Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Berks · Courses
GEOG
153 courses with the subject GEOG, each shown exactly as we captured it from the college's catalog, with every element we hold. Where the wording looks broken, that is our reading of the catalog, not the college's text.
GEOG 107NImmersive Technologies - Transforming Society Through Digital Innovation3
Immersive technologies are an emerging field. Although envisioned and available for several decades, technological challenges of the past made their application in education, research, and everyday life a rather specialized endeavor, restricted to research labs rather than being open to communities. This is changing with the advent of consumer grade VR headsets offered essentially by every major tech company and smartphones becoming devices to augment any physical reality. We refer to these technologies as xR as they comprise everything from augmented to virtual reality. This development is occurring at an incredible pace and is opening new opportunities for the integration of this technology into every aspect of human life. xR is revolutionizing how humans communicate, how we experience spatially and temporally remote places, how we are able to view, understand, and analyze data, and how we train people. Instead of interacting with data on a 2D desktop screen, researchers and decision makers can immerse themselves in virtual environments where geospatial data are represented in intuitive, immersive, and flexible ways. In parallel to developments in xR we are witnessing an incredible increase in creating content for immersive experiences; with the ready availability of massive amounts of environmental data (e.g., LiDAR) and efficient 3D modeling technologies (e.g., SketchUp, CityEngine), realistic immersive scenarios are easier to create than ever before. We are seeing a paradigm shift which enables new methods of environmental decision making from urban planning to climate change. The combination of xR and automated 3D modeling enables models of real-world places to be integrated within data visualization workbenches. This course will provide students with the basics of what xR technologies are and what their history is, it will connect xR to recent developments in 3D modeling and environmental sensing as two sides of the same coin in that one is focusing on content creation and the other on accessing content. The course will theoretically address what the key features of xR are and introduce students to core concepts such as immersion, presence, and reality-trade off. Furthermore, the course will provide students with hands on experiences to create their own xR experiences focusing on entry level technologies such as 360 cameras, modeling using SketchUp, photogrammetry techniques such as structure from motion mapping, and Unity, a game engine flexible to cater to a broad range of needs.
Geography 115 World Landforms (GN) provides an introduction to the modern geologic study of landforms and the Earth processes responsible for their creation and modification. Emphasis is placed on internal geophysical processes and external landscape responses to tectonic and climatic forcing. The course is structured into three units. The first unit introduces Earth's atmospheric processes. The second unit examines the relationship of water, weather and climate change to the dynamic equilibrium of landforms. The final and largest unit covers tectonics, weathering, mass movement, and fluvial, coastal and glacial processes and their role in shaping the large-scale details of Earth's topography and the geographic distribution of resources. This course includes 2 lecture discussions and weekly laboratory practicums with emphasis on terrain analysis, natural hazards and human adaptation and contribution to landscape change.
Locational analysis of changes in non-Western cultures. Problems of plural societies, economic development, population growth, and settlement. GEOG 124 Elements of Cultural Geography (3) (GS;IL)(BA) This course meets the Bachelor of Arts degree requirements. Elements of Cultural Geography, provides an overview of the impact of cultural processes at multiple scales, from the global to the local. Class time will include lectures and discussions in relation to how social identities, such as race and class, just to name a few, impact and are impacted by geographic concepts such as landscape, place and space. The course aims to survey and explore a range of perspectives on the nature of human integration with the environment and the manifestation of human culture on the landscape. The course will engage philosophical and metaphysical questions in addition to those of landscapes and place. The ultimate objective is for participants to develop a deep and multidimensional understanding of how social identities and the environment are inter-related. This course is a selection for majors; it has no prerequisites and is not a prerequisite for any other course. It provides a foundation for understanding human-environment interactions at a global scale, including the regional interactions involved.
This course is an introductory course on economic geography and serves as background for any course on international economics, economic development, international political economy, and international business management. GEOG 126 promotes the study of national and international macroeconomic concepts and principles through a geographic and geospatial lens, uncovering how physical and human systems influence economic decision-making and behavior around the globe. GEOG 126 provides a balanced view of contemporary globalization processes across the world, focusing on a wide range of topics including the history of globalization, spatial structures of firms and business, international trade, and state interventions based on detailed case studies.
Contemporary international affairs in their geographical setting; geographic elements in the development of national power, political groupings, and international disputes. GEOG 128 Geography of International Affairs (3) (GS;IL)(BA) This course meets the Bachelor of Arts degree requirements. Geography of International Affairs uses the organizing principle of geographic scale to examine the spatial patterns of and interrelationships among political processes and institutions. Particular emphasis is given to developing an integrative view of how global, national, local and individual scale processes interact to produce patterns of peace and conflict. The course analyzes how the actions of individuals, states and other political actors are influenced by their dynamic geographical contexts. The political geography approach does not simply discuss the war, peace, nationalism, terrorism, and religious organizations in isolation; instead, it concentrates on understanding the integration of these processes, and how their integration mediates political decisions and outcomes. Geography of International Affairs is concerned with the geopolitical context, broadly defined - the manner in which spaces and places are combinations of the political and the social, the domestic and the international, the global and the local - and how it partially determines the form and outcomes of politics. As a course in geography, Geography of International Affairs encourages students to interpret political problems, actions, and disputes through the lens of the Six Essential Elements of Geography (National Geographic): Places and Regions; Physical Systems; Human Systems: Environment and Society; the World in Spatial Terms; and Uses of Geography. Further, this course also encourages students to examine and interpret international affairs through the lens of different geopolitical theories, developed by the likes of Ratzel, Mahan, Mackinder, Spykman, Kissinger, Wallerstein, and others. In this sense, students are encouraged to adopt the role of political geographers. Political geographers have developed and adopted many tools to address these themes. Maps are obvious choices, but geographers also use a wide array of statistical and qualitative techniques to study the distribution of political processes and the processes themselves. They use geographic information systems and computer models to manipulate, display, and analyze spatial data. Geography of International Affairs acquaints students with many of these tools. When the above points are taken together, political geography emerges as a unique field of social science. Geography of International Affairs provides a learning experience that students can get in no other discipline - one that takes an integrated view that makes contemporary international affairs relevant and understandable.
Fundamental concepts of GIS, cartography, remote sensing, and GPS in the context of environmental and social problems. GEOG 160 Mapping Our Changing World (3) (GS)(BA) This course meets the Bachelor of Arts degree requirements. Mapping involves producing and using geographic data. Geographic data specify the locations and characteristics of people, the objects people create, and the various phenomena of the natural environment with which people interact. Geographic data are produced by several methods, including land surveying, aerial photography and photo grammetry, satellite remote sensing and positioning systems, and social surveys such as those conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. Geographic information systems (GIS) and related technologies are used to turn data into maps, tables, and other kinds of information people need to make informed decisions. In a rapidly changing world, detailed, up-to-date geographic data are indispensable for governance, for commerce, and for research intended to improve our understanding of social and environmental systems. GEOG 160 helps students begin to develop the knowledge, skills, and dispositions that constitute geographic information literacy - the ability to 'recognize when information is needed and ... to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information' (ALA 1989). Geographic information science (GIScience) is are search enterprise concerned with the design, development, and use of geographic information technologies to help institutions and individuals not only respond to, but ideally to predict, environmental and social change. GEOG 160 is an introduction to GI Science that provides students with the technical and contextual knowledge they need to become knowledgeable consumers of geographic data and information produced by government agencies, industry, and popular media. The course is intended to be of value not only to future specialists in the geographic information enterprise, but also to every student who is concerned with social and environmental research and policy-making. Like other information technologies, GIS is evolving rapidly. People who work with GIS understand that learning is a way of life, not just a prelude to a career. With this in mind, GEOG 160 aims not only to help students learn about geography and GIS, but also to develop the disposition to become effective lifelong learners.
An introduction to GIS (Geographic Information Systems) with emphasis on applications and analysis. GEOG 161GEOG 161 Applied Geographic Information Systems (1) GEOG 161 is a one-credit two-hour laboratory course to be taken concurrently with GEOG 160, Mapping Our Changing World. GEOG 160 and GEOG 161 will be offered concurrently as a required course pair for the proposed Environmental Studies Option within the B.S. Science major (SCNBD) at Behrend College. The courses can also be choices in the 'Supporting Courses and Related Areas' list for the B.S. Science major's General, General Pre-certification, and Earth & Space Science Pre-certification options. The purpose of the course is to familiarize students with GIS and provide them with the ability to use GIS software commonly used by industry, academia, and government agencies. GEOG 161 will provide students with training and experience in computer-based practical applications of concepts and theory learned in GEOG 160. They will analyze and solve 'real-world' problems using hands-on, problem-solving, and inquiry-based approaches to learning. Students will work individually and in small teams in a GIS software-equipped computer laboratory. Students will be evaluated based on the quality of laboratory reports/assignments and on a larger research project with a presentation conducted during the final five weeks of the semester. GEOG161 will be offered at least once per year. Enrollment is expected to be 8-20 students.
GEOG 210Geographic Perspectives on Environmental Systems Science3
This lecture, lab and field-based course explores Earth's physical environment and its interactions with human activities. While it is intended primarily for Geography majors and minors, the subject matter and approach are sufficiently broad to be relevant to any student with interests in the environmental and natural sciences. We survey the geographic patterns and physical processes attending Earth's environmental and landscape systems; its climate, hydrology, landforms, soils and vegetation, and their mutual interactions of energy and mass (water, sediment). We adopt both spatial 'map-able' and temporal perspectives; for example, the evidence for, causes of, and impacts from, past and contemporary environmental changes such as glaciations, pluvials (wet periods), and warming. An important emphasis involves human interactions with the natural environment; how human activities are constrained by, yet also constrain processes and alter features of, the physical landscape across spatial and temporal scales. Representative topics include the burning of fossil fuels and emissions of greenhouse gases and particulates into the atmosphere, natural gas fracking and earthquakes, river diversion and dam construction, ground-water withdrawal and land subsidence, urbanization and the 'heat island' effect, land clearance and deforestation, irrigated agriculture, wildland fire, the introduction of invasive species, and coastal over-development. Our examples will come from across the globe, from areas as diverse as tropical oceans to the polar deserts. An important outcome of the course is that students become better scientific observers of Earth's environmental system and its spatio-temporal variations.
Why are some countries richer than others? How do consumption patterns in one part of the world affect `far flung' peoples and environments? How does global warming shape land use patterns and rates of hunger across different regions, and what are the political implications of these patterns? Why do rich economies around the world increasingly depend on the recruitment of low-wage immigrant workers, both "legal" and "illegal"? How do race and gender shape access to services, housing and employment in many large cities? In what ways does drone warfare change the nature of state power in the 21st century? These kinds of questions are ones that animate the work of human geographers. The purpose of this course is to introduce you to the breadth of contemporary human geography. We will explore both the range of topics that geographers study, and some of the key concepts and methods used to study geographic topics. Major themes will investigate how cultural, economic, political, and environmental interactions relate to geographic processes. These general topics will be explored through a detailed examination of case studies in the United States and across the globe
GEOG 230Geographic Perspectives on Environment, Society and Sustainability3
Recommended Preparations: Completion of a basic rhetoric and composition course ( ENGL 15; ENGL 30 ENG 137 CAS 137 ESL 15 ) OR completion of College of Earth and Mineral Sciences First-Year Seminar EMSC 100 is recommended. A major theme in the discipline of geography is the study of the relationships between humans and the natural environment. GEOG 230 introduces students to the multiple ways in which people and the environment are interconnected. From a dynamic systems perspective, we refer to this interconnectedness as 'coupled social-ecological systems.' The course uses a geographic perspective to understand how differently these linkages are shaped in various ecological and cultural settings around the globe. The course follows an interdisciplinary approach, exploring from multiple angles major environmental and societal challenges such as climate change, genetically-modified food, over-consumption, disease, and environmental service provision in the industrialized North and the Global South. It promotes critical thinking regarding key concepts such as carrying capacity, ecological footprints, feedback, stability domains, and resilience. Students are encouraged to examine their role and responsibilities for the sustainability of the social- ecological systems we inhabit and to take action in their own lives to contribute to a more equitable and sustainable environment. The course will provide students with the opportunity to read, learn, and debate about the ways in which humans value, use, affect, and are affected by small-scale and large-scale human-environment interactions. It will provide them with skills for critically analyzing and evaluating the ways in which humans have transformed the environment in different parts of the world. They will also learn how to assess what future pathways are sustainable and ethically sound. One key goal of the course will be to help students increase their sensitivity to the global and international context of human interactions with nature. A discussion section allows students to explore controversial issues such as biotechnology, nature as a commodity, and global warming, and to develop critical positions on such issues. Through attendance of lectures, participation in discussion sections, and completion of reading and writing assignments, successful students will: -build an interdisciplinary understanding of how biophysical and social environments are intertwined and shape one another -comprehend the range and importance of different disciplinary approaches to researching human-environment systems - develop a toolkit of key concepts and theories for understanding human-environment systems and evaluating questions of sustainability - evaluate and critique different perspectives for intervening in human-environment interactions, including sustainable development, deep ecology and degrowth.
