Course Descriptions

Our study of weather and climate is intended for Geography majors and all others interested in a broad brush examination of the atmospheric and climatic sciences. This study will be introductory in nature with only a very basic use of mathematics. We will start with a study of meteorology. From this foundation, we will go into the different aspects of the atmosphere and then, later, into climatological matters and discuss the various climatic regimes including that of Texas and the local area.

DESCRIPTION

Geography means learning where things are but more importantly it means understanding how and why things got to be where they are. To address these questions goes far beyond simply memorizing place names. It demands that we inquire deeply into the processes behind spatial patterns, including elements of religion, language, politics, and the built environment. Geographical processes also involve the inherent opportunities and constraints offered by the natural environment. This course therefore focuses on the patterns and flows that make culture spatial, while a secondary focus is human-environment interactions. In regard to both foci we take the time to think intensely about what is involved in responsible citizenship.

Students will learn how to think spatially, including the ability to recognize spatial processes and patterns, and the various factors affecting the connections between spatial processes and patterns.

The course includes a 90 minute lecture twice a week and a 1-hour discussion section once a week.

TEXTBOOK

 •The Human Mosaic, 11th edition (by Domosh, Neumann, Price and Jordan-Bychkov)

 •Online Supplements at: http://bcs.whfreeman.com/jordan11e/

 •Student Atlas of World Geography, 6th or 7th edition (by John Allen)

GRADING:

PARTICIPATION

Students will receive credit for participating in discussions and in-class activities, as well as for quizzes, special campus events and (randomly sampled) attendance.

PROJECTS

Three projects prompt a creative response to issues, ideas and techniques presented in the class.

EXAMS

The three exams are mostly multiple choice format with a few short answer questions.

Since Fall 2009, PBS has dedicated considerable prime air time to showing (and re-showing) the Ken Burns series The National Parks: America's Best Idea.  The series has been celebrated by many, ranging from pop musicians (who staged a concert in its honor in NYC's Central Park) to outdoor stores (which sponsored sales and events the weekend of the premiere) to the National Parks Conservation Service, an activist group.  While the series did address some of the controversies that have plagued the National Park Service throughout its establishment and history, the stunning footage of natural splendors and triumphal tone of its narrative provided substantial support for the assertion expressed by the title.    Not all Americans over the past two centuries have considered the parks to be a great idea, however, as establishing parks has often meant removing peoples from their homes and limiting or restricting access to long-used resources.

While acknowledging the beauty and significance of the places administered by the National Park Service (not only those named National Parks, but also National Monuments, Recreation Areas, Lakeshores, etc.), we will examine them as sites where land, history, values, and ideas have been contested. We will consider such questions as:

- How have national parks reflected and influenced perceptions and ideals of “nature” and  “wilderness”?

- How have tensions over preservation, conservation, resource use and public recreation shaped the development and histories of the parks?

- How have different groups (defined by such factors as race, ethnicity, gender, and class) borne the costs and received the benefits of the establishment of park areas?

-How have parks affected and been affected by the communities and lands they border?

Upon completing this course, students will not only be well-acquainted

with the interdisciplinary sources and methods of analysis of American studies, cultural geography, and environmental history, but will also be well- prepared

to generate their own critical interpretations of environments and experiences in national parks and other landscapes. They will also have gained experience in producing different types of written communication through structured writing processes.                                   

Requirements

Research paper (6-8 pgs) and in-class presentation on contemporary park issue  25%

Park interpretation Paper (4-5 pgs)  20%

Four short (1-2 pgs) reading and/or film response papers   20%

In-class exam   15%

Participation, attendance, and impromptu in-class quizzes and writing assignments 20%

Possible Texts

Abbey, Desert Solitaire: A Season in the Wilderness

Hollis, The Land of the Smokies: Great Mountain Memories

Louter, Windshield Wilderness: Cars, Roads, and Nature in Washington's National Parks

Muir, The Yosemite

Rothman, Blazing Heritage: A History of Wildland Fire in the National Parks

Spence, Dispossessing the Wilderness: Indian Removal and the Making of the National Parks

