| Geography |
GEOG 401 - Regional Geography of the Western World
Credits:
4.00
An introduction to the people, places, and problems of six
Westernized regions of the world -- Europe, Russia, Latin
America, the Caribbean, North America, and Australia and
Oceania. The course emphasizesfive themes: environmental
geography, population and settlement, cultural coherence
and diversity, geopolitical framework, and economic and
social development.
GEOG 401H - Honors/Regional Geography of the Western World
Credits:
4.00
An introduction to the people, places, and problems of six
Westernized regions of the world -- Europe, Russia, Latin
America, the Caribbean, North America, and Australia and
Oceania. The course emphasizesfive themes: environmental
geography, population and settlement, cultural coherence
and diversity, geopolitical framework, and economic and
social development.
GEOG 402 - Regional Geography of the Non-Western World
Credits:
4.00
Major culture areas of the non-Western world and the
unique interaction of human and physical phenomena that
produces the distinctive character of these areas.
Emphasizes the manner in which people of different cultures
have made use of opportunities and solved problems existing
in the major regions occupied by non-Western cultures: the
Middle East and North Africa, Africa south of the Sahara,
Oriental Asia and the Pacific Islands.
GEOG 402H - Honors/Regional Geography of the Non-Western World
Credits:
4.00
Major culture areas of the non-Western world and the
unique interaction of human and physical phenomena that
produces the distinctive character of these areas.
Emphasizes the manner in which people of different cultures
have made use of opportunities and solved problems existing
in the major regions occupied by non-Western cultures: the
Middle East and North Africa, Africa south of the Sahara,
Oriental Asia and the Pacific Islands.
GEOG 473 - Elements of Weather
Credits:
4.00
Basic principles of weather phenomena and the physical
processes underlying these phenomena. Emphasis on weather
patterns of New England. Lab.
GEOG 510 - Geography of New England
Credits:
4.00
An introduction to the physical and human geography of New
England, including landforms, climate and vegetation,
population and settlement, urban patterns, culture and
identity, political geography, natural resources, and
economic development.
GEOG 514 - Geography of the United States and Canada
Credits:
4.00
An introduction to the physical and human geography of the
United States and Canada, including landforms, climate and
biogeography, environmental issues, population and
settlement, culture and identity, political geography,
urban patterns, natural resources and economic development.
Course content alternates between topics that are large in
scope and scale, and others that are more narrowly focused.
GEOG 540 - Geography of the Middle East
Credits:
4.00
Environmental, cultural, political-geographic, and
ecological foundations of the Middle East. Selected
regional problems and issues, e.g., geographical dimensions
of the Arab-Israeli conflict, oil, urbanization, population
growth, and nomadism. (Not offered every year.)
GEOG #541 - Geography of Japan
Credits:
4.00
Examination of Japan's environmental setting, historical
geographic evolution, distinctive cultural geographic
patterns, population and settlement characteristics,
internal spatial differentiation, economic growth,
political geographic structure, and global importance. (Not
offered every year.) Writing intensive.
GEOG 550 - Geography of Sub-Saharan Africa
Credits:
4.00
Overview of major physical features and human patterns,
with an emphasis on the interaction between people and
place and the dynamic issues and challenges facing
contemporary African societies. Environmental and resource
issues, historical impacts on development, culture and
social characteristics, rural and urban organization,
industrialization and trade, and prospects for the future.
GEOG 560 - Geography of Natural Hazards
Credits:
4.00
A survey of natural hazards with a focus on what makes them
hazardous to humans and how humans respond to those risks.
Hazards that are considered include earthquakes, volcanoes,
tsunami, floods, hurricanes and other severe weather
events. The geography of community vulnerability to natural
hazards is also examined.
GEOG 572 - Geography of the Natural Environment
Credits:
4.00
Provides an introduction to geography of the natural
environment, including landforms, weather and climate,
water resources, and biogeography. Examines the processes
that shape the different elements of the environment and
the relationships between them.