GEOG 260Geographic Information in a Changing World: Introduction to GIScience3
In a rapidly changing world, detailed, up-to-date geographic data are indispensable ingovernance, commerce, security, public health, and many other domains. These data are also needed to support research intended to improve our understanding of social and environmental systems. Making data useful in these domains requires methods and tools that transform data to information and that make that information accessible where and when it is needed. Geographic data specify the locations and characteristics of people, and objects both natural and anthropogenic in nature. Geographic data are produced by several formal methods, including land surveying, aerial photography and photogrammetry, satellite remote sensing and positioning systems, and social surveys such as those conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. They also are derived through informal methods that rely on the vast and growing array of location-enabled devices including cell phones, smart watches, credit card transaction records, and RFID tags on packages, along with volunteers compiling input to projects such as the Open Street Map. Geographic informationsystems (GIS) and related technologies are used to turn those data into the information people need to make informed decisions. Maps and related graphics generated on a wide array of devices from cell phones to large touch-screen displays then make the information more accessible and by doing so enable those decisions.Geographic Information Science (GIScience) is concerned with the design, development, and use of geographic information and technologies (also called geospatial technologies) to help institutions and individuals respond to, and ideally to predict, environmental and social change. This course provides a broad, practical foundation of Geographic Information Science methods and technologies for aspiring Geography majors and students pursuing the Geographic Information Science minor or undergraduate certificate, as well as students whose academic programs utilize geospatial information and analysis. Course Objectives The overall objectives of GEOG 260 are that students will: 1. gain a broad perspective on geographic information science and related technologies and how those technologies are used to collect, process, and provide access to geographic data; 2. be prepared for more advanced study of GIS, remote sensing, cartography, and spatial analysis. After the course, students will be prepared to demonstrate: 1. Familiarity with the professional, academic, and industry-specific competencies (Positioning & Data Acquisition; Analysis & Modeling; Software & Application Development) specified in the U.S. Department of Labor's Geospatial Technology Competency Model (GTCM). 2. How to appropriately acquire, apply, and communicate geographic data and information 3. Lifelong learning skills, including the ability to investigate topics independently, the ability to work in teams, and the ability to communicate effectively. 4. The ability to use maps and geospatial technology as a story-telling medium. 5. How and why Geographic Information Science matters in a changing world.
Quantitative analysis and data-science skills are increasingly crucial for the study of geography. Emerging technologies, 'big data' and increased computational power have transformed our ability to understand patterns and relationships, enabling sophisticated analyses at the click of a button. However, given that basic knowledge about computing, statistics and data-science are rarely presented within a geographical context, it can be difficult to know where to begin when learning these advanced techniques, especially because the characteristics of space/time data make it easy to misunderstand results. This course is designed to bridge that gap, applying the fundamentals of programming and data analysis to real-world problems within geography. Its aim is to provide a technical foundation both for those progressing onto intermediate Geographic Information Science (GIS) courses, and also for those who wish to explore the fundamentals of data science within the context of people and place. The course begins by introducing data science, data management and programming best-practice, with a particular focus on the challenges posed by the complexities of space-time datasets. This is supported through practical experience using real-world examples and a variety of tools such as spreadsheets, GIS software and programming languages. As part of this process, students will gain practical experience in project workflow, finding and reading-in data, quality control, data analysis and visualization. Finally, each stage of the course is underpinned by discussion about key concepts in the geographies of data ethics, providing students with a space to critically assess the implications of their work, and to explore how advancements in data science might impact society.
Learning to think geographically. GEOG 3GEOG 301 Thinking Geographically (3) The course explores the process of thinking geographically. As a discipline that draws on elements of four intellectual traditions - the physical sciences, the social sciences, the information sciences, and the humanities - geography offers an extensive palette of approaches to the study of the interactions among people, places, and environments. In addition to those traditions, geography also draws on key themes: setting events and activities into multiple spatial and temporal contexts; setting events and activities into multiple spatial scales from the local to the global; seeing complex, multi-way interactions between human and physical systems; recognizing the interconnectedness between places. In terms of methods, the fundamental building block is the idea of geospatial location and the associated spatially- or geo-referenced data. Data, both quantitative and qualitative in character, is increasingly available in terms of amounts and quality. Students must come to appreciate and be able to use this powerful way of thinking about the world. GEOG 301 assumes a beginning understanding of geography, in terms of basic content knowledge, and builds an understanding of how to think geographically, how to ask geographic questions, how to find geographic answers, how to assess the quality of those answers, and how to present and communicate those answers convincingly and compelling in multiple formats. Students will learn how to think geographically and to appreciate the power, applicability, and limitations of the geographic approach. Each year the course is organized around a significant contemporary problem as a commonly shared case study. Students will work in small groups to analyze the case study, presenting their own portfolio of work for 60% of the course grade and collaborating with group colleagues for a collective presentation for 40% of the grade. Work will be submitted in stages through ANGEL. GEOG 301 is required of all geography majors and will be offered Fall and Spring of each academic year with an annual enrollment of approximately 120 students. Preference will be given first to declared Geography majors, then to Geography minors, before places are offered to students from other programs. Geography 301 is a bridge between the knowledge that comes from the broad-based introductory geography courses and the detailed understanding that comes from the focused, advanced-level geography courses. It enables students to learn about and to practice geographical thinking in real-world contexts.
GEOG 308Research and Qualitative Inquiry in Geography3
This course examines the theory and practice of research in geography, with particular emphasis on qualitative inquiry commonly used by human as well as environment-society geographers. Students will explore fundamental debates regarding methods and knowledge claims that underlie the research process. Students will also gain hands-on experience developing research questions and using secondary scholarly literature and primary data to explore their question(s) in written and oral formats. Particular emphasis will be paid to the ethics and practices associated with qualitative methods, including the approaches taken by geographers in the collection and analysis of interview, observational, and textual data. Course Objectives and Learning Outcomes By the end of this course students will be able to: - Explain and compare models of knowledge underlying distinct methodological approaches in Geography - Describe research design principles commonly used in qualitative research - Evaluate the appropriate use of interview, observational and textual sources of primary data - Employ qualitative data collection methods to collect interview, observational and textual data. - Explain the ethical dimensions of qualitative research and assess strategies to navigate these constraints both practically and ethically - Find and appraise scholarly, peer-reviewed literature in relation to the student's research topic - Develop a research question, justify it in relation to scholarly literature, and mobilize primary data to provide evidence for your analysis of the question. - Communicate research and analysis in written and oral formats.
This intermediate-level course in Climatology emphasizes geographic patterns of interannual climate variability (climate variations) and physical processes responsible for those variations (climate dynamics). Interannual climate variations include regional- to large-scale anomalies of temperature, precipitation, cloud cover, etc., that may manifest as extreme weather (drought, floods, heat and cold waves, etc.). The physical processes associated with these fluctuations include the following: interactions among climate-system components (atmosphere, biosphere, cryosphere, hydrosphere); external forcing (e.g., solar variations, volcanic activity); and long-distance interactions involving coupled atmospheric-ocean circulations, or teleconnections (El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), the Arctic Oscillation (AO), and the Pacific-North America (PNA) pattern). Climatic teleconnections manifest shifts in the atmospheric pressure "centers of action", storm tracks, long waves, jet stream positions, etc. We study the patterns and processes of regional climate features such as the South Asian and West African monsoons, "nor-easter" snow storms, Arctic/Antarctic sea ice variations, the summer/winter transition in Mediterranean-type climates, the role of "blocking" in middle-latitude climate variations, etc. Also, the course examines the role of human activities in climate, particularly the "global warming" related to increases in greenhouse gases, biomass burning, desertification, deforestation and afforestation, urbanization, irrigation for agriculture, and jet aviation. A key issue addressed is the role of human activities in possibly altering the frequency and intensity of teleconnections, especially ENSO, and of severe storms (thunderstorms, tornadoes) and hurricanes. The possibilities for geo-engineering the climate are also considered. In understanding the physical processes of climate, students are better able to assess the extent humans are a factor in contemporary climate changes. Course Objectives: 1. Understand how climate variables depict the characteristic patterns of climate and its variations on local/regional to hemispheric/global scales (climate diagnostics); 2. Evaluate the physical processes responsible for those climate and weather variations and their role in regional-scale phenomena (climate dynamics); 3. Assess the role of human activities in contemporary climate changes, on scales of the urban heat island to global warming (human impacts on climate); Upon completing this course, students will understand the geographic patterns (regional to global) and physical processes associated with climate variations, trends and changes on seasonal through interannual to decadal/multi-decadal temporal scales.
Introduction to global atmospheric circulation, including tropical, midlatitude and polar subsystems; ocean, land, cryospheric and urban climatic systems and interactions. GEOG 310W GEOG 310W Introduction to Global Climatic Systems (3) Geography 310W is an advanced undergraduate course in Climatology that emphasizes study of the patterns of interannual climate variability ( climate fluctuations ) and the physical processes responsible for those variations ( climate dynamics ). Interannual climate variations include regional- to large-scale anomalies of temperature, precipitation, cloud cover, etc., that become manifest as drought, floods, heat and cold waves, etc. The physical processes associated with climate fluctuations include the following: interactions among the climate-system components (atmosphere, biosphere, cryosphere, hydrosphere); external forcing (e.g., solar variations, volcanic activity); and long-distance interactions involving the coupled atmospheric-ocean circulations, orteleconnections(El Ni�o Southern Oscillation (ENSO), the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), the Arctic Oscillation (AO), and the Pacific-North America (PNA) pattern). Climatic teleconnections manifest shifts in the atmospheric pressure "centers of action", storm tracks, jet stream positions, etc. In addition to the study of these climate patterns and processes, the course examines the role of human activities in climate, particularly "global warming", desertification, deforestation and afforestation, urbanization, irrigation for agriculture, and aviation impacts. In this regard, a key issue that is addressed is the potential role of human activities on the frequency and intensity of teleconnections, such as ENSO, and of severe storms (thunderstorms, tornadoes) and hurricanes; possibly the result of modifications to the oceanic Thermo-Haline Circulation. Students write a term paper, as well as critiques of a number of published articles relating to the above topics in climate dynamics. There is a mid-term (essay) exam but no final exam.
Introduction to the methods and techniques for collecting spatial and environmental data for physical geography and ecological studies. GEOG 313GEOG 313 Introduction to Field Geography (3) This course explores a variety of methods used to acquire primary data from field locations. Aspects of physical, chemical, biological, and cultural factors are examined. Fieldwork is often an important component of research and it involves collecting and analyzing data, handling logistical concerns, developing sampling strategies and techniques, and addressing quality assurance and archiving issues. The course objectives are: to explore methods used to collect, analyze, and interpret field data; to expose students to techniques for sampling physical (geomorphologic, topographic, hydrologic), chemical (water and soil), and biological (flora and fauna) factors; and to explore ways to use field data to interpret geographical and ecological questions and hypotheses. Evaluation involves preparation of written laboratory reports, assignments, and tests. The course is offered every Fall semester with enrollment limited to the number of students supported in a laboratory section.
GEOG 315Landforms and Geomorphic Systems in the Anthropocene3
Geography 315 builds on concepts presented in the introductory physical geography course to explore the subfield of geomorphology from a geographic perspective. It surveys the various processes shaping Earth's surface and the landforms resulting from those processes. The course relates these processes and landforms and their connection to human activity on Earth's surface. By taking this course, students will be able to: 1. recognize basic geomorphic processes and the resulting landforms and landscapes; 2. identify the observations and measurements used to understand geomorphic processes and landforms; 3. explain the implications for human use and livelihood on Earth's landforms and landscapes For students who are not geography majors, GEOG 315 may satisfy a General Education Natural Science requirement or may be used as a Natural Sciences selection for students pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree.
For the first time in human history, urban dwellers came to outnumber rural residents in the year 2000. The influence of cities extends to nearly every point on the globe. Urban areas, however, differ dramatically in their physical structure, economic base, governance patterns and the lived experiences of their residents with diverse work patterns, striking inequalities in living conditions and varied cultural expression. In short, contemporary cities are vibrant and complex phenomenon formed by conflicting social forces and economic processes. This course examines urban settlements and analyzes the processes of urbanization from a global perspective.
