GEOG 115-01 10395 |
Thinking Geographically: The Fundamentals of Human Geography |
Days: T R
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Time: 09:40 am-11:10 am
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Room: CARN 107
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Instructor: I-Chun Catherine Chang
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*First day attendance required*
Details
Human geography studies the dynamic development of our world. Across sub-disciplines that may focus on cities, politics, economics, cultures, population, or many other subjects, human geographers share some fundamental conceptual tools to understand our world and embrace similar approaches to producing geographic knowledge about it. In this course, we will together explore these epistemological and methodological bases of the discipline. We will start with the histories and various traditions of geography and advance to key geographic concepts such as space, time, place, scale, landscape, system, nature, development, globalization and risk. We will also survey approaches of practicing human geography and consider vital questions like what data to use, which methods to employ, and what analyses to perform. By bringing the "knowing" and the "doing" of human geography together, this course aims to help students appreciate that human geography is not a collection of geographical facts, but an intellectual institution always open to new perspectives and approaches, and constantly evolving with our societies. Prerequisite(s): Not open to students who've passed Advanced Placement (AP) Human Geography.
General Education Requirements:
Distribution Requirements:
Social science
Course Materials
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GEOG 203-01 10396 |
Introduction to Urban Ecology |
Days: T R
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Time: 01:20 pm-02:50 pm
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Room: CARN 107
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Instructor: I-Chun Catherine Chang
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*First day attendance required; cross-listed with ENVI 203-01*
Details
Urban ecology is both a concept and a field of study. It focuses on the interactions between humans, urban ecosystems, and the built environment. With over half of the world's population now living in cities, cities have assumed a critical role in shaping local, regional, and global ecologies. In this course, we will examine the distinctiveness of the interconnected urban biophysical, socio-economic, and political processes. In order to disentangle the complexity of human-environment relations in cities, we will take an interdisciplinary approach and learn theories and concepts in natural science ecology, environmental studies, geography, urban planning, sociology, and public policies. We will use our campus and the Twin Cities as a "living laboratory" and apply these theories and concepts to laboratory exercises, field observation, case studies, and research on contemporary urban sustainability initiatives.
General Education Requirements:
Distribution Requirements:
Social science
Course Materials
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GEOG 225-01 10398 |
Introduction to Geographic Information Systems |
Days: M W F
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Time: 09:40 am-10:40 am
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Room: CARN 107
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Instructor: Holly Barcus
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*Permission of instructor required; first day attendance required*
Details
This course provides an introduction to cartography, visualization, and analyses of geospatial data, as well as hands-on experience with geospatial technologies in the GIS laboratory. Students will learn the basics of mapping/cartography (e.g. scale, projections, map design) and Geographic Information Systems. Students will create maps with commonly used digital data (e.g., aerial photographs, census boundaries, digital elevation models, etc.), and master basic methods of spatial analyses. Both concepts and techniques will be taught in this course. Hands-on assignments include classification of demographic data and query/analysis of vector and raster data. One and one half laboratory hours per week required. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor.
General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q2
Distribution Requirements:
Social science
Course Materials
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GEOG 225-L1 10399 |
Intro to Geog Info Systems Lab |
Days: W
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Time: 10:50 am-12:20 pm
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Room: CARN 108
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Instructor: Ashley Nepp
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*Permission of instructor required; first day attendance required*
Details
This course provides an introduction to cartography, visualization, and analyses of geospatial data, as well as hands-on experience with geospatial technologies in the GIS laboratory. Students will learn the basics of mapping/cartography (e.g. scale, projections, map design) and Geographic Information Systems. Students will create maps with commonly used digital data (e.g., aerial photographs, census boundaries, digital elevation models, etc.), and master basic methods of spatial analyses. Both concepts and techniques will be taught in this course. Hands-on assignments include classification of demographic data and query/analysis of vector and raster data. One and one half laboratory hours per week required. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor.
