Geography Courses

G110 Introduction to Human Geography (3 cr.)

The course provides an introduction to basic concepts of human geography within the discussion of people, places and physical landscapes. The purpose of the course is to improve students’ understanding of the world, and to develop skills of critical thinking and cross-cultural understanding, by examining the processes that link places together, and how these linkages affect places and people. Understanding such processes is crucial if we are to understand how events in one part of the world have effects in other parts of the world, and how these effects play out on the landscape and how they affect people’s personal lives. 

G201 World Regional Geography (3 cr.) 

The focus of this course is an examination of the cultures, politics, histories, and economics of the major human regions of the world. Emphasis will be given to the ways in which environment, culture, politics, history, and economics interact to create unique geographical regions. This course will give you a greater appreciation and understanding of the myriad of social forces shaping the contemporary world.

G213 Introduction to Economic Geography (3 cr.)

This course introduces students to the principles of economic geography and develops a geographical understanding of the world economy. We will approach the economy as a historical and social creation that is fundamentally shaped by politics, culture, gender, race, and the biophysical world (i.e. nature). We will examine how space(s) and place(s) are produced by and, in turn, produce economic processes. We will investigate the asymmetrical nature of the global networks of economic relations in which our own lives are enmeshed. We will discuss and read about such issues as colonialism, industrialization, globalization, free trade, migration, poverty, race, gender, and more.

G313 Political Geography (3 cr.) Prerequisite: G110 or 3 hours of political science, or consent of instructor.

This course examines the role of political processes in shaping the spatial organization of societies on local, national, and global scales as well as the impact of geographical factors on political decisions. The interconnectedness of geography and politics will be critically explored in a variety of places, from issues such as the continued viability of states and the resurgence of nationalism, the political geography of identity and place representation, the political geography of population and the environment, the changing nature of global geopolitics and economics, and the historical and contemporary geopolitics of the United States.