What is culture? Is it good literature, music, art and food? Or is it a full range of learned human behavior? Culture is in itself a very exciting topic; it invokes diverse imaginaries of life, livelihoods, ways of living, languages, and forms of entertaining, consuming, playing, and eating. In this course, we will delve deep to understand the 'how' and 'why' of culture, that is, how is a particular cultural landscape, a mode of living, produced and why? Most importantly, this course will examine how culture is not a stand-alone concept but rather a phenomenon that intersects with other social processes such as politics and economics. This course aims to survey and explore a range of perspectives on the nature of human integration with the environment and the manifestation of human culture on the landscape. The course will engage philosophical and metaphysical questions in addition to those of landscapes and place. The ultimate objective is for participants to develop a deep and multidimensional understanding of human-environment relations, and the manifestation of human activity on the landscape. Learning Outcomes: Through taking this course, students will be able to: 1. analyze the major themes and debates within cultural geography; 2. interpret representations of landscape, space and place in a variety of textual materials, such as academic readings, films, novels, newspaper articles and art; 3. evaluate the landscape, space and place as an expression of cultural forces.
GEOG 326Geographic Perspectives on Economic Systems3
This course builds on concepts presented in the introductory human geography course to explore the subfield of economic geography. It serves as a foundation for courses on economic development, political economy, and other offerings in geography. It will provide a balanced view of contemporary economic processes across the world through a geographical lens, focusing on a wide range of topics including the history of globalization, spatial structures of firms and businesses, international trade, and state interventions. The main objective of this course is to give students access to a geographer's lens for analyzing, interpreting, and critiquing information related to the economy. By the end of the course, students should be able to evaluate the role of different abstract principles in the creation of the economic landscape and to incorporate important critiques of these abstractions into their understanding of how and why uneven development is produced in economic systems. This course will also develop students' skills in formulating and presenting written and oral arguments based on their own knowledge in conjunction with various reference materials.
GEOG 328War, Peace, and Diplomacy: Understanding Contemporary Geopolitics3
This course expands on concepts presented in the introductory human geography course, understanding geopolitics and international relations through an examination of the spatial relationships among political processes and institutions. It explores the problems, promises and paradoxes of international violence and the efforts to address violence through human rights initiatives and international peace movements. Particular emphasis is given to developing an integrative view of how global, national and local scale processes interact to produce patterns of peace and conflict. The course analyzes how individuals, the state and other political actors engage with geography to produce violent or peaceful outcomes. GEOG 328 does not simply explore issues of violence and peace from a "top-down" perspective that focuses on the nation-state and international, state actors. Rather, it focuses on the multiplicity of perspectives and actors that come together to create violent or peaceful conditions. As a result, this course explores violence and the broader movement to address violence through human rights initiatives. We will explore violence and peace in the 20th and 21st centuries, the ways the organization of space and place is linked to violence and peace, and how international efforts to address violence and war are linked through time and space. This course also dissects the definition of human rights, the idea of 'just war' and the way peace movements may both sustain and undermine efforts at ending violence. Course Objectives: The overarching goal of this course is to educate us about the legacies of violence and the struggle to construct a more just and peaceful world. At the end of the semester students should be able to: 1) Define and articulate different notions of violence and recognize how the definition of violence is related to diplomatic efforts at addressing human rights violations. 2) Understand the relationship between violence in one area of the world and resulting broader geopolitical power dynamics, especially the human-territorial considerations of violence and peace. Learning Outcomes: At the end of this course students should be able to: 1) Identify and define structural violence. 2) Explain the differences between positive and negative peace. 3) Define human rights, and explain their connection to geopolitics. 4) Explain how truth processes work, and identify their strengths and limitations. 5) Identify how the definition of peace changes at different scales.
This course introduces students to political ecology as one approach to advanced human-environment studies in geography. Political ecology is an interdisciplinary approach that combines environmental justice, cultural ecology, and other related approaches to undertake an integrated, holistic assessment of the relationships between social and ecological change. In particular, it analyzes the power dynamics at play in social and ecological marginalization and change; the social issues surrounding conservation of protected natural areas and species and conflicts over natural resources; the underlying causes of environmental conflicts; and issues of justice and distribution as they relate to the production and consumption of environmental goods and services. Students will gain familiarity with a wide range of theories and methods central to contemporary human-environment geography, such as Marxist political economy, Foucauldian governmentality, feminist intersectionality, ethnography, and land change science. Students will increase their knowledge of the world in general, and of approaches to the challenges of environmental policy in particular, by learning how these theories and methods have been put to use in the analysis of case studies from many different countries and continents. They will develop their ability to conduct independent research, work collaboratively, and present their thinking verbally and in writing through a variety of exercises and assignments. Upon completing this course, students will be able to: 1. understand key theories in political ecology 2. evaluate contemporary debates in human-environment studies using political ecology thinking 3. apply political ecology theories and concepts to relevant topics 4. use integrated thinking across the natural and social sciences to analyze and produce possible solutions to complex human-environment challenges
GEOG 332NScience and policy of global greenhouse gas emissions and management3
This interdomain course introduces students to the science and policy of greenhouse gas emissions. The course focuses on emissions from natural sources, energy production and food production. Policy components will introduce students to the fundamentals of environmental policy and examine key policy options for mitigating and managing emissions. Global in scope, the course will also address how emissions and policy options differ in developed and developing countries. Topics will include overviews of the global carbon cycle, agriculture and land use change emissions, history of global energy use and production, overview of global climate change policy, frontiers in climate, energy and agriculture policy, amongst others.
An introduction to natural hazards, integrating physical and social science perspectives. GEOG 333 Human Dimensions of Natural Hazards (3)(BA) This course meets the Bachelor of Arts degree requirements. Natural hazards -such as earthquakes, tsunami, volcanoes, and floods are not simply forces of nature. Their impacts depend on the interaction between the hazardous events and the characteristics of people, their communities, and the human systems in which they operate. The physical dimensions of natural hazards require knowledge of physical science, and the human dimensions of natural hazards call for knowledge of social science. Nevertheless, understanding natural hazards means not only that students know the physical and social sciences, but also that they know how nature and society work together to increase or decrease potential harm posed by these phenomena. This course introduces students to the topic by surveying the range of natural hazards and by applying important social science perspectives, such as risk, vulnerability, and the true costs of hazards, to each of the hazards. Because the study of natural hazards is interdisciplinary, readings, lectures, and discussions address crucial aspects of both natural and social sciences. GEOG 333 has two goals: (1) to develop understanding of a set of issues related to the human dimensions of natural hazards; (2) to develop and apply communication skills by discussing, writing about, and presenting on natural hazards. The specific content of the course will change with the instructor, but the focus on interactions between the natural and human worlds and on skill-development in writing and speaking will be constant. Students will be evaluated on both the course goals: (1) understanding of the human dimensions of natural hazards; (2) application of communication skills. Although exact procedures for determining grades will vary with instructor, the basis for grades will always include a combination of written exams based on lectures and readings, oral presentations and papers, and in-class discussion and participation.
We live in a time marked by unrelenting environmental challenges and increasing awareness of the human impact on the planet. The need for sustainable practices has never been more critical. This comprehensive course in geographic sustainability offers an in-depth exploration of the principles, strategies, and tools necessary to foster a resilient and regenerative future. Throughout this course, students will delve into the multifaceted aspects of sustainability, examining its intersection with global poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace, and justice. Students will also learn how geographic sustainability studies contribute centrally to the broader field of sustainability studies, particularly regarding central concerns such as socio-environmental justice, rural and urban ecologies, well-being and landscape, and the role of the state and the nationalization of many sustainability questions. Students will develop a holistic understanding of sustainability through theoretical frameworks and case studies. By the end of the course, students will be equipped with the knowledge, skills, and motivation to become catalysts for sustainability, driving positive transformations in their communities, workplaces, and beyond. This course is part of the core curriculum for the degree in Environment, Society, and Sustainability and will prepare students for subsequent coursework in the ESS major.
In today's rapidly changing world, the pursuit of sustainable development has become an urgent priority. Governments, organizations, and communities worldwide are increasingly adopting policies aimed at addressing pressing environmental, social, and economic challenges while striving to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This course offers an in-depth exploration of methods for assessing the impact of sustainability policies in alignment with the SDGs. Throughout this course, students will delve into the complex interplay between policy interventions and their tangible effects on sustainability outcomes. Drawing on interdisciplinary perspectives from geography, environmental science, economics, sociology, and policy analysis, students will develop the analytical tools and critical thinking skills necessary to evaluate the effectiveness, efficiency, and equity of sustainability policies. The course begins by providing a comprehensive overview of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, examining their origins, objectives, and targets. Students will gain insight into the interconnected nature of the SDGs and the underlying principles guiding their implementation, such as universality, integration, and leaving no one behind. Building upon this foundation, students will explore a diverse array of methods for assessing the impact of sustainability policies across multiple dimensions. Topics covered will include quantitative and qualitative research methods, indicators and metrics development, ecosystem services, cost-benefit analysis, environmental impact assessment, social impact assessment, and participatory approaches to evaluation. Through a combination of lectures, case studies, group discussions, and hands-on exercises, students will learn how to apply these methods in real-world contexts. They will analyze case studies of sustainability policies implemented at local, national, and global levels, critically assessing their outcomes and identifying lessons learned. Moreover, the course will emphasize the importance of stakeholder engagement and collaboration in the assessment process. Students will explore strategies for involving diverse stakeholders, including government agencies, non-governmental organizations, businesses, and affected communities, in the evaluation of sustainability policies to ensure inclusivity and transparency. By the end of the course, students will emerge with a nuanced understanding of the complexities involved in assessing the impact of sustainability policies related to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. They will be equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to contribute meaningfully to the design, implementation, and evaluation of policies aimed at advancing sustainable development and achieving the SDGs on a local, national, and global scale.
Mapping is crucial to exploring and understanding distributions of geographic phenomena. It is also an important phase of many database-intensive analyses because a map is often the best way to visualize results and show them to others. Emphases in this course will be on designing and producing both thematic and reference maps that use symbols and visual hierarchies which allow the content of the maps to be readily understood. In addition to principles of graphic design, students learn about map projections, generalization, and data classification, with the objective of becoming proficient mapmakers. Hands-on computer work for lab sections will involve working with varied digital data sources using geographic information systems (GIS) software. Maps are often built from existing data created by government mapping agencies, stored as GIS databases, and based on remotely-sensing imagery.
GEOG 362 provides students with a foundational understanding of remote sensing principles and the practical skills needed to analyze remote sensing imagery data. This course covers the core concepts of remote sensing, including the principles of electromagnetic radiation, satellite orbits, and the specifics of sensor characteristics. As a multidisciplinary field, remote sensing integrates knowledge across various domains, becoming increasingly crucial with technological advancements, more accessible imagery, broader coverage, and sophisticated data processing software. It plays a pivotal role in addressing critical global challenges, such as land cover change monitoring, weather prediction, water resource management, and climate research. The course emphasizes both theoretical knowledge and practical application, focusing on image processing and analysis such as geometric and radiometric calibration, filtering and enhancement techniques, and the classification and interpretation of imagery. Through hands-on exercises with datasets, students will acquire the essential skills needed to utilize remote sensing in analyzing and solving practical problems. This course is designed for those new to the field, aiming to equip students with the knowledge and skills to effectively leverage remote sensing technologies for a broad range of applications.
This course describes and explains the principles of GIScience (Geographic Information Science) and GIS (Geographic Information Systems). Building on the overall introduction in the prerequisite courses on the special characteristics of spatial data and how our earth is measured and mapped, Geography 363 focuses on how to use data to develop solutions for geographic representation and analysis tasks using GIS software and programming. This course provides students a basic knowledge of GIS with the following aspects: 1) introducing basic principles of programming and state-of-the-art computational tools for GIS; 2) presenting a comprehensive overview of the main methodologies available to GIScience, as well as their intuition as to how and when they can be applied; and 3) focusing on real world applications of these techniques in a geographical and applied context. By the end of the course, students will be able to: 1) develop a working knowledge of the application of GIScience techniques; 2) visualize geographic information through producing appropriate maps to high cartographic standards; 3) carry out spatial data management tasks; 4) interpret data and apply relevant spatial analyses to answer a variety of spatial problems; 5) explain and evaluate common issues with geographic data such as representation and uncertainty; 6) apply and critique (spatial) statistical analysis techniques to infer relationships between spatial phenomena; and 7) experience the diversity of the global spatial data landscape and evaluate the relative drawbacks and merits of different spatial datasets.
From understanding the spread of COVID to mapping firefly populations, geospatial analysis allows us to identify and understand patterns in space and time. It allows us to make and test theories, assess how likely results would have occurred simply by chance, or to predict new outcomes. Geography 364 is an introduction to spatial analysis that focuses on statistical methods for geographers. Students will learn how to use statistics in their own work and learn how to consume statistics in everyday life. The statistical methods students will learn to use are simple descriptive statistics that we use to summarize complex data, as well as the associated charts, diagrams and maps. Building on this framework the course will move on to look at chance and probability theory, and simple inferential statistics. Throughout the course, we will be concerned with 'everyday statistics,' primarily as it relates to geography. Contemporary media are saturated with statistics, from reports of climatic change, through latest presidential election polls, to batting averages and yards-gained statistics in sports. Much of the presentation of these statistics is lazy or inaccurate, and often misleading (deliberately or not), and a major theme of this course will look at the issues involved.
