Spring 2022 Geography Courses for Undergraduates
Concentration codes – any major can take any class and have it count as an elective, but these codes are provided to help guide your choices for fulfilling your concentration requirements.
H (Human Geography),
E (Environmental Geography & Sustainability,
C (Climate Change and Society),
I (Globalization & International Studies),
U (Urban Geography),
G (Geographic Information Systems Technology)
P (Physical Geography
| Concentration | Course Title, Number, and Credits | Description | Time | Instructor.. |
| GEOGRAPH 102: Diversity, Globalization, and Sustainability: Introduction to Human Geography (4 Credits) | 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) | MWF 11:15AM-12:05PM | Eric Thomas | |
| GEOGRAPH 110: Global Environment Change (4 Credits) | 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) | T TH: 2:30 – 3:45 | Steven Petsch | |
| GEOGRAPH 220: World Regional Geography (4 Credits) | Survey of world physical and human geography, highlighting regional diversity and variation in globalization processes and outcomes. Introduces geographical theories, concepts, and methods while exploring nine major world regions. (GenEd SB, DG) | T TH: 2:30-3:45 | Toby Applegate | |
| GEOGRAPH 314: Writing in Geography (3 Credits) | “Writing in Geography” has three objectives: (1) to introduce geography majors to the academic and professional practices of geography beyond the introductory level, (2) to assist geography majors in developing research, writing and presentation skills, and (3) to help geography majors prepare for their career and job search. These objectives fulfill the university and departmental requirements for a “junior year writing course.” The course will involve short writing exercises and longer-term research and writing projects. These projects will involve not only research and writing, but also editing and re-writing. We’ll approach research, writing and presentation as a continuum of approaches to discovering, analyzing and communicating about the world and its inhabitants. | MW: 2:30-3:45 | Piper Gaubatz | |
| Core Requirement: G | GEOGRAPH 352 /592M: Computer Mapping (3 Credits) | This course provides introductory exposure to the basic cartography skills used for digital map making. We’ll primarily be using ArcGIS Pro and Adobe Illustrator to map physical environments as well as 3D scenes. Course learning goals include a fundamental understanding of map composure, as well as map elements such as north arrows, scale bars, and legends. We will also go over general best practices for data management such as zipping and unzipping file archives and geodatabases. By the end of term, you’ll have an Introductory level understanding of ESRI’s mapping software as well as Adobe AI for graphic design within maps or elsewhere. | T TH: 1-2:15 | Avery Panza |
| Core Requirement: H, I | GEOGRAPH 360: Economic Geography | Economic Geography is the study of how humans struggle to live on our planet. The course examines economic activities in space, place, and location through three lens: globalization, unequal development, and sustainability. Students will learn not just the “why” of economics, but how “where” complicates understanding the economy. | T TH: 10-11:15 | Toby Applegate |
| Core Requirement: E, C, P | GEOGRAPH 393C: Geographies of Climate Justice (3 Credits) | Climate change is one of the greatest challenges facing the planet, and it is intimately connected to uneven and inequitable social, political, economic and environmental geographies. In this course we explore climate justice in relation to climate science including greenhouse gas emissions and ongoing and likely future impacts; differential experiences and narratives of climate change; the ways that climate solutions may reinforce or improve social and economic difference and marginalization; more-than-human geographies of climate change; and possibilities for democratic and just responses. Students will leave this course with a broader understanding of the necessity and practice of climate justice. | T TH: 2:30-3:45 | Shaina Sadai |
| Core Requirement: G | GEOGRAPH 468/668: GIS and Spatial Analysis ( 3 Credits) | This is an upper level GIS course for students to obtain intermediate to advanced GIS skills to solve science and application problems. Extended from Introductory GIS, the course focuses on vector- and raster- based GIS techniques and spatial analysis. In addition, we will introduce the spatial statistics and geostatistical principles and tools. We will work with model builder, which is a useful tool for creating your own models. Upon the completion of this course, students are expected to be able to 1) conduct geospatial analysis (vector and raster), 2) design and create models with model builder, 3) Understand and use common spatial statistics tools, 4) interpret and evaluate the outcomes of GIS analysis in wider research contexts, and 5) Improve writing and presenting skills for describing technical specifications. | T TH: 11:30AM – 12:45PM | Qian Yu |
| Core Requirement: G | GEOGRAPH 493S/693S: Spatial Decision Making and Support (3 Credits) | 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 a flexible approach for the development of spatial decision-making models. | T TH: 10-11:15 | Seda Salap-Ayca |
| Core Requirement: G | GEOGRAPH 493W/693W/NRC 597GW: Web GIS (3 Credits) | Students in WebGIS will explore web-based applications in Geographic Information Science (GIS). This course will focus on hands-on practice using and building web-based mapping and analysis platforms, including ArcGIS Online, Open Street Map, Leaflet, Mapbox, and others. Along with conceptual discussion of how the internet, web servers, and cloud-based GIS services function, students will create and host web services, design websites, and create products relevant to their coursework, research, or professional goals. | TBD | Forrest Bowlick |
