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GEOGR Course Descriptions
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University of Utah

General Catalog 2003-2004
Posted October 30, 2003

Disclaimer: The course information below is current as of October 30, 2003, is intended for informational purposes only, and does not constitute a legal contract between the University of Utah and any person or entity.

This Web document is updated twice a year, on or about the first day of registration for Fall and Spring semesters.


1000  Global Change and Mountain West Environments (3) Fulfills Physical/Life Science Exploration.
   Changing climates, mountains, deserts, glaciers, lakes, rivers, oceans, and living things interact globally and locally, long-term and short-term with human populations. Course explores recent theories, research methods, and data sources used to study geographical and historical patterns, future trends, and human impacts. Case studies probe past and ongoing environmental change in Wastach-Great Salt Lake region and western North America. Hands-on laboratory component introduces state-of-the-art environmental mapping (GIS, GPS, remote sensing).

1100  Measuring Global Change from Space (3) Fulfills Physical/Life Science Exploration.
   A diverse fleet of Earth orbiting satellites, many launched in the last decade, is providing us with a first ever look at motion and change of the external Earth system, and our species' influence on this system. In this planetarium style course, satellite images and time-lapse movies are used to demonstrate global human impacts in the context of global rhythms in the atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere and solid Earth.

1200  Earth System Science and Global Change (3) Fulfills Physical/Life Science Exploration.
   Explores many of the theories, research methods, and types of data that are fundamental to a responsible appreciation of the geographical and historical variation of earth's interconnected atmosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere systems, with human implications at scales from local to global and intra-annual to millennial.

1400  Humans in an Uncertain World (3) Fulfills Social/Behavioral Science Exploration.
   The world is becoming more volatile and uncertain. Critical questions facing the world in the 21st century include food security, rapid population change, human disease, energy use/environmental pollution, continuing disparities between rich and poor regions, sustainable transportation/urban development, and geopolitical fragmentation. Human geography, as the study of the interrelationships between people, the places they inhabit and the spaces that comprise the global environments, provides a powerful lens for examining these critical issues. This course examines the relationships between humans and the Earth, including topics in environment and humanity, agriculture in a growing world, population dynamics, the geography of culture, cities and urbanization, patterns of economic development and geopolitical conflict.

1500  The Geography of Cyberspace (4) Fulfills Physical/Life Science Exploration.
   'Cyberspace' or the information world created by the Internet, World Wide Web (WWW), Virtual Reality (VR) and other information and immersive technologies is having a profound impact on culture, society and economics. It is also having a profound impact on the way we view and use geography. Cyberspace can collapse space and time, making geography meaningless for activities such as shopping, correspondence and social interaction. But at the same time, cyberspace can also enhance geography by increasing our knowledge of places and improving the competitive advantage of 'wired' cities and regions. At the extreme, cyberspace can actually replace real geography by creating virtual worlds through increasingly powerful VR environments. This course examines the complex interactions between cybergeography and real geography and the potential impacts on society and the global economy. Students will have opportunities to explore these issues through traditional lectures, reading and discussions as well as WWW-based projects and web-enhanced instruction.

1600  World Regional Geography (3) Fulfills Social/Behavioral Science Exploration.
   Study of major world regions emphasizes current activities and problems. Cultural, economic, political, and environmental considerations.

1900  Disaster Preparedness and Response (3)
   Administrative roles and responsibility. Federal regulations, state and local government functions.

3000  Geo-Excursions in Utah (4)
   Utah landscapes in prehistoric and historic times with emphasis on costal landscapes of Great Salt Lake, including rapidly vanishing geoantiquities. One-day field excursions to the North, South, East, and West shores of the lake, with weekly classromm discussions.

3020  Geographical Analysis (3) Prerequisite: MATH 1030, 1050, or equivalent. Fulfills Quan Reason (Stat/Logic) & Quant Intensive BS.
   Emphasizes the spatial point of view and presents techniques of spatial analysis applicable to all fields of geography. Introduction to the use of multiple correlation and regression techniques in geographic research with special attention addressing problems in the use of these techniques with spatial data.

3040  Principles of Cartography (3) Prerequisite: MATH 1030, 1050, or equivalent.
   Fundamental principles of cartography including perception, visualization, topographic and thematic map interpretation, field mapping techniques (including GPS), and creating computer-based maps in weekly labs. Principles include direction, scale, grids, projections, and spatial transformations, spatial data analysis, data manipulation decisions, color theory and application, and principles of cartographic design and critical evaluation.