The rate at which geospatial data are being generated exceeds our ability to analyze them. These developments are quickly leading toward a data-rich but knowledge-poor environment. New challenges arise from an unprecedented access to massive amounts of data. Specialized algorithms are needed to address these scientific and computational challenges and provide innovative and effective solutions to analyze these large, often multi-modal, spatio-temporal datasets generated by high-resolution sensors or computational models. Traditional computational frameworks are specialized to serve a single science application, and are not flexible to drive diverse models on changing computational platforms. GEOG 365 addresses this new challenge by introducing specialized algorithms and data structures to analyze and visualize large and rapidly changing Earth science data. The emphasis of this course is on specialized data mining algorithms suitable for spatial data and spatio-temporal data with geoscience and Earth science applications. This course teaches how to automate GIS tasks using scripting languages. Automation can make work easier, faster, and more accurate, and knowledge of a scripting language is a highly desired skill in GIS analysts. This course dedicates time to programming fundamentals so that the skills learned can be applied to languages. Increased ability to adapt to new technologies and programming languages will be the greatest benefit students gain from this course.
GEOG 390Professional Development Seminar in Geography1-3
This course equips geography students with a toolkit for career development as they explore the discipline, develop professional networks, and move into life "beyond" Penn State. It will help students develop a deeper understand of the relationship between careers, research, experiential learning, civic responsibility, transferable skills, and the discipline of geography. Students will come away with a set of career-related competencies as well as a framework for achieving further professional development. Students will hone a resume, engage in professional networking via LinkedIn and informational interviews, and construct an e-portfolio to showcase their accomplishments.
Theories and observations of past, present, and future climatic change and variability; introduction to techniques used in climatic change research. GEOG 412W Climatic Change and Variability (3)(BA) This course meets the Bachelor of Arts degree requirements. GEOG 412W introduces students to the physical dimensions of climate change and variation. Climate change topics include radiative forcing, greenhouse gases, scenarios, equilibrium models, and time-dependent models. Important Climate variation topics are teleconnections and the El Nino-Southern Oscillation phenomenon. GEOG 412W would appeal to students with interests in Earth and atmospheric sciences, as well as environmental protection. As a writing-intensive course, GOEG 412W aims to help students improve their ability to communicate scientific information. The course devotes considerable class time to the mechanics of reading, writing, speaking, and especially report production. Students not only write, but also learn to edit and critique writing.Because most professional research on climate change and variation involves collaborative science teams, GEOG 412W focus on collaboration and participation. Students form teams, conduct research, and compile formal collaborative reports on climate change and variation. Students document their individual contributions by producing portfolios.
Earth's cryosphere is undergoing rapid change, with high latitude warming and ice losses among the most prominent signatures of anthropogenic climate change. In turn, cryospheric changes possess global ramifications, including impacts on sea level, the planetary energy balance, and global weather and climate. Addressing climate change begins with understanding its manifestations, and few natural components of the Earth system are changing as quickly and with greater impacts than the cryosphere. This course focuses on the cryosphere and its significance in the global climate system. It provides an introduction to the dynamics of glaciers, ice sheets, and sea ice, including the various feedback mechanisms inherent to these systems. We begin with an exploration of evidence for past variability in ice sheets governed by natural Earth system cycles, before embarking on analysis of interactions between ice and the climate system today, and potential future cryospheric changes in a warming climate. This course combines lecture-based instruction, applied activities, and project-based learning. Emphasizing a data-driven approach, students gain an introduction to Python programming tailored to earth and climate sciences, as well as Jupyter Notebooks for interactive data exploration. The course investigates techniques used in contemporary cryospheric sciences, including analysis of satellite remotely sensed data, output from regional and global Earth system models, in situ meteorological observations, and climate reanalysis products. Students will build proficiency in practical and transferrable skills essential for modern cryospheric and climatic research.
GEOG 414Principles and Applications in Landscape Ecology1-3
Landscape ecology is a rapidly evolving discipline that is poised to address contemporary challenges in sustainability science, land management, and conservation. The focus of landscape ecology is on the controls, interactions and outcomes of spatial patterns and processes on ecological dynamics at multiple spatial scales. Landscape ecology explores how energy and nutrients flow across spatially variable patches, how dispersal and migration of aquatic and terrestrial organisms are affected by spatial networks, and how disturbances propagate across complex terrain. Grounded in related fields of ecology, geography, and spatial analysis, landscape ecology provides additional theoretical tools and approaches to guide applied conservation decision-making in a dynamically changing world.The objective of this course is for students to apply the methods, theories, approaches and practical applications of landscape ecology to inform landscape decision-making. Particular emphasis is placed on how humans modify landscapes and how species, ecological communities, and ecosystems have responded to these changes. These objectives will be met through lecture and discussion of prominent landscape ecology topics (scale, pattern quantification, agents of pattern formation, green infrastructure, and conservation biology), computer laboratory exercises, written papers, and group presentations.By the end of the course students will be able to (1) articulate in written and oral form the concepts of scale and pattern, (2) use landscape pattern metrics, spatial statistics, and models to characterize ecological pattern on landscapes, and explain how ecological patterns develop, and (3) apply knowledge of spatial pattern-process interactions to issues of sustainability, conservation, and landscape management.
A discussion of the application of satellite data to current and planned large-scale climate experiments. GEOG 417GEOG 417 Satellite Climatology (3)(BA) This course meets the Bachelor of Arts degree requirements. Geography 417 presents the theory and practice of satellite remote sensing as applied to the study of climate. Remote sensing refers to the acquisition of information about a target or phenomenon from a distance; climate is the low-frequency signal of weather that involves interactions among Earth's environmental systems (atmosphere, biosphere, cryosphere, hydrosphere). Combining these two disciplines into Satellite Climatology is logical because the fundamental basis of both remote sensing and climate is radiation transfer through Earth's atmosphere. The course emphasizes understanding the different techniques used to determine, from space-borne platforms, the atmospheric, oceanic and land surface conditions important to climate and its variations, and the interpretation of these remotely sensed data in the context of "climate dynamics" and "synoptic climatology." Specific topics include the following: Satellite systems (platforms, sensors, orbits, data processing); Remote sensing clouds and cloud systems, Retrieval of atmospheric temperature, moisture, and precipitation, the Earth-atmosphere radiation and energy budgets, and Land-surface conditions and their modification by humans . In addition, examples of the different satellite-based climatologies, and their advantages and limitations with respect to conventional observations ("ground truth"), are presented.
This course investigates selected urban issues through the lens of comparative urbanism. GEOG 420Y Comparative Urbanism (3) (US;IL)(BA) This course meets the Bachelor of Arts degree requirements. As an upper level urban geography seminar, this course investigates selected urban issues through the lens of comparative urbanism and requires active class participation. Examination of readings from the growing literature on comparative urbanism will introduce students not only to possible ways to design an effective comparative study but also to the varying goals of such work. Other readings, drawn from a wide variety of sources, will target particular issues facing urban areas that may vary from year to year, such as economic restructuring, uneven urban redevelopment, transportation planning, historic preservation, arts districts, the social construction of race and ethnicity, aging in place, and urban poverty. Students in turn will be required to design and carry out a comparative research project focusing on a particular urban issue, highlighting both the similarities and the differences between their selected case study cities and placing them in local, regional, and global contexts. This course is reading and writing intensive and satisfies United States Cultures and International Cultures requirements, as well as the Bachelor of Arts Social and Behavioral Sciences Field.
This course examines key demographic characteristics of the U.S. population and how they are distributed in space. At the same time, we will look at how individuals come to be part of a population and with what implications. The course will focus on the U.S. with a special emphasis on where people live in U.S. cities. Given this focus we will spend significant time on issues of segregation, gentrification, health disparities, environmental justice, and migration. The class includes a significant lab component and students will have the opportunity to conduct empirical analyses that are common in the fields of planning, epidemiology, social work, and other cognate professional fields. This course meets the social and behavioral components of the BA field. The first goal of this seminar is to prepare students to think critically about the way demography and policy interact to produce outcomes that vary within and across populations and across space. Many of the most critical policy debates of our time hinge on an understanding of subgroups delineated by gender, age, race, and/or immigration status. Students will learn to identify the role of history, economics, culture and geography in shaping the contexts in which these policy debates now exist and will gain the critical capacity to evaluate changing conditions in the world around them.The second key goal of this course is to train students in some of the basic techniques for analyzing populations. Being able to devise and execute a project that answers basic questions about the distribution of a population is a foundational skill for many careers that geographers might choose to follow, and can be powerful for engagement in the policy process. The emphasis here will be on applying statistical and GIS skills learned elsewhere to the messy world of real-life data. Students will achieve a better understanding of the possibilities and pitfalls of quantitative analysis of demographic information.
This course examines the actors, processes, and policies relevant to understanding the global economic system. How does the global economy work? How is it changing? What are the pieces and how do they fit together? What can we do to shape outcomes within this system? In the first section of the course we examine these questions in the context of the 2009 World Development Report produced by the World Bank. The report has as its focus "Economic Geography" with a particular focus on the role of cities in development. We will emphasize the differing assumptions made by economists and geographers with regards to processes of economic development and the impact of globalization. In the second portion of the class we will focus on specific industries, firms, and regions in an attempt to put the broader concepts from Part 1 into an applied context. The focus of this section will be on identifying the complexity of the economic system. In Part 3 of the class we draw from the literature on alternative understandings of the global economy and its possibilities and link this literature to broader debates about global capitalism, international economic policy, and social welfare. Bringing together the broad themes from Part 1 and the applied responses and strategies gleaned from Part 2 we will attempt to synthesize both macro and micro-scale understandings of the present economic system.
GEOG 425Geography of Race, Class, and Poverty in America3
This class examines the spatial interactions of race, class and poverty in the United States. GEOG 425 Geography of Race, Class, and Poverty in America (3) (US)(BA) This course meets the Bachelor of Arts degree requirements. The terms 'race,' 'class,' and 'poverty' are often discussed in the same breath in academic scholarship. Research portrays the interwoven relationships between economic status, economic security, and ethnic heritage. Despite this powerful and abundant literature, few scholars examine the spatial interactions among race, class, and poverty. The class introduces students to a range of literatures on the meaning of race, class, and poverty in the contemporary United States. We will situate these terms in their local spatial context and investigate how location influences perceptions of the meaning of race, class, and poverty. We will blend historical, contemporary, theoretical and empirical scholarship as we investigate the meaning, understanding and manifestation of race, class and poverty in the U.S. Beginning with history, we will move through the 20th century examining how economic and political cycles have influenced social understanding of these terms. There will be a particular focus on deconstructing the measurement and meaning of the terms and their use in public policy discussions based on perceptual understandings of the terms 'race' , 'class' , and 'poverty.' We will examine powerful historical and contemporary media images of race, class, and poverty as seen through the lens of place and identity.
Gendered Worlds examines how systems of dominance manifest in everyday life. Through an intersectional approach to social differences, such as gender, race, class, ethnicity, age, ability, and sexuality, the course highlights the significance of difference in shaping experiences of space and place in a global context. The course incorporates approaches from cultural, postcolonial, subaltern, queer, gender, and critical race studies, all of which have influenced current debates across the field of geography. Feminist scholars have long been concerned with the spatial politics of cultural difference. As a point of entry to discussions of gender and geography, this course will explore the diverse ways in which geographers have conceived of, analyzed, and redefined gender as a contested spatial practice that intersects with other facets of identity such as race, class, and sexuality. Using contemporary geographic texts, we will explore the gendered dynamics of geographic research, citizenship, violence, security, nationalism, nature,and globalization. The purpose of this course is to examine how gender is understood and utilized in the field of geography. This course also aims to enhance students' ability to engage in first-hand critical research, as well as collaborative learning, through a reflective and on-going process of research and writing over the course of the semester. At the end of the course, the successful student will be able to: 1. Deploy contemporary debates around gender theory, gendered spatial practices, and cultural difference. 2. Critique the cultural and social construction of gender across time and cultures. 3. Analyze representations of gender in social institutions such as the media. 4. Apply theories of gender and cultural difference in the context of critical written analysis.
This upper-level undergraduate seminar examines theories and concepts of political geography, with special emphasis on the geographic foundations of power in a globalizing world. The course covers the foundational themes of political geography: state formation; citizenship and nationality; geopolitics; borders; sovereignty; colonialism/postcolonialism; environmental politics; political identity and social movements. The course readings include a balance of theory and case study material and include international and domestic examples. As a writing-intensive course, students will write weekly assignments, workshop their essays in peer-groups, and focus on the techniques of expository writing on political geographic topics. The objective is to develop effective writing skills for presenting analyses of political geographic processes and basing these analyses on investigation, evidence, and clear argumentation in a concise essay format. Students will receive regular feedback and evaluation from the instructor and have several opportunities for presenting their work to their peers. The final project consists of a larger research and writing project and class presentation. After taking this class students will: 1. understand the various linkages between geography and politics 2. be able to apply a multi-scalar framework to understanding politics 3. contextualize concepts of power and resistance in relation to space and time 4. understand how geographic settings simultaneously enable and constrain political agents and options 5. be able to engage quality news media using geographic to gain a broader understanding of what is going on in the world.
