The most critical issue facing the world today is the sustainability of both human and physical systems in the 21st century. This class uses the context of regions of the world to explore the 21st century issues of climate change, development, politics, economy, and demography. Each region will be used to highlight aspects of sustainability.

The geography of economic, social, and environmental well-being and inequality. The course will provide an integrated perspective on the causes, interconnections, and consequences across time and space of, among others, globalization, climate change, poverty, employment, migration and urban growth, agricultural productivity, rural development, policies and international trade. Portraits of selected countries and regions will be developed.

Catastrophic Environmental Events (CCE) that are becoming more common in this time of global environmental change and it is essential that today's students be equipped with the knowledge and skills to be leaders as we, as a society, understand the upheaval that these CCEs are causing. Students will examine how CEEs shape human society and ecosystem from the interdisciplinary perspective afforded by the field of Geography. Students will use the latest geographic science concepts and techniques in exploring these events. Using satellite imagery they will gain a multi-scale perspective of the ecological and societal aspects of the events.

Introduction to technical methods used in gathering, analyzing, and mapping geospatial information for applications such as urban mobility, environmental monitoring, situational awareness, and disaster management. Topics include Geographic Information Systems (GIS), cartography, map projections, satellite and airborne remote sensing, the global positioning system (GPS), and introductory statistics and probability. The course is a gateway to more advanced technical classes in geospatial science.

A systematic introduction to the processes and associated forms of the atmosphere and earth's surfaces emphasizing the interaction between climatology, hydrology and geomorphology.

A laboratory course to accompany GEOG 201. Analysis of the components of the earth's energy balance using basic instrumentation; weather map interpretation; soil analysis; the application of map and air photo interpretation techniques to landform analysis.