Burns, The National Parks: America's Best Idea (documentary film series)

Flag(s): Writing

Since Fall 2009, PBS has dedicated considerable prime air time to showing (and re-showing) the Ken Burns series The National Parks: America's Best Idea.  The series has been celebrated by many, ranging from pop musicians (who staged a concert in its honor in NYC's Central Park) to outdoor stores (which sponsored sales and events the weekend of the premiere) to the National Parks Conservation Service, an activist group.  While the series did address some of the controversies that have plagued the National Park Service throughout its establishment and history, the stunning footage of natural splendors and triumphal tone of its narrative provided substantial support for the assertion expressed by the title.    Not all Americans over the past two centuries have considered the parks to be a great idea, however, as establishing parks has often meant removing peoples from their homes and limiting or restricting access to long-used resources.

While acknowledging the beauty and significance of the places administered by the National Park Service (not only those named National Parks, but also National Monuments, Recreation Areas, Lakeshores, etc.), we will examine them as sites where land, history, values, and ideas have been contested. We will consider such questions as:

- How have national parks reflected and influenced perceptions and ideals of “nature” and  “wilderness”?

- How have tensions over preservation, conservation, resource use and public recreation shaped the development and histories of the parks?

- How have different groups (defined by such factors as race, ethnicity, gender, and class) borne the costs and received the benefits of the establishment of park areas?

-How have parks affected and been affected by the communities and lands they border?

Upon completing this course, students will not only be well-acquainted

with the interdisciplinary sources and methods of analysis of American studies, cultural geography, and environmental history, but will also be well- prepared

to generate their own critical interpretations of environments and experiences in national parks and other landscapes. They will also have gained experience in producing different types of written communication through structured writing processes.                                   

Requirements

Research paper (6-8 pgs) and in-class presentation on contemporary park issue  25%

Park interpretation Paper (4-5 pgs)  20%

Four short (1-2 pgs) reading and/or film response papers   20%

In-class exam   15%

Participation, attendance, and impromptu in-class quizzes and writing assignments 20%

Possible Texts

Abbey, Desert Solitaire: A Season in the Wilderness

Hollis, The Land of the Smokies: Great Mountain Memories

Louter, Windshield Wilderness: Cars, Roads, and Nature in Washington's National Parks

Muir, The Yosemite

Rothman, Blazing Heritage: A History of Wildland Fire in the National Parks

Spence, Dispossessing the Wilderness: Indian Removal and the Making of the National Parks

Burns, The National Parks: America's Best Idea (documentary film series)

Flag(s): Writing

This course is a systematic introduction to geography of all regions of Europe, from Iceland to Sicily and European Russia and Finland to Bretagne and Galicia. The course is based on a renowned textbook by Alexander B. Murphy, Terry G. Jordan-Bychkov and Bella Bychkova Jordan and focuses on all the major aspects of the European makeup: its physical, economic, political, and cultural geography, geolinguistics and environmental issues. A special attention is given to such issues as expansion of the European Union and NATO, problems associated with immigration and ethnic tensions, challenges of multiculturalism and integration. A significant portion of the class is dedicated to the analysis of demographic, urban and agricultural patterns. The historical perspective allows the analysis of the evolution of the European civilization during the last two millennia and resulting geographical patterns in modern Europe.

Prerequisites: upper division undergraduate students

Readings: Alexander B. Murphy, Terry G. Jordan-Bychkov and Bella Bychkova Jordan.  The European Culture Area: A Systematic Geography, 2009, 5th edition. Rowman and Littlefield: Lanham, Boulder, CO. Available at The Co-Op and amazon.com

Grading: The final grade is based on 3 exams.

This course examines the principles and techniques of atmospheric science and the applications to the study of severe and unusual weather events and patterns. Because of this, the course builds strongly on the foundations of GRG301K/Weather and Climate which is a prerequisite for this class. This course includes a thorough examination (often in real time through the use of the internet in the classroom) of thunderstorms, tornadoes, flash floods, hail storms, winter storms, tropical cyclones as well as drought and excessive heat and cold.  In addition to the study of the events themselves, a look at the climatology of severe and unusual weather across the United States, Texas as well as our own south central Texas region will be undertaken. How these atmospheric events affect human beings and how people respond to these events will also be examined. This course will involve the basic use of mathematics.