The human use of resources and ecosystems and social causes and consequences of environmental degradation in different parts of the world; development of environmental policy and management strategies. GEOG 430GEOG 430 Human Use of Environment (3)(BA) This course meets the Bachelor of Arts degree requirements. Geography 430 examines the human use of resources and ecosystems, the multiple causes and consequences of environmental degradation, and adaptive institutional and policy arrangements as prerequisites for resilient and sustainable management and development in different parts of the world. The major objective of this course is to help geographers, earth scientists, and other professionals to develop an awareness and appreciation of the multiple perspectives that can be brought to studies of human use of the environment and of the ways in which resource-management decisions are made in human society. This is a capstone course that encourages students to place their individual major and technical skills within the context of multiple approaches to environmental decision making and management in complex and dynamic social-ecological systems. GEOG 430 is designed as a collective/social learning experience. This implies that the professor and students share responsibility for the learning process and take advantage of collective skills, insights, experiences, and efforts of each other. As in system dynamics, this requires both commitment and flexibility and the willingness to explore foreign territory. As part of this philosophy, learning consists not only of information flow from professor to student, but also from student to student and student to professor. The course follows a case study approach to explore real life lessons of adaptive management around the globe. To make this process work, attendance and active participation are imperative. The course is run more like a seminar than a lecture course and integrates lectures, in-class discussions, presentations, and interactive activities. Student performance is evaluated based on active participation in all of the above, individual short assignments, group projects, in-class quizzes and exams, and one major writing assignment, varying by faculty teaching. This course is offered every semester.
GEOG 431 is designed for students to understand the natural processes of aquatic ecosystems, management of water resources, and threats to sustaining water quantity and quality, for all types of freshwater surface, groundwater, rivers, lakes, wetlands. This course should appeal to water resource managers, geographers, ecologists, earth scientists, planners, other environmental professionals as well as non-science majors. This course will develop awareness and appreciation of the multiple perspectives about water as a precious resource, commodity, and sometimes hazard. Students in the course will first examine water. Course Justification characteristics, sources, classification systems, and aquatic ecosystems. Next, we will examine water resource management, including issues surrounding irrigation; floods and dams; provision of safe potable water; threats to water quantity and quality including human and aquatic ecosystem effects; the water economy including virtual water and water footprints; water laws and policy; institutions for water management at the global, national, regional and local scale; and issues of water conflict, security, and climate change. Course Objectives: - Learn how/why water is distributed unevenly in space and time around the Earth. - Examine ways resource management decisions made in human society are strongly related to the availability, quantity, and quality of water. - Examine water characteristics, sources, classification systems, and aquatic ecosystems. - Examine water resource management, including issues surrounding irrigation; floods and dams; provision of safe potable water; threats to water quantity and quality including human and aquatic ecosystem effects; the water economy including virtual water and water footprints; water laws and policy; institutions for water management at the global, national, regional and local scale; and issues of water conflict, security, and climate change. When you successfully complete this course, you will be prepared to: - Identify the unique characteristics of freshwater. - Describe, with a geographic perspective, how and why freshwater is distributed unevenly in space and time around Earth. - Explain the natural processes of aquatic ecosystems. - Discuss why conflicts arise over the vital resource of freshwater. - Identify challenges facing water management in varied climate types around the world. - Compare how humans interact with aquatic ecosystems.
The justice concept has been a topic of interest within various academic and policy realms concerned with the inequities experienced by racial groups, socio-economic class, and ethnicity. The environment justice movement is generally understood to have begun in the early 1980s with a series of events that demonstrated the inequitable distribution of health hazards and risk. While much work in environmental justice has usefully focused on the disproportionate exposure of poor and minority populations to environmental hazards, conceptualizations of justice have expanded in recent years to include systematic and comparative research within urban and rural populations, industrialized and developing contexts, access to and control over resources, as well as unwilling exposure to hazards, processes and institutions of environmental governance. These trends have resulted in greater attention to the social processes that create and perpetuate inequality on the basis of race, gender, income, or other social categories. In exploring the 'fast conceptual transfer' of the environmental justice concept to other settings, Walker and Bulkeley (2006: 655) suggest emerging interest in distribution between nation-states, an expansion of terms to include gender, age and future generations, and intersections with the vulnerability literatures to examine the threat of natural and produced risks. This course engages with the history and future of social and environmental justice. We begin by examining the emergence of the environmental justice movement in the United States and subsequent export of the justice concept to other topics, including sustainable development and climate change, and within other settings, including Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America. In exploring the diverse ways that justice is being applied at the present time, we will also question the future viability for justice as a conceptual and organizational tool. Course Objectives This course has four primary objectives: - Examine the history of the concept of environmental justice and the environmental justice movement in the United States; - Consider multiple definitions of environmental justice such as procedural and distributive justice; - Examine the application of the environmental justice concept to other topics, including sustainable development and climate change, and within other settings, including Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America; and - Consider future directions for environmental justice.
This course explores politics related to the use, transformation, valuation, and representation of the environment. GEOG 434GEOG 434 Politics of the Environment (3) Scholarship in geography and related disciplines has demonstrated that nature in general and specific environments in particular are unavoidably political. Environmental management can thus never be a purely scientific or technological challenge; it requires critical analysis of cultural, political, and economic contexts, factors, and effects. For instance, effective environmental management requires consideration of how culture shapes how we perceive and value our environments, who wins and who loses in any particular approach to environmental management, and what the relative advantages and disadvantages of competing institutional approaches to environmental management are.This course examines the development of environmental governance, with a primary focus on the United States. It explores both how various groups within society conceive of and value the environment, and multiple approaches to environmental governance and protection. It reviews the history of environmental movements and regulation, and contemporary issues and debates in environmental governance, with particular attention to the effects of institutional forms and social movements. In particular, it examines competing arguments for and against governance approaches centered on state action, market mechanisms, and prominent roles for NGOs and social movements.Students will be evaluated based on: 1) their participation in class discussions, based on critical engagement with material from course readings and lectures; 2) their performance on a midterm and a final examination; 3) an individual research project on a topic relevant to the course, to be designed and carried out under the supervision of the course instructor.
This course explores the motivations, key concepts, and contemporary challenges of US and international energy policy. The approach of the course is inherently geographical in that we engage the concepts of scale, place, landscape, and materiality to evaluate energy policy issues. The course addresses the following questions: 1) Why and how is energy governed? 2) How does energy policy differ across political scales and energy sectors? 3) Who are the key stakeholders influencing energy policy? 4) How are the costs and benefits of energy policy distributed? 5) How can a geographic perspective advance energy policy making? 6) How well do existing tools and policy frameworks address emerging challenges in energy policy and governance? The course is designed to explore these questions through interactive discussion, drawing on examples from various political levels and in various geographical contexts. A combination of independent writing and presentations will provide students with the expertise to be careful and critical observers of policy developments, and to prepare students for future roles as policy advisors in business and government settings. The course is divided into four parts: 1) overview of US and international energy policy; 2) key concepts and debates in analyzing energy; 3) case studies; and 4) emerging issues and challenges. After successful completion of this course, students will be able to: 1. Analyze the origins, motivations and distributional impacts of U.S. and international energy policies; 2. Apply key concepts from the energy social sciences to contemporary energy debates; 3. Critically assess how geographic perspectives can advance energy policy making
Human dimensions of climate change: human causes, human consequences, and policy implications of global warming. GEOG 438W - Human Dimensions of Global Warming (3)(BA) This course meets the Bachelor of Arts degree requirements. Geography 438W, the Human Dimensions of Global Warming, covers both the human causes and consequences of what many people view as the most significant problem facing society. Humans cause climate change primarily by emitting heat-trapping greenhouse gases through everyday activities associated with industrialized society (such as energy production and consumption, transportation, and manufacturing) and land transformation (such as agriculture and deforestation). People experience the consequences of climate change directly through reduced resources (such as food, fiber, forests, and fisheries) or increased natural hazards (such as droughts, floods, and intense storms). They also experience the consequences indirectly through such mechanisms as higher prices for food or larger insurance premiums. GEOG 438W does not address the physical science of climate change; instead, it concentrates on social science issues surrounding the topic. GEOG 438W has two goals: (1) to develop understanding of a set of issues related to the human dimensions of climate change; (2) to develop and apply communication skills by discussing and writing about the topic. The specific content of the course will change with the instructor, but the focus on the human causes and consequences of climate change and on skill-development in writing will be constant. Students will be evaluated on both the course goals: (1) understanding of the human dimensions of climate change; (2) application of communication skills. Although exact procedures for determining grades will vary with instructor, the basis for grades will always include a combination of written exams based on lectures and readings, regular written assignments with instructor feedback, and in-class discussion and participation.
GEOG 440Environment, Society, and Sustainability Capstone3
In this project-based capstone course, students will address real-world sustainability challenges through focused research. Building on coursework in the Environment, Society, and Sustainability major, students will work independently or in teams to design and implement research projects addressing sustainability issues aimed at making a tangible, positive, impact on the environment and society. The course begins with a careful introduction to research design that ensures students can identify a project or question where they can make a meaningful contribution. Drawing inspiration from the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), students will identify specific sustainability issues that resonate with their interests and passions. This segment will conclude with students presenting a polished research proposal. These proposals will undergo rigorous review and refinement to ensure feasibility, innovation, and alignment with sustainability principles. The bulk of the course will be dedicated to guided research with training on how to overcome common hurdles to original research, including data acquisition and cleaning, method choice, and visualization of results. Students will engage with stakeholders, conduct research, gather data, and utilize appropriate methodologies to design and execute their projects effectively. Throughout the course, students will receive guidance and support through focused lectures, class discussions, and one-on-one consultations with the instructor. At the conclusion of the course, students will present their sustainability projects to the class and, if appropriate, relevant stakeholders. The final project is meant to serve as a culminating document demonstrating the student's capacity to contribute meaningfully in a wide range of sustainability-focused settings.
The course is designed to analyze the ecological, economic, political and cultural factors that influence resource extraction and governance in Africa. The course will examine traditional, colonial and post-colonial resource management systems and philosophies, as well as the reengagement and empowerment of local communities in the management of resources. The benefits and trade-offs between conservation, resource extraction, development and justice will be explored. Many students are particularly interested in solutions for biodiversity conservation and climate change; this course will examine theories of behavior change related to environmental management and governance. Students will be introduced to current evidence on how, when and why people take action to address complex environmental issues, including climate change. Finally, the course will explore strategies for evidence-based environmental policy and equitable policy enforcement.
This course examines local and regional domains of disease prevention, health behavior and promotion, and health inequities in the context of urban and suburban neighborhoods. We will draw on urban geographic and social theory as well as urban planning, public health, and environmental justice literature to identify ways in which neighborhood and geographic features combine with policies, individual-level behaviors, and social interaction to produce health and disease. We will further apply concepts and issues addressed in course readings and lecture to selected urban areas, large and small, to gain understanding of the tools and methods most often used in evaluating urban spaces for community health and health equity.
GEOG 453Geospatial Applications in Water Resources & Aquatic Ecosystems3
This course is designed to expose students to different geospatial analysis applications in water resources. It will emphasize geospatial data acquisition of hydrologic features, spatial analysis, and data representation. Students will learn through projects, lectures and hands-on computer lab exercises to investigate and solve water resource issues. Practical applications will focus on watershed and drainage network delineation, assessment of aquatic ecosystems, and surface generation methods using spatial hydrology models. Students who successfully complete GEOG 453 will be able to manage, analyze, and represent geospatial data by using spatial analysis software and have a vision of hydrological applications used in land use planning and watershed management. Specific objectives include: 1. Review of data sources and structure in hydrology: georeferenced coordinate systems, datum and scale, map projections, and data acquisition and representation. 2. Use ditial terrain models to route surface runoff and derive watershed and stream networks. 3. Assess aquatic ecosystems and riparian buffers based on landscape analysis and other sources of hydrologic modeling parameters. 4. Model continuous surfaces from point to raster data structure using interpolation techniques. 5. Practice real-world resource problems in both urban and rural areas by integrating hydrologic calculations and automated geospatial procedures.
