphology
EESC 321: Environmental impact assessment
EESC 326: Pollution prevention planning
EESC 330: Environmental regulatory compliance