| Core Requirement: G | GEOGRAPH 497A/697A: Geocomputation (3 Credits) | This course is constructed based on three important stages of geographic information: modelling, analyzing, and visualization of spatial information. First, we talk about the roots of geocomputation and see some important data formats and modelling efforts. Then, we continue towards trunk to branch several analyzing techniques in geocomputation. Finally, we reach the branch where we will tell our story through various visualization techniques. Students apply the techniques covered during the class in various areas. Their final portfolio is a web-based application which compiles all the lab assignments that they complete through the semester. | T TH: 1-2:15 | Seda Salap Ayca |
| Core Requirement: H, E | GEOGRAPH 497R/697G: Am development + US Env Policy (3 Credits) | This course examines the ways US lands, waters and resources are organized by policies and law, how this has changed over time, and why. We examine the interrelationships among: economic development; development of biophysical systems as economic resources; land use change; US territorial expansion; race, class, and the expropriation and exploitation of different peoples’ lands, bodies and property; political mobilization to protect, conserve and clean the environment; demand for jobs and workers; and the ways land, water, property and environmental policies and laws change in order to enable and address each of these. The course proceeds roughly historically, from early commercialization of New England’s lands and industrialization of New England’s waters to the present day. A key goal is creative and critical comparison: thinking about different ways land, waters, resources and policy have been or might be organized, how and why this changed or might change, and the consequences for the environment and people. Students will engage in thoughtful, critical, reflective conversations and writing; analyze policy and environmental change in one site in the Pioneer Valley; and experience environmental policy lobbying. | MW: 4-5:15 | Eve Vogel |
| Core Requirement: P | GEOGRAPH 560: Geomorphology (4 Credits) | Earth surface processes and their relation to topography and landscape evolution. Focus on hillslope, fluvial, and other processes that shape Earth’s surface. Field trips by arrangement. | MWF: 1:25-2:15 | Isaac Larsen |
| GEOGRAPH 670: Urban Environmental History (3 Credits) Permission Only | This year’s Urban Environmental History seminar will center on public space in the urban environment. This is a reading-and-discussion intensive graduate seminar aimed to familiarize students with the growing body of literature on urban public space. This course is “instructor’s permission only” – and will be assigned a time slot based on students’ schedules. Please contact Professor Gaubatz gaubatz@geo.umass.edu if you are interested. | TBD | Piper Gaubatz | |
| ECO 697K: Python for ARC GIS (3 Credits) Permission Only | This course will cover a number of programming methods and applications in GIS. Beginning in the (familiar) ArcGIS environment, this course will explore fundamentals of programming in Python while learning the Model Builder interface. By exploring basic automation methods of repetitive or complex tasks, this course will also introduce foundations of computer science and computational thinking. While gaining proficiency in Model Builder, this course will expand to other python scripting applications, both within ArcGIS and in other platforms. By exploring many applications of programming to advance GIS analysis and improve workflows, students will build a strong base of knowledge and capacity for future learning and flexibility with programming in GIS. | T TH: 1-2:15 | Forrest Bowlick | |
| Core Requirement: H,E | ENVSCI 597FS: Sustainable Food Systems (3 Credits) | Food systems, sovereignty, and security remain major issues of concern for producers, consumers, and policymakers at the dawn of the 21st Century, despite significant advances in transportation and technology. This course addresses these concerns by approaching food, the environment, and sustainability from an environmental anthropology perspective—critically examining the relationship between what we eat and who we are. Over the course of the semester, we will compare past, present, and future food systems in the United States with those in other parts of the world. We will also explore topics including food security, nutrition, aid, immigration, climate change, sustainable livelihoods, and cultural production and diffusion. | MW: 2:30-3:45 | Eric Thomas |
| Core Requirement: H, E | NRC 597EE: Environmental Education (?) | The relationship of humans with non-human nature has been changing dramatically over the last several decades, particularly in the United States. The amount of time Americans spend outdoors has been steadily declining since at least 1970 to an all-time low of just 3-5 hours per week. The so-called “nature connection” is being lost and, with it, so is society’s capacity for environmental stewardship. In this class we will examine the field of environmental education, from theories and philosophies of engaging people with nature to pedagogies and actual practices out in the real world, including in our own local communities. This course is open to all upper division undergraduates and graduate students with an interest in environmental conservation and sustainability. No background in environmental education is required. | TBD | Britt Crow-Miller |