3110  The Earth from Space: Remote Sensing of the Environment (3) Fulfills Physical/Life Science Exploration.
   The extraordinary increase in the number, variety and availability of Earth images from satellites and airborne sensors is generating a growing number of Remote Sensing applications in a diverse set of disciplines. Remote sensing data are currently used in anthropology, civil engineering, environmental sciences, geography, geology, hydrology, natural resources, meteorology, and urban planning. This course adopts an interdisciplinary approach applicable to those fields through various techniques involving the interaction of light with the environment, image processing of satellite and airborne data, and computer-based laboratory activities. 'Hands-on' interaction with the data using currently evolving software illustrates the concepts and applications presented in lecture. Local field procedures will demonstrate the concept and necessity of ground truth.

3140  Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS) (3) Prerequisite: GEOGR 1800 or MATH 1030 or MATH 1050 or equivalent. Fulfills Quantitative Intensive BS.
   A recent increase in the use of digital geographic information in many fields has created the need for experts with the knowledge to use this information to society's benefit. Geographers, engineers, environmental scientists, planners, social scientists, computer scientists and many other profesionals will encounter digital geographic information in some form in their future careers. This course introduces students to issues that arise in using this information in scientific and decision-making arenas. Topics include: applications of geographic information; modeling geographic reality; spatial data collection; geographic analysis; accuracy and uncertainty; visualization; and legal, economic, and ethical issues associated with the use of geographic information.

3170  GPS Essentials with GIS (3)
   Meets with GEOGR 5170. The course covers fundamental GPS theory, GPS accuracy, mission planning, data dictionaries, post-processing, and basic geodesy in a non-mathematical way. Students apply the fundamentals and collect positional data in the field using map-grade GPS equipment. The course emphasizes GPS as a mapping tool, integrating the GPS data into a Geographical Information System.

3200  Geomorphology: Mountains, Rivers, Deserts (4) Prerequisite: GEOGR 1000. Fulfills Physical/Life Science Exploration.
   Why does Utah look different than Kansas? How did the Grand Canyon form? This course explores Earth's surface systems to see how landforms are created and modified over time. These systems include mountain building, and erosion and deposition by rivers, glaciers, landslides, wind, and shoreline processes. Analysis of landforms and processes will be directed towards understanding how the surface of the Earth got to be the way it is, and how it is changing. Comparison of different landforms will be used to illustrate how different processes operate. For example, mountain valleys carved by glaciers are significantly different than those carved by rivers. This course offers explanations for differences such as this, and explores reasons for changes that take place in landforms. Field trips will provide an opportunity to see local examples of different processes and their resulting landforms.

3210  Global Climate Change (3) Recommended Prerequisite: GEOGR 1000. Fulfills Physical/Life Science Exploration.
   Meets with GEOGR 5210. The Earth's physical environment is continually changing, and life has responded to these changes. In the very recent past, humans have emerged and rapidly and dramatically affected Earth's environments. This course examines both natural and anthropogenic (human) change to the Earth's environments during the Quaternary (the last 2.5-2.6 million years). Questions considered include: 1) what evidence exists that climate has changed? 2) what causes climate change? 3) how have ecosystems responded to these changes in the past? 4) how has past climate change affected human evolution and cultures? 5) is recent climate warming the result of humand or natural factors? 6) how would increased temperatures affect Earth's ecosystems?

3220  Snow and Ice (3)
   This course provides a survey of topics on snow and ice from a physical geography prospective. The formation, physical characteristics and spatial distribution of land cover types such as seasonal-snow, glaciers and sea ice will be investigated. Special attention will be given to mountain snow environments. A half-day Saturday morning field trip in the canyons along the Wasatch Front will provide local examples of snow pack stratigraphy, wind redistribution, avalanche paths, and landscape morphology shaped by previous glaciations.

3250  Weather and Climate (3)
   Spatial and temporal distributions of controls and elements of climate, climatic regimes, and climate influences on society.

3260  Introduction to Soil Science (3) Prerequisite: GEOGR 1000.
   Lectures, laboratories, and field trips on the origin/genesis nature and properties of soils, and their classification.

3270  Life Through Time on Planet Earth (4) Recommended Prerequisite: GEOGR 1200. Fulfills Comm/Wrtg & Phys/Life Sci Exploration.
   Biogeography is concerned with the living planet. In particular, biogeographers are interested in the global patterns of life. Student discussions focus on important biogeographical topics, such as biodiversity, conservation, the evolution of life and the impacts of global change to life on our planet. One field trip.

3290  Hydrogeography (3) Prerequisite: GEOGR 1000.
   What do Wasatch powder days, 100-year floods, and declining water quality have in common? This class will explore the hydrologic cycle as a system that responds to external inputs. The seasonal snowpack in the Wasatch Front will be used to examine this system on a micro scale, while lectures, readings, and field trips will be used to understand the hydrologic cycle on a larger scale. Based on our understanding of how systems are affected by external forces, the class will examine the effect of human interaction, for example water resource management and water pollution.

