Exploratory Courses | Grounding Courses | Intermediate Courses | Advanced Courses | Fall 2007 and Spring 2008 Courses
EXPLORATORY COURSES (10-99 level)
Physical Geography (10s)
- Geography 10 (GN): Introduction to Physical Geography--Survey and synthesis of processes creating geographical patterns of natural resources, with application of basic environmental processes in resource management.
- Geography 10H (GN): Introduction to Physical Geography (Honors)--Survey and synthesis of processes creating geographical patterns of natural resources, with application of basic environmental processes in resource management.
Human Geography (20s)
- Geography 20 (US, IL): Introduction to Human Geography--Spatial perspective on human societies in a modernizing world; regional examples; use of space and environmental resources; elements of geographic planning.
- Geography 20U (US, IL): Introduction to Human Geography (Honors)--Spatial perspective on human societies in a modernizing world; regional examples; use of space and environmental resources; elements of geographic planning.
Nature-Society (30s)
- Geography 30 (GS): Geographic Perspectives on Sustainability and Human-Environment Systems--Introduction to theory, methods, history and contemporary issues in global and regional relationships between human activity and the physical environment.
Regional Geography (40s)
- Geography 40 (GS, IL): World Regional Geography--Introduction to the world as an interdependent community built from unique and independent regions and nations.
GROUNDING COURSES (100 and 200 level)
Physical Geography (10s)
- Geography 110 (GN): World Climates --Introduction to climatology, including principal processes of the global climatic system and their variation over space and time.
- Geography 111 (GN): Biogeography and Global Ecology--Distribution of plants and animals on global, regional, and local scales; their causes and significance.
- Geography 115 (GN): Landforms of the World --Distribution of the world's landform features and mineral resources; their characteristics, causes, and significance. Practicum includes correlated field trips and laboratory studies.
Human Geography (20s)
- Geography 120 (GS, US, IL): Urban Geography: A Global Perspective--Introduction to the geography of the world's cities and urban system.
- Geography 122 (GH, US): The American Scene--Historical perspectives on the social and cultural forces associated with the production of distinctive American landscapes.
- Geography 123 (GS, IL): Geography of the Developing World--Patterns of poverty in poor countries; conventional and non-conventional explanations; focus on solutions; case studies of specific regions.
- Geography 123U (GS, IL): Geography of the Developing World (Honors)--Patterns of poverty in poor countries; conventional and non-conventional explanations; focus on solutions; case studies of specific regions.
- Geography 124 (GS, IL): Elements of Cultural Geography--Locational analysis of changes in non-Western cultures. Problems of plural societies, economic development, population growth, and settlement.
- Geography 126 (GS, US, IL): Economic Geography--The location of economic activity at both macro- and micro-regional levels on the earth's surface.
- Geography 128 (GS, IL): Geography of International Affairs--Contemporary international affairs in their geographical setting; geographic elements in the development of national power, political groupings, and international disputes.
Geographic Information Science (60s, 70s, 80s)
- Geography 160 (GS): Mapping our Changing World--Fundamental concepts of GIS, cartography, remote sensing, and GPS in the context of environmental and social problems.
Special Purpose (90s)
- Geography 293H: International Service Learning (Honors)--Classroom instruction with supervised student activity on an honors international community service project
- Geography 297A (US, IL): Great Environmental Challenges: Movies that Matter--Introduction to major environmental dialogues through film, exploring issues (e.g., climate change, pollutants, energy consumption) in contemporary societal context.
INTERMEDIATE COURSES (300-level)
- Geography 301: Thinking Geographically--Learning to think geographically
Physical Geography (10s)
- Geography 310W: Introduction to Global Climatic Systems--Introduction to global atmospheric circulation, including tropical, midlatitude and polar subsystems; ocean, land, cryospheric and urban climatic systems and interactions.
- Geography 311: Landscape Ecology--This course examines the ways in which spatial patterns and spatial processes operate in an ecological context.
- Geography 313: Introduction to Field Geography--Introduction to the methods and techniques for collecting spatial and environmental data for physical geography and ecological studies.
Human Geography (20s)
- Geography 323: GIS and Social Theory--Critical understanding of how to use GIS and tools of regional analysis in the context of postmodern social theory.
Nature-Society (30s)
- Geography 333: Human Dimensions of Natural Hazards--An introduction to social science principles and methodologies to address critical questions relating to managing the risks of natural hazards.
Geographic Information Science (60s, 70s, 80s)
- Geography 361: Cartography: Maps and Map Construction--The art and science of creating small-scale maps as a medium for communication and research.
- Geography 362: Image Analysis--Introduction to the basic principles of remote sensing, and the analysis of aerial and satellite data.
- Geography 363: Geographic Information Systems--Principles and use of geographic information; emphasis is on data acquisition and techniques for computer-aided analysis.
