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Undergraduate / Courses
GEOG 100 Introduction to Geography Introduction to the study of human geography and the major themes of the discipline. Topics include: human-environment interactions, migration and human mobility, patterns of health and nutrition, industrialization and urbanization, and the geography of culture and politics. GEOG 102 World Regions Spatial study of world regions, based on historical, cultural, political, economic, and other factors. An attempt to understand the underlying forces that have led to the formation of regions and regional patterns. GEOG 123 Introduction to Globalization Provides an introduction to the debates over globalization. Focuses on the growth and intensification of global ties. Addresses the resulting inequalities and tensions, as well as the new opportunities for cultural and political exchange. Topics include the impacts on government, finance, labor, culture, the environment, health, and activism. website GEOG 195 Special Topics in Geography GEOG 200 Introduction to Human Geography Patterns and systems of human occupancy of the world. Emphasis on cultural processes, dynamic change, functional relations, networks, and diffusion models. GEOG 205 Introduction to Physical Sciences and the Environment Major atmospheric, hydrologic, and geomorphic processes used to interpret the character, distribution, and human significance of different natural and human-altered environments. Includes laboratory exercises for science and non-science majors, geography majors and nonmajors. GEOG 207 Economic Geography The changing locations and spatial patterns of economic activity, including: production in agriculture, manufacturing, and services; spatial economic principles of trade, transportation, communications, and corporate organization; regional economic development, and the diffusion of technological innovation. GEOG 208 Geography of the World Economy: Regional Fortunes and the Rise of Global Markets Examines the relationship between the globalization of economic activity and regional development. Topics include international trade, colonialism, industrial capitalism, advanced capitalism, and the globalization of labor markets. GEOG 227 Geographic Perspectives on Minorities in the United States GEOG 230 Urbanization and Development: Geographies of Global Inequality Examines global to local interactions of economic, political, and social forces shaping urbanization and development processes across the globe. Provides an introduction to critical development studies, focusing on Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Also examines debates over the causes and geographic patterns of social inequality worldwide. GEOG 236 Geography of Greater China Studies the geography of development processes, patterns, and problems in "Greater China": mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. Covers physical geography, history, and economic and political systems, with major focus on geographical issues in China's development: agriculture, population, industry and trade, and relations with Hong Kong and Taiwan. GEOG 245 Geographic perspectives on U.S. Population Diversity Introduction to population geography. Offers a practical understanding of population processes (fertility, mortality, and migration); knowledge of geographic variation in population structures and characteristics; knowledge of data sources for demographic research; experience using formal demographic methods for geographic research; and an appreciation for the demographic underpinnings of contemporary social issues. GEOG 258 Maps and GIS Explores how people represent the world with maps and geographic information systems (GIS). Trains students in map use for basic navigation, urban management, and environmental analysis. Considers role of spatial databases in commerce, decision-making, and analysis. Helps map readers better determine quality, usefulness, and representation of information. GEOG 270 Geographies and International Development and Environmental Change Considers the meaning of development and how debates over international development link to environmental concerns. Examines how the globalization of agricultural production and debates over genetically modified food alter ideas about development, nature, and the environment. Addresses fair trade policies and practices and the obligations of multinational corporations. GEOG 271 Geography of Food and Eating Examines food production, distribution, and consumption issues across geographic scales. Focus ranges from the microcosm of the individual body to food and eating at the national and global scales. Explores the political, social, cultural, and economic dimensions of food and eating in particular spaces, places, environments, contexts, and regions. GEOG 276 Introduction to Political Geograph Examines both the geography of politics and the politics of geography at a variety of spatial scales and in different global locations. Typical topics include: geographies of the state and state power; geopolitics and globalization; national and local politics, and other politics of culture, health, nature, and the body. GEOG 277 Geography of Cities Study of (1) systems of cities--their location, distribution, functions, and competition; and (2) their internal structure--the location of activities within urban areas. Particular emphasis on current urban problems-sprawl, housing, segregation, economic growth, and metropolitan transportation. GEOG 280 Introduction to the Geography of Health and Health Care Concepts of health from a geographical viewpoint, including human-environment relations, development, geographical patterns of disease, and health systems in developed and developing countries. GEOG 295 Special Topics in Geography GEOG 300 Concepts of Regions