3310  Introduction to Natural Hazards (3) Prerequisite: MATH 1030 or 1050 or an equivalent.
   Is your house on the Wasatch Fault? Is it likely to be flooded, or buried by a landslide? This course examines the physical principles of naturally occurring geologic processes, methods of investigating hazards, techniques for assessing risk, and methods of mitigation. Course focuses on landslides, earthquakes, floods, and debris flows. Lectures will draw on Utah examples of these hazards, and present current understanding of the magnitude of the hazard, areas at risk, recurrence intervals, and mitigative measures. Field trips and projects will be directed towards identifying local areas where hazards exist.

3330  Urban Environmental Geography (3) Fulfills Physical/Life Science Exploration.
   Climate, hydrology, and erosion in urban areas; interrelations between urban growth and physical environment.

3340  Modern Natural Disasters (3)
   Well-known natural disasters are examined in terms of threat, risk, vulnerability, impact, human consequence and change. Students monitor global disasters and become familiar with the extremes of nature. Disaster analysis concepts are applied to current and historic disaster situations. Internet laboratories assist students in monitoring global disasters.

3341 Modern Technological Hazards (3)
   Introduces students to the scope and variety of technological hazards in today's society including the exacerbating role of populations growth, demographics, and geography. Topics include nuclear waste shipment, terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, and the role of Homeland Security in countering these threats. Students will learn the concepts and mechanics of threat and risk analysis in the context of readiness, response, and recovery for technological events.

3350  Resource Conservation and Environmental Management (3) Fulfills Social/Behavioral Science Exploration.
   Geographic perspective on environmental principles, problems, and solutions. Water, soil, air, mineral, biotic, energy, and scenic resources, roles of modern technology and human populations, local to global environmental issues emphasized. Role of GIS, remote sensing and other geographic approaches to resource management. Field trips or projects required.

3400  Population Geography (3)
   Spatial distribution of world population. Importance of migration and urbanization and consequences of population growth for economic planning.

3420  Political Geography (3)
   How do the physical and human characteristics of a region affect its power relationships with other regions? This and associated questions are the focus of investigation for this course on geopolitics.

3440  Economic Geography (3) Fulfills Social/Behavioral Science Exploration.
   Meets with GEOGR 5440. Students who register for GEOGR 5440 will be held to higher standards and/or more work. Classic theories of the location of production, distribution, and transportation systems with critical discussion and empirical evidence.

3460  Military Geography (3)
   Geography in military plans and operations. How geography affects strategic and tactical issues in national defense planning. Influence of overseas base structures on current and future military matters.

3480  Urban Geography of the Developed World (3) Fulfills Social/Behavioral Science Exploration.
   External relationships, functions, and internal spatial organization of cities in the developed world.

3481  Urban Geography of the Third World (3) Fulfills Quant Intensive & Soc/Beh Science Exploration.
   Study in comparative Third World (developing and less developed) urban development. Development and urban patterns, processes, and problems as a response to one of the most important phenomena in world history, that is, the extraordinary growth of cities around the world, both in number and population size. This growth is especially apparent in the newly independent nations of the world which emerged from the European colonial empires of post-WWII era.The course covers Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, Middle East, North Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and East Asia. In each of these regions the following themes are explored: Evolution of urban systems and settlements, internal structure and models of cities, major distinctive or representative urban centers, linkages of the region to the world system, contemporary major urban problems and solutions, and analytical approaches of examining urban growth.

3600  Geography of Utah (3) Fulfills Social/Behavioral Science Exploration.
   In the tradition of Orwell's pigs, this course contends that all places are equal, but some places (like Utah) are more equal than others. Readings mainly from nonacademic sources provide a profile of Utah--both its physical character andits cultural distinctiveness. Although the readings form the backbone of the course, class periods feature a blend of mini-lectures, videos, and group discussions. Topics covered include: landscape, environment, history, settlement, population, agriculture, resources, economy, politics, and situation.

3620  Geography of North America (3) Fulfills Diversity.
   With attention primarily to the United States and secondarily to Canada and Mexico. North America is examined from three different points of view: its physical character, the human societies occupying it, and the distinctive sub-regions of which it is comprised. The physical geography emphasizes geomorphology and climatology whereas the human geography stresses political and economic characteristics. The study of sub-regions identifies locally distinctive attitudes, values, and cultural practices.

3630  Geography of Western Europe (3)
   Problems and prospects of Western Europe in a physical, human, historic, economic, and political context. The place of Western Europe in an interdependent global system is explored, as are Western Europe's relationships within the European community, with Eastern Europe and Russia, Africa, the Arab world, United States, and Japan.

3640  Geography of East Asia/Southeast Asia (3)
   Characterizing and differentiation features of East Asia and Southeast Asia. Profiles Japan, Korea, China, and main Southeast Asian countries: physical background, population growth, urbanization, agricultural, industrial, and political development.

