GEOG& 100: Introduction to Geography

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Class Program

Geography

Credits

Weekly Contact Hours

Course ID

091580

Meets Degree Requirements For

Diversity,

Social Science

Description

Introduction to the study of human geography and the major themes of the discipline. Topics include human-environment interaction, population and migration, cultural diffusion, patterns of health and nutrition, industrialization, economic development, and political geography. These will be approached in the context of regional difference and globalization.

Grading Basis

Graded

Course Learning Outcomes

Use maps and other geographic tools to acquire, process, and report information from a spatial perspective.

Demonstrate, orally and in writing, an understanding of the significance of mental maps in organizing information about people and places through personal perception.

Demonstrate, orally and in writing, an understanding of regional classifications as means to interpret Earth's complexity.

Describe the physical and cultural characteristics of places.

Demonstrate, orally and in writing, an understanding of physical processes that shape the patterns of ecosystems on Earth's surface.

Explain how human actions modify the physical environment and how physical systems affect human systems.

Analyze the meaning, use, distribution and importance of natural resources

Explain the dynamics of population change and the differences of population structures.

Analyze maps of the flows of people, labor migration, refugees, modern slavery, religious differences and resources across geographical borders in the context of cultural imperialism and economic inequalities in the US and the world.

Explore and reflect upon how race, class, gender and other categories of difference are socially constructed, flexible, and overlapping; how identities and their representations change over time; how different identities intersect with one another and are shaped by power, privilege and systemic discrimination.

Demonstrate, orally and in writing, an understanding of the patterns and networks of political-economic interdependence worldwide.

Propose sustainable alternatives to conventional development strategies.

Core Topics

Maps and Spatial Analysis
Natural Resources: fresh water, forests, energy resources
Human/Land Interactions including waste, environmental externalities, and climate change
Population Geography: dynamics, structure, mobility and dislocation
Population and Migration Policies including impacts on gender, race, class, and nationalities
Cultural Diffusion and Diversity in the context of colonialism, imperialism, and inequalities
Geography of World Religions
Patterns of Health and Nutrition
Agricultural Geography: green revolution, GMOs and global food systems
Industrial Location and Globalization
Urbanization in the US and the world
Political Geography
Paths to Development—economic, human, and sustainable