Human Geography Track

"Human Geography Major Requirements"
"Human Geography" overlaid on photo of old man in front of thatched roof hut

Human Geography Concentration

Human geography first and foremost involves the study of human beings--more specifically, of the organization of human activity and of spatial patterns as they affect and, in turn, respond to the world about us.  The processes under study derive from distinct, but interactive, substructures: pursuit of livelihood (economic), social interaction (socio-political), and historical inertia and meaning (cultural).  The products are change, conflict, diffusion, differentiation, and repetition in the human organization of the land.  These same human processes will interact with biophysical processes, (e.g., air quality or plant introductions) to shape humanized landscapes and regional character.  Human geographers typically investigate problems associated with locational strategies and human decisions.  Such problems cut through subjects as diverse as analysis of regional markets, racial segregation in cities, migration flows, hazardous sites, international development, medieval landscape patterns, or formulation of impact statements.

 

Â鶹ÒùÔº must complete at least 37 and no more than 45 credit hours in Geography with grades of C- or better (23 hours must be upper division). No pass/fail grades are allowed in the major. Transfer students majoring in Geography must complete at least 12 hours of upper-division Geography courses at CU-Boulder. No course may be used to fulfill more than one requirement for the major.

  • GEOG 1001 Our Changing Planet: Climate and Vegetation - 4
  • GEOG 1011 Our Changing Planet: Landscapes and Water - 4 
  • One of the following human geography courses:
    • GEOG 1962 Geographies of Global Change  - 3
    • GEOG 1972 Sustainable Futures, Environment and Society  - 3
    • GEOG 1982 Global Geographies: Societies, Places, Connections - 3
    • GEOG 1992 Human Geographies - 3
    • GEOG 2092 Advanced Introduction to Human Geography - 3
  • GEOG 3023 Statistics and Geographic Data - 4
  • One of the following mapping courses:
    • GEOG 2053 Mapping Our World - 3
    • GEOG 3053 Geographic Information Science: Mapping - 4
  • One of the following methods courses:
    • GEOG 4023 Advanced Quantitative Methods for Spatial Data (prereq GEOG 3023) - 4
    • GEOG 4043 Advanced Geovisualization and Web Mapping (prereq GEOG 3053) - 4
    • GEOG 4093 Remote Sensing of the Environment - 4
    • GEOG 4103 Geographic Information Science:Spatial Analytics (prereqs: GEOG 3053; GEOG 3023 or equivalent introductory statistics course) - 4
    • GEOG 4173 Research Seminar - 3
    • GEOG 4722 Field Methods in Human Geography - 3 
  • Take one of the following:
    • GEOG 3742 Place, Power, Contemporary Culture (prereq 1962, 1972, 1982, or 1992) - 3 
    • GEOG 3682 Geography of International Development  - 3
  • A third-year university-level proficiency in a foreign language appropriate to the geographic concentration is required. This requirement may be met by completion of one or two semester-long, third year, university-level grammar courses (depending on the language) with a grade of C- or better, while also satisfying language department requirements for advancement through the sequence.
  • Take three electives from the following list (unless noted, Department enforced prereq. for all courses is 1962, 1972, 1982, or 1992) (* core curriculum course):
    • GEOG 3422 Political Ecology  (no prereq)   - 3
    • GEOG 3672 Who Runs the World? Sex, Power, and Gender in Geography - 3
    • GEOG 3682 Geography of International Development (no prereq) - 3 
    • GEOG 3692 Introduction to Global Public Health - 4
    • GEOG 3742 Place, Power, and Contemporary Culture  - 3
    • GEOG 3812 Geography of Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean  - 3
    • GEOG 3822 Contemporary China: Environment, Society, Politics - 3 
    • GEOG 3832 India and Its Neighbors: Societies, Economies, and Geopolitics - 3 
    • GEOG 3862 Global Africa: Environment, Development, and Culture - 3
    • GEOG 4292 Migration, Urbanization, and Development  - 3
    • GEOG 4622 City Life  - 3
    • GEOG 4632 Development Geography - 3 
    • GEOG 4712 Political Geography  - 3
    • GEOG 4852 Health and Medical Geography  - 3
    • GEOG 3930 Internship (3), GEOG 4173 Research Seminar (3), and GEOG 4990 Senior Thesis (3) may be applied to the concentration on a case-by-case basis.
  • Take one upper division elective in Geographic Information Science, Environment and Society, or Physical Geography.
  • Take upper and lower division electives within Geography if necessary to reach 37 total credits and 23 upper division credits in the major. 

 

 

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