3650  Geography of the Middle East (3) Cross listed as MID E 3765.
   The dry zone of the world, the heartland of Islam, the gatekeeper of overland trade, the storehouse of global oil reserves, the inventor of civilization, the incubator of monotheism--such themes as these form the basis of this course on the physical and human geography of the Middle East. At the same time, special attention is given to the significance of physical and cultural variations within the region.

3670  Geography of Latin America (3)
   An exploration of modern Latin America's development, problems, and issues in a physical, human, historic, economic, and political context. The place of Latin America in today's global economic and geopolitical system is also examined; that is to say, Latin America's relationships with North America and Europe as well as its association with the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and other economic organizations.

3963  Special Topics (1 to 5)
   Lecture, special topics. Generally offered on a one-time basis depending on faculty/instructor availability and interests. Different topics and titles.

4999  Honors Thesis/Project (3)
   Restricted to students in the Honors Program working on their Honors degree.

5100  Aerial Photo Interpretation (3) Prerequisite: 1200 or Instructor consent.
   Meets with GEOGR 6100. Graduate students should register for GEOGR 6100 and will be held to higher standards and/or more work. For majors and nonmajors. Interpretation of aerial photographs to obtain quantitative and qualitative information about the earth's surface, its physical and cultural landscape.

5110  Environmental Analysis Through Remote Sensing (3) Prerequisite: GEOGR 3110.
   High-resolution multispectral data, coupled with expanding computing power and increasingly sophisticated image processing software, provides a large set of quantitative, graphic and science visualization tools for solving science-based environmental problems using remote sensing data. The theory and application of image-processing techniques such as: data corrections, enhancements, trnsformations, and classification are aimed at specific environmental problems in the natural and human domains. Hands-on experience is gained through image processing laboratory techniques, field-based measurements and real-world science projects. Geography graduate students should take GEOGR 6110 and will be held to higher standards and/or more work.

5130  Advanced Remote Sensing Applications (3) Prerequisite: GEOGR 5110.
   Meets with GEOGR 6130. Geography graduate students should take GEOGR 6130 and will be held to higher standards and/or more work. Project-based science applications; project objectives, selection of alternative procedures, planning, execution, evaluation, and publication.

5140  Methods in Geographic Information Systems (4) Prerequisite: GEOGR 3140. Co-requisite: GEOGR 410 -- Introductory Visual Basic for ArcGIS, or equivalent programming course.
   Geography graduate students should take GEOGR 6140 and will be held to higher standards and/or more work. This course explores the practice of using a geographic information system (GIS) to support geographic inquiry and decision making. Students will strengthen their technical knowledge of the common tasks that a geographic analyst faces in applying a GIS to a variety of spatial problems. The lab sections offer an opportunity to gain hands-on experience using a leading commercial GIS to complete a series of real-world projects.

5150  Spatial Data Design GIS (4) Prerequisite: GEOGR 5140 & 6140
   Meets with GEOGR 6150. Geography graduate students should take GEOGR 6150 and will be held to higher standards and/or more work. Digital spatial data is widespread due to the global positioning system (GPS), satellite-based remote sensing, intelligent transportation systems and other geographic information technologies. Spatial data is important and useful due to geographic information systems (GIS) and other spatial applications such as Internet map serving and location-based services. However, spatial data involves complex objects and relationships that cannot be accommodated easily by standard database management systems. This course reviews the fundamentals of database design and data management to support GIS and other spatial applications. Topics include modeling spatial data, spatial database design, spatial query languages, spatial database storage and indexing, and spatial query optimization.

5160  Spatial Modeling with GIS (3) Prerequisite: GEOGR 5140 & 6140
   Meets with GEOGR 6160. Graduate students should take GEOGR 6160 and will be held to higher standards and/or more work. The power to model complex environmental systems in a geo-spatial framework is one of the great assets of GIS. This course places the fundamental operations and software of spatial analysis and GIS in a modeling framework. The course addresses advanced concepts and techniques in map algebra, cartographic modeling and descriptive and predictive spatial modeling. The course has both lecture and required lab components.

5170  GPS Essentials with GIS (3)
   Meets with GEOGR 3170. The course covers fundamental GPS theory, GPS accuracy, mission planning, data dictionaries, post-processing, and basic geodesy in a non-mathematical way. Students apply the fundamentals and collect positional data in the field using map-grade GPS equipment. The course emphasizes GPS as a mapping tool, integrating the GPS data into a Geographical Information System.

5180  Advanced Applications in GIS (3) Prerequisite: GEOGR 5140. Recommended Prerequisite: GEOGR 5150 and 5160.
   Graduate students should take GEOGR 6180 and will be held to higher standards and/or more work. Integrative course that encompasses geographic data inputs, processing, and analyses directed toward objects of scientific investigation.

