Teaching

Courses taught at Mount Aloysius College

HPGA 100: Science, Power, and Politics

Next Offered: Fall 2027

This course introduces students to power, politics, and civilization to expand students' understanding of the nexus of science, technology, and development in the creation of social and political order at a global scale. Topics such as ethics, power, innovation, and more will be discussed as part of this course.

HPGA 103: World Regional Geography

Next Offered: Fall 2026

World Regional Geography is an introduction to how the discipline of geography makes sense of the world and its different people, places, and regions.

HPGA 203: American Politics

Next Offered: Fall 2026

This course provides basic principles underlying the formation and function of American politics. Students will examine American political institutions as well as the social context of American politics, such as voting behavior, public opinion, political attitudes, and the party system.

HPGA 204: Physical Geography

Next Offered: Spring 2027

This course is an integrated study of the major systems of the natural environment, such as the nature, distribution, and interrelationships of landforms, water systems, ecosystems, climate, and vegetation. This course also examines human disturbances of nature and natural systems.

HPGA 206: Human Geography

Next Offered: Spring 2028

Introduction to Human Geography studies geographic theories, concepts, and applications from the human perspective. This course examines economic, political, and sociocultural interactions with each other across distances, scales, and landscapes.

HPGA 211: Comparative Politics

Next Offered: Fall 2026

This course examines political institutions, concepts, and theories by making systematic comparisons. Comparisons are often made thematically rather than focusing on singular countries. Students will investigate countries from every world region according to themes using a comparative approach.

HPGA 215: Introduction to Meteorology 

Next Offered: TBD

This course serves as an introduction to the structure of the atmosphere by examining the development of dew, clouds, and precipitation, as well as fronts, air masses, and weather events. This course also examines elements of weather mapping, forecasting, instrumentation, and communication.

HPGA 225: Emergency Management and Disaster Politics

Next Offered: TBD

This course will introduce students to the five steps (prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery) of Emergency Management. Students will also navigate the political and policy dynamics related to disasters at a global scale.

HPGA 235: Politics, Place, and Health

Next Offered: Fall 2028

This course utilizes political and geographical perspectives, data, and methods to examine health, disease, and medical care. Students will explore the patterns, causes, and spread of disease, environmental hazards, and the sociopolitical determinants of health.

HPGA 240: International Relations

Next Offered: Spring 2028

This course studies the cultural, political, economic, and geographic interactions among state and non-state actors to better understand international politics. Key issues we examine in this course include international security, diplomacy, decision-making, and international cooperation.

HPGA 305: Geopolitics of the Americas

Next Offered: Spring 2028

This course explores the political and sociocultural forces that shape the contemporary politics of the Americas. This area of study includes North and South America, excluding the United States. Students will study the government and politics of the Americas by examining the human and physical landscape of the Americas through historical legacies, political institutions, ethnicity, and land use.

HPGA 310: Geopolitics of Asia

Next Offered: Spring 2031

This course explores the political and sociocultural forces that shape the contemporary politics of Asia. Students will study the government and politics of Asia by examining the human and physical landscape of Asia through historical legacies, political institutions, ethnicity, and land use.

HPGA 320: Campaigns, Parties, and Elections

Next Offered: Fall 2026

This course examines the theoretical foundations and practices of elections, electoral institutions, political parties, voter mobilization, and political campaigns in American politics. We will seek to understand the behaviors of candidates and voters – particularly their beliefs and actions and their respective impact(s) on the outcomes of elections.

HPGA 330: Media in American Politics

Next Offered: Fall 2028

This course aims to provide an understanding of the role of media in the American political system and more broadly. Students will examine historical and current political trends as they are deliberated and analyzed by the media, along with the advantages and disadvantages of a 24-hour news cycle. We will also investigate the role of social media and its impact on politics, campaigning, and elections.

HPGA 335: Geography of Food & Drink

Next Offered: Fall 2027

This course aims to offer insight into the production and consumption of food and drink around the world. Students will use key concepts within the fields of history and geography to investigate global patterns and relationships impacting food and drink, such as social, environmental, and cultural practices.

HPGA 370: Political Geography

Next Offered: Spring 2027

This course investigates the relationship between power and politics through the lens of space and place. Geographic boundaries such as electoral districts, international borders, and/or trade agreements all stem from a relationship between power and geography. Students will examine the geographical scale of political events and processes that take place and understand that when it comes to relations of power and politics, geography matters.

HPGA 380: Political and Social Theory

Next Offered: Spring 2027

This course provides students with direct engagement with many major contemporary social and political thinkers. Through the lens of classic and/or contemporary scholars, the course focuses on such topics as democracy, justice, power, legitimacy, class, gender, and natureculture. The course explores these issues and other concepts of political and social thought. The course is intended to be both lecture and discussion format as well as a reading and writing-intensive course.

HPGA 400: Geopolitics of Africa

Next Offered: Spring 2030

This course explores the political and sociocultural forces that shape the contemporary politics of Africa. Students will study the government and politics of Africa by examining the human and physical landscape of Africa through historical legacies, political institutions, ethnicity, and land use.

HPGA 410: American Foreign Policy

Next Offered: Fall 2030

The course examines the foundations, objectives, and patterns of American foreign policy both past and present. Students will critically analyze theories in international relations, American foreign policy outcomes, and global current events to understand the formulation and implementation of American foreign policy.

HPGA 415: Geopolitics of Europe

Next Offered: Spring 2027

This course explores the political and sociocultural forces that shape the contemporary politics of Europe. Students will study the government and politics of Europe by examining the human and physical landscape of Europe through historical legacies, political institutions, ethnicity, and land use.

HPGA 420: Geography and Politics of Labor

Next Offered: TBD

This course thinks about power relations and the geographies of social reproduction, informal economies, social differences, decolonial movements, and labor mobility to challenge conventional accounts of work and workers’ movements. The course also examines the relationships between power, space, place, and labor market change in the context of globalization and uneven development.

HPGA 430: Political Ecology

Next Offered: Spring 2029

This course explores the relationship between politics and the environment at a global scale. This course will use theories grounded within political ecologies such as the political economy and environmental justice to explore global themes like water politics, urbanization and development, nature and wildlife preservation, disaster governance, and issues related to climate change.