Most maps produced today are electronic, dynamic, and often ephemeral -- with millions of maps generated on the web each day. At the same time, computer graphics technologies developed to enable scientific visualization generally, are being adapted and extended for applications with geographic information (geovisualization). Geovisualization becomes increasingly vital in the era of big data as the ability to visualize and analyze vast and complex geospatial datasets is essential to uncover patterns, trends, and insights critical for various real-world applications. This course introduces students to the conceptual understanding, fundamentals, techniques, and applications of geovisualization, by engaging students with both "big" and "small" real-word geospatial datasets such as geotagged social media data, mobile phone location data, human mobility, and Census data. Topics include but not limited to: geovisualization fundamentals, geospatial big data, exploratory spatial data analysis, interactive web maps development, geo-visual analytics, the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and geovisualization, and map-enabled decision-support. Through a blend of lectures, hands-on exercises, and group projects, students will learn practical skills and theoretical knowledge applicable to real-world applications across various domains including disaster management (e.g., hurricane evacuation, flood mapping), public health (e.g., infectious disease transmission, environmental health impacts), and social media analytics.
Theory and practice of mapping and geo-representation in a dynamic media context. Applications in science, policy, travel, and education. GEOG 461W GEOG 461W Dynamic Cartographic Representation (3)(BA) This course meets the Bachelor of Arts degree requirements. Most maps produced today are electronic, dynamic, and often ephemeral -- with millions of maps generated on the web each day. At the same time, computer graphics technologies developed to enable scientific visualization generally, are being adapted and extended for applications with geographic information. The goal of this course is to provide students with both the conceptual understanding and practical experience needed to design effective dynamic representations and assess their effectiveness. During the term we will explore the potential and implications of recent advances in cartography, exploratory data analysis, and information visualization as they relate to the theory and practice of geographic visualization (geovisualization). A key focus of the course is on 'dynamic' representations of geographically referenced information. Dynamic representations are those that change as a result of user actions or data updates. Topics include: animated and interactive maps, exploratory multivariate spatial data analysis, geovisualization to support knowledge construction, interactive web maps, navigation aids for real and virtual worlds, map-enabled decision-support, collaborative geovisualization, dynamic maps to enable learning, semiotic principles for design of dynamic maps and related geovisualization tools, and perceptual/cognitive issues in dynamic geo-representation (including methods for studying the success of visual displays and interaction devices). As a writing intensive course, particular attention will be given to writing for geographic information science (GIScience). This writing will include laboratory project reports, reviews of published literature, and a term project.
GEOG 462Advanced Observation of Earth and Its Environment3
This course provides the requisite knowledge and skillset to understand and apply advanced remote sensing techniques to study Earth and its environment. Every day numerous satellites from different platforms acquire and transmit different types of observations of Earth and its environment. Such data are used for a variety of operational and research applications, such as weather forecasting, natural hazards, land use and land cover, surface temperature, climate change, urban planning, and many others. Massive amounts of data are received, processed, stored, and distributed by data centers worldwide, giving unprecedented access to global high-resolution information. Such information can give new insights to study the complementary nature of different variables of Earth's environment. This course covers several major topics including optical remote sensing, microwave remote sensing, altimetry, and gravimetry, illustrated with various applications on land, ocean, atmosphere, cryosphere, and urban systems.
Geospatial information management provides a fundamental support for various kinds of functions and web applications associated with Geographic Information Systems/Science (GIS). This course introduces the basic knowledge and techniques to design information management systems (usually in a database format) in non-spatial environments and further explores the spatial components while designing and implementing a spatial database to solve GIS problems. The course will cover the basic concepts, techniques and methodologies for designing and implementing a spatial database. The main content of this course will include: 1) fundamental database concepts, benefits of using databases, functions of database management systems; 2) data modeling and database design: Entity-Relationship diagrams, relational model, object-oriented database design, object-relational database, geo-relational model; 3) Structured Query Language (SQL) for database creation, query and manipulation; 4) spatial database design and implementation, and spatial query; 5) use of modern spatial databases products; 6) understanding of databases for big spatial data management; 7) other topics related to spatial database optimization, e.g., spatial indexing and cloud-based data management.
The overall goals of the course are to (1) review basic statistical techniques covered in GEOG 364, (2) introduce students to sampling, hypothesis testing, and regression methods, and (3) provide sufficient conceptual understanding and practical experience so that students become competent in selecting and applying methods appropriate to a variety of analytical situations involving the use of spatial data. The course will introduce students to spatial regression and other forms of local analysis and teach programming skills for executing these techniques. The course covers techniques, such as local indicators of spatial association (LISA), spatial sampling, and multivariate spatial regression that allow students to identify patterns, empirical, and conceptual relationships that account for spatial variation. Students will use the skills learned in this course to complete a final project that applies spatial analytical techniques to a data set and topic of their choice.
GEOG 465Advanced Geographic Information Systems Modeling3
Before taking GEOG 465, students will have learned the fundamentals and principles of GIS. This course extends such knowledge to modeling geospatial scenarios. A GIS model simulates real-world phenomena, including environmental, physical and natural features, as well as social features such as demographic, transportation and origin-destination data. We will model raster and vector data types with an emphasis on multi-criteria GIS operations, using ArcGIS, R and potential other software packages. Upon completion of the course, successful students will have achieved the following objectives and learning outcomes: Students will be able to: a) discuss basic GIS modeling principles; b) find, use, store, retrieve and evaluate GIS datasets; c) describe capabilities and limitations of GIS methods and models; e) implement capabilities, tools and packages in ArcMap GIS and R environments; f) use R for programming tasks such as looping and branching; g) evaluate an external software program and create a model using this software; h) exhibit ability to design and carry out spatial analyses using GIS; i) communicate the results of geographic analyses to others, both in oral and in written form; j) analyze spatial data sets in terms of predictability and uncertainty; and k) calibrate models based on real-world datasets.
Project-based map production problems with emphasis on map design and advanced mapping tools in geographic information systems. GEOG 467 Applied Cartographic Design (3)(BA) This course meets the Bachelor of Arts degree requirements. The course objective is to immerse the student in applied problems of map production and geographic representation. Topics include advanced software methods for labeling and data editing; advanced symbolization and production of extended map series; conversion between software environments; and representation for multiple media, scales and purposes. The challenge of working with clients for mapping is often included in a project. Evaluation is based primarily on meeting draft deadlines, map project quality, written reports on project decisions, and an exam. The 300-level cartography course is a prerequisite for GEOG 467, and an introductory GIS course also provides useful background skills, though it is not a prerequisite.
Roles of geographic information systems in energy siting decisions focusing on electric energy transmission networks. GEOG 469 Energy Industry Applications of GI S (3) Over 2 million miles of oil and gas pipeline and nearly 200,000 miles of electric transmission grid currently traverse the U.S. Geographic information systems (GI S) are used to help maintain these far-flung and extremely expensive energy infrastructures. GI S is also used to help determine optimal routes for pipelines and transmission lines as energy demand and production increase, and as the grid is extended to connect to new energy sources and consumers. GEOG 469 provides students with an in-depth exploration of the complexities of siting decisions. The course introduces a variety of siting challenges that confront the energy industry and its customers and neighbors, but focuses on the siting of electrical transmission lines. The course also provides hands-on experience with a common decision support technology, and considers how the technology may be used to facilitate public participation in siting decisions. Students will undertake a term-length project in which they must propose, research, develop and implement a siting recommendation for an electrical transmission line. They will utilize activities from each lesson to develop primary and alternative routes. Using GI S, students will develop overlays, weights and rankings to determine the most suitable location for a proposed transmission line. Students' final product will be maps showing proposed routes based on the siting criteria and rankings developed to minimize the impacts associated with the various siting criteria used. To help students develop the critical thinking skills needed in the energy industry, students will learn to critique their peers' analyses systematically from the perspective of local stakeholders who are most affected by siting decisions. GEOG 469 is designed to help students achieve two of the programmatic educational objectives established for the Energy and Sustainability Policy degree. It fosters energy industry knowledge by illuminating the difficulties intrinsic to facilities siting decisions. And it nurtures analytical skills by familiarizing students with GI S methodology, and by teaching them how to critique GI S analyses systematically.
GEOG 479Spatial Data Science for Cyber and Human Social Networks3
This course examines the nexus of geospatial intelligence analysis with cyberspace, the geopolitics of cyber threats, the politics of censorship and hacking, public safety, disaster response, and humanitarian relief. Students will utilize a range of cyber data, systems, and spatial sciences to examine human social networks of the Internet. The course will be centered on geospatial intelligence with emphases on technology, information theory, and cyber and human networks.
Despite its widespread use in thousands of organizations worldwide, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) remains for many an obscure set of technologies and professional practices. Even practicing GIS professionals may have limited awareness of the breadth of the field and its impacts in government, industry, and non-governmental and non-profit organizations. The course uses case studies of meaningful applications of GIS to reveal key topics across the spectrum of industry sectors defined by the U.S. Department of Labor in its Geospatial Technology Competency Model (GTCM): Positioning and Data Acquisition, Analysis and Modeling, and Software and Application Development. Topics to be mastered include concepts like positioning frameworks, uncertainty, and geo-enablement, methods and techniques including the GPS positioning, spatial modeling, and geo app development, and relevant ethical, legal, and policy issues such as locational privacy. In addition to topical objectives, the course cultivates competencies associated with lifelong learning, a cornerstone of the GTCM. Students achieve educational objectives by searching, discovering, and evaluating information from a variety of sources, including, but not limited to, the Internet. Those with substantial professional experience are encouraged to share their perspectives. Students develop mastery through class discussions in which they collaboratively prepare to demonstrate individual mastery in tests. They also learn to craft case studies of their own by creating and presenting story-telling web apps using cloud-based GIS technology. They gain self-knowledge by assessing their individual competencies in relation to the GTCM. The awareness, knowledge and technical skills they gain prepare them for success in programs such as Penn State's Postbaccalaureate Certificate Program in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Master of GIS graduate degree program, and for professional growth.
The course focuses on solving geographic problems by modifying and automating generic Geographic Information System (GIS) software through programming. In GEOG 485, students use the Python programming language to write and modify scripts that add functionality to desktop GIS tools and to automate geospatial analysis processes. No previous programming experience is assumed. Core topics covered in this class include object-oriented programming, loops, if-then constructs, and modular code design, all situated in a geospatial context through their integration with maps, layers, spatial data tables, and spatial analysis methods. Students who successfully complete the course can automate repetitive GIS tasks and share their geospatial software development work with others.
Theory and practice of cartographic design emphasizing effective visual thinking and visual communication with geographic information systems. GEOG 486
GEOG 487Environmental Challenges in Spatial Data Science3
This course takes a problem-based approach to investigating, evaluating, and communicating the results of spatial analysis applied to a wide variety of environmental challenges. Students will develop competencies related to securing spatial data from reliable sources, designing, developing, executing spatial analysis workflows, and presenting results with contemporary mapping systems. Students gain experience with a variety of spatial data science concepts and technologies that they are likely to encounter as environmental management professionals.
In GEOG 489, you will learn advanced applications of Python for developing and customizing GIS software, designing user interfaces, and solving complex geoprocessing tasks using both proprietary and open source platforms. Students will also learn the use of version control software for code management and techniques for distributing geospatial Python applications to end users. The course consists of readings, applied projects, quizzes, and discussions about advanced GIS and spatial data science programming concepts and techniques, and it culminates with a term project. GEOG 489 is intended for students who already possess basic geospatial programming knowledge and skills via professional experience or completing GEOG 485. The technology covered in the course includes: Esri ArcGIS Pro/arcpy, Jupyter Notebook, Esri ArcGIS API for Python, QGIS, and GDAL/OGR.
Classroom instruction with supervised student activity on a group community service project. GEOG 493GEOG 493 Service Learning (3-12) GEOG 493, Service Learning, provides students with activities that integrate community service with academic study. The aim of service learning is to enrich traditional classroom-based education by getting students into a community, thereby engendering civic responsibility and simultaneously strengthening communities. GEOG 493 has five objectives: (1) to develop understanding of a set of issues; (2) to learn and apply skills associated with those issues; (3) to learn to interpret science issues for dissemination to the public; (4) to develop and apply communication skills by speaking, writing, and/or desktop publishing; and (5) to reflect on personal and career interests in science, the environment, public policy, or related areas. Thus, students will read, write, and talk about a set of issues of importance to a community and engage in a project in that community.The specific service-learning projects will change each semester, although some projects will be ongoing. In addition, more than one GEOG 493 project will be available to students in most semesters and will have alphabetical designations (e.g., 493A or 493B). Students can take GEOG in more than one semester, to a maximum of 12 credits.Depending on the topic of the service-learning project, GEOG 493 can complement courses in most colleges and their majors. The course is available to all Geography majors as elective credits; it is also available to all Geography Minors for credit toward the minor. It counts for credit as an Advanced Physical/Environmental Geography course in the Physical/Environmental Geography Option, and counts for credit as an Advanced Geography course in the General Geography Option.Students will be evaluated on four of the five course objectives: (1) understanding of the issues, (2) learning and application of skills, (3) interpretation of issues for public dissemination, and (4) application of communication skills. Although exact procedures for determining grades will vary with the instructor and service-learning project, the basis for grades will include a combination of written work, oral presentations, in-class participation, and outside-class participation.