5210  Global Climate Change (3) Recommended Prerequisite: GEOGR 1000.
   Meets with GEOGR 3210. The Earth's physical environment is continually changing, and life has responded to these changes. In the very recent past, humans have emerged and rapidly and dramatically affected Earth's environments. This course examines both natural and anthropogenic (human) change to the Earth's environments during the Quaternary (the last 2.5-2.6 million years). Questions considered include: 1) what evidence exists that climate has changed? 2) what causes climate change? 3) how have ecosystems responded to these changes in the past? 4) how has past climate change affected human evolution and cultures? 5) is recent climate warming the result of humand or natural factors? 6) how would increased temperatures affect Earth's ecosystems?

5220  Land-Use Planning (3) Cross listed as URBPL 5220. Prerequisite: URBPL 3100 or 3250 or instructor consent.
   Graduate students should take GEOGR 6220 and will be held to higher standards and/or more work. Land-use concepts, activities, problems, and techniques for land-use planning.

5240  Locational Analysis (3) Prerequisite: GEOGR 3440.
   Meets with GEOGR 6240. Graduate students should take GEOGR 6240 and will be held to higher standards and/or more work. Classical theories and modern techniques for modeling the location of economic activities, with application to practical locational problems and planning.

5260  Snow Dynamics and Avalanche Studies (4)
   Field sessions require clothing and equipment that allow students to participate in outdoor activities. Students must be able to ski or snowshoe, climb steep terrain, and safely ski back down. Two lectures or discussions weekly combined with one full afternoon in field. Second lecture meets at Alta Town Library before field session. Provides thorough background in technical avalanche forecasting procedures. Study of conditions leading to snow avalanches, broader aspects of snow in all its phases.

5280  Quaternary Stratigraphy (3) Prerequisite: GEOGR 3200.
   Graduate students should take GEOGR 6280 and will be held to higher standards and/or more work. Explores many of the evolving theories, methodological advances, and societal applications of Quaternary studies, which seeks to provide increasing temporal and spatial resolution, and increasing explanation, of environmental change that occurred during the youngest period of geologic history.

5300  Advanced Natural Hazards (3) Prerequisite: GEOGR 1000 or 3200.
   Graduate students should take GEOGR 6300 and will be held to higher standards and/or more work. Includes field trips. Field techniques, quantitative analysis, and modeling. Projects emphasizing landslides, seismic activity, floods, and debris flows.

5330  Wasatch Hazards (3) Prerequisite: GEOGR 1000 or 3200.
   Natural hazards affecting urban areas and alternative methods of dealing with them. Specific Wasatch Front hazards including earthquakes (faulting, shaking, ground failure), river and lake flooding, landslides and debris flows, shallow ground water, avalanches, fog, blizzard, and drought. Aerial photo, topographic map, and field interpretation, and project mapping.

5340  Managing the Nation's Disasters (3) Cross listed as URBPL 5440.
   Hazards risk reduction approached from governmental standpoint, including cost reduction through mitigation. Development of awareness and expertise in public safety aspects of hazards-reduction planning and implementation. Relationship between levels of government involving laws, agreements, and developing organizations and programs, as influenced by changing philosophies in legal and financial liability.

5350  Public Lands and Environmental Policy (3) Cross listed as URBPL 5350. Prerequisite: GEOGR 3350 or instructor consent.
   Meets with URBPL 6350. Graduate students should take URBPL 6350 and will be held to higher standards and/or mor work. A review of environmental impact assessment, focusing on the policies, requirements, methods, and examples from the National Environmental Policy Act, with a review of state and local approaches to environmental impact assessment.

5370  System Dynamics and Environmental Policy (3)
   Environmental policy design requires an understanding of human interactions with environmental systems. It requires an accounting of the complexities of behavior, context and policy. These complexities often produce indirect and unanticipated consequences. They yield unexpected patterns and counter-intuitive results.

5371  Practicum in Environmental Systems Sustainability (3) Cross listed as URBPL 5371.
   Meets with CVEEN 6661, GEO 6341, GEOG 6371, and POL S 6324. Using actual clients and a systems thinking approach, multi-disciplinary student teams resolve real world problems in environmental sustainability. Student teams define system structures, feedback loops, counter-intuitive relationships and the unintended consequences of policy decisions. Students having completed 'System Dynamics and Environmental Policy' get to apply their experience in systems modeling in support of team efforts in full-scale, practical problem solving. Possible topics include: urban growth, drinking water, energy resources, air/water quality and environmental justice. Meets with GEO 6341, CVEEN 6661, GEOGR 6371, POL S 6324.

5440  Economic Geography (3)
   Students registered for GEOGR 5440 will be held to higher standards and/or additional work. Classic theories of the location of production, distribution, and transportation systems with critical discussion and empirical evidence.

