Course Requirements
Courses should be selected with the consent of the student’s Geography faculty advisor.
GEO 103
URBANIZATION
The course explores the evolution of urban forms and structures in the United States from the perspective of geography. In addition to studying the historic emergence of the American urban system, the course covers processes and phenomena associated with the spatial organization of housing, transportation, commercial and industrial land-use planning, as well as urban poverty, local governance, and interactions at the urban-rural fringe.
GEO 233
COMPARATIVE URBANISM
An exploration of non-U.S. urban and planning traditions, through the comparative study of the foundation, morphological change and social-political forces that shaped cities such as Paris, St. Petersburg, Istanbul, Bombay-Mumbai, and Mexico City.
GEO 133
URBAN GEOGRAPHY - EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING
The course provides an in depth analysis of a Chicago neighborhood, connecting this to wider U.S. trends in urbanization and urban development. Students conduct a research project, through archival study and field work.
GEO 200
SUSTAINABLE URBANISM
This course focuses on the application and meaning of `sustainability? to our discussion and understanding of cities, urban communities, and the urbanization process. The course conceptualizes sustainability as residing at the intersection of political, economic, social, and ecological thinking and examines its utility and flexibility towards urban form and function. The course pursues the topic of urban sustainability through the lenses of scale (e.g., local vs. global), justice (e.g., social vs. ecological), and diversity (e.g., cultural vs. biotic).
GEO 205
JUSTICE, INEQUALITY AND THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT
A theoretical and applied investigation of the social, political, and economic processes influencing the spatial distribution of environmental amenities and harms across the U.S. urban landscape, with particular focus on urban structure and the role of environmental justice struggles in shaping urban policy and the urban landscape. Formerly GEO 120.
GEO 230
TRANSPORTATION GEOGRAPHY
The course is an introduction to the subfield of transportation geography. Studying transportation and transportation-related phenomena from a spatial-analytic perspective, the course builds upon theories and methods of transportation geography. Systematic study of select case studies at the local and regional level provide opportunities for application of principles.
GEO 241
GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS I
An introductory-level course covering the fundamentals of GIS. Topics include GPS, remote sensing, data models (vector and raster), coordinate systems, and map design. Instruction is accomplished through lectures and hands-on computer lab exercises using ArcGIS.
Prerequisites:
LSP 120 or HON 180 or (MAT 130 or above) is a prerequisite for this class.
GEO 299
THE NATURE OF GEOGRAPHY
An introduction to the epistemology of geographic thought, and the methodologies of the discipline of geography. Formerly GEO 100.
GEO 310
GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE
Green Infrastructure (GI) goes beyond the conventional conservation efforts of creating and maintaining national and state parks and wildlife refuges. Instead, GI promotes conservation that takes place at different spatial scales to create a network of open spaces out of existing open spaces and green corridors as well as offering strategies for constructing green spaces out of abandoned urban spaces.
GEO 331
CHICAGO: SPATIAL ANATOMY OF A METROPOLIS
An advanced exploration of Chicago's urban geography, focusing in detail on topics such as historical geography, industrial change, community development, housing, architecture, transportation and Chicago's status as a "global city."
GEO 333
URBAN PLANNING
A seminar on the intellectual history and theories of urban planning and design, and their application in urban settings in the U.S. and abroad. Systematic study of case studies leads to the investigation of current urban planning issues in Chicago.
GEO 339
TOPICS IN ARCHITECTURE AND URBANISM
Major cities around the world are often identified with distinctive architecture. In many locations, different schools and periods of architectural design can be 'read' from examining the urban landscape. This course will examine the relationship between architecture and urbanism. As an upper level course, rather than a broad survey, the material will focus on a specific location or architectural style for the duration of the quarter, allowing students to learn in depth about how architecture and urbanism are interconnected.
GEO 395
SEMINAR IN SELECTED TOPICS
Upper-division seminar exploring selected geographical issues.