Undergraduate Learning Goals

The undergraduate geography curriculum for majors consists of 36 credits. There are 21 credits of required courses and the remaining 15 credits are selected from three tracks: Global Culture, Economics and Society, Environment, and Geographical Techniques. There are three key learning goals for each of the tracks, as listed below. These goals are also applicable to those required courses that are thematically connected.

Global Culture, Economics and Society

(1) Demonstrate the ability to synthesize and examine critically a range of contemporary cultural, economic and societal issues, particularly those connected with globalization and geopolitics.

(2) To understand and evaluate connections and disconnections between places and peoples within the context of development and unequal power relationships.

(3) To be able to identify and apply analytic tools and geographic models appropriate to the study of cultural, societal and economic issues.

Environment

(1) To become literate in the terminology and frames of reference used in environmental research and to apply terminology and frames of reference appropriately.

(2) Demonstrate the ability to identify and explain aspects of key environmental issues, including global climate change and land-surface transformation.

(3) To be able to identify and apply analytic tools and geographic models appropriate to the study of environmental and natural-resource issues.

Geographical Techniques

(1) To demonstrate an understanding of fundamental principles, concepts and knowledge of geographic technologies used in the acquisition, processing and analysis of spatial geographic data.

(2) To be able to locate, access, manipulate, display and communicate spatial geographic data on selected topics.

(3) To become fluent in specific applications that support career prospects.