5480  Advanced Metropolitan Geography (3)
   Offered once every three years. In-depth readings and discussions of national and international literature on changing trends in urban systems.

5660  Regions of Africa: North, East, West and South (3)
   Offered every two years. Problems and prospects of modern Africa in a physical, human, historic, economic, and political context.

5700  Teaching Methods in Geography (3)
   In-service teachers welcome. Acquaints secondary and elementary teachers of geography and social studies with recent national curriculum materials and strategies. Inquiry-oriented, practical, and participatory.

5770  Paleobiogeography (3) Recommended prerequisite: GEOGR 3260.
   Meets with GEOGR 6770. Graduate students should take GEOGR 6770 and will be held to higher standards and/or more work. Class consists of lectures and field trips. A detailed examination of current methods and theories in plant geography. Plant geography, or phytogeography, is the study of the distribution of plants in both space and time. Lectures will focus on some of the techniques, including historical, tree ring, and pollen analysis, used to study past and present distributions of individual plant species and plant communities (vegetation). Current issues in plant geography will be discussed.

5810  Field Seminar (4)
   Graduate students should take GEOGR 6810 and will be held to higher standards and/or more work. Repeatable for credit. One or more field trips. Student responsibile for selected aspects of cultural and/or environmental patterns and processes.

5880  Paleolimnology (4) Recommended Prerequisite: GEOGR 3270.
   Geography graduate students should take GEOGR 6880 and will be held to higher standards and/or more work. Paleolimnology is the reconstruction and interpretation of past environments from the physical, chemical, and biological information contained in lake sediments. In the last decade the field of paleolimnology has enjoyed rapid expansion. This course is a detailed examination of current methods and theories in paleolimnology. Lectures will focus on current issues in paleolimnology and labs will examine the most recent paleolimnological techniques. There will be one or two Saturday field trips.

5940  Internship in Geography (1 to 5)
   Undergraduate geography students are responsible for finding a faculty member in the department who is willing to work independently with the student. An independent study form must be filled out and signed by student and faculty member. Forms are available in the department office.

5950  Individual Projects (1 to 5)
   Undergraduate geogrphy students are responsible for finding a faculty member in the department who is willing to work independently with the student. An independent study form must be filled out and signed by student and professor. Forms are available in the department office.

5951  Directed Readings (1 to 5)
   Undergraduate geography students are responsible for finding a faculty member in the department who is willing to work independently with the student. An independent study form must be filled out and signed by student and profesor. Forms are available in the department office.

5963  Special Topics (1 to 5)
   Generally offered on a one-time basis depending on faculty/instructor availability and interests.

6000  Advanced Multivariate Statistics (3) Prerequisite: GEOGR 3020.
   Mechanics, rationale, and use of advanced multivariate dependence and classification techniques in geographic research; with special attention addressed to problems in the use of these techniques with geographical data.

6010  Geocomputation (4) Prerequisite: GEOGR 410 -- Intriductory Visual Basic for ArcGIS, or equivalent programming course. Recommended Prerequisite: MATH 1210 or equivalent knowledge of basic calculus.
   The increasing volume and complexity of available digital geographic data overwhelms traditional analytical modeling methods. Alternatively, we can exploit the increasing power of computational environments to analyze geographic phenomena with a minimum of simplifying assumptions. This course is a high-level introduction to the use of computational intelligence methods for exploring, analyzing, modeling and simulating geographic phenomena. Techniques discussed include heuristic search in spatial optimization, pattern recognition and machine learning techniques and simulating complex spatio-temporal systems.

6100  Aerial Photo Interpretation (3) Prerequisite: GEOGR 1000.
   Meets with GEOGR 5100. Graduate students should register for this course only and will be held to higher standards and/or additional work. For majors and nonmajors. Interpretation of aerial photographs to obtain quantitative and qualitative information about the Earth's surface, its physical and cultural landscape.

6110  Environmental Analysis Through Remote Sensing (3) Prerequisite: GEOGR 3110.
   High-resolution multispectral data, coupled with expanding computing power and increasingly sophisticated image processing software, provides a large set of quantitative, graphic and science visualization tools for solving science-based environmental problems using remote sensing data. The theory and application of image-processing techniques such as: data corrections, enhancements, trnsformations, and classification are aimed at specific environmental problems in the natural and human domains. Hands-on experience is gained through image processing laboratory techniques, field-based measurements and real-world science projects.

6130  Advanced Remote Sensing Applications (3) Prerequisite: GEOGR 5110.
   Meets with GEOGR 5130. Graduate students should take GEOGR 6130 and will be held to higher standards and/or more work. Project-based science applications; project objectives, selection of alternative procedures, planning, execution, evaluation, and publication.