Historical development and application of the concept of region. Examines systematically how varied societies constitute parts of a total world order. GEOG 301 Cultural Geography Analysis of the role of culture in the formation of landscape patterns; components of culture that contribute not only to a "sense of place," but also to the mosaic of settlement patterns and occupancy that can be traced to culture. GEOG 302 The Pacific Northwest Settlement pattern in the Pacific Northwest, emphasizing economic and historical factors, including the location of resource-oriented industries, policies regarding the use of public lands, and bases of the development of major urban areas in the region. GEOG 304 Western Europe Physical and socioeconomic characteristics of western Europe. Contemporary political and economic integration trends in their regional context. GEOG 308 Canada: A Geographic Interpretation Examines the overlapping economic, cultural, and political geographies shaping life in contemporary Canada. Topics include: free trade, constitutional crisis, feminism in Canada, aboriginal politics, and border region phenomena. Attention paid to how specific geographic interpretations of Canada by Canadians actually play a part in national life. GEOG 310 Immigrant America: Trends and Policies from a Geographic Perspective Examines U.S. immigration trends and policies from a geographic perspective. Topics include where immigrants come from, where they settle in the United States. immigrant employment enclaves, the effects of U.S. immigration policy on immigrant settlement and employment patterns, illegal immigration, citizenship, and barriers to immigrant success in the United States. GEOG 313 East Asia Introduction to the contemporary geography of East Asia, including China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, and Korea. Topics include: physical geography, historical settings, general development patterns, agriculture, population, industry, and trade. Focuses on major geographic issues in development. Case studies from different countries used to illustrate various themes. GEOG 315 Explanation and Understanding in Geography Covers the beginning steps in the research process. Introduces the discipline of geography, the department, and current faculty through the research aims of explanation and understanding that frame social scientific inquiry. Students develop basic library and writing skills as preparation for future research methods classes and independent research. GEOG 316 Urban Economics Application of economic analysis to urban trends, problems, and prescriptions, such as changing urban form and function, urban public finance, housing and renewal, poverty and race, transportation, and environmental problems. GEOG 326 Quantitative Methods in Geography Introduction to quantitative methods in geography, with a primary focus on statistical techniques. Examines the basic concepts, reasoning, and procedures geographers use in developing, analyzing, applying, and presenting quantitative methods. Topics include: generating and describing data; elementary probability, hypothesis testing, comparative tests; finding relationships; and using and misusing statistics. GEOG 330 Latin America: Landscapes of Change Examines operation of economic, social, and political processes across countries of Latin America-on international, national, and local scales-to understand common issues facing the region and different impacts in particular countries. Topics include internationalization of Latin American economies; agrarian and urban change; popular movements. GEOG 333 Russia's Changing Landscape The Russian landscape as it has been affected by Soviet planning, migration and settlement, urbanization, industrialization, the results of collectivization in agriculture, and the growth of a transport network. GEOG 335 Geography of the Developing World Characteristics and causes, external and internal, of Third World development and obstacles to that development. Special attention to demographic and agricultural patterns, resource development, industrialization and urbanization, drawing on specific case studies from Asia, Africa, and Latin America. GEOG 336 Development and Challenge in China Examines the geography of China's development since 1949. Introduces China's physical geography, history, and economic and political system. Emphasizes China's uneven development in agriculture, population, industry, and trade. Also examines problems China faces in meeting its internal food demand, as well as the external processes of globalization. GEOG 342 Geography of Inequality Geographies of social, political, and economic inequality. Focus is usually on North American cities. Examines the theoretical underpinning of inequality. Explores topics such as the spatial distribution of wealth and poverty, the geographies of exclusion, and discrimination in paid employment and housing. GEOG 343 Comparative Geographies of Youth Examines how three key global processes - rising levels of formal education, changing health regimes , and environmental transformation - are shaping youth in the US and South Asia. Examines ways young people rework broader structures, paying particular attention to their economic livelihoods, cultural practices, and political engagements. GEOG 344 Migration in the Global Economy Analyzes the relationship between human mobility in the late 20th century and changes in the global economy. Allows the students to gain familiarity with scholarly research on international migration from a diversity of approaches and methods. GEOG 349 Geography of International Trade Introduces the theories and practice of international trade and foreign direct investment. Topics include: trade theory and policy; economic integration; currency markets and foreign exchange; trade