Courses

A survey of the world's primary regions and the human and physical geography that shape them. Interactions between natural environment, cultural geography, geopolitics, history, land use, and economic geography are highlighted.

This course examines the processes that shape our environment and the resulting patterns of landforms, biomes, climates, and water resources. Students will analyze interactions among dynamic systems in the lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere using basic scientific principles and methods, with an emphasis on spatial relationships. Students will also consider the relationship between humans and the environment, including the distribution of resources and adaptation to and modification of environments. The course will be lecture with integrated lab.

The systematic subdivisions of human geography are surveyed, including urban, cultural, political, economic, historical, agricultural, and population geography. Within each subdiscipline, applications of geographic concepts and processes are emphasized.

This course is an introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS), with a focus on both the conceptual foundations and applications of GIS software. Topics covered include spatial data models; cartographic design; coordinate systems and map projections; address geocoding and GPS data; spatial analysis; Internet GIS applications; and GIS modeling. Laboratory assignments give students experience using GIS in thematic areas such as demographic analysis, market research, and urban environmental change.

Data literacy is essential to success in many professional fields. In this course, students will gain experience acquiring, manipulating, and analyzing data, and will learn how to effectively communicate their findings with static and interactive visualizations. Students will learn how to work with data using the Python programming language, one of the most popular tools for performing data analysis.

Prerequisites: GEOG 30313, or instructor consent. In this course, students gain experience with advanced applications of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software. Topics covered include GIS modeling; web GIS applications and distributed GIS services; open-source GIS; developing geoprocessing scripts using the Python programming language; and the current state of the GIS profession. Students will also complete a semester-long course project in which they apply GIS techniques to a topic of their interest.

Prerequisites: GEOG 30313; another introductory GIS course; or instructor consent. This advanced GIS course gives students experience applying GIS to solve real-world urban and business problems. Topics covered include demographic analysis; remote sensing of urban areas; network analysis; 3D urban modeling; spatial statistics; time and GIS; geodemographic classification; market area analysis; and web GIS services. Students will also complete a semester-long group project that applies GIS to assist an organization or business in the Fort Worth area.

An analysis of the human and physical geography of a specific region. Examples of regions include Texas, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Eastern Europe. Regional characteristics investigated may include economic, political, historical, and cultural components as well as topography, climate, and natural resources. May be repeated for credit provided the specified region changes.

An exploration of the human and physical geography of the United States. Areas of the country, such as the Pacific Northwest and New England, will be surveyed, analyzing the physical, historic, cultural, and economic characteristics that embody their unique regional identities.

An exploration of the human and physical geography of Latin America. This course analyzes Latin America from a geographical perspective and addresses topics such as landforms, climate, environmental hazards, indigenous peoples, culture, ethnicity, religion, agriculture, political geography, population, cities, and economic production.

An exploration of the human and physical geography of Western Europe. Countries and regions of the realm will be surveyed, analyzing their economic, political, language and religious characteristics as well as topography, climate, and natural resources. Themes may include the impact of population trends, environmental problems, trade and economic development, interactions between ethnic groups, and geopolitical change.

Concepts, principles, patterns, and processes associated with a specific subdiscipline in geography. Examples of topics include Economic Geography, Geopolitics, Medical Geography, and Physical Geography. May be repeated for credit provided the specified subdiscipline changes.

Urban Geography is the geographical study of cities. Examples of topics include: urban ecosystems; the role of physical geography in the origins and growth of cities; theoretical models of urban size, location, and land use structure; the internal geography of urban economic and social activity; and international and historical variation in the form, functions, and degree of urbanization.

Cultural Geography is the study of human culture from the perspectives of its five geographic themes: culture region, diffusion and migration, cultural ecology, cultural landscape, and cultural integration. Each theme is applied to a variety of topics, which may include religion, language, cultural conflict, folk culture, popular culture, and demography.

The Geography of Religion is the study of religion from the spatial perspective, utilizing the five themes of cultural geography: region, diffusion, culture-environment interaction, landscapes, and integration. Our most important topics cover the relationship between physical geography and religion and from this context we will analyze religions, past and present.

Problem-solving by application of geographic concepts, methodologies, and techniques. Examples are drawn from physical and human geography.

In this course, students engage with contemporary debates around world population growth and change. Course topics include demographic data and methods; the history and future of world population growth; fertility and population control in the developing world; aging in the developed world; global trends in mortality and disease; internal migration and immigration; and population, climate change, and environmental sustainability.

Economic Geography is the study of how elements within the economy are spatially arranged, as well as the ways that space, place and spatial scales shape economic activities in different parts of the world. Through a series of readings, discussions, and research assignments, this course examines the distribution of economic activities on the earth's surface; market resource and transportation factors in location theory, and the role of state, market and civil society's agents in management of the economy. Students are further introduced to Geographic Information Systems (GIS) through content-focused lab assignments, though no previous experience with GIS is required for this course.

This course uses beer (and wine) as a lens to examine the intersections of historical, environmental, cultural, legal, and economic geography. Students are introduced to the major systematic fields of Geographic inquiry: Historical Geography, Cultural Geography, Economic Geography, etc through focused lessons examining the role of beer production in the establishment of historical civilizations, how climate change affects barley and hop production, and the locational characteristics required for a brewery or brewpub to be successful.

This course covers the study of sport through the lens of social science. It introduces students to social scientific theory and analytic methods in the context of historical and contemporary sports topics. Course topics include sports and cultural geography; sports and nationalism; race, gender, politics, and sports; sports business and economics; and sports analytics.

This course examines relationships between people and the environment from multiple perspectives, providing a context for thinking about the causes and consequences of environmental change and their spatial patterns around the world. Of particular interest are the cultural, ethical, economic, technological, and population considerations that make humans want to use, protect, destroy, or adapt to environmental systems and their components. This course will also address the function of specific environmental systems themselves, including how they influence and respond to human actions.