- Geography 364: Spatial Analysis--Geographic measurement, scaling, and classification; analysis of spatial pattern and structure; geographic covariation and autocorrelation.
ADVANCED COURSES (400-level)
Physical Geography (10s)
- Geography 411W: Forest Geography--This course studies processes that control spatial and temporal change in forests.
- Geography 412W: Climatic Change and Variability--Theories and observations of past, present, and future climatic change and variability; introduction to techniques used in climatic change research.
Human Geography (20s)
- Geography 420Y (US, IL): Metropolitan Analysis--Theory and practice of regional and metropolitan analysis.
- Geography 423Y (US, IL): Historical Geography of North America--Exploration, settlement, and changing patterns of human occupance from the seventeenth century to the 1930's.
- Geography 424 (US, IL): Geography of the Global Economy--Focus on industrial location theory, factors in industrial location, studies of selected industries and problems of industrial development.
- Geography 425: Geography of Race, Class, and Poverty in America--This class will study the geography of race, class, and poverty in America today.
- Geography 426Y (US, IL): Gender and Geography--Description and explanation of the links between gender relations and spatial structures.
- Geography 427 (US, IL): Urban Historical Geography--Study of the development and transformation of the historical urban built environment.
- Geography 429 (US): Global Urbanization--This course reflects critically on a number of issues related to global urbanization, including the culture and political economy of urban space.
Nature-Society (30s)
- Geography 430: Human Use of the Environment--The human use of resources and ecosystems and social causes and consequences of environmental degradation in different parts of the world; development of environmental policy and management strategies.
- Geography 431: Geography of Water Resources--Perspectives on water as a resource and hazard for human society; water resource issues in environmental and regional planning.
- Geography 434: Politics of the Environment--This course explores politics related to the use, transformation, valuation, and representation of the environment.
- Geography 436: Ecology, Economy, and Society--Analyses of major themes in ecology and economic development, poverty- alleviation, and sustainability.
- Geography 438W: Human Dimensions of Potential Global Warming--Human dimensions of global environmental change: human causes; human adaptations; and policy implications of potential global warming.
- Geography 439: Property and the Global Environment--This course reviews theoretical and empirical relationships between multiple legal, economic, and cultural approaches to property, and environmental quality and conflicts.
Regional Geography (40s)
- Geography 444: African Resources and Development--Ecological and cultural factors in the geography of Africa; natural resources and development.
Geographic Information Science (60s, 70s, 80s)
- Geography 461W: Dynamic Cartographic Representation--Theory and practice of mapping and geo-representation in a hypermedia context. Applications in science, policy, travel, and education.
- Geography 463: Geospatial Information Management--This course examines geospatial data representations and algorithmic techniques that apply to spatially-organized data in digital form. Prerequisite: any earth science computer application course; familiarization with databases and information systems
- Geography 464: Analysis and GIS--Normative and probabilistic models of spatial behavior; adaptive systems in geographic space; interaction and system stability.
- Geography 467: Applied Cartographic Design--Applied computer-assisted map production methods with emphasis on geographic information design and color use for multiple presentation media.
- Geography 468: Geographic Information Systems Design and Evaluation--Design and evaluation of Geographic Information Systems and other forms of integrated spatial data systems.
- Geography 485: GIS Programming and Customization--Customizing GIS software to extend its built-in functionality and to automate repetitive tasks.
Special Purpose (90s)
- Geography 493: Community Energy Service Learning Project and Seminar--Classroom instruction with supervised student activity on a group community service project.
- Geography 493: Philadelphia Field Project--Classroom instruction with supervised student activity on a group community service project.
- Geography 495: Internship--Supervised off-campus, non-group instruction including individual field experience, practicums, or internships. Written and oral critique of activity required.
- Geography 495B: Geography Teaching Internship--Supervised undergraduate teaching experience in which students serve as peer tutors, laboratory assistants, or course material developers.
- Geography 495G: GIScience Internship - GeoVISTA or Gould Center--Supervised research experience within the Department of Geography's GeoVISTA Center, Gould Center, or an appropriate external agency
- Geography 497D: Radiometric Principles: Radiative Modeling for Remote Sensing of Earth Surface Materials--Advanced topics in remote sensing, focusing on theory and models of radiative transfer as basis for terrestrial remote sensing.
- Geography 497H: International Environments and Sustainability-Bulgaria--Formal courses given infrequently to explore, in depth, a comparatively narrow subject which may be topical or of special interest.
Take a look at
Penn State's World Campus offerings, including the
Geographic Information Sciences Certificate Program. For more information, please contact David DiBiase, Beth Fletcher King, Jim Sloan, Jim Detwiler, or Todd Bacastow.
In addition,
Penn State's GIS Home Page
provides a complete listing of GIS education and research programs and courses, as well as internship and employment information.
