GEO 205 - Geography of the United States and Canada

3 credit hours - Three hours weekly; one term.
Formerly Formerly GEO 105 - Geography of the United States

This course meets the Social and Behavioral Sciences General Education Requirement.

Learn about regional characteristics, dynamics, and interactions within the United States and Canada. Examine the cultural and environmental spatial histories that continue to impact landscapes and human habitation across North America. Develop foundational knowledge about the complex relationships between land use practices, social-political systems, natural resource extraction, economic growth, and urbanization throughout these regions. Apply key geographic concepts such as diffusion, migration, site and situation, and environmental sustainability to better understand how future changes are likely to unfold across regional landscapes.

Prerequisite(s): Eligibility for ENG 101 /ENG 101A .

Course Outcomes:
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

Examine how physical landscapes and relative location have influenced the development of human settlements, transportation, and migration patterns over space and time
Identify human-environment relationships and assess their impact on the natural environment, and human spatial differentiation at a variety of scales
Analyze social, cultural, economic, and political data that shape knowledge and explain development practices across the regional landscapes
Apply concepts of site and situation to analyze locational advantages in urbanization and compare these to other development factors
Examine land-use change and various spatial factors that influence regional cultural, economic, and political geographies and social systems