General Education Requirements:
Distribution Requirements:
Social science
Course Materials
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GEOG 225-L2 10400 |
Intro to Geog Info Systems Lab |
Days: R
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Time: 09:40 am-11:10 am
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Room: CARN 108
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Instructor: Ashley Nepp
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*Permission of instructor required; first day attendance required*
Details
This course provides an introduction to cartography, visualization, and analyses of geospatial data, as well as hands-on experience with geospatial technologies in the GIS laboratory. Students will learn the basics of mapping/cartography (e.g. scale, projections, map design) and Geographic Information Systems. Students will create maps with commonly used digital data (e.g., aerial photographs, census boundaries, digital elevation models, etc.), and master basic methods of spatial analyses. Both concepts and techniques will be taught in this course. Hands-on assignments include classification of demographic data and query/analysis of vector and raster data. One and one half laboratory hours per week required. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor.
General Education Requirements:
Distribution Requirements:
Social science
Course Materials
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GEOG 232-01 10401 |
People, Agriculture and the Environment |
Days: T R
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Time: 09:40 am-11:10 am
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Room: LIBR 250
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Instructor: William Moseley
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*First day attendance required; cross-listed with ENVI 232-01*
Details
This course introduces you to the study of human-environment interactions from a geographic perspective, with a special emphasis on food and agriculture. We examine environmental issues in a variety of geographic contexts (Global South and Global North) and the connections between environmental problems in different locations. Beyond agriculture, we also explore other sectoral issues in relation to farming and food security. These themes include: human population growth, consumption, biodiversity, climate change, and environmental health. We try on a number of theoretical lenses from geography's broad human-environment tradition (such as physical geography, cultural ecology, commodity chain analysis, political ecology, resource geography, the human dimensions of global change, hazards geography and environmental justice). In other words, we not only explore a range of agricultural and environmental issues, but also grapple with theory and how this informs our understanding of the human-environment interface.
General Education Requirements:
Internationalism
Distribution Requirements:
Social science
Course Materials
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GEOG 239-F1 10403 |
Neotropical Landscapes |
Days: T R
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Time: 03:00 pm-04:30 pm
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Room: CARN 05
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Instructor: Xavier Haro-Carrión
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*First-Year course only; first day attendance required; cross-listed with LATI 239-F1*
Details
The Neotropical realm is a region that includes tropical areas in the Americas and South America’s temperate zone. These areas provide important environmental services like water, climate regulation, and biodiversity. They also support human populations and livelihoods. This course examines the main types of landscapes in the Neotropics, such as rainforests, deserts, and temperate forests. We will study the climate, ecology, and people of each area, including indigenous communities and others. We will also learn about how humans interact with these environments, such as through changing the land, conserving natural resources and cultures, and adapting to the impacts of climate change. To enhance the learning experience, we will employ various teaching methods, such as readings, short lectures, discussions, class activities, essays, invited speakers and field trips. As an Argumentative Writing (WA) class, students should be prepared to write approximately 5,000 words of text.
General Education Requirements:
Writing WA
Internationalism
Distribution Requirements:
Social science
Course Materials
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GEOG 241-01 10405 |
Urban Geography |
Days: M W F
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Time: 03:30 pm-04:30 pm
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Room: CARN 06A
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Instructor: Daniel Trudeau
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Details
This course introduces you to the interdisciplinary study of cities and emphasizes a geographical lens. The central point of the course is to examine how the built environments of cities are shaped by human activity and how, in turn, urban life is shaped by the built environment. The course focuses on American cities and Minneapolis-St. Paul in particular. This course takes advantage of Macalester's location by introducing you to the urban environment of the Twin Cities and connecting you to its history, landscapes, communities, and institutions through case studies, field study exercises, and visits with experts working in organizations and institutions in the local community. This course will demand a lot from you, but it should be a lot of fun and offer a formative learning experience, not only about cities, but about the discipline of geography, the liberal arts, and even yourself. Field work required.
