GEO 171 Human Geography

This course explores the patterns and processes that shape and connect places around the world using human geography’s various thematic lenses, including cultural, political, economic urban and environmental geography. Under these conceptual headings we will explore issues such as the demographics of migration, the challenges of international development, the cultural landscapes of globalization, the geopolitics of nationalism and conflict, the patterns of planetary urbanism, and environmental debates about the Anthropocene. In considering these interwoven topics, we will analyze and interpret visual, demographic, and geographic data with an emphasis on space, place, scale, and the environment. By the end of the semester, you will have a solid familiarity with the subfields of human geography and the different perspectives they can offer on pressing issues of global import. Moreover, you will be equipped with the tools to investigate how global events and processes—from international trade, to climate change, and urban development—affect everyday places such as your neighborhood coffee shop.