Geography Courses

100-level courses

GEO 100 Global Viewpoints: Geo. & Hum. Landscape Acquaints students with the key tools, themes, and methodologies by which geographers describe and analyze the global landscape, in its present condition as well as its transformation from past circumstances and its continuing transformation into the future. A general education course (Global Viewpoints).
GEO 101 World Regional Geography The world's regions; settlements, resource use, culture groups, and political patterns. A general education course (social sciences).
GEO 101H Honors World Regional Geography The world's regions; settlements, resource use, culture groups, and political patterns. A general education course (social sciences).
GEO 103 Geography of the Third World "Under-developed" countries; culture areas and economic regions in Africa, Latin America, and Asia. A general education course (social sciences).
GEO 107 Diversity Mapped Regional and local patterns of race/ethnicity and gender of the U.S.; social, economic, and political factors that underlie these patterns; basic skills in reading and analyzing thematic maps. A general education course (social sciences).
GEO 108 Physical Geography Physical phenomena of the environment; patterns of energy and moisture endowments at the earth atmosphere interface described, analyzed spatially, and related to climatic and land form distributions on earth.

300-level courses

GEO 301 Urban Geography Cities from inter urban and intra urban perspectives; evolution of cities and urban areas; their internal structure and the dilemmas they face.
GEO 302 Cultural Geography Impact of various cultures on landscape; distribution of culture traits; development of culture areas.
GEO 303 Economic Geography Spatial distribution of primary, secondary, tertiary, quaternary, and quinary economic activities; theoretical approaches stressed.
GEO 304 Political Geography & Geopolitics Examines the role of geography in the political process at both the domestic and international scales. Addresses the ways in which nation-states structure and organize territories. PREREQ: 3 hours of Geography or consent of instructor.
GEO 306 Environmental Resource Management Spatial issues of resources management; water and air pollution, solid wastes, energy, land use planning, wilderness preservation, and population pressures; interaction of ecosystems.
GEO 308 Climatology Physical basis of climate and weather; distribution of climatic types.
GEO 309 Historical Geography of the United States Spread of settlement, growth of urbanization, and development of economic and culture regions; past and present distribution of religious groups, European ethnic groups, and Afro-Americans. Same as HIS 426.
GEO 310 Geography of Population Spatial distribution of world population; regional variations of growth rates, standards of living, urban/rural densities, migration patterns, and environmental impact of populations, especially African, Native American, and European.
GEO 314 Maps and Map Interpretation Map reading and interpersonal skills, overview of map sources; surveying, interpretation of aerial photographs, remote sensing data and Geographic Information Systems. PREREQ: 3 semester hours of geography.
GEO 316 Computer Cartography Introduction to use of computers in geography; thematic mapping; graphic display of geographic information; employment of current cartographic software packages; application of computer mapping to geographic problems.
GEO 327 Field Mapping in Geography Field mapping and field exploration in the geography of Kentucky; overview of primary mapping techniques such as Surveying, Global Positioning System (GPS) and Remotely Sensed data. Ground truthing of image data and classification results and introduction to techniques of sampling, observation and spatial location procedures. Class includes a weekend field trip. PREREQ: 3 semester hours of geography.
GEO 330 Geography of Religion Distribution of religions with a strong emphasis on the a real spread of various religions; impact of religion on landscape and on the environmental settings of several religions; changing religious patterns in the United States.
GEO 335 Geography through Film, Art & Literature Uses film, art and literature to examine the core elements of Geography, especially by focusing on and identifying, interpreting, and representing the spatial patterns of all the various things on the surface of the earth.
GEO 340 Sustainable Food Systems Production processes and environmental impacts of agriculture, food manufacturing, food retailing in U.S. Land ownership patterns, subsistence food production, and cash crop production in developing world. Sustainable alternatives in U.S. and developing world.
GEO 352 Introduction to Historic Preservation An examination of the growing field of historic preservation including such topics as philosophy, recognition and assessments, survey techniques, preservation planning, conservation, advocacy, federal compliance, and protection of signigicant resources. PREREQ: A 100-level GEO course of consent of instructor.
GEO 370 Geography Methods and Applications Applications of the core elements of geography and synthesizes fundamental geographical knowledge. Serves as a capstone for Geography major. PREREQ: Consent of instructor.
GEO 385 Transformation of Geography in Modern Times Considers the history and philosophy of geography in the modern Western world. Examines the core literatures, debates, research trajectories, professional applications, and methodologies within the field of Geography in the modern period. PREREQ: 3 hours of geography or consent of instructor.
GEO 394 Special Topics: Geography Study of specialized topics in geography not covered through regular curriculum. Subfields will vary according to the interest of the instructor and will be listed in the on-line schedule of classes. May be repeated as topics change. PREREQ: 3 semester hours of geography.