GEOG #573 - Biogeography
Credits:
4.00
Explores the introductory concepts of plant geography and
biogeography, two interconnected disciplines that document
and explain the changing distributions of plants and
animals from both a spatial and temporal context. Gives
equal emphasis to ecology (biomes, climates, soils),
evolution (migration, speciation, dispersal), and applied
biogeography and plant geography.
GEOG 574 - Geography of Landforms
Credits:
4.00
Explores the geography of earth's major landforms and the
geographic factors that influence their development,
distribution, and morphology. Topics include moutain
building, river systems, desert migration and expansion,
glacial and periglacial environments, shoreline evolution,
and how these processes interact to form surface features
that are unique to their geographic environment. Students
analyze geographic infromation in class and in the field
using air photos, topographic maps, and spatial data.
GEOG 581 - Human Geography
Credits:
4.00
Differentiation of the world in terms of population, race,
language, religion, political territory, and economic
life. Collection and critical use of empirical data;
emphasis on spatial and ecological analysis.
GEOG 582 - Economic Geography
Credits:
4.00
Investigates the manner in which resources and space have
been organized for the production of goods and services:
agriculture, the extractive industries, manufacturing, and
the tertiary sector. Empirical studies, theories of
location, and location models. Major contemporary problems
and issues in agriculture and food supply, energy sources,
industrial readjustment, and the global economy. (Not
offered every year.) Writing intensive.
GEOG 583 - Urban Geography
Credits:
4.00
Spatial structure of cities and the city system.
Emphasizes the North American city and its problems: land
use, transportation, political fragmentation, physical
environment, and residential patterns. Trends in
urbanization in the developed and developing worlds. Global
cities. (Not offered every year.)
GEOG 584 - Political Geography
Credits:
4.00
Interactions between geographic and political phenomena at
the sub-national, national, and international levels.
Emphasis on geographical aspects of current political
problems within and between states. (Not offered every
year.) Writing intensive.
GEOG 588 - Geography of Food
Credits:
4.00
Explores the geography of what people eat around the world.
Examines the factors that shape food traditions in
particular places and regions, including geographical
differences in the environment, population patterns,
cultural characteristics, political processes, economic
conditions, and history. Considers how diets are changing
today in response to globalization and other forces.
Emphasis will be on common, everyday foods eaten by regular
people. Organized regionally. Special fee.
GEOG 595 - Statistics for Geographers
Credits:
4.00
Introduces statistics to geographers. Utilizes facts, such
as population, vegetation patterns, and policy differences
in terms of spatio-temporal focus. Students learn concepts
from lectures and statistical tools for analysis during
labs and homework assignments.
GEOG 650 - Field Methods in Geography
Credits:
4.00
a survey of selected geographical field methods and the
application of these methods - both qualitative and
quantitative. It is designed around a series of field
techniques, research and lab exercises, and the classroom
setting which will introduce students to techniques widely
used in gathering and analyzing spatial data in the
geographical context. Special fee.
GEOG 658 - Introduction to Geographic Information Systems
Credits:
4.00
An introduction to the use of geographic information
systems (GIS) for natural resources and related fields.
Data models/structures, map projections, data
input/output/storage, data analysis/modeling,
interpolation, and data/quality standards. Hands-on using
ArcView 3.x GIS software. Students are strongly encouraged
to complete an introductory course in statistics before
enrolling in course. Permission. (Also offered as NR 658.)
GEOG 670 - Climatology
Credits:
4.00
An introduction to the study of the Earth's climate.
Examines the influences on long-term global and regional
average temperate and precipitation through climate data
interpretation and analysis. Such analysis serves as the
basis for climate classification and characterization of
climate variability.
GEOG 671 - Advanced Weather Analysis
Credits:
4.00
Examines in depth, the physical processes that govern the
development and movement of weather systems and the
principles that drive the lowest layer of the atmosphere.
Topics include the relationship between surface and
upper-level, tropospheric air flow, vertical motion,
mesoscale storm development, and techniques used in weather
analysis and forecasting. Prereq: GEOG 473.
