Syllabi
Human Geography
Human geography (or cultural geography) is the study of human cultures found throughout the world, how they relate to the spaces and places where they originate, and how they evolve as people continually move across the landscape. Cultural landscapes are an essential feature of human geography because the physical environment can either limit or nurture various aspects of culture. This human-environment interaction represents the main strand of human geography, leading to studies of human impact on nature, the impact of nature on humans, and people’s perception of the environment.
This course introduces human geographic themes and processes as they relate to people’s relationships with one another and with the environment. We survey a wide range of cultural topics from a spatial perspective, including folk and popular culture, population, migration, language, race and ethnicity, geopolitics, religion, food and agriculture, globalization, industry, and cities. We will use a variety of local and global case studies to understand the significance of place and learn to interpret the cultural landscape.
California Geography
This course provides an overview of California's geography and how natural processes have influenced its history, economics, and cultural development. Emphasis is placed on understanding the connections between the state's human, historical, social, physical, and cultural landscapes. Historical geography will be studied, including historical boom and bust cycles, explosive population growth, and the reciprocal relationships of land and life.