Geography
What is it and why do we love it?
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Most students don't come to college with a clear sense of what Geography is, beyond memorizing capitals. In fact, Geography is the most interesting and integrative of disciplines. It uses theoretical insights about spatial analysis, uneven distributions of resources, and human-environment interactions to explore practical problems in the real world. Geography is exciting because it provides ideas to understand the world and our place in it. It is practical because it provides analytical approaches and tools that make Geographers important (and employable) in policy, planning, environmental analysis, sustainability, climate analysis, social justice, and many other areas.
What is Geography? Geography is the study of how human and environmental systems interact to form the places and regions where we live. We pay attention to both human and environmental systems because both help explain how communities, environments, cities, and political units evolve, how they compete, and how to make them more sustainable and equitable.
Many of our most urgent and interesting questions occur at the intersection of society and environment: for example, how does climate affect food production? How does uneven distribution of power produce mass violence on borders? How do societies commit (or not) to sustainable urban design? Geography gives you methodologies and skills for exploring these integrative questions. Geography has a multidisciplinary perspective, but it provides a disciplinary home and intellectual scaffolding on which to build your own inquiry. Geography is a place and a community where you can explore the intersection of ideas. It helps you use both theoretical approaches and practical skills to understand challenges that matter to us all. What does a Geography major involve? 11 units in Geography. Many Earth Science courses count directly toward the major, and up to two courses from a cognate discipline (such as Anthropology) may be counted toward the 11 units. Many study-abroad courses also count, as do a number of Earth Science courses. What can you do with a Geography major? Developing your abilities in critical reading, argument-driven writing, spatial thinking, GIS, mapping, field methods, and survey methods make you a valuable contributor (that is, employable) in urban planning, environmental consulting, GIS analysis, law and policy, environmental research, international development, human rights advocacy, sustainability, and much more. Geography provides an especially versatile education because of its combination of theoretical foundation, analytical skills, and awareness of the multi-faceted context of policy questions.
What can you learn in Geography? GIS and mapping, field trips, urban analysis, and experiential learning are some of the methods we use to explore problems such as place-making, gentrification, immigration, and economic development. We use critical analysis, such as political economy and political ecology, Marxism, and spatial analysis to examine international, urban, and environmental questions. Geography helps you develop both empirical and theoretical approaches to understanding and explaining environmental change, injustice, and uneven development.
Some of the major topics you can study in Geography:Political ecology—how does capital impact people and our environment? Human rights—how do the political boundaries create divisions and undermine justice? GIS and mapping—how and why do social and environmental phenomena interact? How can you use these methods to tell your own story? Climate change—how does it work, what does it mean, and what can be done? Regions—why do they differ, and how do they develop and compete? Conservation of natural resources—what are resources, and why do we use or abuse them? Immigration—how do we understand rights, identity, and policy? Development in the Global South—how do these regions emerge on a global stage? Qualitative research methods—how do we seek understanding through texts and words?
Quantitative research methods—data visualization empowers you to tell stories that need to be told.
Interested in learning more? See any of the Geography faculty or visit the department chair.
Requirements for Concentration:
Requirements for Concentration:
11 units, including an introductory course (ESCI 100 or GEOG 102); a geographic methods course (GEOG 220, GEOG 224, or GEOG 230); and three 300-level GEOG units, including the mandatory Senior Seminar (GEOG 304) and, optionally, a thesis. With the approval of the major adviser, two of the required 11 units may be taken at the 200- and 300-levels in cognate fields-such as anthropology, earth science, environmental studies, international studies, or urban studies, if the courses relate to the student’s focus in geography. After declaration of the major, no required courses may be taken NRO. Students must write a senior thesis to be considered for departmental honors.
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