Department of GEOGRAPHY
College of Social Sciences
Chair: Barney Warf; Professors: Kodras, O'Sullivan, Warf; Associate Professors: Baker, Elsner; Assistant Professors: Leib, Savitsky, Steinberg, Jacobson
The Department of Geography offers two separate majors reflecting the discipline's position straddling the social and natural sciences: the geography major and the interdisciplinary environmental studies major. While these programs overlap to some extent, they differ in their substantive focus: the geography major is oriented to social, economic, and political concerns, while the environmental studies major revolves more explicitly around human interactions with the natural, physical, and biological environment, with a stronger interdisciplinary focus. Students may double major in geography and environmental studies; a maximum of ten (10) semester hours may be double-counted toward both majors.
Several career paths await the graduating geographer in the public and private sectors. Geographers bring important knowledge and analytical techniques to resource management and planning agencies. Their training enables geographers to determine where public facilities and infrastructure are best located so that the greatest number of people benefit. These skills are also valued by private firms investing in residential or commercial development; a geographer can pinpoint where investments are likely to yield the best returns. Geographers fill such job titles as cartographer, intelligence officer, economic analyst, and soil conservationist. Another field is metropolitan and regional planning, in which geographers are engaged in monitoring environmental problems, land use changes, waste disposal, housing, transportation patterns, and poverty. Geographers in private business are involved in industrial location research, marketing, planning for utility companies, environmental and site location consultants, real estate firms, port and airport authorities, travel agencies, and in transportation planning for airlines or trucking firms. Many institutions use geographic information systems (GIS), and consulting firms serving state and local governments are increasingly called on to provide GIS expertise. The College of Social Sciences has a geographic information systems laboratory with several microcomputers running GIS, remote sensing, and statistical software. Finally, geographers find many jobs as teachers in a world integrated to the point that an understanding of geographic differences is essential to a basic education.
The geography department has expertise in the two areas of human geography and environmental problems. Students can concentrate in one of these areas but the natural linkages between them mean that courses in both are necessary for a complete geographical education. In human geography, faculty interests cover a number of interrelated topics, including global power relationships; the terrain tactics of war; social problems such as poverty and residential segregation, and the impact of policies designed to alleviate them; and the spatial structure of services, telecommunications, and international trade. The faculty also focuses on a number of environmental and resource issues, including the impacts of natural hazards such as hurricanes, the causes and effects of deforestation, and the development of policies to solve these and similar problems.
State of Florida Common Course Prerequisites
Revisions to the 2003-2004 State of Florida Common Course Prerequisites were not available at the time this document went to press. Please refer to http://www.facts.org and click on "Academic Reference Manual." Select the 2003-2004 catalog year under the 'Common Prerequisites Manuals' subheading. Students are strongly encouraged to consult with their academic advisor prior to making any decisions based on these prerequisites.
The State of Florida has identified common course prerequisites for this University degree program. These prerequisites are lower-level courses that are required for preparation for the University major prior to a student receiving a baccalaureate degree from The Florida State University. They may be taken either at a community college or in a university lower-division program. It is preferred that these common course prerequisites be completed in the freshman and sophomore years.
The following lists the common course prerequisites or approved substitutions necessary for this degree program:
- Two introductory courses (six [6] semester hours) in geography with the GEO prefix.
Geography Major
Geography is an integrative discipline bridging the social sciences, physical sciences, and humanities in the study of the relations between human beings and the earth. Geography is fundamentally the study of space, much as history is the study of time. Why phenomena and events occur where they do, and the ramifications they have for other places and cultures, are essential geographic questions. Within this framework, geographers examine such issues as the linkages between international development and environmental conservation, the opportunities and problems associated with growth in Florida, the geographic bases of religious and linguistic conflicts, and the implications of economic restructuring on regional power balances, deforestation, and hunger. The value of a geographic perspective is that such issues become more than isolated events when they are given theoretical grounding and are placed in a broader context of global understanding. In an interdependent world where decisions made in one country affect the lives of people in all societies, responsible world citizenship requires a solid foundation in geographic knowledge.