6140  Methods in Geographic Information Systems (4) Prerequisite: GEOGR 3140. Co-requisite: GEOGR 410 -- Introductory Visual Basic for ArcGIS, or equivalent programming course.
   Geography graduate students should take GEOGR 6140 and will be held to higher standards and/or more work. This course explores the practice of using a geographic information system (GIS) to support geographic inquiry and decision making. Students will strengthen their technical knowledge of the common tasks that a geographic analyst faces in applying a GIS to a variety of spatial problems. The lab sections offer an opportunity to gain hands-on experience using a leading commercial GIS to complete a series of real-world projects.

6150  Spatial Database Design for GIS (4) Prerequisite: GEOGR 5140 & 6140
   Meets with GEOGR 5150. Geography graduate students should take GEOGR 6150 and will be held to higher standards and/or more work. Digital spatial data is widespread due to the global positioning system (GPS), satellite-based remote sensing, intelligent transportation systems and other geographic information technologies. Spatial data is important and useful due to geographic information systems (GIS) and other spatial applications such as Internet map serving and location-based services. However, spatial data involves complex objects and relationships that cannot be accommodated easily by standard database management systems. This course reviews the fundamentals of database design and data management to support GIS and other spatial applications. Topics include modeling spatial data, spatial database design, spatial query languages, spatial database storage and indexing, and spatial query optimization.

6160  Spatial Modeling with GIS (3) Prerequisite: GEOGR 5140 & 6140
   Meets with GEOGR 5160. Graduate students should take GEOGR 6160 and will be held to higher standards and/or more work. The power to model complex environmental systems in a geo-spatial framework is one of the great assets of GIS. This course places the fundamental operations and software of spatial analysis and GIS in a modeling framework. The course addresses advanced concepts and techniques in map algebra, cartographic modeling and descriptive and predictive spatial modeling. The course has both lecture and required lab components.

6180  Advanced Applications in GIS (3) Recommended Prerequisite: GEOGR 5140 and 5150 and 5160.
   Graduate students should take GEOGR 6180 and will be held to higher standards and/or more work. Integrative course that encompasses geographic data inputs, processing, and analyses directed toward objects of scientific investigation.

6220  Land Use Planning (3)
   Graduate students should take GEOGR 6220 and will be held to higher standards and/or more work. Concepts, activities, problems, and techniques for land-use planning.

6240  Locational Analysis (3) Prerequisite: GEOG 3440/5440
   Meets with GEOGR 5240. Graduate students should take GEOGR 6240 and will be held to higher standards and/or more work. Classical theories and modern techniques for modeling the location of economic activities with application to practical locational problems and planning.

6280  Quaternary Stratigraphy (3) Prerequisite: GEOGR 3200 or instructor consent.
   Graduate students should take GEOGR 6280 and will be held to higher standards and/or more work. Explores many of the evolving theories, methodological advances, and societal applications of Quaternary studies, a multidiscipline that seeks to provide increasing temporal and spatial resolution, and increasing explanation, of environmental change that occurred during the youngest period of geologic history.

6300  Advanced Natural Hazards (3) Prerequisite: GEOG 1200 or 3200.
   Graduate students should take GEOGR 6300 and will be held to higher standards and/or more work. Includes field trips. Field techniques, quantitative analysis and modeling. Projects emphasizing landslides, seismic, floods, and debris flow.

6340  Managing Nations Disasters (3)
   Meets with GEOGR 5340 and URBPL 5440. Hazard risk reduction approached from a governmental standpoint, including cost reduction through midigation. Development of awareness and expertise in public safety aspects of hazards-reduction planning and implementation. Relationship between levels of government involving laws, agreements, and developing organizations and programs, as influenced by changing philosophies in legal and financial liability.

6370  System Dynamics and Environmental Policy (3)
   Environmental policy design requires an understanding of human interactions with environmental systems. It requires an accounting of the complexities of behavior, context and policy. These complexities often produce indirect and unanticipated consequences. They yield unexpected patterns and counter-intuitive results. Students from many academic fields learn user-friendly software (STELLA) to do environmental policy simulation without proficiency in advanced mathematics. Students use computer simulations to sort out environmental complexities; transform group perceptions into simulation models; apply principles of environmental management; test policy effects and define possible pathways for future policy change.

6371  Practicum in Environmental Systems Sustainability (3)
   Using actual clients and a systems thinking approach, multi-disciplinary student teams resolve real world problems in environmental sustainability. Student teams define system structures, feedback loops, counter-intuitive relationships and the unintended consequences of policy decisions. Students having completed 'System Dynamics and Environmental Policy' get to apply their experience in systems modeling in support of team efforts in full-scale, practical problem solving. Possible topics include: urban growth, drinking water, energy resources, air/water quality and environmental justice.