General Education Requirements:
Writing WP
Distribution Requirements:
Social science
Course Materials
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GEOG 241-01 10405 |
Urban Geography |
Days: M W F
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Time: 03:30 pm-04:30 pm
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Room: CARN 06A
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Instructor: Daniel Trudeau
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Details
This course introduces you to the interdisciplinary study of cities and emphasizes a geographical lens. The central point of the course is to examine how the built environments of cities are shaped by human activity and how, in turn, urban life is shaped by the built environment. The course focuses on American cities and Minneapolis-St. Paul in particular. This course takes advantage of Macalester's location by introducing you to the urban environment of the Twin Cities and connecting you to its history, landscapes, communities, and institutions through case studies, field study exercises, and visits with experts working in organizations and institutions in the local community. This course will demand a lot from you, but it should be a lot of fun and offer a formative learning experience, not only about cities, but about the discipline of geography, the liberal arts, and even yourself. Field work required.
General Education Requirements:
Writing WP
Distribution Requirements:
Social science
Course Materials
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GEOG 242-01 10407 |
Regional Geography of the US and Canada |
Days: M W F
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Time: 02:20 pm-03:20 pm
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Room: CARN 107
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Instructor: Laura Smith
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Details
This course explores the ways in which diverse groups of people interact with the natural environment to produce the contemporary landscapes (human and physical) and regional differentiation (social and cultural) of the U.S. and Canada. The course emphasizes patterns of human settlement, economic activity, and land use, with special attention given to social and legal issues relevant to Native populations in the U.S. and the historic and current status and development of Native lands. Case studies and a field study to the Boreal Forest region of northern Minnesota will be used to demonstrate broad themes at a more personal scale.
General Education Requirements:
U.S. Identities and Differences
Distribution Requirements:
Social science
Course Materials
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GEOG 242-F1 10406 |
Regional Geography of the US and Canada |
Days: M W F
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Time: 10:50 am-11:50 am
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Room: CARN 105
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Instructor: Laura Smith
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*First-Year course only*
Details
This course explores the ways in which diverse groups of people interact with the natural environment to produce the contemporary landscapes (human and physical) and regional differentiation (social and cultural) of the U.S. and Canada. The course emphasizes patterns of human settlement, economic activity, and land use, with special attention given to social and legal issues relevant to Native populations in the U.S. and the historic and current status and development of Native lands. Case studies and a field study to the Boreal Forest region of northern Minnesota will be used to demonstrate broad themes at a more personal scale.
General Education Requirements:
Writing WA
U.S. Identities and Differences
Distribution Requirements:
Social science
Course Materials
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GEOG 248-F1 10408 |
The Political Geography of Nations and Nationalism |
Days: M W F
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Time: 12:00 pm-01:00 pm
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Room: CARN 05
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Instructor: Daniel Trudeau
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*First-Year course only*
Details
This course investigates how nations and nationalism affect social identity and the organization of territory in our world. Political geography offers concepts and approaches to help us think through the complex intersections of people, place, and politics that constitute the struggle to create and maintain nation-states. Thus the first part of the course is devoted to enhancing your understanding of core concepts, such as nation, state, territory, sovereignty, scale, borders, and geographical imagination. The ultimate purpose of this first part of the course then is to assemble a framework for understanding why our contemporary organization of territory throughout the world looks the way it does. Equipped with these foundations, we explore topics in the second part of class that help you think critically about the stability of nations and the organization of territory into the nation-state system as well as challenges to these institutions. Toward this end, you will also conduct an independent research project on a single group's attempt to foster national self-determination. Throughout the course, we will bring our investigations to bear on everyday life, exploring how nations and nationalism shape our world in dramatic and mundane ways.