Major Requirements
A geography major consists of thirty (30) semester hours, including GEO 1400, 3140, 3200C, 3540, and 4162C. No geography course with a grade below "C" will apply toward completion of the major. As part of the required (30) semester hours, the student must take at least six (6) semester hours of courses at the 4000 level (excluding GEO 4162C). A maximum of three (3) semester hours of GEO 4905r, Directed Individual Study (DIS) internship will be credited toward the major.
Requirements for Minor
A geography minor consists of twelve (12) semester hours of course work in geography (including GEO 1400) completed with a grade of "C" or better.
For more information contact Dr. Basil Savitsky, Undergraduate Advisor, Department of Geography, 321 Bellamy, (850) 644-8377, bsavitsk@mailer.fsu.edu or visit our website at http://www.fsu.edu/~geog.
Major in Environmental Studies
Environmental Studies is an interdisciplinary program of study that provides an in-depth understanding of the social and institutional context of contemporary environmental concerns, including topics such as ecosystem management, resource conservation, land use planning, natural hazards, and the policy dimensions of environmental issues. The major in environmental studies requires forty-one (41) semester hours with a grade of "C" or better in each course; at least eighteen (18) semester hours must be taken in upper level (3000- and 4000-) courses.
Note: some of the following courses have prerequisites.
- Core Curriculum: All of the following courses (total of fourteen (14) semester hours):
- BSC 2010 Biological Science I and BSC 2010L Biological Science I Laboratory (CHM 1045C is prerequisite)
- CHM 1045C General Chemistry I and CHM 1045L General Chemistry I Laboratory
- GEO 1331 Environmental Science
- GEO 3200C Physical Geography
- Natural Science Electives: Four courses (total of twelve [12] credit hours) from the following list:
- BSC 2011 Biological Science II
- BSC 3052 Conservation Biology
- BSC 3312 Marine Biology
- BSC 4514 Aquatic Pollution Biology
- BSC 4934 Selected Topics in Applied Biology*
- CHM 1046C General Chemistry II
- ENV 4001 Environmental Engineering
- ENV 4041 Environmental Systems Analysis
- ENV 4341 Solid and Hazardous Waste Engineering
- GEO 4261C Soils and Landforms
- GEO 4930 Special Topics in Geography*
- GLY 1892 Environmental Issues in Geology
- GLY 2010C Physical Geology
- GLY 4700C Geomorphology
- GLY 4820 Principles of Hydrology
- ISC 2003 Global Change, Its Scientific and Human Dimensions
- MET 2700 General Meteorology
- OCE 4011 Principles of Oceanography
- OCE 4017 Current Issues in Environmental Science
- OCE 4930 Studies in Oceanography*
- PCB 3043 General Ecology
- URP 4401 Coastal Ecosystems, Environmental Issues and Coastal Zone Management
- * Content of these courses varies. Please consult the environmental studies advisor for applicability.
- Social Science Electives: Three of the following courses (total of nine [9] semester hours):
- ECP 3113 Economics of Population
- ECP 3302 Economics of Natural Resources, Energy, and the Environment
- ECP 3322 Economics of Living Marine Resources
- GEO 4340 Living in a Hazardous Environment
- GEO 4357 Environmental Conflict and Economic Development
- GEO 4372 Natural Resource Assessment and Analysis
- GEO 4930 Special Topics in Geography*
- GEO 3540 Economic Geography
- GEO 4471 Political Geography
- GEO 4602 Urban Geography
- HIS 4930 Special Topics in History*
- PAD 3003 Public Administration in American Society
- PAD 4603 Administrative Law
- PUP 3002 Introduction to Public Policy
- PUP 4203 Environmental Politics and Policy
- SYD 3020 Population and Society
- URP 3000 Introduction to Planning and Urban Development
- URP 4022 Collective Decision Making
- URP 4314 Introduction to Growth Management and Comprehensive Planning
- URP 4423 Environmental Planning and Resource Management
- URP 4710 Introduction to Transportation Issues and Transportation Planning
- URP 4936 Special Topics in Urban and Regional Planning
- * Content of these courses varies. Please consult the environmental studies advisor for applicability.
