GEOG 322
CULTURAL GEOGRAPHY

  1. Catalog Entry

GEOG 322 Cultural Geography. (SS)
Three hours lecture (3).

Prerequisites: None

Study of the evolution of various cultures. Compares differences and similarities of contemporary cultures and human landscapes. Cultural Geography is a required course for the General Concentration and is an optional requirement for Teacher Certification concentrations.

  1. Detailed Description of Content of the Course

The Cultural Geography course provides information about the evolution of various cultures. The framework of the course is formed from a typology of subsistence; hunting and gathering, horticulture, agriculture, industry, and post-industrial. Each subsistence type is viewed with reference to it's cultural cohesion and its impact on the environment. The major topics of this course are; population dynamics and human population distribution, various types of migration, spatial diffusion, settlement types; rural and urban, language distribution and diffusion, and religion and it's impact on the environment.

  1. Detailed Description of Conduct of the Course

Although the course is categorized as a lecture course, much of the class time is spent in discussion and debate concerning the differences and similarities of past and contemporary cultures within their physical landscapes. Materials for discussion are provided by assigned reading from texts, library reserve material, and research efforts of the students. The student is encouraged to formulate an understanding of spatial interactions within a particular physical and cultural milieu. Students will research a cultural group to present to the class. Different types of subsistence will be stressed so that when reports are presented in class, an overall view of cultural similarities and differences will emerge.

  1. Goals and Objectives of the Course

The goals of Cultural Geography Class are:

1. the student will understand the cultural variability in a temporal and global sense, gaining an understanding of mult-culturalism,
2. the student will develop an understanding of the complexity of the relationship between the environment and the technical and social devices implemented to exploit the environment
3. the student will develop the thought processes which he/she can use to interpret his/her world in this age of a shrinking global environment.

  1. Assessment Measures

Assessment of the student's success in the course is based on exams, quizzes, film summaries, and a formal paper and presentation.

  1. Other Course Information

NONE.

  1. APPROVAL AND SUBSEQUENT REVIEWS

DATE ACTION APPROVED BY
September 2005 Reviewed Bernd H. Kuennecke