400-level courses

GEO 402 Geography of Europe Physical, cultural, economic, and political patterns of Europe (excluding the former Soviet Union); continent-wide patterns of various characteristics as well as individual countries are considered.
GEO 403 Geography of Africa Physical, cultural, economic, and political patterns of Africa, primarily south of the Sahara.
GEO 406 Geography of Latin America Middle and South America's spatial characteristics, physical setting, social characteristics and economic structure.
GEO 409 Geography of North America The continent's area differences in physiography, climate, culture, and economic systems; synthesis of various spatial characteristics to form distinct regions. PREREQ: 3 semester hours of geography.
GEO 410 Geography of Asia Physical and social geography of major regions; transformation of pre-colonial economic and cultural institutions by world economic integration; evaluation of successes and failures of economic development. PREREQ: 3 semester hours of geography.
GEO 412 Geography of South Asia and the Middle East Geo-political, bio-physical, religious and social aspects of South Asia and the Middle East. PREREQ: consent of instructor.
GEO 415 Cartography Cartographic drawings, map symbolism, and map design; various map projections are studied with regard to possible uses.
GEO 418 Geographic Information Systems Introduction to the theories, principles, construction methods, and applications of geographic information systems; employment of a GIS software package to manipulate geographically referenced data.
GEO 419 Remote Sensing of the Environment Introduction to the principles, characteristics and applications of environmental remote sensing; concepts and foundations of remote sensing, photographic systems and interpretation, thermal and multispectral scanning, radar systems, satellite remote sensing, and digital image processing.
GEO 492 Directed Research: Geography Independent work on research project agreed upon by student and instructor. PREREQ: 3 semester hours of geography.
GEO 496 Internship: Geography (3-6 sem. hrs.) Placement in public agency or private business for supervised experience in applying geographic concepts and techniques; meetings with faculty and with other internship students. Graded pass/fail. PREREQ: 3 semester hours of geographer.
GEO 499 Directed Readings: Geography Individually supervised readings on a selected area of geography. PREREQ: 3 semester hours of geography and consent of instructor.

500-level courses

GEO 502 Geography of Kentucky Cultural, physical, economic, and population characteristics of Kentucky; Kentucky's regional and national importance .
GEO 507 The Local Community: A Geographic Analysis A site-based examination of specific regional features, including cultural heritage infrastructure, tourist infrastructure, or a range of other urban and regional planning issues. May include a service learning component. PREREQ: 3 semester hours of Geography on consent of instructor.
GEO 518 Geographic Information Analysis Introduction to the theories, principles, and applications of geographic information analysis; employement of a GIS software package and other computer software packages to manipulate geographic information analysis methods. PREREQ: GEO 418
GEO 519 Advanced Remote Sensing Introduction to digital remote sensing data processing theories and techniques; employment of a digital remote sensing data processing software package to manipulate digital remote sensing data processing techniques. PREREQ: GEO 419.
GEO 520 Environmental Resources for Teachers Study of such environmental problem areas as energy use, population growth, deforestation, toxic wastes, landscape conservation, and sustainable uses, with a focus on classroom applications and management challenges; may include a service learning component. PREREQ: 3 semester hours of geography.
GEO 522 Intro to Historic Preservation An examination of the growing field of historic preservation including such topics as philosophy, recognition and assessments, survey techniques, preservation planning, conservation, advocacy, federal compliance, and protection of significant resources. PREREQ: A 100-level GEO course or consent of instructor.
GEO 540 Cultural Geography of Asia Selective consideration from among broad range of themes in the cultural geography of Asia, such as environmental sustainability, political processes, urbanization, religion, nationalism, recreation, and domestic habitation. May be repeated once for credit when topics vary. PREREQ: GEO 410 or consent of instructor.
GEO 552 Spatial Data Bases Introduction to fundamental spatial data organizing theories and principles, and spatial data modeling techniques underlying various spatial information systems; employment of a GIS software packages to manipulate spatial databases. PREREQ: consent of instructor.
GEO 592 Directed Research in Geography Individual research in an area of geography under supervision of a faculty member. May be repeated once for credit. PREREQ: consent of instructor.
GEO 594 Selected Topics: Geography Study of selected topics. Subfields will be chosen in keeping with interest of the instructor and will be listed in schedule of classes. May be repeated for credit when topics vary.