- Methods Electives: Two of the following courses (total of six [6] semester hours):
- ENV 4611 Environmental Impact Analysis
- GEO 3040 Map Analysis
- GEO 4162C Spatial Data Analysis (or equivalent)
- GEO 4151 Geographic Information Processing and Systems
- GEO 4184 Computer Cartography
- GEO 4930 Special Topics in Geography
Minor in Environmental Studies
A minor in environmental studies consists of twenty-three (23) semester hours, including Group I (total of [14] semester hours) and one course each from Groups II, III, and IV (total of nine [9] semester hours). All courses must be completed with grades of "C" or better.
For more information, contact Dr. Basil Savitsky, Undergraduate Advisor, (850) 644-8377 or bsavitsk@mailer.fsu.edu, or visit the department's website at http://www.fsu.edu/~geog.
Graduate Programs
Graduate programs are available leading to the master of arts (MA) and master of science (MS) degrees, and the PhD in geography. The graduate program in geography leads to a research-oriented degree centered around two intellectual foci corresponding to the faculty's expertise: environmental management and social systems analysis.
Undergraduates contemplating a graduate degree in geography should take the Graduate Record Examination prior to submitting an application. Interested students should contact the Graduate Advisor, Dr. Jonathan Leib, at (850) 644-8375, or jleib@coss.fsu.edu.
Definition of Prefixes
- GEA - Regional Geography
- GEO - Systematic Geography
Undergraduate Courses
GEA 1000. World Geography (3). A regional survey of the human occupation of the face of the earth, local cultures, political systems, and development problems.
GEO 1331. Environmental Science (3). The causes of local and global environmental problems and their impacts, including resource use, pollution, ecosystems, and population growth.
GEO 1400. Human Geography (3). Introductory survey of world cultures, population problems, global economic restructuring, international development, and political interdependence.
GEA 2210. United States and Canada (3). The physical diversity and the cultural and political patterns of North America.
GEA 2270. Florida (3). The physical, social, and economic geography of the state, including growth, and environmental issues.
GEA 3173. Third World in Film (3). Weekly feature films are used to investigate how the Third World is constructed as a distinct region, how its physical geography has influenced its history, cultural systems, and development prospects, and how residents have attempted to redefine the concept of "development."
GEA 3704. East and Southeast Asia (3). Survey of the societies of East and Southeast Asia, including their historical development, cultural diversity, linkages to the world economy, and current socio-political structures.
GEO 3040. Map Analysis (3). An introduction to the acquisition, processing, and presentation of cartographic data.
GEO 3200C. Physical Geography (3). An overview of Earth-sun relations, weather, climate, landforms, water systems, soils, and vegetation.
GEO 3423. Sports Geography (3). Geographical basis of sports at different spatial scales, including locational strategies of franchises, recruiting patterns and the urban political economy of professional sports arenas.
GEO 3540. Economic Geography (3). The geography of economic activity at local, national and global scales: regional development, spatial structure of agriculture, manufacturing and services, the global economy, third world poverty, and population growth.
GEO 3949r. Cooperative Education Work Experience (0). (S/U grade only.)
GEA 4400. Latin America (3). The contemporary Latin American landscape, its historical formation, societies and problems.
GEA 4500. Europe (3). Europe's terrain, variety of cultures, economies, and recent trends toward unity.
GEA 4520. Britain and Ireland (3). The physical and human geography of the United Kingdom and Ireland.
GEA 4554. Russia and Southern Eurasia (3). The peoples, cultures, and places of the former Soviet Union. Discusses the region's natural environment, historical development, and contemporary politics.
GEO 4151. Geographic Information Processing and Systems (3). Prerequisites: CGS 2060; GEO 3140; or consent of instructor. Survey of GIS topics, including locational control, spatial data structures, modeling and analysis, and future trends in decision support, sensors, and geographic methods.