General Education Requirements:
Writing WA
Internationalism
Distribution Requirements:
Social science
Course Materials
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GEOG 252-F1 10351 |
Water and Power |
Days: T R
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Time: 09:40 am-11:10 am
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Room: OLRI 300
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Instructor: Roopali Phadke
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*First-Year course only; first day attendance required; cross-listed with ENVI 252-F1 and POLI 252-F1*
Details
Fresh water has become one of the most fiercely guarded local and global resources as the climate changes. This course takes an interdisciplinary approach to studying water resources. With a focus on the Mississippi River, whose headwaters are in northern Minnesota and whose banks are a mile from campus, we will examine historical and emerging challenges to the equitable and sustainable use of waters. We will also meet with local artists, activists and scientists whose work centers around imagining how rivers heal and take fieldtrips that include paddling the river! We will address a range of controversial topics including energy production, indigenous rights, and cultural preservation.
General Education Requirements:
Writing WA
Distribution Requirements:
Social science
Course Materials
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GEOG 256-01 10411 |
Health Geography |
Days: M W F
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Time: 10:50 am-11:50 am
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Room: HUM 216
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Instructor: Eric Carter
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Details
This course examines the geographical dimensions of health and disease, emphasizing global and domestic public health issues. Key approaches and themes include the social determinants of health; health equity; how place influences individual health; health equity; epidemiological mapping and spatial analysis; environmental health; environmental justice; the relationship among demographic change, economic development, and population health; the geography of pandemics; the disease ecology approach to infectious and vector-borne diseases; and the challenges of global health governance in the 21st century, with special emphasis on emerging infectious diseases.
General Education Requirements:
Internationalism
Distribution Requirements:
Social science
Course Materials
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GEOG 261-01 10412 |
Geography of World Urbanization |
Days: M W F
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Time: 01:10 pm-02:10 pm
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Room: CARN 107
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Instructor: I-Chun Catherine Chang
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*First day attendance required*
Details
We now live in a world where the majority of the population already lives in cities. And yet every year, hundreds of millions of people continue to move into cities to pursue a better future. The contemporary social, economic, and political changes are intrinsically linked to divergent urban processes across the world. This paramount shift poses important theoretical and empirical questions to our age. This course uses the critical perspective of "global urbanism" to both contextualize and connect different urban experiences across places. We will introduce various urban settings and demonstrate how complex relations between urbanization, globalization, and economic development produce spatial unevenness and social inequality. We will study the dominant paradigm of world and global cities, which prioritizes development trajectories of cities in the global North, and discuss contesting views focusing on "ordinary cities" from the global South. Drawing on case studies in the developed and less-developed world, we will also learn how to apply the relational comparative urbanism approach as well as regionally based theoretical perspectives to comprehend the diverse urban landscapes around the globe.
General Education Requirements:
Writing WA
Internationalism
Distribution Requirements:
Social science
Course Materials
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GEOG 368-01 10415 |
Health GIS |
Days: T R
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Time: 01:20 pm-02:50 pm
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Room: CARN 109
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Instructor: Eric Carter
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*Permission of instructor required; first day attendance required*
Details
This course builds on skills learned in the introductory Geographic Information Systems (GIS) course, focusing explicitly on geospatial techniques used for analyzing problems in public health. Mainly through lectures, discussions, hands-on lab exercises, and collaborative group work, students will learn to use advanced GIS tools to visualize and analyze public health issues, including: health disparities; neighborhood effects on health; spatial clustering of disease events, such as cancers; environmental health and environmental justice; infectious and vector-borne disease; and accessibility of populations to health care services. The course builds skills in spatial thinking, statistical and epidemiological reasoning, logical inference, critical use of data, geovisualization, and research project design. Students will be required to complete a final independent project on a topic of their choice. Laboratory work is required. Prerequisite(s): GEOG 225 and permission of instructor; completion of GEOG 256 and/or STAT 125 is highly encouraged before taking this course.