operations and logistics; the international regulatory environment; and marketing, location and entry, and finance, accounting, and taxation. GEOG 350 Local Economies and Market Areas Intermediate economic geography. Methods and concepts for analysis of economic and business patterns, processes, and problems at regional and local levels. Tools for collecting, organizing, and analyzing data for investigating local economic issues. GEOG 360 Principles of Cartography Origins, development, and methods of cartography. Principles of data representation and map design for thematic and topographic mapping. Introduction to the use of computers as geographic information systems GEOG 366 Introduction to Regional Economic Development The process of regional economic development. Theories and conceptualizations of economic growth and structural change, technological change and industrial development, spatial variation in economic activities and government policies. GEOG 367 Economic Uses of Geographic Information Uses of area data and the geographic information systems (GISs) that handle them in routing, marketing, service-are assessment, and site location. Considers key economic-geography concepts, marketing approaches, questions of data availability and suitability, and GIS. GEOG 370 Problems in Resource Management Principles and practices of effective conservation and utilization of natural resources. Role of technology in resource use. Physical, political, and economic aspects of resource management for food, population, land, water, air, energy, and timber resources. GEOG 371 World Hunger and Resource Development Addresses issues of hunger and poverty in their relationship to resource development at the local, national, and global levels. Examines various approaches to the problem of world hunger rooted in critical development studies. GEOG 372 Asian Sustainable Development Examines the contemporary relationship between environmental protection and development paths in Asia. Inquires into the forces driving both environmental change and societal responses (state and local regulations, social movements, etc.) to that change, at many geographical scales. Asian concepts of nature-society relations also explored. GEOG 375 Geopolitics An introduction to both political geography and geopolitics, addressing the fundamental links between power and space. Topics covered include: theories of power, space, and modernity; the formation of modern states; international geopolitics in the aftermath of the Cold War; the post-colonial nation-state; and the geopolitics of resistance. GEOG 377 Urban Political Geography Examines how the spatial structure of cities and towns affects and is affected by political processes. Considers both traditional and newer forms of politics, as global and local issues. Special attention paid to where politics take place within local contexts across state, civil society, home, and the body. GEOG 378 Policing the City Investigates how and why formal and informal order is established in urban areas, how this order produces advantages and disadvantages, and possibilities of alternative visions of order. Topics include formal means of control (zoning, laws, policing, building codes) and informal means of control (gossip, ostracism, peer pressure, local politics). GEOG 380 Geographical Patterns of Health and Disease Geography of infectious and chronic diseases at local, national, and international scales; environmental, cultural, and social explanations of those variations; comparative aspects of health systems. GEOG 395 Special Topics in Geography GEOG 397 Tutorial for Majors Overview of the discipline of geography including faculty research interests, teaching philosophies, and course offerings as well as essential study and research skills and career developments strategies. Students meet concurrently with faculty adviser to identify academic interests and devise plan of studies. Credit/no credit only. GEOG 401 Culture, Capital, and the City Examines current themes in social theory as they apply to the urban landscape. Includes the interconnections of cultural and economic processes and the spatial patternings of race, class, and gender in the modern urban context. GEOG 425 Qualitative Methodology in Geography Historical and philosophical overview of qualitative methodology in design of geography research strategies. Techniques of interviewing, participant observation, and archival research. Forms of analyses such as textual interpretation, discourse analysis and computer-aided analyses of interview transcriptions and ethnography. Questions of ethics, field notes and write-up. GEOG 426 Quantitative Methods in Geography Quantitative methods for empirical research in geography. Emphasis on statistical analysis; use of geographic data bases like the United States Census; understanding special issues and problems associated with geographically ordered data; verbal and graphic presentation in a computer environment. GEOG 430 Contemporary Development Issues in Latin America Contemporary development issues in Latin America, seen from a spatial perspective. Concept of development; competing theories as related to various Latin American states. Economic structural transformation, migration, urbanization, regional inequality, and related policies. GEOG 431 Geography and Gender Examines theories and case studies across international, national, and regional scales in order to illustrate the impacts of social and economic processes upon the construction of gender in particular places. GEOG 432 Population and Urbanization Problems of Russia and the Newly Independent States Historical background and evolution of Soviet/Russian population and urbanization processes and problems. Distinguishing demographic characteristics and recent trends in the growth and migration of rural