6770  Paleobiogeography (3) Recommended Prerequisite: GEOGR 3270.
   Meets with GEOGR 5770. Graduate students should take GEOGR 6770 and will be held to higher standards and/or more work. Lectures and field trips. A detailed examination of current methods and theories in plant geography. Plant geography, or phytogeography, is the study of the distribution of plants in both space and time. Lectures will focus on some of the techniques--ncluding historical, tree ring, and pollen analysis--used to study past and present distributions of individual plant species and plant communities (vegetation). Current issues in plant geography will be discussed.

6810  Field Seminar (4)
   Graduate students should take GEOGR 6810 and will be held to higher standards and/or more work. One or more field trips. Students are responsibile for selected aspects of cultural and/or environmental patterns and processes.

6880  Paleolimnology (4) Recommended Prerequisite: GEOGR 3270.
   Geography graduate students should take GEOGR 6880 and will be held to higher standards and/or more work. Paleolimnology is the reconstruction and interpretation of past environments from the physical, chemical, and biological information contained in lake sediments. In the last decade the field of paleolimnology has enjoyed rapid expansion. This course is a detailed examination of current methods and theories in paleolimnology. Lectures will focus on current issues in paleolimnology and labs will examine the most recent paleolimnological techniques. There will be one or two Saturday field trips.

6900  Research Practicum (1 to 5)
   For master's degree students. Critical reviews of current student, faculty, and external research by small groups of participants with related research interests.

6920  Research Colloquium (1)
   Students present results of their thesis research.

6930  Teaching Practicum: Master's (1 to 5)
   Degree candidates must complete at least one credit hour under supervision of an approved faculty member.

6940  Internship in Geography (1 to 5)
   For master's degree students. Students are responsible for finding a faculty member in the department willing to work independently with the student. An independent study form must be filled out and signed by student and professor. Forms are available in the department office.

6950  Individual Projects (1 to 5)
   For master's degree students. Students are responsible for finding a faculty member in the department willing to work independently with the student. An independent study form must be filled out and signed by student and professor. Forms are available in the department office.

6951  Directed Readings (1 to 5)
   For master's degree students. Students are responsible for finding a faculty member in the department willing to work independently with the student. An independent study form must be filled out and signed by student and professor. Forms are available in the department office.

6960  Seminar in Geographic Problems (3)
   Selected geographic problems. Faculty research specializations in which seminars may be offered include biogeography, climate variability, counterurbanization, field and laboratory methods in remote sensing, geographic information systems (GIS), mathematical methods, quaternary field studies, reconstructing historical environments, remote sensing theory and applications, soils, theories of development, urban trends, and regional analysis.

6961  Seminar in Geographic Thought and Inquiry (3)
   History of the discipline from ancient to modern times; geography's relationship to major trends in Western thought and current methodological debates; exploration of the contemporary literature in selected geographic sub-fields and an introduction to research design and writing

6963  Special Topics (1 to 5)
   For master's degree students. Generally offered on a one-time basis depending on faculty/instructor availabillity and interests.

6970  Thesis Research: Master's (1 to 10)
 

6974  Technical Report Research: Master's (1 to 10)
 

6981  Faculty Consultation (3)
 

7900  Research Practicum (1 to 5)
   For Ph.D. students. Critical reviews of current student, faculty, and external research by small groups of participants with related research interests.

7920  Research Colloquium (1)
   Students present the results of their dissertation research.

7930  Teaching Practicum: Ph.D. (1 to 5)
   Degree candidates must complete at least one credit hour under supervision of an approved faculty member.

7940  Internship in Geography (1 to 5)
   For Ph.D. students. Students are responsible for finding a faculty member in the department willing to work independently with the student. An independent study form must be filled out and signed by student and professor. Forms are available in the department office.

7950  Individual Projects (1 to 5)
   For Ph.D. students only. Students are responsible for finding a faculty member in the department willing to work independently with the student. An independent study form must be filled out and signed by student and professor. Forms are available in the department office.

7951  Directed Readings (1 to 5)
   For Ph.D. students only. Students are responsible for finding a faculty member in the department willing to work independently with the student. An independent study form must be filled out and signed by student and professor. Forms are available in the department office.

7960  Seminar in Geographic Problems (1 to 5)
   Selected geographic problems. Faculty research specialization's in which seminars may be offered include: biogeography, climate variability, counterurbanization, field and laboratory methods in remote sensing, geographic information systems (GIS) mathematical methods, quaternary field studies, reconstructing historical environments, remote sensing theory and applications, soils, theories of development, urban trends, and regional analysis.

7963  Special Topics (1 to 5)
   For Ph.D. students. Generally offered on a one-time basis depending on faculty/instructor availability and interests.

7970  Dissertation Research: Ph.D. (1 to 10)
 

7981  Faculty Consultation (3)
 

7990  Continuing Registration: Ph.D. (0)
 


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