Supervised off-campus, non-group instruction including individual field experience, practicums, or internships. Written and oral critique of activity required.
GEOG 495B Geography Teaching Internship (1-10)(BA) This course meets the Bachelor of Arts degree requirements. The Teaching Internship provides undergraduate students with formal, supervised teaching experience. Instructors recruit students who excel in a particular course to serve as teaching interns (TIs) in subsequent offerings of the same course. TIs may assist their peers as tutors or as laboratory assistants. They may be assigned to assist faculty members by developing and evaluating new course activities and materials. Although TIs may not evaluate their peers' class work, they can play important roles in the formative course assessment by providing feedback in regular meetings with instructors. In the process of developing the knowledge, skills and dispositions needed to be effective in helping fellow students learn, TIs gain experience that prepares them for leadership roles in their professional careers. TIs also gain respect for the effort and imagination involved in designing and conducting college classes.
GEOG 495C Internship Supervision and Mentoring (1)(BA) This course meets the Bachelor of Arts degree requirements. GEOG 495C enables MGIS students who participate at a distance through the University's World Campus to earn credit through contributions to the Department's resident programs. Qualified MGIS students will be encouraged to earn one credit (up to a maximum of three) for every semester that they supervise a resident Penn State Geography student in GIS-related internship conducted in the MGIS student's place of work. Qualifications will be judged by MGIS students' academic advisors. Advisors will help MGIS students recruit qualified internship candidates. Advisors will also evaluate the quality of supervision on the basis of the documentation provided by both the MGIS student and the student intern he or she supervised. MGIS students unable to provide internships may still contribute by serving as mentors to students enrolled in the resident course EM SC 300: Professional e-Portfolio Development, through the University's LionLink program.
GEOG 495GGEOG 495G Giscience Internship (1-10)(BA) This course meets the Bachelor of Arts degree requirements. Prospective interns apply directly to faculty members in charge of the Department of Geography's Geo VISTA Center or Gould Center for Geography Education and Outreach, or to persons in charge of appropriate public or private agency external to the University. Students accepted into the internship program are assigned to research or application projects that involve the development, evaluation and/or use of geographic information technologies under the supervision of an experienced faculty member or professional. Per Faculty Senate rules, interns are expected to devote 40 hours of effort for each credit earned.
Learning the craft of scholarly research in geography. GEOG 502 Research Scholarship in Geography (3)Graduate students are expected to make a significant research contribution as part of the requirements for a MS or Doctoral degree in Geography. The Research Scholarship in Geography course provides students with a basic understanding of the craft of scholarly geographic research. It does so by setting research into a tradition of commonalties that shape expectations (e.g., disciplinary and federal IRB ethics standards; ideas of academic freedom and responsibility) and by focusing on the mechanics of key steps in the research process (identifying problems, developing questions and proposals, designing programs of research, executing a systematic program of research, responding to criticism and to opportunities, preparing and delivering oral presentations, and writing and publishing research reports). The course emphasizes important skills in developing research proposals, seeking research funding, writing manuscripts, giving presentations, and publishing research results.
The objective of this course is to examine feminist approaches to traditional research methodologies. The objective of this course is to examine feminist critiques of traditional research. The course will examine the animated and contentious debates among feminist scholars about what constitutes a feminist method. Although there is no single feminist method, this diverse academic community is searching for techniques consistent with their convictions as feminists. For this reason, the course will distinguish between methods, as tools for research, and methodology, as theory about the research process. The course reviews methods such as ethnography, interviewing, oral history, discourse analysis, visual analysis, and mixed method approaches. Cross Listings : GEOG 508 will be added as a cross-listed course.
Analysis of current literature in physical geography focusing on theoretical and methodological debates. GEOG 510 Seminar in Physical Geography (3 per semester/maximum of 18) This seminar explores current issues in physical geography. The focus for each offering of this advanced seminar is on a specific theme of current importance. Recent developments and ongoing research issues within that topic are explored in-depth. Topic examples include, but are not limited to: synoptic climatology and climate dynamics, the cryosphere, remote sensing, ecological biogeography and ecosystem dynamics, landscape and restoration ecology, wetlands ecology and management, and coastal and inland hazards.
Recommended Preparations: One course in ecological or hydrological sciences. This course explores the diversity, complexity, ecological functions, conservation, and cultural values of freshwater and coastal wetlands through interdisciplinary discussions, readings, projects, and field trips. Learning Outcomes: Students successfully completing this course will gain an understanding about the ecology, management, and conservation of freshwater and coastal wetlands. They will be able to classify different wetland types using multiple methods, understand the breadth of wetland functions, and become familiar with laws, regulations, and approaches to conserve wetlands.
This course constitutes a culminating experience in the MS in Spatial Data Science (SDS). The course includes a semester project that demonstrates an SDS student's ability to apply advanced knowledge and skills related to applying spatial data science principles in a way that makes a substantial contribution to research in Spatial Data Science. Students in this class work individually to design, implement, and report on a project based on the application of spatial data science knowledge and skillsets gained through the SDS curriculum. Students will also collaborate with each other to iteratively develop and refine project topics, methods, and solutions. Students are oriented at the beginning of the course with modules reviewing research methods, public presentation strategies, and scholarly communication skills. Students commence their research immediately at the beginning of the semester and meet weekly milestones through the balance of the semester, engaging in peer review to refine their work in addition to receiving guidance from their instructor.
GEOG 571Intelligence Analysis, Cultural Geography, and Homeland Security3
The main objective of this course is to enable students to develop the research and methodological skills required to effectively analyze current geospatial realities using the prism of cultural geography, and to create a rational predictive synthesis (intelligence summary) about potential human threats to civil security. The world around us comprises a variety of cultural and subcultural groups whose actions, ideologies, and existences may have implications for civil, national, and human security - either as communities that are underserved or marginalized, as groups that are targets of state or substate violence, or as groups that threaten the security of the state or international relations. While traditional, anthropology-oriented approaches to intelligence acknowledge these groups, they typically ignore the critical significance of geography to cultures and subcultures. This course is designed to engage students in theories and methods of cultural geography and to explore its relationship to security. Students will explore cultural geography as both a discipline and a methodological approach and situate research in cultural geography through case studies in homeland security and geospatial intelligence.
Traces of geographic information reflected in digital data continuously increase in volume, variety, velocity, and variability. New geographic data sources, together with advancements in high-performance computing, present opportunities to dissect complex real-world problems in unprecedented ways. Human cognitive capability, however, remains constant, thus limiting our ability to extract value and insight from this data deluge. Geovisual analytics is the emerging science of analytical reasoning supported by interactive geovisualization, computational methods, and user-centered design. Geovisual analytics constitutes an essential subdomain in the broader field of Spatial Data Science. This seminar investigates the role of geovisual analytics in facilitating the human sensemaking process through (a) a survey and synthesis of research challenges surrounding the design, use, and evaluation of geovisual analytics systems and (b) exercises to design geovisual analytics approaches to tackle complex problem contexts such as those found in crisis management, epidemiology, and transportation domains.
GEOG 581 is for students who are concerned about the ethical implications and social impacts of geospatial technologies and methods. It traces the roots of Spatial Data Science Ethics in moral philosophy, professional ethics frameworks, and critical studies in the geospatial field. Students analyze non-trivial ethical case studies in which right and wrong actions are not clear-cut. They compare and critique relevant legal and policy issues in the U.S. and abroad. In addition, they evaluate the organizational ethics of firms and agencies (including current or potential employers) that provide spatial data science products and services.
This course focuses on the scientific and technical challenges that lie at the intersection of spatial data science and artificial intelligence (AI). Geospatial data and geographic visualizations are not readily supported by contemporary AI approaches, but development in this area of GeoAI is rapidly advancing. Spatial reasoning, spatial analysis, and cartographic design are all potentially aided via the use of AI in the near future. Students will engage with key theories, methods, and systems to develop new workflows that enable geospatial problem solving with the support of AI. Students will engage with emerging literature to contextualize and critique ongoing scientific progress towards achieving GeoAI goals, including engagement with ethical considerations related to geospatial extensions of AI. They will also develop customized solutions for AI-supported spatial data science tasks through lab exercises. These labs will allow students the opportunity to create and evaluate AI-supported spatial data science workflows with an emphasis on reproducibility and ethical responsibility. A culminating project in the class will allow students to create a new AI-supported spatial data science solution for a real-world application.
Design, development, and implementation of web mapping applications using OGC standards and open source software. GEOG 585 Open Web Mapping (3)The geospatial industry has developed a culture of open standards and specifications by which both data and mapping tools can be made interoperable. Web Mapping requires the detailed application of a thorough theoretical understanding of these standards, as well as a working knowledge of how these standards are realized through recent information technology advances in web services and middleware. The course gives students the theoretical base from which they can go on to design, develop, and implement custom web mapping applications using open standards and open source software. On completion of the course, students will be able to build and deploy a complete web mapping solution including selecting the spatial data, the server and client software. Students will be able to determine which type of mapping server is required for their needs and to explain why choosing an open standard based solution is better than a proprietary solution. The course will cover a variety of open source software packages for web mapping and will provide pointers to commercial solutions where appropriate. Open Web Mapping is designed specifically for adult professionals. The course will be broken down into ten lessons. Each lesson will take one week to complete and requires a minimum of 8-12 hours of student activity each week, totaling approximately 120 hours of activity. Topics to be covered in each lesson include: Lesson 1 Open Web Mapping Framework International Methods Lesson 2 Web Map Servers (WMS) basics Understanding the structure of a WMS request Understanding the structure of a WMS response Lesson 3 Web Feature Server (WFS) basics Understanding the structure of a WFS request Understanding the structure of a WFS response Lesson 4 Introduction to XML XML and web mapping XML schemas Lesson 5 Styling maps with WMS and Styled Layer Description (SLD) Cascading Web Map Servers Lesson 6 Geographic Markup Language (GML) Application Schemas and Profiles Lesson 7 Advanced WFS Gazettteers Other specialist applications of WFS Lesson 8 Building a web mapping applications Deploying a WMS Deploying a WFS Lesson 9 Building a thin web mapping client Client/Server techniques Web mapping libraries and customizing them Lesson 10 The future of web mapping
Choosing and applying analytical methods for geospatial data, including point pattern analysis, interpolation, surface analysis, overlay analysis, and spatial autocorrelation. GEOG 586
GEOG 588Analytical Approaches in Spatial Data Science3
This course focuses on theoretical discussions in spatial data science as well as the application of a range of spatial data science methods and tools to solve real-world problems and model geographic phenomena. Students will read, discuss, and synthesize research articles and develop coding solutions for spatial data science tasks through a series of lab exercises. Discussions will provide a platform for students to address emerging research challenges and coding problems in a collaborative framework. Exercises in this course provide students an opportunity design, implement, and troubleshoot analytical workflows while creating reproducible code for future adaptation. Students will develop concepts presented in readings to compare spatial data science methods and to create a new approach for a semester project.
Highlights emerging theoretical and methodological trends in high-performance remote sensing for geospatial analysis through discussion and laboratory experiences.
This course brings together the concepts from the geospatial intelligence program and reinforces the standards of professionalism applicable to geospatial intelligence analysis. The aim is to enhance the student's understanding of the role of geospatial intelligence, develop individual competencies, reinforce professional concepts, and improve geospatial analytical techniques and methods. Students explore and critically analyze a current topic of interest and apply geospatial technical tools, concepts, and theories learned in previous coursework. Students prepare and deliver a formal presentation of the results of their geospatial intelligence capstone research project.
A supervised off-campus, non-group instruction with a geospatial education focus. The instruction may include individual field experience, employment, or internship (paid or unpaid).
Formal courses given on a topical or special interest subject which may be offered infrequently; several different topics may be taught in one year or term.
In business, the application of maps and mapping technology ranges from a long-standing presence (commercial real estate, retail, and logistics) to nascent analytical applications across different industries. The momentum for commercial applications that encompass GIS, geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) technologies, and geospatial intelligence analysis is growing. In businesses, geospatial attributes are being combined with enterprise-wide databases. GIS and GEOINT tools and methodologies can now be folded into the more mainstream information technology (IT) applications of business intelligence (BI) to formulate location intelligence (LI) applications, products, and services. This course explores and applies the key geospatial intelligence principles involved in site selection, market analysis, risk and crisis management, and logistics, providing opportunities for students to solve those problems with contemporary geospatial tools and datasets. This course provides a foundation for spatial thinking and analysis in commercial settings, and experience with contemporary mapping and analysis tools for professional applications of location intelligence.
