Course

Introduction to Human Geography

Faculty
Humanities & Social Sciences
Department
Geography and the Environment
Course Code
GEOG 1100
Credits
3.00
Semester Length
15
Max Class Size
35
Method(s) Of Instruction
Hybrid
Lecture
Course Designation
Certificate in Global Competency
Industry Designation
None
Typically Offered
Fall
Summer
Winter

Overview

Course Description
Human geography examines the spatial organization of our interactions with each other and with the non-human environment. It focuses on intersections and connections as well as differences and divisions among people and places. GEOG 1100 introduces students to major traditions, themes, and theories of human geography by focusing on the patterns and processes of globalization and the interdependence of people and places around the world. While the emergence of global trade and transport networks, financial systems, and the internet are connecting us across great distances, we can also see growing income inequality, food insecurity, border nationalism, and the varied impacts of climate change dividing us more and more. In this course, students will investigate the processes that shape the spatial patterns in our world to ‘tell the story behind the map,’ examining the links between the global and local, the unevenness of political and economic development, the spatiality of cultural and social identities, the relationships between nature and society, and the material impacts of our ideas about - and representations of - the world. Topics may include economic and cultural globalization, political geographies, population dynamics and migration, human impacts on the environment, cultural landscapes, economic development, agriculture, and urbanization, among others.
Course Content

 

  1. Introduction to human geography
    • The importance of “thinking geographically”
    • Themes and subdisciplines in human geography
    • Key geographical concepts (place, scale, landscape, and mobility)
    • Mapping the world
  2. Processes of globalization
    • World System Theory
    • Colonialism and Neocolonialism
    • Contemporary globalization
      • Definitions and types of globalization (economic, political, and cultural)
      • Debates and perspectives on globalization
      • Globalization and inequality
  3. Political geographies
    • Colonial impacts, decolonization, and settler colonies
    • States, nations, and nation-states
    • Geopolitics and international relations
      • North-South political geographies
      • East-West political geographies
      • Borders and rising nationalisms
  4. Population geographies
    • Population dynamics
      • Patterns of settlement
      • Density and distribution
      • Fertility and mortality
      • Population projections
      • Population-resource debates
      • Population policies
    • Global migrations
      • Mapping people on the move
      • Regional versus global flows
      • Voluntary versus forced categories of migration
      • Barriers to movement
  5. Human activities and the environment
    • What is nature?
    • Taking stock of global ecological health
      • Water, soil, and land
      • Deforestation
      • Biodiversity decline
      • Global fisheries collapse
      • Climate change
    • Measuring ecological impacts
    • Perspectives on the environment, sustainability, and biodiversity
  6. Cultural and social geographies
    • Cultural regions and landscapes
    • Spatial diffusion of cultural practices: language and religion
    • Geographies of social identity: race, gender, sexuality, and class
    • Consumer cultures and geographies of consumption
      • Theories and debates over cultural globalization
      • Processes of homogenization and differentiation
    • Cultural imperialism
  7. Economic geographies
    • Regional economic patterns and the role of place and location
    • Classifying economic activities
    • Theories of economic development
    • Mapping globalized economic systems
    • Moving beyond First/Third World or Global North/South dichotomies
  8. Agriculture and food security
    • Theories of the origin and diffusion of agriculture
    • Food geographies: cultural shifts and biological impacts
    • Agricultural industrialization, globalization, and agribusiness
    • Mapping malnutrition and obesity around the world
    • Food security and sustainable agricultural practices
  9. Urban geographies and urbanization
    • Definitions of “urban”
    • Mapping urban forms
    • Urbanization as a process
    • Factors driving urbanization
    • Economic and social changes
    • Changes to the built environment
    • Urbanization trends
      • Challenges for post-industrial cities
      • Challenges of overurbanization
Learning Activities

The course will employ a variety of instructional methods to accomplish its objectives, including some of the following: 

  • lectures
  • small group discussions
  • visual presentations – PowerPoint and videos
  • individual and team projects and/or presentations
  • feld assignments
  • practical in-class exercises
Means of Assessment

Evaluation will be based on course objectives and will be carried out in accordance with the Douglas College Evaluation Policy. The instructor will provide a written course outline with specific criteria during the first week of classes.