GEOG 673 - Issues in Environmental Geography
Credits:
4.00
Examines a sample of contemporary environmental issues from
a geographic perspective. Emphasizes the importance of
scale, human influences, and impacts on resources. Analyzes
issues of regional, national, and global interest. Writing
intensive.
GEOG 680 - Historical Geography
Credits:
4.00
An introduction to major themes, important scholars, and
commonly used research techniques in historical geography.
Course is reading and research oriented. Focus will be on
North America. (Also listed as HIST 680.) Writing intensive.
GEOG 685 - Geography of Population and Development
Credits:
4.00
A regional approach to the study of population geography
with concern for the interaction between the focus of
economic growth and the components of population change and
development. Considers the environmental impact of
developing trends in the developed and developing worlds
and the relationship of these trends to sustainable growth
and population patterns. Writing intensive.
GEOG 690 - Geography of Third World Development
Credits:
4.00
Explores the geography of development in the Third World
(Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Oceania). Addresses
factors that affect development spatially and temporally.
Emphasis on geographic scale (local, national, regional,
and global). Students write and present critical thinking
papers that address the interactions of development factors
at different scales.
GEOG 695 - Internship
Credits:
1.00 to 4.00
Internships provide an opportunity for on-the-job skill
development and practical experience in a closely
supervised work setting. The student must provide a written
proposal to a supervising faculty member before an
internship program is approved. At the end of the semester,
the student must make a presentation, provide work samples,
or submit a detailed report, log, or portfolio describing
the internship experience. May be repeated for up to 8
hours of credit. Cr/F.
GEOG 757 - Remote Sensing of the Environment
Credits:
4.00
Practical and conceptual presentation of the use of remote
sensing and other geospaital technologiesfor mapping the
environment. The course begins with the use of aerial
photographs (Photogrammetry and photo interpretation) and
includes measures of photo scale and area, parallax and
stereo viewing, object heights, flight planning, photo
geometry, the elctromagnetic spectrum, camera image
analysis, global positioning systems (GPS), and geographic
information systems (GIS). Conceptual lectures are
augmented with practical homework assignments and hands-on
lab exercises. Prereq: Algebra. Special fee. Lab. (Also
offered as NR 757).
GEOG 759 - Digital Image Processing for Natural Resources
Credits:
4.00
Introduction to digital remote sensing, including
multispectral scanners (Landsat and SPOT), radar, and
thermal imagery. Hands-on image processing including
filtering, image display, ratios, classification,
registration, and accuracy assessment. GIS as it applies to
image processing. Discussion of practical applications. Use
of ERDAS image-processing software. Knowledge of PCs
required. Prereq: GEOG 757 or equivalent and permission.
(Also offered as NR 759).
GEOG 760 - Geographic Information Systems in Natural Resources
Credits:
4.00
Introduces the use of geographic information systems (GIS)
for use with natural resources including data input,
manipulation, storage, analysis, and display. Accuracy of
spatial data and use of digital elevation models.
Discussion of practical applications. Use of PC Arc/Info
software. Prereq: permission. Lab. (Also listed as NR 760.)
GEOG 795 - Special Project
Credits:
2.00 or 4.00
Readings, library, archival, and fieldwork. Primarily for
geography seniors. Prereq: permission. Writing intensive.
GEOG 796 - Special Topics
Credits:
4.00
Special Topics in Geography: A) Climatology, B)
Environmental Geography, C) Urban Geography, D) Political
Geography, E) Population Geography, F) Economic Geography,
G) Cultural Geography. Prereq: permission
GEOG 797 - Seminar
Credits:
2.00
Exploration of geography as a research discipline.
Definition and investigation of research problems.
Primarily for geography seniors. May be repeated up to a
maximum of 4 credits.
GEOG 799 - Honors Thesis
Credits:
4.00
Independent research project conducted under supervision of
a faculty sponsor culminating in a written thesis.
Students must also make a public presentation of their
thesis. Required for all honors students. Open only to
geography majors who are part of the honors program. Before
registering for the course, students must secure a faculty
sponsor, obtain approval for a thesis topic, and complete
an honors thesis student/sponsor agreement.