and urban populations. Analysis of problems associated with ethnicity and nationality, regional-temporal labor demand and supply issues, and spatial-temporal well-being. GEOG 433 Resource Use and Management in Russia and the Newly Independent States Geographic and historical background of the natural resource base of Russia and the Newly Independent States. Geographic and historical perspectives on Soviet natural resource use and management in theory and practice. Implications of the breakup of the USSR for natural resource use and management. GEOG 435 Industrialization and Urbanization in China Examines the impacts of industrialization strategies adopted by the Peoples Republic of China on urbanization and rural-urban relations. Topics include: economic development strategies, industrial geography, rural industrialization, urban development patterns, migration, and urbanization policies. GEOG 436 Social and Political Geographies of South Asia Introduces the social and political geographies of South Asia through reference to agrarian change in India. Outlines key concepts related to the reproduction of inequality in the region, particularly theories of caste, class, gender, and religious communalism, and examines the mechanisms through which these inequalities are reproduced in South Asia. GEOG 438 Cities of East Asia: Geography and Development Examines urban development in East Asia from a geographic and comparative perspective focusing on issues in development, and the interaction of geography, history, politics, and economics. Major topics include economic development and urbanization; regions and urban systems; migration; urban social and spatial structures; globalization and governance. GEOG 439 Gender, Race, and the Geography of Employment Focuses on the geography of employment for men and women of different racial and ethnic backgrounds in American cities. Presents evidence on labor market inequality for different groups and explanations of these differences. Emphasizes the importance of a spatial perspective in understanding employment outcomes for women and minorities. GEOG 440 Regional Analysis Regional industrial structures and economic change. Application of shift-share, cohort, multiplier, input/output, and programming models to the analysis and projection of regional population and employment patterns, regional growth differentials, and regional impact analysis. Recommended: GEOG 443 Location and Movement Models Application of models of optimum location and allocation; assignment, transportation, and spatial equilibrium; spatial interaction; geographic simulation; and spatial diffusion. GEOG 445 Geography of Housing Focuses on the geography of housing, especially in the United States. Topics include: the American dream of home ownership; housing affordability and differential access to home ownership; homelessness; the history of public housing; hosing demography; residential mobility and neighborhood change, and discrimination in the housing market. GEOG 447 The Geography of Air Transportation Geographic analysis of world air routes, passenger and cargo flows, and airport activities; consideration of physical, economic, political, and institutional determinants of routes and flows. GEOG 448 Geography of Transportation Circulation geography, principles of spatial interaction emphasizing commodity flow, the nature and distribution of rail and water transport, the role of transport in area development. GEOG 449 Geography of Ocean Transportation Geographic analysis of ocean trade routes, cargo and passenger flows, and port activities. Evaluation of the role of the transportation carrier in international trade. GEOG 451 Cultural Geography of Latin America Interdisciplinary senior seminar examining how physical and social geographies are culturally constructed and interconnected with subjectivities and power in Latin America. Topics include identity formation grounded in particular territories and the social constitution of space via an interplay of material and cultural forces. GEOG 458 Map Sources and Errors Analysis and appraisal of source materials for maps, production constraints of mapping agencies, coverage and quality. Focus on errors inherent in maps and geographic information; metadata resources; judgment of fitness for specific applications. GEOG 460 Geographic Information Systems Analysis Methods of Analysis provided by geographic information systems (GIS). Operations on map information including map overlay, aggregation/disaggregation, and other spatial and attribute procedures. Exposure to raster and vector software. Review of capabilities of current available GIS software. GEOG 461 Urban Geographic Information Systems Use of geographic information systems to investigate urban/regional issues; focus on transportation, land-use and environmental issues; all urban change problems considered. GIS data processing strategies. Problem definition for GIS processing. Data collection, geocoding issues. Data structuring strategies. GEOG 463 Geographic Information Systems Workshop Practical experience applying geographic information system (GIS) tools to analyze spatial data. Workshop format requires student-motivated projects; diverse backgrounds encouraged. GEOG 465 Analytical Cartography Algorithms and data structures for selected topics in computer-assisted cartography. Emphasis on point, line, area, and surface data representation, map design, generalization, and data transformations. GEOG 466 Regional Economic Development Provides a theoretical overview of sub-national, regional economic growth and structural change, including the roles of interregional interaction and international trade, technological change, social, and legal institutions. Emphasizes inter-regional disparities in the context of relatively wealthy countries. Explores the