GEOG 5502      Environmental Remote Sensing And Digital Image Analysis
This course will provide students with innovative techniques for landscape-level environmental analysis, geographic and geological studies, earth science research, and environmental resources management using remotely sensed data including satellite images. Students will be taught basic remote sensing concepts and technical skills, including energy radiative transfer processes, in remote sensing, sensors and resolutions, computer-based image processing and classification, and remote sensing/GIS integration. Prerequisite: GEOG 203 or permission of instructor
Credits: 4 hours
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GEOG 5503WI      History And Philosophy Of Geoscience
A survey of geoscientific thought since antiquity. The substance of geography will be sought primarily in scholarly treatises, formal analytical systems, and cartography, but the course also addresses geographical principles emerging from the history of such matters as government, law economy, religion, and material culture. Readings, lectures, discussions, research, writing. Prerequisite: Baccalaureate degree or permission of the instructor. On demand. Also offered as GEOG 403WI. Prerequisites: Baccalaureate degree or permission of instructor
Credits: 3 hours
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GEOG 5504      Biogeography And Landscape Ecology
Principles and applications of biogeography and landscape ecology, emphasizing distribution of major ecosystems and related plants and animal species on earth, biodiversity, landscape patterns and processes, and physical, biological, and human interactions. The course explores ecosystem and landscape analyses using advanced GIS, remote sensing, and spatial modeling methods for real problem solving in environmental and biological research, ecosystem conservation, and urban planning and studies. Prerequisites: GEOG 203, GEOG 402 / GEOG 5502, or permission of instructor.
Credits: 3 hours
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GEOG 5506      Global Environmental Change
This course will examine the current rates of global environmental change and potential causes in the context of Earth's natural climate variability. The course will follow a seminar format. Students will read and discuss published articles on current and emerging theories of forcing mechanisms in the Earth's systems. Additional in-depth research and written evaluation are required for graduate credit. Prerequistes: None
Credits: 3 hours
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GEOG 5507      Advanced Geographic Information Science
Prerequisite: GEOG 203 or permission of instructor Offered: On Demand
Credits: 4 hours
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GEOG 5508      Archaeological Field Survey Methods
This class offers instruction in the basic skills required to conduct field surveys in archaeology and other geosciences disciplines. In the classroom, students learn about the development of archaeology as a scientific discipline and how to recognize some of the basic field data sought by archaeologists. Students earn about mapping and land navigation techniques. The field phase of instruction includes visits to archaeological sites in the region.
Credits: 3 hours
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GEOG 5509      Urban Geography
Historical development, morphology and functions of urban places, including intercity relationships and the relationship between cities and their hinterlands; emphasis on American cities. Students will complete a series of reports and a term paper. Offered: On Demand
Credits: 3 hours
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GEOG 5510      Landscape, Language, Literature, And Law
An examination of the geographic underpinnings and implications of languages, literatures, and jurisprudence. The course explores languages' historic rootedness in the interactions between human beings and their surroundings; the varying geographic expressiveness and discrimination of languages; the effect and significance of literary evocations of landscapes; and the cultural and environmental geographic content of the language of law. Readings, lectures, discussions, writing. Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor. Offered: On demand. Also offered as GEOG 410.
Credits: 3 hours
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GEOG 5512      Global Tourism
This course is a regional survey of world tourism. Topics include the uniqueness of place, the marketing of tourist destinations, and the cultural, economic, and environmental impacts on host societies.Prerequisites: GEOG 105, or GEOG 200, or GEOG 202, or permission. Offered: On demand.
Credits: 3 hours
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GEOG 5515      History And Philosophy Of Cartography
An examination of the techniques, assumptions, psychology, and cultural implications of mapping from the Stone Age to the age of satellites and the computerized Geographic Information System. Readings, lectures, discussions, writing. Prerequisite: Baccalaureate degree or permission of the instructor. Offered: On demand. Also offered as GEOG 415.
Credits: 3 hours
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GEOG 5526      Paleoecology: Microfossils And Climate Change
Paleoecology will focus on questions addressing past environments and past climates based on the ecology of microfossils. Micro-organisms are very sensitive to a wide variety of environmental conditions including temperature, precipitation, hydrology, water chemistry, salinity, habitat, and pollution. The fossil remains of these organisms are used as proxy indicators for reconstructiong past environmental conditions, climate change, vegetation dynamics, and human impacts. Students will have the opportunity to process microfossils and make interpretations based on analysis of data. Offered: Every other Fall Prerequisite: Permission of Instructor
Credits: 3 hours
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GEOG 5530      Location Theory
An analysis and evaluation of the basic theories that have been developed to account for the spatial arrangements of economic activity. Emphasis on urban areas as nodes of economic interaction. Three hours lecture and discussion per week. Prerequisite: GEOG 311 and six hours in economics or urban studies. On demand.
Credits: 3 hours
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GEOG 5535      Geoarchaeology
This course examines geomorphological and archaeological methods used in reconstructing sites, settlement patterns, and paleo-environments; evaluating archeological site integrity; and assessing the impact of development, with the emphasis on geomorphological evidence. Prerequisite: Physical Geography/ Earth Science; Geomorphology; or permission of instructor. No archaeological background necessary. On demand. Also offered as GEOG 435.
Credits: 3 hours
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GEOG 5537      Population Geography
An analysis of human population: how they grow, their changing compositions, and how and why people migrate from one place to another. Basic demographic processes-moratility, fertility, and migrate- and theory and techniques for their study are discussed. The relationships between population growth and population planning, immigration, urbanization and cities, and the environment.
Credits: 3 hours
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GEOG 5542      Quaternary Environments
This course reviews earth climatic history and focuses on major mechanisms for global and regional climate change. Methods of paleoclimatic reconstruction are examined, including analysis of proxy data and climate modeling. Application of these methods toward prediction of future climate change is also explored. Prerequisites: Geography 215; Goegraphy 314 or Geology 314; or permission of instructor. On demand. Also offered as GEOG 442.
Credits: 3 hours
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GEOG 5544      Spatial Data Analysis
This course will focus on advanced computation methods for the analysis and modeling of complex and often non-deterministic processes in the spatial and environmental sciences. Students will be introduced to innovative techniques for analyzing large datasets with attribute spaces of very high dimensionality, including hyper-spectral remote sensing data. Prerequisites: GEOG 402 or permission of instructor.
Credits: 3 hours
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GEOG 5546      Global Water and Sustainability
This course examines the physical characteristics of water and its role in Earth systems. The challenges facing societies in an era of rapidly changing climate are explored. Offered: On Demand.
Credits: 3 hours
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GEOG 5548      Satellite Climatology
Use of satellite observations to study the climate system. Discussions consider the development of satellite climatology, sensors, platforms and methodologies use to estimate climate variables from radiance measurements. Aspects of climate that are emphasized include cloud climatologies, cloud systems, atmospheric moisture, radiation budget, and land-surface conditions. Three hours of lecture and one hour of lab per week. Prerequisites: GEOG 215 or GEOG 319, or permission of instructor. Offered: Every other Spring
Credits: 4 hours
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GEOG 5595      Graduate Seminar In Geosciences I
An introduction to graduate research in the Dept. of Geosciences. Students will attend lectures by faculty and become familiar with research techniques, equipment, and thesis opportunities. Prerequisites: Baccalaureate Offered: Every Fall
Credits: 1 hours
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GEOG 5597      Graduate Seminar In Geosciences II
Graduate students in the Geosciences Department will explore the different components of a research project through readings, lectures, writing, and oral presentations. Offered: Winter
Credits: 3 hours
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