GEOGRAPHY (GEO–Arts and Science)

401/501 Sustainable Regions (3)

Applies concepts such as ecological, economic, and social sustainability, the land ethic, ecological footprint, native ecosystems, urban sprawl, and local food systems to the landscapes around us. Analyzes the sustainability of human activities in relation to geographical scale from local to global.

405/505 The Caribbean in Global Context (3)

Investigation of the geography of development in the Caribbean Basin, defined as Caribbean Islands, Guyanas, and Caribbean coast of Central America. Emphasis on development prospects and obstacles associated with agricultural and industrial exports, tourism, state policies, and the U.S. role in the region.

408/508 Geography of the Silk Road (The Heart of Asia) (3)

Examines the geography of the Inner Asia region including Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Mongolia, and Inner Asian China (Xinjiang).

410/510 Advanced Regional Geography (1-4; maximum 12)

Specific area to be announced each time course is offered. Offered infrequently.

421/521 Climatology (3)

Study of the earth’s climate and atmospheric processes involving energy, moisture, and motion, which give rise to climatic regions. Prerequisite: GEO 121 or permission of instructor.

424/524 Geomorphology (4)

Origin and development of landforms with emphasis on fluvial systems. Process and response systems. Prerequisite: GLG 111; MTH 103, 104, and six hours of advanced geology or geography. Cross-listed with GLG 454/554. 3 Lec. 1 Lab. Offered infrequently.

425/525 Hydrogeography (3)

Investigation of the hydrologic cycle focusing on the surficial component parts of precipitation, infiltration, soil moisture, evaporation, transpiration, and surface runoff, and variation of these from place to place over the earth’s surface. Prerequisite: GEO 121 or permission of instructor.

426/526 Watershed Management (3)

Impacts of urban and agricultural land use on water resources; common watershed-scale tools for water quality and quantity management. Prerequisite: GEO 121.

428/528 Soil Geography (4)

Study of soil morphology, formation, classification, and geographical distribution of soils. Field work and laboratory work required. Prerequisite: GEO 121 or GLG 111 or 112 or permission of instructor. Offered infrequently.

431/531 Global Plant Diversity (3)

Research-focused seminar on the floristic, ecological, and cultural influences on global patterns of plant diversity, especially in tropical regions. Comparative topics include the role of disturbances and global environmental change. Prerequisites: BOT 115, 191, or higher, GEO 121 or higher, or permission of instructor. Cross-listed with BOT 431.

432/532 Ecoregions of North America (3)

Ecological study of vegetation that applies an understanding of climate, soils, and physiography across the continent toward interpreting major vegetation types and local patterns of diversity. Discussions and field work focus on current research and conservation issues. Required field trip. Prerequisites: BOT 115, 191, or higher, GEO 121 or higher, or permission of instructor. Cross-listed with BOT 432.

436/536 Women, Gender, and the Environment (3)

Seminar discussing literature on the role of women in their relationships with natural resources as advocates, practitioners, and scholars. Ideas on ecofeminism will be introduced from more-developed “north” and developing “south” perspectives, and then directed toward the study of gender and development, and participatory tools in gender analysis.

437/537 Regional Land Use Capability Analysis (3)

Study of the effects of soils, vegetation, climate, water resources, and geomorphology on the use of land by human beings; resource data inventories for use in planning; and critical review of capability analysis in planning projects at local, state, and national levels. Summer only.

441/541 Geographic Information Systems (3)

Introduction to the conceptual, operational and institutional issues associated with the use of current Geographic Information Systems technology. Demonstrates the application of widely available commercial GIS products to geographic problem-solving. Prerequisite: GEO 241 or permission of instructor.

442/542 Advanced Geographic Information Systems (3)

Advanced-level application of GIS technology to geographic problem-solving. Follows on from topics introduced in GEO 441/541 to provide (a) in-depth understanding of the technical and substantive issues associated with the use of GIS and (b) advanced-level training in the functionality of major GIS products. Prerequisite: GEO 441/541 or permission of instructor.

447/547 Aerial Photo Interpretation (4)

Interpretation and analysis of aerial photographic images for the purpose of identifying objects and characterizing their significance. Examples will be drawn from both human and physical environment.

448/548 Techniques and Applications of Remote Sensing (3)

Description of nonphotographic remote sensing such as radar, thermal infrared, and multispectral scanning. Experience with machine-based interpretation of multispectral imagery.