Examines the cultural, economic, political and geopolitical aspects of globalization in the U.S. and the rest of the world. We begin by understanding the rise of capitalism and its evolution into a modern world system and then look into its contemporary reincarnation as globalization. We examine theories and policies of globalization and look into specific issues like, outsourcing of jobs, sweat shops, spread of Wal-Mart, rising income inequality in the US and abroad, conflict and war.

This course is designed to develop a geographical understanding of the Circumpolar region of the North, an ancient human habitat and a home to distinct, millennia old, civilizations. These indigenous Arctic cultures and livelihoods are being constantly challenged by modern industrial powers, and the clash between two contesting realities is profound. Emphasis is given to a historical geographical perspective on the major processes forming cultural and natural landscapes (including global warming), and influence society, economy, spiritual life and politics. Regions include: Alaska, the Canadian northern territories, Scandinavian North, including Sapmi (Lapland), Iceland, Greenland, the Russian North, and Siberia.

Prerequisites: upper division undergraduate students

Readings: course package

Grading: the final grade for the course is based on 3 exams

The analysis of human and animal movement patterns has become increasingly pertinent to a wide variety of fields. For example: Conservation biologists analyze wildlife travel paths in order to minimize human-wildlife conflict. Public health officials study human movements to identify the sources of disease outbreaks. And criminologists employ these methods to determine where a repeat-offender is most likely to strike again. This course provides an introduction to spatial data analysis and agent-based modeling within a GIS framework, through a topical focus on movement analyses.Lectures draw on examples from diverse fields, including anthropology, wildlife ecology, criminology and public health, in order to introduce students to the theory behind movement analyses as well as to potential applications. Topics covered include methods used widely for spatial data analysis (e.g. introductory spatial statistics, basic raster analysis, individual-based movement models, etc.) that are applicable both within and beyond the field of movement studies. Laboratory sections focus on allowing students to garner practical experience with pertinent software (examples: Ranges 6, CrimeStat, Geoda, ArcView Spatial and Tracking Analysts, Agent Analyst, etc.). Prior coursework in GIS is required (or consent of instructor). Familiarity with basic statistical principles will also be helpful.

Geographers sitting in their offices frequently find themselves lacking the right type of data to deal with a specific problem at hand. This is the case for practitioners holding a bachelor's degree and working in the private sector as well as for academicians holding doctoral degrees and teaching at comprehensive research universities. For example, a geographer employed by a firm designing a retirement community may be faced with a problem such as assessing a series of possible sites on which to build the swimming pool. Maps and aerial photographs may be available, but do they contain sufficiently detailed information about the soils, geology, slope, vegetation, hydrology, and cultural features such as historic structures, wells, fences or walls? And, how are these items or conditions spatially distributed in absolute terms and relative to each other? Or, consider a scholar investigating the expansion cacao cultivation in the rainforests of southern Brazil. How does she or he distinguish fields from forest? Cacao, after all, is a tree which grows in the shade of taller trees, and, accordingly, farmers do not clear-cut the forest before planting their crop. And, what about the composition(s) of the "natural" environment(s) and that (those) of the fields? What about the sizes and shapes of the fields, and socio-economic characteristics of the farmers? The only way to get these data are to go into "the field," and to use certain techniques.

This course introduces advanced geography students to a number of various techniques used in gathering field data. It does not deal with every technique nor does it go into great detail on any one.  It does, however, offer the basics of certain types of data collection, and, in so doing, it provides a foundation on which more advanced study--either formally through other classes, or informally through self-training--can be undertaken.

