GEOG 1992 Human Geographies
Instructor Contact:
Caitlin Micaela Ryan
Email: Caitlin.Ryan@Colorado.EDU
About the Course:
The purpose of this course is to introduce you to the core concepts, themes, and concerns of human geography. Human geography is the study of how humans shape, and are shaped by, the places in which they live. Developing an understanding of the numerous and interconnected relationships between people and places is increasingly important in our globalizing world. While some see global processes as homogenizing, others experience these processes as exacerbating social, cultural, and economic differences. This course explores both these ideas through several lenses, and gives you the tools to communicate about these processes.
In this course you will work to develop your geographic imagination—that is, a way of seeing and making sense of the interconnectedness of places and people. Along the way, you will also improve your writing and critical thinking skills through written assignments. To be successful in this course, you must actively participate in online discussions, complete and reflect on all weekly readings, and challenge yourself to engage your geographic imaginary as you move throughout your daily life.
We each bring a unique background and set of experiences to our virtual classroom. I encourage you to draw on your background and experiences to make sense of the course material. To the extent that is comfortable to you, feel free to share how you understand the concepts from this course through your experiences in your weekly discussion posts and other assignments.
Objectives:
By the end of the course you should be able to:
- Understand the scope and breadth of human geography, and to distinguish between sub-disciplines including political, cultural, economic, feminist and environmental geographies.
- Use key ideas and concepts from human geography to understand and describe the world around you.
- Think spatially, and to see the various ways in which places and people are interconnected and interdependent.
- Critically analyze both academic and non-academic materials.
Grading (out of n points):
Discussions – 45%
Syllabus quiz – 2%
Reading quizzes – 15%
Participation – 8%
Assignments (midterm and final) – 30%