451/551 Urban and Regional Planning (3)

Introduction to the purposes and possibilities of urban and regional land use planning. Topics includehistorical development of planning, theoretical rationale for planning, and major analytical and legal tools and techniques available to planners at urban and regional levels.

454/554 Urban Geography (3)

Geographic principles related to the distribution, function, structure, and regional settings of urban centers. Prerequisite: some other urban course in social sciences or permission of instructor.

455/555 Race, Urban Change, and Conflict in America (3)

Since the 1960s, changes at both global and local levels have affected the American city. Traditional study of the city has not focused on race and the effect of such changes on race. Conflicts with racial undertones occur on a daily basis in most American cities. More often these are conflicts over production, distribution, and consumption of public and private goods and are manifest in the housing market, job market, and access to education and social services amongst others. This seminar focuses on race in urban America within the context of conflict and change. Cross-listed with BWS 455/555.

457/557 Global Cities, World Economy (3)

Examines the strategic role of global cities within the world economy; processes of globalization and economic restructuring; social, political, and cultural challenges for global cities. Prerequisites: GEO 201, 451, 454, or 459 or permission of instructor.

458/558 Cities of Difference (3)

Feminist geographic perspectives on urban theory and on the construction, use, and transformation of urban space. Prerequisite: GEO 201 or permission of instructor. Cross-listed with WMS and ARC.

459/559 Advanced Urban and Regional Planning (3)

Application of planning tools and techniques to significant urban and regional land use problems. Evaluation of major planning tools for redevelopment of central cities and declining regions in the U.S. Innovative techniques for solving American urban spatial problems at local to national levels. Prerequisite: GEO 451/551 or permission of instructor.

460/560 Advanced Systematic Geography (1-4; maximum 12)

Specific topical field announced each time course is offered.

473/573 Development and Underdevelopment (3)

Survey of developmental problems, policies, and prospects in the Third World emphasizing the interface between politics and economics. Representative concepts and issues are alternative theories of Third World development, New International Division of Labor, intra-national geography of development, women in development, and capitalist vs. state socialist development policies in the Third World. Case studies are drawn from Latin America, Asia, and Africa.

475/575 Third World Urbanization (3)

Countries of the Third World have experienced an unprecedented rate of urban growth and expansion since the middle of this century. As Third World countries continue to industrialize, urbanization and related problems will increasingly become important and will continue to be on the agendas of national governments, international agencies, planners, and academics well into the next century. Explores Third World (Africa, Asia, and Latin America) urbanization literature from an interdisciplinary perspective.

496/596 Biodiversity of Kenya (5)

Intensive field-workshop on: 1) the ecology of tropical ecosystems in Kenya; 2) indigenous human relationships with Kenyan environments; and 3) conservation issues from interdisciplinary perspectives. Includes pre-trip seminars that introduce basic concepts in Kenya’s ecology, a two-week intensive field experience in Kenya, and followup discussions and project presentations. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.

601 Seminar in Research Techniques (3)

Survey of basic tools of graduate research in geography, including bibliographic resources, published data sources, and introduction to computer methods in geography.

602 History of Geographic Thought (4)

Selected reading from Strabo to present. Emphasis is on 20th century geographic thought.

604 Research Project Development (1)

Research hypotheses in geography; organizing and defining a research project; proposal development.

605 Teaching Skills in Geography (1)

Strategies for teaching contemporary geographic concepts in discussion and laboratory components of introductory geography courses. Required of all new graduate teaching assistants. Credit/No credit. Credit does not count toward graduate degree. Summer only. Prerequsite: admission to geography graduate program.

610 Research in Geography (1-4; maximum 12)

Advanced work on selected topics undertaken by individual students. May be taken for no more than four semesters.

620 Geography Seminar (1-4; maximum 12)

Advanced research in selected specialty areas. Subject announced each time course is offered.

680 Research Paper (1-4; maximum 4)

Writing a research paper of a quality for publication. Offered infrequently.

690 Internship in Geography (1-12)

Supervised application of principles and methodologies in an apprentice/intern relationship in a public or private agency.

700 Research for Master’s Thesis (1-12; minimum 3, maximum 12)

710 Special Problems in Geography (1-4; maximum 12)