GEO 4162C. Spatial Data Analysis (3). Introduction to quantitative analysis of spatial data including measures of central tendency and dispersion, probability, sampling, statistical testing, correlation, point pattern analysis, and trend surface analysis.
GEO 4184. Computer Cartography (3). Examination of computer mapping systems, theory, methodology, and applications.
GEO 4261C. Soils and Landforms (3). Hydraulic and geomorphological processes, and soils types and management.
GEO 4340. Living in a Hazardous Environment (3). Types of environmental hazards (natural and human-made) and their effects, techniques for the analysis of risks, strategies for recovering losses.
GEO 4357. Environmental Conflict and Economic Development (3). Examines controversies over the use, transformation, and destruction of nature, including political ecology.
GEO 4372. Natural Resource Assessment and Analysis (3). Assessment and analysis of policies concerning natural resources and environmental management in the U.S. and internationally.
GEO 4403. Global Change, Local Places (3). Students examine four aspects of global changeeconomic, environmental, cultural, and politicalwith a focus on how globalization is impacting individual countries and how individual places are responding to globalization's challenges.
GEO 4420. Cultural Geography (3). The study of the processes by which various cultural features have diffused throughout the world. Emphasis is on the contemporary cultural landscape.
GEO 4450. Medical Geography (3). Prerequisites: GEO 1400, 4185C. Applies geographical concepts and techniques to health-related problems, including the ecology of health, disease diffusion, medical cartography, and health care access.
GEO 4460. Historical Geography (3). Concepts, approaches, and research methods for analysis of spatial patterns of the past and changes through time.
GEO 4471. Political Geography (3). The spatial dimensions of political processes from the local to the global level, including elections and geopolitics of the world system.
GEO 4480. Military Geography (3). The geography of warfare; tactics and terrain, strategy and the theater of war, insurgency, war in cities, geopolitics and grand strategy.
GEO 4602. Urban Geography (3). The historical growth of cities; spatial structure of commercial, industrial, and public facilities within cities; residential segregation; urban poverty and fiscal distress, and urbanization in the third world.
GEO 4905r. Directed Individual Study (1-5). May be repeated to a maximum of nine (9) semester hours.
GEO 4930r. Special Topics in Geography (3). May be repeated to a maximum of nine (9) semester hours.
GEO 4932. Honors Work (1-6). May be repeated to a maximum of nine (9) semester hours.
GEO 4941r. Internship (3-6). Provides students with an opportunity to apply skills in supervised situations off-campus. Course may be repeated to a maximum of six (6) semester hours. Only three (3) may be counted toward the major.
Graduate Courses
GEA 5195r. Advanced Area Studies (3).
GEO 5056. Social Theory and Spatial Structures (3).
GEO 5058. Survey of Geographic Thought (3).
GEO 5118C. Introduction to Geographical Research (3).
GEO 5157. Advanced Geographic Information Systems (3).
GEO 5159. Geographic Information Processing and Systems (3).
GEO 5165C. Quantitative Geography (3).
GEO 5262C. Soils and Landforms (3).
GEO 5287. Water Resource Analysis (3).
GEO 5345. Disaster Preparedness and Hazards Mitigation (3).
GEO 5358. Environmental Conflict and Economic Development (3).
GEO 5377. Natural Resource Assessment and Analysis (3).
GEO 5425. Cultural Geography (3).
GEO 5465. Historical Geography (3).
GEO 5472. Political Geography (3).
GEO 5481. Military Geography (3).
GEO 5545. Advanced Economic Geography (3).
GEO 5555. World Systems Theory (3).
GEO 5605. Urban Geography (3).
GEO 5908r. Directed Individual Study (1-5).
GEO 5918r. Supervised Research (1-3). (S/U grade only.)
GEO 5934r. Seminar in Current Topics (3).
GEO 5947r. Supervised Teaching (1-3). (S/U grade only.)
GEO 6980r. Dissertation (1-9). (S/U grade only.)
For listings relating to graduate course work for thesis, dissertation, and master's and doctoral examinations and defense, consult the Graduate Bulletin.
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