constraints and effectiveness of government (and other organizations') policy. GEOG 471 Methods of Resource Analysis Economic and noneconomic criteria for resource analysis. Theory and methods of linear models of natural resource analysis. Includes materials-balance modeling, residuals management, constrained system optimization approaches to water quality analysis, land-use patterns and interregional energy use, and multiple objective planning techniques applied to natural resource problems. GEOG 472 Ecoscapes: Nature, Culture, and Place Relationship between nature, culture, and place as the heart of geographic inquiry. Examines how perceptions of nature are influenced by changing political-economic, cultural, and scientific practices. Uses cultural studies of ecological science as a primary method of analysis. GEOG 474 Geography and the Law Examines the relationship between geography, law, and socio-legal analysis; reviews significant instances where law and geography intersect, such as the regulation of public space, the regulation of borders and mobility, and disputes over property and land use. GEOG 476 Women and the City Explores the reciprocal relations between gender relations, the layout of cities, and the activities of urban residents. Topics include: feminist theory and geography (women, gender, and the organization of space); women and urban poverty, housing and homelessness; gender roles and labor patterns; geographies of childcare; and women and urban politics. GEOG 477 Advanced Urban Geography Geographic patterns and social processes within metropolitan areas. Canvases current research topics, methods, and theoretical debates in urban geography. Issues covered range across urban economic, political, and cultural geography. GEOG 478 Intraurban Spatial Patterns Geographic patterns and processes within metropolitan areas. Economic land-use patterns (commercial and industrial location), social land-use patterns (segregation, housing, and neighborhood change), urban political geography, analysis of urban infrastructure, and assessment of contemporary and future trends in urban development. GEOG 479 Race, Ethnicity, and the American City Explores America's cities as sites where ethnic and racial interaction have generated specific patterns of opportunity and disadvantage in housing and labor markets; how ethnic identities and racial formations are changed by living and working in cities, and questions of assimilation, multiculturalism, and America's ethno-racial future. GEOG 480 Environmental Geography, Climate, and Health Demonstrates and investigates how human-environment relations are expressed in the context of health and disease. Local and global examples emphasize the ways medical geography is situated at the intersection of the social, physical, and biological sciences. Examines interactions between individual health, public health, and social, biological, and physical phenomena. GEOG 486 Problem Analysis in Urban Ecology Investigates pressing local and regional issues in urban ecology and develops each into a researchable project proposal. Examines and evaluates how different disciplines study environmental issues, explores criteria for conducting and evaluating quality research, develops skills in problem formulation, and sharpens proposal writing skills. GEOG 487 Applied Theory and Methods in Urban Ecology Discusses broad perspectives in urban ecology and how to analyze data relevant to urban ecology problems. Students write objectives and methods for a selected urban ecology problem that critiques different methodological approaches and reviews/synthesizes literature. GEOG 488 Research in Urban Ecology Teams analyze, present, and begin to interpret data that is relevant to addressing issues in urban ecology. Write and orally present revised objectives and methods sections of interdisciplinary project and present results section. GEOG 490 Field Research: The Seattle Region Field methods for contemporary urban research. Survey designs used in the analysis of transportation, land use, location of employment, shopping and housing, political fragmentation, and environmental degradation. Field report required, based on field work in the Seattle region. GEOG 492 Library Research in Geography Introduction to library research methods in geography. Review and assessment of geographical bibliographies and abstract services for monographs, periodicals, gazetteers, dictionaries, encyclopedias, government publications, and statistical sources. GEOG 493 Assessing Geographic Learning Enables graduating geography majors to articulate and assess their academic development and professional readiness by examining ways of representing geographic skills and capabilities. GEOG 494 Senior Essay Supervised individual research and writing of major paper during senior year. GEOG 495 Special Topics Topics vary and are announced in the preceding quarter. GEOG 496 Internship in Geography Internship in the public or private sector, supervised by a faculty member. Credit/no credit only. GEOG 497 Tutorial in Geography Intensive directed study and tutoring. Literature reviews, formulations of project outlines and research designs, orientation in contemporary geographic thought and trends. Directed writing. GEOG 498 Undergraduate Seminar in Economic Geography and Regional Science Selected advanced topics and current problems in economic geography. Emphasis on formulating research questions, developing an appropriate research process, selecting methods, searching for resources, writing up and documenting research results, and using the Internet for research purposes. GEOG 499 Special Studies Supervised reading programs, undergraduate and graduate library and field research; special projects for undergraduate honors students. |
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