 

 An example of a possible evaluation scheme would be:

Lab assignments  10%
Field assignments         15%
Tests  50%
Term project  20%
Participation    5%
Total 100%
Learning Outcomes

At the conclusion of the course the successful student will be able to:

 

  1. Collect, display and analyze geographical data using a variety of techniques.
  2. Explain the spatial distribution of human phenomena (language, economic activities, religion, etc.).
  3. Analyze the origin and diffusion of culture traits such as language and religion.
  4. Examine and explain the characteristics of cultural landscapes.
  5. Analyze the complex relationships between people and their environments.
  6. Understand interactions between different aspects of culture.
  7. Describe and explain similarities and differences among the peoples and places of the world.
  8. Explain the impact of globalization upon the patterns of human activities and landscapes.
  9. Demonstrate analytical reasoning and map interpretation skills.
  10. Assess geographical issues using proper written and spoken communication skills.
Textbook Materials

Texts will be updated periodically. An instructor's Course Reader may be required. Typical textbook examples are:

Fouberg, E. H. and Murphy, A. B. (2020). Human geography?: People, Place, and Culture, 12th edition. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. 

Knox, P. L., Marsden, S. A., and Nash, A. (2019). Human Geography: Places and Regions in Global Context, 5th Canadian Edition. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.

Mercier, M. and Norton, W. (2020). Human Geography,  10th edition. Don Mills: Oxford University Press. 

Neumann, R. P. and Price, P. L. (2019). Contemporary Human Geography: Culture, Globalization, Landscape, 2nd edition. New York: W. H. Freeman.

Requisites

Prerequisites

No prerequisite courses.

Corequisites

No corequisite courses.

Equivalencies

No equivalent courses.

Course Guidelines

Course Guidelines for previous years are viewable by selecting the version desired. If you took this course and do not see a listing for the starting semester / year of the course, consider the previous version as the applicable version.

Course Transfers

These are for current course guidelines only. For a full list of archived courses please see https://www.bctransferguide.ca

Institution Transfer Details for GEOG 1100
Alexander College (ALEX) ALEX GEOG 101 (3)
Camosun College (CAMO) CAMO GEOG 102 (3)
Capilano University (CAPU) CAPU GEOG 100 (3)
College of the Rockies (COTR) COTR GEOG 1XX (3)
Coquitlam College (COQU) COQU GEOG 100 (3)
Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) KPU GEOG 1101 (3)
Langara College (LANG) LANG GEOG 1110 (3)
Okanagan College (OC) OC GEOG 128 (3)
Simon Fraser University (SFU) SFU GEOG 100 (3)
Thompson Rivers University (TRU) TRU GEOG 1110 (3)
Trinity Western University (TWU) TWU GENV 111 (3)
University of British Columbia - Okanagan (UBCO) UBCO GEOG_O 128 (3)
University of British Columbia - Vancouver (UBCV) UBCV GEOG_V 122 (3)
University of Northern BC (UNBC) UNBC GEOG 101 (3)
University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) UFV GEOG 140 (3)
University of Victoria (UVIC) UVIC GEOG 101B (1.5)
Vancouver Community College (VCC) VCC GEOG 1100 (3)
Vancouver Island University (VIU) VIU GEOG 240 (3)

Course Offerings

Winter 2025

CRN
12057
section details
CRN Days Instructor Status More details
Maximum Seats
35
Currently Enrolled
0
Remaining Seats:
35
On Waitlist
0
Building
Online
Room
ONLINE
Times:
Start Time
18:30
-
End Time
21:20
Section Notes

This course uses a flipped classroom model. Students study materials online (self-directed) and meet synchronously online 2 hours per week (6:30 to 8:20 pm) to discuss and be tested. The last hour is reserved for asynchronous student learning. Attendance is required. Regular computer and internet access are essential

CRN
12311
section details
CRN Days Instructor Status More details
Maximum Seats
35
Currently Enrolled
0
Remaining Seats:
35
On Waitlist
0
Building
Coquitlam - Bldg. C
Room
C1012
Times:
Start Time
12:30
-
End Time
15:20
Section Notes

This course can count as a relevant course in an Associate of Arts specialization in Intercultural and International Studies

CRN
12423
section details
CRN Days Instructor Status More details
Maximum Seats
35
Currently Enrolled
0
Remaining Seats:
35
On Waitlist
0
Building
New Westminster - North Bldg.
Room
N3460
Times:
Start Time
11:30
-
End Time
14:20
Section Notes

This course can count as a relevant course in an Associate of Arts specialization in Intercultural and International Studies

This course uses a flipped classroom model. Students study materials online (self-directed) and meet synchronously on campus 2 hours per week (11:30 to 1:20 pm) to discuss and be tested. The last hour is reserved for asynchronous student learning. Attendance is required. Regular computer and internet access are essential.

CRN
13154
section details
CRN Days Instructor Status More details
Maximum Seats
35
Currently Enrolled
0
Remaining Seats:
35
On Waitlist
0
Building
New Westminster - North Bldg.
Room
N3460
Times:
Start Time
9:30
-
End Time
12:20
Section Notes

This course can count as a relevant course in an Associate of Arts specialization in Intercultural and International Studies