This course examines the geography of human culture. Topics may include human
interaction with the environment, population, mobility, nutrition and disease, race and
gender, language, religion, agricultural practices, urbanization, human interaction with the
environment, industrial development, and political structures.
GEOG 102Cultural Geography
Please note: This is not a course syllabus. A course syllabus is unique to a particular section of a course by instructor. This curriculum guide provides general information about a course.
I. General Information
Department
Social Science
II. Course Specification
Course Type
General Education
General Education Competency
GEM Social and Behavioral Ways of Knowing
Credit Hours Narrative
3 Credits
Semester Contact Hours Lecture
45
Grading Method
Letter grade
III. Catalog Course Description
This course examines the geography of human culture. Topics may include human
interaction with the environment, population, mobility, nutrition and disease, race and
gender, language, religion, agricultural practices, urbanization, human interaction with the
environment, industrial development, and political structures.
IV. Student Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, a student will be able to:
- Recognize and explain patterns and processes, which define current trends in demographics, migration, political geography, agriculture, services, urban patterns, and resource issues.
- Explain and interpret human phenomena in relationship to global regions using maps, graphs and statistical data.
- Recognize and explain how locations differ well as detail their similarities by applying the geographic concepts of: place, region, scale, space and connections.
- Outline the diversity of cultures, nationalities, religions and ethnicities that inhabit each of the major world regions.
- Evaluate the cultural construction of race and how race has been used to subjugate.
- Explain issues connected to the retention of distinct cultural identity, which may lead to rich diversity as well as divisive conflict. (Subjects included, but not limited to: food, customs, shelters, media, religious territorial conflicts, genocide, ethnic cleansing, etc.)
- Outline and generalize the geographic details of folk/popular culture, language, religion, ethnicity, and understand globalization's relevance on these concepts.
- Recognize our individual role in global trade and their relationship to emerging economies and lesser-developed countries.
- Compare and contrast the economic, social and health indicators of development.
- Understand the interconnectedness of people and places on a regional and global scale and their individual role and accountability as a member of our globalized society.
- Verify the intimate relationship of current events to geographic concepts and evaluate the significance to global settlements/communities.
V. Topical Outline (Course Content)
Recent scholarly geographic map samplings showing map scale, distortion, longitude, and latitude.
Geographic concepts of regions, globalization, distribution of features, cultural identity, and diffusion.
Recent geographic scholarly work documenting Main population clusters of the world, with cartograms displaying population clusters.
Recent geographical scholarly research on the stages of epidemiologic transition, and on how distinctive health threats are tied to individual stages of demographic transition.
Geographic terminology and historical data and contemporary scholarly articles and documentaries documenting migration patterns within individual countries and immigration patterns to the US including unauthorized immigration
Language Tree figure(s) and geographic scholarly research, charts, and language distribution maps
Recent geographical scholarly research documenting world universalizing and ethnic religions and religions in the US.
Recent geographical scholarly research documenting major ethnic groups in the US and World and their major conflicts and extreme atrocities.
Recent geographical scholarly research documenting Political Geography as it relates to multinational states, conflicts pertaining to state boundaries, and other relevant issues.
Recent geographical scholarly research documenting why food is produced differently in different parts of the world.
Recent scholarly geographic research documenting historical and current overviews/information of the industrial regions of Europe, North America, and east Asia and how the natural environments and market facilities near them are applicable to performances.
Recent scholarly geographic research documenting how Urban Areas often development outward and documentation of challenges they encounter during expansion.
VI. Delivery Methodologies
Required Assignments
Regular Text Book Reading Assignments*
Periodic Scholarly Article Reading Assignments*
At least one (1) Semester Research Paper*
At least one (1) Culmination Research Presentation project*
* Specific Assignment requirements for scholarly articles, the semester paper, and culmination research project are maintained on file by the Geography Dept., under the Geog. 102 file. Regular text book assignments are noted on semester syllabi and are regularly updated in class by the instructor.
Required Exams
At least three (3) Exams equally spaced throughout the semester, and
optimally/preferably there being four (4) Exams – with the last of four being
the Final Exam.
At least (3) Quizzes periodically spaced throughout the semester covering text
book reading assignments, and optimally/preferably there being four (4)
Quizzes. The possibly of a fifth (5th) Quiz is suggested during beginning days
of the semester, to cover syllabi material.
Required Text
Recent edition of Cultural/Human Geography textbook utilized for Cultural Geography classes by many Universities, Colleges, and many other Community or 2 year colleges. The selected textbook for the course will be reviewed routinely, and another selected regularly so as to ensure class material is recent. At the College of Southern Idaho, the present selected text book (as of Fall 2016) is: Rubenstein, James M., (2014). An Introduction to Human Geography, Eleventh Edition. Pearson Education, Inc. ISBN-978-0-321-83158-3. Mandatory chapters are those covering the required topics listed above, and optional chapters are those coinciding with material not listed above.
Specific Course Activity Assignment or Assessment Requirements
Regular Text Book Reading Assignments*
Periodic Scholarly Article Reading Assignments*
At least one (1) Semester Research Paper*
At least one (1) Culmination Research Presentation project*
* Specific Assignment requirements for scholarly articles, the semester paper, and culmination research project are maintained on file by the Geography Dept., under the Geog. 102 file. Regular text book assignments are noted on semester syllabi and are regularly updated in class by the instructor.
At least three (3) Exams equally spaced throughout the semester, and
optimally/preferably there being four (4) Exams – with the last of four being
the Final Exam.
At least (3) Quizzes periodically spaced throughout the semester covering text
book reading assignments, and optimally/preferably there being four (4)
Quizzes. The possibly of a fifth (5th) Quiz is suggested during beginning days
of the semester, to cover syllabi material.