General Education Requirements:
Distribution Requirements:
Social science
Course Materials
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GEOG 372-01 10904 |
Advanced Remote Sensing |
Days: T R
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Time: 09:40 am-11:10 am
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Room: CARN 109
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Instructor: Xavier Haro-Carrión
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*First day attendance required; cross-listed with COMP 272-01*
Details
This course introduces students to advanced topics in remote sensing analysis and is directed to students who want to work on a research project of their own choice. Introduction to some advanced remote sensing techniques such as the use of machine learning algorithms in image classification analysis (e.g. Random Forests) and time series analysis will be provided, but ultimately topics will be defined by students' interest. Advanced remote sensing techniques will be learned using Google Earth Engine (GEE). GEE is a cloud-based geospatial analysis platform that uses JavaScript and that enables large scale processing of satellite and other types of imagery. No previous coding experience is required and given the project-based nature of the class, students can opt to use GEE or another geospatial software for their projects. Students are expected to build a body of literature related to a topic of their choice, lead discussions, analyze data, peer-review other projects, and other steps related to the production of a scientific paper. The ultimate goal is to produce a "research manuscript" by the end of the semester and the majority of the grade will come from completing the steps leading to manuscript production. Prerequisite(s): GEOG 362
General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q3
Distribution Requirements:
Social science
Course Materials
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GEOG 394-02 10417 |
Public Health in Latin America |
Days: M
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Time: 07:00 pm-10:00 pm
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Room: CARN 05
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Instructor: Eric Carter
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*Permission of instructor required; first day attendance required; cross-listed with LATI 394-01*
Details
Public health is an integral but often overlooked aspect of the historical development of Latin America and the Caribbean. While it is hard to generalize about such a diverse region, many countries (e.g., Cuba, Chile, and Costa Rica) have achieved "first-world" standards of public health despite relatively low levels of economic development. Health has also been a key issue in debates about the scope of national welfare states, and intersects with many other social and political issues, such as the role of women in society, race and ethnicity, and social inequality. This interdisciplinary course draws on the instructor's research experience as a health geographer who focuses on current and historical public health issues in Latin America. Topics to be covered include the impact of epidemic diseases in the European conquest of the New World; medical pluralism, complementary and alternative health practices, including indigenous medicine; hygiene, sanitation, and the shaping of urban environments (special focus on Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro); race, nationalism, and health in the Latin American eugenics movement; social medicine, socialist health systems alternatives, and the development of the Latin American welfare state; geopolitics and US hegemony in international health institutions (focus on the Rockefeller Foundation and the Pan American Health Organization); malaria eradication in Latin America—where it succeeded, where it failed and why; the politics of family planning, birth control, and abortion starting in the 1960s; the HIV/AIDS epidemic and national responses starting in the 1980s; and the national responses to the Covid-19 pandemic of recent years. Students will apply new perspectives and methodologies in a collective research project on historical or contemporary issues in Latin American public health. Prerequisites: none. Spanish or Portuguese language skills desirable, but not required.
General Education Requirements:
Writing WA
Internationalism
Distribution Requirements:
Course Materials
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GEOG 477-01 10419 |
Comparative Environment and Development |
Days: T R
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Time: 03:00 pm-04:30 pm
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Room: CARN 105
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Instructor: William Moseley
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*Permission of instructor required; first day attendance required; cross-listed with ENVI 477-01 and INTL 477-01*
Details
A concern for the relationship between nature and society has been one of the pillars of geographic inquiry, and has also been an important bridge between other disciplines. By the 1960s, this area of inquiry was referred to variously as "human ecology" or "cultural ecology." Since the 1990s certain forms of inquiry within this tradition have increasingly referred to themselves as "political ecology." The purpose of this seminar is to review major works within the traditions of cultural and political ecology; examine several areas of interest within these fields (e.g., agricultural modernization, environmental narratives, conservation, ecotourism); and explore nature-society dynamics across a range of geographical contexts. Towards the end of the course students will explore how one might begin to think in practical terms about facilitating development in marginal environments. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Prior completion of a geography course(s) with an environmental or development focus is encouraged.
General Education Requirements:
Writing WA
Internationalism
Distribution Requirements:
Social science
Course Materials
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