Summer 2022 Courses

We have a batch of exciting courses being offered this summer during 2 sessions, beginning May 19th and July 11th. Click on the course titles below to find out more information such as cost and how to register!


Seminar- Lakes in a Changing Climate

GEO-SCI 591L

Lakes throughout the world are undergoing unprecedented transformation in response to our changing climate. This week-long course is designed for secondary school science teachers who seek new information regarding global climate change that they may introduce to their students, centered on lake ecosystems, their history of environmental change as detected in sediment cores, and projections of how they will evolve in the coming few decades. The course will entail field work, laboratory analyses, lectures, and lesson plan development.

Intro Oceanography

GEOLOGY 103

The natural processes of the ocean, including earthquakes and volcanoes, the hydrologic cycle and weather, ocean circulation and the global energy balance, the carbon cycle and productivity, biodi-versity and marine food webs, coastal dynamics. Also, global warming, sea-level rise, environmental degradation and the ocean system response to human activity and global change. Interactive class sessions, with considerable participation by students in problem solving, discussions, and demonstrations. Exams and grades based on teamwork as well as on individual performance. Students needing or wanting a laboratory component may register for GEO-SCI 131. (Gen.Ed. PS) Intro Oceanography

Diversity, Globalization, and Sustainability: Introduction to Human Geography

GEOGRAPH 102

A wide-ranging introduction to the ways people shape the world they live in. We will study the themes and concepts of human geography through the current issues and large questions which guide them. Lectures and reading will focus on the geographic aspects of cultural diversity, population issues, states vs. nations, the global economy, development, urbanization and the human transformation of the earth. We will cover major subdivisions of human geography including cultural geography, population geography, economic geography, social geography, urban geography and political geography. (Gen.Ed. SB, DG)

Global Environment Change

GEOGRAPH 110

The natural relationships between the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and lithosphere; human impact on the natural environment. Global environmental issues: global warming, sea-level rise, and ozone depletion in the stratosphere. Global changes of the past also studied to give perspective to forecasted changes. Includes writing exercises. (Gen.Ed. PS)

Geography of US and Canada

GEOGRAPH 200

This course provides a survey of the geography of US and Canada, starting with core integrative themes and methods of analysis, and then moving into a region-by-region overview. Special emphasis will be on historical development, environmental change and sustainability, and the diversity of peoples and cultures and their relationships with landscapes and each other. Short of literally traveling the continent, the class aims to immerse you in the images, sounds, data, and experiences of places, regions, and people's lives, so they come to life. Every week you will have at least one movie and/or Google Earth exercise that virtually transports you to a new location of study. You'll take different perspectives, try out new skills, dive into data, and think critically. Most weeks you will write reflectively about a movie, Google Earth exercise, and/or experience. (Gen. Ed. SB, DU)

Seminar- Cartography and Geovisualization

GEOGRAPH 493A

Studentswill understand and implement principles of good design in cartography along with understanding the human vision and how it influences perception and cognition. The course will also cover the scope of contemporary thematic cartography and web mapping. Students will gain hands-on experience in designing and improving web-based maps. In this course, students will: - Learn the fundamentals of cartography and map design - Become familiar with using open source tools to improve the visual quality of web-based and other maps - Create maps through independent design and exploration

Seminar- Spatial Decision Making and Support

GEOGRAPH 493S

This graduate-level course is aimed at students who have a foundation in basic GIS techniques and applications and are interested in expanding their knowledge into their area of spatial decision making and visualization of the decision maps. We will start with the linkage between GIScience, spatial analysis, and decision support. We will then discuss different decision-making techniques and highlight the important distinction between conventional MCDA methods and spatially explicitly multicriteria approaches. An overview of handling spatial uncertainty as well as sensitivity analysis will be discussed. The course will also introduce Python scripting for geoprocessing as flexible approach for the development of spatial decision-making models. In this course, students will: - Learn the fundamentals of spatial decision making and support - Become familiar with using Python scripting to solve decision-making problems for spatial models - Create decision analysis maps along with uncertainty/sensitivity maps in order to support the decision-making process

Introduction to GIS

GEOGRAPH 585

This class serves as an introduction to Geographic Information Science (GIS). GIS is the science of spatial relationships, linking data to locations to explore relations between objects. Based in geographic thought and emerging from initial applications in natural resource management, GIS has evolved to be a universally applicable way of thinking and set of knowledge, skills, and practices. The goals of this course are to teach you basic GIS concepts through practice and theory, to enable you to make useful and meaningful contributions to various disciplines through spatial analysis. Throughout this course, you will be challenged to not only think spatially, but apply spatial analysis techniques within GIS.

Seminar- Cartography and Geovisualization

GEOGRAPH 693A

Students will understand and implement principles of good design in cartography along with understanding the human vision and how it influences perception and cognition. The course will also cover the scope of contemporary thematic cartography and web mapping. Students will gain hands-on experience in designing and improving web-based maps. In this course, students will: - Learn the fundamentals of cartography and map design - Become familiar with using open source tools to improve the visual quality of web-based and other maps - Create maps through independent design and exploration

Seminar- Spatial Decision Making and Support

GEOGRAPH 693S

This course is aimed at students who have a foundation in basic GIS techniques and applications and are interested in expanding their knowledge into their area of spatial decision making and visualization of the decision maps. We will start with the linkage between GIScience, spatial analysis, and decision support. We will then discuss different decision-making techniques and highlight the important distinction between conventional MCDA methods and spatially explicitly multicriteria approaches. An overview of handling spatial uncertainty as well as sensitivity analysis will be discussed. The course will also introduce Python scripting for geoprocessing as flexible approach for the development of spatial decision-making models. In this course, students will: - Learn the fundamentals of spatial decision making and support - Become familiar with using Python scripting to solve decision-making problems for spatial models - Create decision analysis maps along with uncertainty/sensitivity maps in order to support the decision-making process