Course Descriptions
Undergraduate - 300 level
CAS GE 300 Geography of World Commerce
Introduction to the components and flows of international commerce. Examines the spatial nature of the world economy and offers explanations for the forces that effect trade, environment, and development.
CAS GE 302 Remote Sensing of the Environment
Introduction to sensor systems, methodology of remote sensing, and basic concepts of image analysis. Presents the ways in which remotely sensed data can be used in scientific investigations and resource management.
CAS GE 304 Environmentally Sustainable Development
Traces the emergence of sustainable development as the defining environmental challenge of our times. Surveys and evaluates policies for balancing ecological sustainability and economic development in various parts of the world and at the global level. Also offered as CAS IR 304.
CAS GE 307 Biogeography
Analysis of local, regional, and global distributions of plants and animals. Environmental and human influences on those distributions considered; changes resulting from geologically recent climatic fluctuations. Field trips.
CAS GE 309 Intermediate Environmental Analysis and Policy
Prereq: CAS GE 100 and CAS EC 101. Introduction to economic and environmental theory critical to the formulation and evaluation of environmental resource policy. This theory is applied to real-world analysis of climate change, population growth, oil supplies, energy use, and globalization.
CAS GE 310 Introduction to the Atmosphere
Prereq: CAS GE 101 or equivalent. Understanding physical processes of the atmosphere, ranging in scale from tornadoes to global winds. Emphasis on providing physical explanations of atmospheric phenomena and impact of weather on humanity. Satellite and weather modification technology.
CAS GE 331 Political Geograpy
Geographic treatment of the state's raison d'etre, population, territory, resources, economic and political organization, boundaries, and frontiers. Survey of geopolitical theory, supranational organizations, and world power.
CAS GE 356 Geography of Third World Development
Theory and experience of Third World development. Emphasis on issues of income distribution, geographical and regional inequality, importance of location in development planning, efficiency and equity consideration, models of and strategies for regional development.
CAS GE 365 An Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
Prereq: CAS MA 115 or EC 208. Practical hands-on computing experience using GIS for analyzing data from maps and other sources. Analytical functions unique to GIS are emphasized, as are applications in archaeology, land use planning, environmental monitoring, and other fields.
CAS GE 381 Geography of Asia
Geographic survey of Asian Pacific Rim and South and Southeast Asian economies. Emphasis on their environmental base, historical and cultural traditions, economic and developmental characteristics. Current themes in population, resource adequacy, levels of development, and problems of regional organization are explored.
CAS GE 382 Understanding the Middle East
Introduces the contemporary Middle East, Including the Arab world, Iran Israel, and Turkey; examines the systems of government; the roles of external powers; the origins of the state system; the sources and objectives of opposition forces; the prospects for political reform including democratization; and the prospects for future cooperation or conflict. Also offered as CAS HI 394.
CAS GE 394 Environmental History of Africa
Focus on the African environment and ecological systems over the past 150 years. Topics include climatic change, hydrography, agriculture, deforestation, soil erosion, disease, conservation, famine,and the role of colonialism and goverrnment policy in environmental change. Also offered as CAS HI 394.
