GEOG 101/102: Survey of Physical Geography

Have you ever wondered:

• How human activities have impacted our natural environment?
• Why rainforests have such high biodiversity?
• Why the land surface in Illinois is so flat?
• How beaches form?
• Why it floods so quickly after a rainfall in urban environments?
• Why the soils in Illinois are black and the soils in Georgia red?
• What factors influence the distribution of vegetation globally?
• How much freshwater is there in the world?
• How are mountains built?
• What factors influence the distribution of soils on Earth?

What General Education Objectives are met in Geography 101/102?

The physical geography perspective integrates information from other fields such as geology, biology, physics, and chemistry. Explore aspects of geography such as water resources, soil and vegetation distributions within a global context. Examples of current research in the field of physical geography expose students to the thought process associated with the scientific method. Learn to think critically about the geographic environment by examining the impact of humans on the physical landscape. Develop written, quantitative, technical, and oral skills through a variety of laboratory exercises in GEOG 102.

Facts about Geography 101/102:

Course Offered: Both spring and fall semesters: Geog 101, 3 credit hours; or Geog 101 and Geog 102, 4 credit hours
General Education: Fulfills a science/math distributive area requirement and matches the following general education goals: develop communication and technical skills, apply various modes of inquiry, and develop an understanding of integrated knowledge through a combination of lecture material, readings, laboratory assignments, and exams.
Course Goal: To introduce students to processes and interactions within the physical environment including those associated with hydrology, landforms, soils, and vegetation.

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GEOG 253: Environment & Society (3)

Have you ever pondered these questions?

• Did you ever wonder what happens to the things you throw away?
• What are the three R's of Conservation?
• Why is it important to manage our forests?
• How does water get polluted?
• How have human activities impacted our natural environment?
• What is the global distribution of food production and consumption?
• What types of agricultural systems are used worldwide?
• Is our present rate of resource consumption sustainable?
• How are land use decisions made?
• How does pesticide use impact food production and the food web?
• Where is the most rapid human population growth occurring'?

Learn the answers to these and other intriguing questions in GEOG 253. We will explore various concepts in environmental geography, current policy debates, and apply this information to our own lifestyles.

What General Education Objectives are met in Geography 253?

• Explore aspects of environmental geography such as water quality, population dynamics, resource management, and agricultural sustainability within a global framework.
• Integrate information from other disciplines such as sociology, political science, geology, biology, ecology, and chemistry into a geographic perspective.
• Reflect on current research in the field of environmental geography to expose students to the thought process associated with the scientific method.
• Learn to think critically about the geographic environment by examining the impact of humans on natural resources and environmental quality.
• Course assignments and discussions will develop written, quantitative, technical, and oral skills through a varied assortment of exercises.

Facts about Geography 253:

Course Offered: Spring and fall semesters
General Education: Fulfills a social science distributive area requirement and matches the following general education goals: develop communication and technical skills, apply various modes of inquiry, and develop an understanding of integrated knowledge through a combination of lecture material, readings, discussions, assignments, and exams.
Course Goal: Students should leave with a basic understanding of the interrelated components of natural environmental systems and the role humans play in global cycles and environmental quality.

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GEOG 361: Geographic Measurement & Quantitative Analysis

The course objective is an understanding of basic principles related to the collection, measurement, analysis, and presentation of geographical data. The course is a combination of lecture and laboratory sessions and therefore students should expect to learn both detailed methodology and practical application. The nature of geographic data is highly variable as geographers study demographic, environmental, urban, economic, regional, cultural and many other types of phenomena. Although there are a myriad of data types to explore in Geography many of the analysis are shared, and these analysis will be the focus of this course.
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GEOG 453: Environmental Management

Environmental management encompasses a wide array of issues and careers. For instance, everyone is an environmental manager is some way - from a landscape architect to archeologist to a prairie preservationist. Most environmental management classes focus on laws and policy, however, this class goes beyond that to understand issues surrounding how different people manage the environment and to what end. We will talk about planning, conservation, sustainable development, stakeholder conflict-resolution, science and “non-science,” risk assessment, environmental philosophy and mitigation, all in the changing realm of environmental management. Case studies from a variety of disciplines are used to provide a look at how problems arise and how certain management methods might best fit certain problems. Class includes advanced analysis of environmental issues in a variety of geographic contexts and at scales ranging from local to global. There is an emphasis on critical and analytical thinking skills. Undergraduate students have a prerequisite of GEOG 253.
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GEOG 600: Geography Seminar (1/2)

Current research and policy developments in geography and related spatial sciences. Each graduate student in geography must accumulate 2 semester hours of credit prior to graduation, but hours may not be applied toward semester-hour requirements for the M.S. degree. May be repeated to a maximum of 12 semester hours. S/U grading.

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