Geography: Global Environments & Cultures

Introduction to Geography from global, place-based, cultural, and socio-environmental perspectives.

First year and sophomores only during week of registration; then Juniors & seniors can enroll, space permitting; Junior and senior GEOG majors contact instructor; Open to degree and PACE students

This course offers an introduction to geography from global, regional, and place-based perspectives. We will examine changes arising from interactions between natural systems and human activities through four analytical modules: i) political ecologies of population and conservation, ii) agroecology, iii) geopolitics of extreme environments and energy transitions, and iv) geohumanistic approaches to toxic substances. Within each module, we will review key concepts that are likely familiar to students at this stage of learning, but that we re-examine from different perspectives. The course encourages students to think geographically about global processes and their many impacts. Although this is a required course for geography majors and highly recommended for geography minors, students of all interests and majors are welcome!

See evaluation details below.

Course Structure and Assessments Attendance (7.5%): Ideally, students should join every class session. You can miss up to 4 classes for the entire semester without penalty to your grade (attendance will not be taken in the first week of classes as students finalize their schedules). This should cover most issues with unforeseen weather, illness, family or work emergencies, etc. If you miss a class, it is your responsibility to obtain notes from another student. Office hours are for working through specific questions and not an occasion for a professor to repeat an entire missed lecture. Please respect the instructor and your classmates by giving them your full attention when they are presenting. Attendance will be taken using the free iClicker Cloud App (which can be accessed using a phone or laptop) (https://www.iclicker.com/students/apps-and-remotes/apps). We will practice using the App during the first week of classes to address any technical issues that may arise. Reading Checks (7.5%): After completing each assigned reading, students will complete short reading checks in Brightspace (Brightspace calls them quizzes, but they are not timed and are meant to help students review and prepare for lecture). The lowest 2 scores will be dropped. Exams (75%): There will be one exam per module and the final exam will cover Module 4 and serve as a comprehensive assessment of course material. The lowest exam score from Modules 1-3 will be dropped. The final exam is required. Exams will be part multiple choice, part fill-in-the-blank and part short response. You are expected to be in class for all exams; missing an exam means failing the exam. If you cannot take an exam on the scheduled day, you should have your Dean of Students office contact Prof. Nelson regarding requests for accommodations. Students with registered learning accommodations through SAS should coordinate with the Exam Proctoring Center to schedule taking the Exams in the Center (please go ahead and book these dates and times now according to our course schedule!). Reflective and Integrative Work (10%): There will be one short assignment for each module (see the deadlines in the course schedule). All of them must be completed.