GEOG 855Spatial Data Analytics for Transportation3
This course explores the spatial data science and technology associated with the transportation industry. This interdisciplinary field is often referred to as GIS-T. There is a natural synergy between GIS and transportation, which has resulted in a number of specialized techniques and a wide variety of GIS-T applications. To appreciate the value GIS brings to the transportation industry, students need to have some understanding of the business of transportation and the challenges and problems those in the industry face. Consequently, they will learn about a number of subdisciplines within transportation and examine how GIS has been applied to each. Students will also explore some of the key organizations in the transportation industry who use GIS and learn firsthand from transportation professionals, representing a variety of specialized fields, about the role GIS plays for them. Throughout the course, students will study GIS concepts and techniques which are fundamental to transportation, such as transportation networks and linear referencing systems. In addition, they will have the opportunity to explore a number of GIS applications and tools related to transportation. Due to the overall breadth of the transportation industry, the course will focus primarily on the largest application areas: highway and mass transit. We will, however, examine other significant modes, including aviation, maritime, pedestrian, and bike transit. Furthermore, while much of the course content is oriented around the U.S. transportation industry, students will also look at GIS-T applications and trends in other parts of the world.
GEOG 858Spatial Data Science for Emergency Management3
Geospatial perspectives and technologies have a major role to play in planning for and responding to emergencies. As is true with other analytical paradigms, geospatial systems and technologies - from aerial mapping techniques to data acquisition - are changing rapidly. Emergency management is also changing quickly as the frequency and magnitude of crises and disasters are increasing, and more and more people and places are being impacted. GEOG 858 helps students develop proficiency in the theoretical, analytical, and technical perspectives required to support all stages of emergency (crisis or disaster) management activities with geospatial solutions, ranging from small-scale emergency management efforts to large-scale disasters and humanitarian crises. Topics covered in GEOG 858 will include advancements in geospatial data collection, geospatial data processing and analysis capabilities, unmanned aerial systems (UAS), geospatial artificial intelligence (geoAI), volunteered geographic information (VGI), geospatially-oriented social media, and others.
GEOG 861The Earth is Round and Maps are Flat: Working with Spatial Reference Systems in GIS3
The course explores three important topics related to georeferenced data: Datums, map projections, and grid systems. Accurate coordinates are the key to successful manipulation in a geographic information system (GIS). The course begins with a detailed look at datums and the role they play in mathematically describing the Earth's shape and size, defining exact Earth coordinates, and establishing the height of a point above mean sea level. Map projections are examined next. These formula-based entities are implemented as algorithms in GIS, remote sensing, and other kinds of mapping and spatial analysis software that systematically take Earth's coordinates and convert them to a planar environment. Grid systems conclude this course with a discussion of their utility when carrying out accurate measurement activities on maps. Collectively, this course provides the theoretical underpinnings and applied knowledge necessary to understand and effectively work with the wide range of available datums, map projections, and coordinate systems that are available today.
GEOG 862GPS and GNSS for Geospatial Professionals3
Cultivates a working knowledge of current and future capabilities of GPS and the emerging Global Navigation Satellite System. GEOG 862 GPS Modernization for Geospatial Professionals (1) Topic: The Global Positioning System (GPS) includes a constellation of earth-orbiting satellites that broadcast their locations in space and time, a network of ground control stations, and military and civilian receivers that calculate ground positions by trilaterating satellite positions. Geospatial professionals need to posses a working knowledge of current and future GPS capabilities because GPS positioning is so prevalent in geographic information systems (GIS) applications in government, industry, and academia. GPS has always been a dual use system, military and civilian. From the beginning, GPS signals have been available with no direct user fees. GPS is used now in all of transportation-aviation, maritime, railroad, highway and mass transit. Satellite positions also plays critical roles in telecommunications, land surveying, law enforcement, emergency response, precision agriculture, mining, finance, and scientific research. It controls computer networks, air traffic, power grids, and so on. As the scope of GPS has expanded, the system continues to evolve. Course Objectives: GEOG 862 provides students with an opportunity to develop an in-depth understanding of the Global Positioning System that exceeds the basic awareness that is cultivated in prerequisite courses. For example, while it is useful to know that a minimum of 24 GPS satellites ensure 24-hour worldwide GPS coverage, it is equally important to understand why there are more than the minimum on orbit. Students in GEOG 862 learn that redundancy is necessary in a system upon which much of the U.S. economy now depends. Society's reliance on satellite positioning mandates GPS modernization. Student Activities: The course consists of four weekly lessons. Each lesson will require a minimum of 8-12 hours of activity. Lessons will include weekly lectures (via synchronous Web conference and/or streaming video), threaded discussion, readings, two quizzes and two writing assignments about concepts and tools in GPS Modernization. These assignments are designed to help students progress towards successfully completing the objectives for this course. * Class Participation: Individual participation via online discussion. Students will be encouraged to post and respond to questions and comments in online discussions forums. *Quizzes: There will be a mid-course quiz at the end of Week 2 and a final quiz at the end of Week 4 to test the students' comprehension of class materials and other reading as required. *Papers: There are two writing assignments in this course. The first falls after Week 1 and asks students to prepare a 1200 word paper on one topic covered in "Basic GPS," The first lesson. The second falls after Week 3 and asks the students to prepare a 1200 word paper on one topic covered in either Week 2 or Week 3.
GEOG 863Web Application Development for the Geospatial Professional3
The Internet has greatly extended the reach of GIS beyond the desktop. Geospatial technology vendors and the open-source community have devised web service protocols and web mapping application programming interfaces (APIs) so that third-party developers can create their own applications for use on web-enabled devices. These applications serve a wide array of purposes, including place and way finding, data dissemination, and data collection. For example, tabular crime data published on a city's website can be combined with base data layers such as municipal boundaries and roads to produce a map that is valuable for both the city's police department and its citizens. This course focuses on how geospatial professionals can create such applications using industry-relevant geospatial APIs. Students will build applications using current and emerging web technologies. Topics covered will include the implementation of 2D maps and 3D scenes, understanding API documentation, layer discovery and visualization, user interface development, data querying, and geoprocessing.
GEOG 864Professionalism and Ethics in Geographic Information Science and Technology3
Professional practice and ethics in the Geographic Information Science and Technology (GIS&T, a.k.a. geospatial) field requires being both competent in one's work and reflective about its legal and ethical implications. Certified GIS&T professionals are required to affirm their commitment to legal and ethical practice. Fulfilling such commitments requires the ability to recognize and analyze legal and ethical problems and to act with integrity. In this course students investigate the nature of professions generally and the characteristics of the professions that occupy the GIS&T field in particular. Students gain awareness of pertinent legal and ethical issues and hone their moral reasoning skills through methodical analyses of case studies in relation to the GIS Code of Ethics and Rules of Conduct. Assignments include readings, case study analyses, interactive discussions, practitioner interviews and preparation of original case studies.
Theory and practical applications of using cloud computing and server resources to solve geospatial problems. GEOG 865 Cloud and Server GIS (3) This course teaches students to use cloud and server GIS resources to solve problems for which geospatial data is an integral element. Students will evaluate and implement systems using three cloud service models; infrastructure services, platform services, and software services. The course involves both lab exercises and critical reading and writing for infrastructure, platform, and software service models. This course presents common methodologies for setting up cloud services for creating maps, to customize cloud services for managing spatial data, and to invoke cloud services for processing spatial data. This course challenges students to apply critical thinking and technical skills to evaluate and develop successful cloud GIS projects. Written assignments focus on helping students improve their ability to explain and execute cloud GIS projects. A semester-long project involves creating a working cloud GIS project, including public presentation of results.
GEOG 868Spatial Database Management for the Geospatial Professional3
This course helps students learn how to create, maintain, and retrieve data from a spatially-enabled database. Access to accurate data is the cornerstone on which all successful professional geospatial organizations are built. The data stewards who maintain an organization's information systems therefore have a crucial role to play. The course begins by introducing relational database theories and structures that are common in both geographic and non-geographic contexts (e.g., Structured Query Language and database design). It then focuses on the special considerations involved in the management of a spatial database by demonstrating two commonly utilized professional approaches
GEOG 870Capstone in Geographic Information Systems3
This capstone course develops Master in Geographic Information Systems students' research and technical competencies to meet degree requirements and to serve their future career goals. Students completing this course will synthesize the learning they have completed in their M.G.I.S. coursework and develop an applied spatial analysis project that utilizes contemporary methods, technologies, and data sources to solve a problem in their field. The course makes use of discussions, presentations, directed independent research, collaborative critiques, and an individual scholarly paper.
In this course, students take a critical look at geospatial project management. Project management is a broad discipline that encompasses both technical methods such as system design and analysis, and interpersonal factors that affect professional relationships. Project management is also a discipline that has matured outside of, but can be incorporated into, geospatial technology.
GEOG 882Geographic Foundations of Geospatial Intelligence3
Orientation to the geographic foundations of geospatial intelligence and its applications in national security, international relief work, and disaster management. GEOG 882 Geographic Foundations of Geospatial Intelligence (3)Topic: Geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) leverages geographic information science and technology (including cartography, geographic information systems, remote sensing, and global positioning systems) with intelligence tradecraft to develop intelligence products that support national security, disaster response, and international relief efforts. Course Objectives: GEOG 882 is designed to challenge current and aspiring GEOINT professionals to be more than technicians. Students who successfully complete GEOG 882 will appreciate that while geospatial technologies are useful in revealing what, who, and where, and to some extent how events are taking place, they are less useful in explaining why events occur, or what response is most appropriate. Students will learn that the political, cultural, historical, and economic perspectives of human geography are needed to put GEOINT analyses in context. The course will also challenge students to approach analyses critically, to consider alternative viewpoints and explanations, and to question their own assumptions. Student Activities: The course consists of 12 lessons that will span either the 15-week semester or the combined 12-week summer sessions. Each lesson will require approximately 10 hours of student activity. Student activity will include viewing and responding to recorded instructor lectures (delivered by digital video and audio), readings from textbooks or selected library resources, five quizzes on readings, four asynchronous online discussion forums, three reflection papers, and a collaborative role-playing simulation that provides a capstone experience.
GEOG 883Remote Sensing Image Analysis and Applications3
GEOG 883 focuses on the use of medium and high resolution remotely-sensed imagery and elevation data in geospatial applications. This course assumes that students have prior knowledge in the basics of remote sensing, mapping, and GIS, and that they have prior experience with commonly used geospatial software. In GEOG 883, students will develop mastery of the tools and techniques used to display, process, and analyze remotely sensed data. Upon completion of GEOG 883 students will be able to develop analytical workflows to derive products and extract information from remotely sensed data for a broad range of applications using both pixel-based and object-based approaches. GEOG 883 Remote Sensing for the Geospatial Intelligence Professional (3)Topic: Geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) leverages geographic information science and technology (including cartography, geographic information systems, remote sensing, and global positioning systems) with intelligence tradecraft to develop intelligence products that support national security, disaster response, and international relief efforts. Course Objectives: GEOG 883 cultivates students' knowledge of the capabilities and limitations of digital remote sensing instruments, processing systems, and derived data products. It helps students master basic skills needed to leverage these data sources and information products in the context of geospatial intelligence tradecraft. Student Activities: The course consists of eight lessons and one capstone group project that will span either the 15-week semester or the combined 12-week summer sessions. Each lesson will require approximately 10 hours of student activity. Student activities will include reading lesson text, online quizzes, and discussions about the ways in which remote sensing sciences is applied to geospatial intelligence analysis.
GEOG 884Spatial Data Science and Intelligence Analysis3
This course engages students with the theory and practice of integrating spatial data science with geospatial intelligence tradecraft in a professional context. The world around us has a variety of competitors whose actions impact civil, national, and international security. Spatial data science can help us to understand and predict a competitor's behavior when integrated with geospatial intelligence tradecraft. Students will apply and critique analytical methods and intelligence techniques through case study exercises. Course lessons engage the technical methods found in spatial data science and geospatial intelligence techniques used to create a rational synthesis, known as an intelligence summary, about a given geospatial intelligence situation.
GEOG 885Analytical Methods and GeoAI in Geospatial Intelligence3
GEOG 885 explores the challenges and opportunities created by combining human expertise with structured and automated analytical methods in the field of geospatial intelligence (GEOINT). The course focuses on the science and technology of human-machine collaboration using geospatial artificial intelligence (GeoAI) in GEOINT and the professional and ethical concerns that must be considered in this rapidly evolving field. Students will be able to explain and apply structured analytic techniques (SATs), automation methods, and GeoAI tools to solve problems. Students will create analysis workflows that ensure the efficiency, credibility, and accuracy of analytical insights. SATs will be evaluated by students to gauge their ability to improve the quality and rigor of analysis. Students will also learn how to apply emerging GeoAI tools to summarize data and perform analytical tasks that have typically required human intelligence. This work is situated in decision-making across a broad range of industries, from defense and intelligence to environmental monitoring and urban planning. The amount of geospatial data available today is overwhelming, but by leveraging the strengths of both computers and people, analysts can gain insights from high-dimensional spatial data and effectively solve geographic problems.