The course is divided into two parts, each dealing with different types of techniques, and each with different levels of supervision.  The first part of the course deals with mapping, the most fundamental of geographic activities. Students learn how to collect data with a clearly spatial dimensions. They begin by using some very simple instruments and progress to using the latest electronic surveying equipment. Emphasis is placed on mapping small areas largely because data at this scale are usually what geographers do not already possess, and, therefore, need. Also, working at this scale gives students a first-hand appreciation for, or at least a "taste" of, the processes involved in collecting data portrayed on existing maps of various scales. Instruction during this first half of the semester is very focused; students are closely supervised.

The second part of the course focuses on the collection of various types of environmental data that can be mapped. Emphasis here is placed on both "natural" data used most often, but not exclusively, by so-called "physical geographers," and "cultural" data commonly used by so-called "human geographers." Also, techniques for determining past as well as current conditions are covered in order for students to assess changing geographies. Instruction during the second half of the semester is less supervised than in the first half. Students are given a great deal of liberty to hone their skills at making professional judgements.

The focus of this course is on landscapes, especially those that are material and visible. Instruction includes some classroom lectures and several outdoor exercises. This course involves hands-on experience. Students can expect to be hot, cold, dirty, and wet, and exposed to some health risks. Research methods, project formulation, laboratory data analyses, and cartography are not be part of this course. This course deals exclusively with outdoor data collection techniques.

GRG 374 • Frontiers In Geography

Zonn, Leo E.

 A.  Course Objective and Subjects

  The primary objective of this course is to provide you a ‘working understanding’ of the contemporary nature of Geography, which means I am interested in considering Geography as it is practiced. My department expects this course, Frontiers in Geography, to be a ‘capstone’ experience, although none of us really knows what that means. It can be interpreted in a variety of ways and the faculty of our department have tried many of them while teaching this course, based to a great extent upon their own respective personal and academic histories, styles, personalities, and general sense of what is important and what is not. None of them are wrong.

 The route I have chosen is a ‘working understanding’, which it is hoped, will complement and supplement what you have been studying for these last few years.

  I begin with the simplest of questions—What is Geography?—and then provide a set of fundamentals that will help answer the question, thus providing a ‘working’ understanding:

 It is a set of concepts

 It is a frame for study

 It is a discipline

 It is a university subject

 It is a job

  1)  Concepts. In this section we provide an overview of the nature of the discipline—“what are the fundamental precepts that define Geography?” To some extent this is a summary and gathering together of ideas that surround what you have been doing for the last few years as a Geography major. At the same time it is my opportunity to stress my favorite geo-concept: Place, perhaps along with space, its little stepsister.

  2) Frame. We use these concepts to help frame our study of geographic processes,

 especially in terms of the patterns of human activity. Such a framing will help illuminate the essences of these processes.  For the purposes of this class we will focus primarily on ‘place’ in research focused on the example of tourism. The focus of your final capstone paper and most of your readings will be here, therefore, on the subject called “A Geography of Tourism”, framed within the concept of place.

  3) Discipline. We will discuss Geography as a contemporary academic discipline in terms of its history, associations, journals, and departments.

  4) University. The heart and history of a discipline begins with the university. Here we will talk about the contemporary nature of the American University, especially in this contentious political and economic era; issues of note at the national, state, and UT levels will be discussed.  We do so to understand the home of Geography, but we will spend time on issues that may not have immediate relevance to our discipline.

  5) Job. Several of you will be disappointed that this course is not centered on getting you a job.  In fact, we won’t spend much time on the subject at all.  Why?  Because basically it is not within my purview; the truth be known, I don’t know much about that subject, which is true of most of my colleagues.  This goes back to our subject of the University (above); more on that later. But we will not ignore it.  We will work on your resumes, discuss ways you can aggressively engage the lousy market out there, consider issues of cover letters and interviewing, and we will bring people into the classroom who can help provide us some practicalities of the search.  We will also discuss graduate school.  Here I can help much more, although if the past is any predictor fewer than five or six of you will be immediately interested.  We’ll play that one by ear.

 The discussion of these five issues will be linear in the most general sense, but because they are often so closely intertwined we will integrate them at times. Also, I cannot assign a specific amount of time for each subject—although the system often asks that I do—because we reserve the right to spend more or less time on individual subjects as we see fit, once we are there. No worries; it will work.