ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY

Curriculum guideline

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Course
GEOG 2212
Discontinued
No
Course code
GEOG 2212
Descriptive
ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY
Department
Geography and the Environment
Faculty
Humanities & Social Sciences
Credits
3.00
Start date
End term
201620
PLAR
No
Semester length
15
Max class size
35
Contact hours
Lecture: 4 hrs. per week / semester
Method(s) of instruction
Lecture
Learning activities

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

  • Lecture
  • Labs
  • Field Work
  • Slides/Videos/PowerPoint
  • Individual and/or Team Projects
  • Small Group Discussions
  • Map Analysis

 

Course description
Wander through a shopping mall, walk down a main street, or drive through the city. Why are only certain stores present in the mall? Why do the types of businesses vary as you move along the street? These and other questions are addressed in Geography 2212. Whether you are interested in business, planning or just curious, this course will clarify the reasons behind the current pattern of economic activity. This course is an introduction to the theories, concepts, methods and data used by geographers to analyze the location of economic activities, the spatial organization of economic systems and the human use of the earth’s resources. Topics studied include agriculture, manufacturing, transportation, retailing, urban structure, spatial diffusion and economic development.
Course content

  1. Introduction
    • History of Economic Geography
    • Spatial concepts
    • Supply, demand and economic concepts
    •  Globalization
  2. Population
    • World patterns
    • Indices of population distribution and growth
    • Models and theories of population growth
    • Global population issues
    • Population structure
    • Migration
  3. Primary Sector Activities
    • Global resource distribution
    • Models of resource activities
    • Contemporary regional resource issues
    • World agricultural patterns
    • Contemporary agricultural issues
    • Von Thunen and related models
  4. Secondary Activities
    • World manufacturing patterns
    • Classical Industrial Location Theory
    • Behavioral models
    • Other models of industrial location and transformation
    • Fordism and Post-Fordism
    • Contemporary industrial issues and globalization.
  5. Tertiary, Quaternary and Quinary Activities
    • Classification of the sectors
    • Central Place Theory and related models
    • Analysis of contemporary issues
  6. Transportation
    • Transportation models and indices
    • Case studies of selected transportation systems
    • Analysis of contemporary issues
  7. Urban Issues
    • Models and theories of urban land use and urban land rent
    • Contemporary issues confronting North American Cities
    • Third World urbanization
  8. Theories of Economic Development
    • Measures and definitions of development
    • Theories of development
    • Role of the state
    • Contemporary issues
  9. International Trade
  10. Conclusion

Learning outcomes

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

  1. Synthesize the concepts, techniques and theories of economic geography.
  2. Communicate effectively orally, graphically, in writing and using quantitative methods.
  3. Describe the history of economic geography.
  4. Explain the possibilities and limitations of the spatial viewpoint in geography.
  5. Explain the concepts of locational analysis, spatial diffusion and spatial interaction.
  6. Explain the alternative paradigms of economic geography.
  7. Apply the concepts, methods and theories to local, regional and global economic issues.
  8. Analyze the location and viability of economic activities in local, regional and global systems.
  9. Evaluate the main global issues confronting the world economy.
  10. Analyze the concepts and spatial patterns of economic development.
  11. Demonstrate effective geographic research and analytical skills.
Means of assessment

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

An example of an evaluation scheme would be:

Labs 10%
Field Trip Report 10%
Project 25%
Midterm Exam 25%
Final Exam 30%
  100%
Textbook materials

Texts will be updated periodically. A typical example of a text would be:

  • Stutz, Frederick & Warf, Barney. (2007). The World Economy: Resources, Location, Trade and Development, 5th edition. Toronto: Prentice-Hall.

Prerequisites

GEOG 1100