** Special Note: This is an archived page for a prior summer session course in Human Geography.
Human Geography
So far as we know, our home planet is rather unique in the universe, not only because it supports life... but because it supports human life. Humans aren't the only organisms on the planet, but we're generally the ones who use knives and forks, drive around in cars, and listen to odd musical styles.
Human geography examines characteristics of human populations around the planet, especially those characteristics that involve our use of space on and near the Earth's surface. Human geography involves looking at the way humans have interacted with their environments and landscapes throughout time and across the many regions of the planet, why people settled where they did, and how those settlements have changed into the communities and cities that exist today. It involves building an understanding of the distribution of population and cultural characteristics across the globe, the flow of goods and services within international economies, and the implications of resource variability for future generations. Geography is all about learning, about exploration, about synthesizing information and developing a deeper understanding of the linkages between natural and human systems on our planet... we will focus on the human, but we will also inevitably encounter natural systems as well.
The summer session of Human Geography is conducted entirely on-line, and will include a variety of activities, assignments, quizzes, and yes, even a few exams... primarily administered through the BBLearn site hosted by the University of Idaho. The summer course is built on and around Rubenstein's third edition of "Contemporary Human Geography". The UI Bookstore may not have this edition in stock until a week or two into the summer session, but since the course spans the entire summer, we'll be able to work around the text until students can obtain their own copies. It is a required item for the course; everything else related to the course will be delivered on-line.
We will make use of a variety of digital information sources in this Internet-intensive course, including some on-line video resources, so be sure that you have access to a fairly decent Internet connection. Since almost everything that occurs in the class will occur on-line, it is also a good idea to have a reliable computer handy. If you are actually located on campus this summer, the UI Library should be available during its regular summer session hours, and perhaps other labs on campus will be available as well. Don't forget the textbook... we'll be using it a lot...
Human variation across space and time can be studied at a variety of scales. Our exploration of human geography will include examining population characteristics, economic development, the spread of culture, and the spatial patterns and growth of cities, among other topics. We will use the Pacific Northwest, the continent of North America, and the entire planet as our virtual laboratory. At times, we will focus on specific regions or locations to illuminate certain topics; at other times, we will focus on global and international patterns. Some of our topics will be familiar from past courses or learning experiences you have had, and some will be new, what will link them all together shall be our use of geographic techniques to build a spatial understanding of human phenomena.
Your instructor is based on the UI's main campus in Moscow and will be available electronically via email throughout the summer session. I may be hard to get ahold of on weekends, but I shall be checking email throughout the regular work week and I hope to interact with students electronically, and if possible in person... if you're in town, drop by my office sometime and let's have a chat.
Human geography examines characteristics of human populations around the planet, especially those characteristics that involve our use of space on and near the Earth's surface. Human geography involves looking at the way humans have interacted with their environments and landscapes throughout time and across the many regions of the planet, why people settled where they did, and how those settlements have changed into the communities and cities that exist today. It involves building an understanding of the distribution of population and cultural characteristics across the globe, the flow of goods and services within international economies, and the implications of resource variability for future generations. Geography is all about learning, about exploration, about synthesizing information and developing a deeper understanding of the linkages between natural and human systems on our planet... we will focus on the human, but we will also inevitably encounter natural systems as well.
The summer session of Human Geography is conducted entirely on-line, and will include a variety of activities, assignments, quizzes, and yes, even a few exams... primarily administered through the BBLearn site hosted by the University of Idaho. The summer course is built on and around Rubenstein's third edition of "Contemporary Human Geography". The UI Bookstore may not have this edition in stock until a week or two into the summer session, but since the course spans the entire summer, we'll be able to work around the text until students can obtain their own copies. It is a required item for the course; everything else related to the course will be delivered on-line.
We will make use of a variety of digital information sources in this Internet-intensive course, including some on-line video resources, so be sure that you have access to a fairly decent Internet connection. Since almost everything that occurs in the class will occur on-line, it is also a good idea to have a reliable computer handy. If you are actually located on campus this summer, the UI Library should be available during its regular summer session hours, and perhaps other labs on campus will be available as well. Don't forget the textbook... we'll be using it a lot...
Human variation across space and time can be studied at a variety of scales. Our exploration of human geography will include examining population characteristics, economic development, the spread of culture, and the spatial patterns and growth of cities, among other topics. We will use the Pacific Northwest, the continent of North America, and the entire planet as our virtual laboratory. At times, we will focus on specific regions or locations to illuminate certain topics; at other times, we will focus on global and international patterns. Some of our topics will be familiar from past courses or learning experiences you have had, and some will be new, what will link them all together shall be our use of geographic techniques to build a spatial understanding of human phenomena.
Your instructor is based on the UI's main campus in Moscow and will be available electronically via email throughout the summer session. I may be hard to get ahold of on weekends, but I shall be checking email throughout the regular work week and I hope to interact with students electronically, and if possible in person... if you're in town, drop by my office sometime and let's have a chat.