Course Descriptions

McMicken Course Descriptions (.pdf)

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15-041-101. Introduction to Environmental Geography: Weather and Climate. 3 ug. cr.  Elements of meteorology, including temperature, precipitation, pressure cells, and air masses.  Global climatic patterns, controls, and mechanisms of change examined.  For majors and non-majors; fulfills the A&S Natural Science requirement.  Courses can be taken out of sequence.

15-041-101H. Honors Introduction to Environmental Geography.  3 ug. Cr. Honors version of 15-041-101.
 
15-041-102. Introduction to Environmental Geography: Landscapes.  3 ug. Cr. See 15-041-101.  Processes of formation and their significance, studied through maps, diagrams, and imagery.  Fulfills the A&S Natural Science requirement. 
[Summer Course]

15-041-102H. Honors Introduction to Environmental Geography.  3 ug. Cr. Honors version of 15-041-102.
 
15-041-103. Introduction to Environmental Geography: The Environment. 3 ug. Cr. See 15-041-101.  Soil forming processes and plant geography, man's impact on the biosphere.  Fulfills the A&S Natural Science requirement. 

15-041-103H. Honors Introduction to Environmental Geography.  3 ug. Cr. Honors version of 15-041-103.
 
15-041-104. Introduction to Human Geography: Population Patterns  3 ug. Cr. Foundation course exploring basic concepts and methods in human geography using population problems as examples.  Fulfills the A&S Behavioral and Social Science requirement.

15-041-104H.  Honors Introduction to Human Geography.  3 ug. Cr. Honors version of 15-041-104.
 
15-041-105. Introduction to Human Geography: Cultural and Political Patterns of Diversity  3 ug. Cr. Explores how geographers understand and explain world and national patterns of cultural and political diversity.  Fulfills the A&S Behavioral and Social Science requirement.

15-041-105H.  Honors Introduction to Human Geography.  3 ug. Cr. Honors version of 15-041-105.
[Summer Course]
 
15-041-106. Introduction to Human Geography: Economic and Urban Patterns of Diversity.  3 ug. Cr. Introduction to geographic models used to define, explain, and interpret world and regional patterns of economic and urban diversity.  Not open to students who have had 30-041-105.  Fulfills the A&S Behavioral and Social Science requirement.

15-041-106H. Honors Introduction to Human Geography.  3 ug. Cr. Honors version of 15-041-106.
 
15-041-111. Introduction to Environmental Geography Laboratory.  2 ug. Cr.  Practical analysis of weather and climate, using weather data and charts; to supplement the lecture course Geog. 101.  One lab., one recitation per wk.  Fulfills the A&S Natural Science requirement when taken with Geog. 101. Coreq.: Geog. 101.

15-041-111H. Honors Introduction to Environmental Geography Laboratory.  2 ug. Cr. Honors version of 15-041-111.
 
15-041-112. Introduction to Environmental Geography Laboratory. 2 ug. Cr. See 15-041-111.  Practical analysis of landforms, using maps, aerial photos, digital data and working models, to supplement lecture course Geog. 102.  Fulfills the A&S Natural Science requirement.

15-041-112H. Honors Introduction to Environmental Geography Laboratory.  2 ug. Cr. Honors version of 15-041-112.
 
15-041-113. Introduction to Environmental Geography Laboratory.  2 ug. Cr. See 15-041-111.  Practical analysis of environmental problems, including field work and laboratory analysis, to supplement the lecture course Geog. 103.  Fulfills the A&S Natural Science requirement.

15-041-113H. Honors Introduction to Environmental Geography Laboratory.  2 ug. Cr. Honors version of 15-041-113.
 
15-041-123. World Regional Geography: The Americas.  3 ug. Cr. An analysis of the major regions comprising North America—the NAFTA nations, U.S., Canada, and Mexico; physical geography, population trends, economic and cultural regions.  Development and underdevelopment issues of our northern and southern neighbors.  Fulfills the A&S Behavioral and Social Science requirement.

15-041-123H. Honors World Regional Geography: The Americas.  3 ug. Cr. Honors version of 15-041-123.
 
15-041-124. World Regional Geography: Europe.  3 ug cr.  The physical, cultural, and economic structure of the continent.  Rise of the contemporary political economy of Europe. Fulfills the A&S Behavioral and Social Science requirement.

15-041-124H. Honors World Regional Geography: Europe.  3 ug. Cr. Honors version of 15-041-124.
 
15-041-125. World Regional Geography: Africa-Middle East.  3 ug. Cr. Overview of landscapes and societies.  Political and historical geography of the 20th century to understand regional patterns and development.  Fulfills the A&S Behavioral and Social Science requirement.

15-041-125H. Honors World Regional Geography: Africa.  3 ug. Cr. Honors version of 15-041-125.
 
15-041-126. World Regional: Asia.  3 ug. Cr. Western and Asian definitions and perceptions used to describe and analyze problems of economic and social development in Asia.  Fulfills the A&S Behavioral and Social Science requirement.

15-041-126H. Honors World Regional Geography: Asia.  3 ug. Cr. Honors version of 15-041-126.

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15-041-203. Greater Cincinnati and the Tri-State. 3 ug. Cr. The changing face of the city, traced over two hundred years. What to preserve, what to demolish, where to rebuild, where to grow? 

15-041-211. Geography of Latin America. 3 ug. Cr. An introduction to the physical, human, and economic geography of Middle and South America.  Fulfills the A&S Behavioral and Social Science requirement.
 
15-041-216. Geography of Europe. 3 ug. Cr. Introduction to the geography of economic, political, cultural, and physical processes that shape Europe.  Urban and regional change and historical roots of contemporary European issues are emphasized.  Fulfills the A&S Behavioral and Social Science requirement.
 
15-041-226. Geography of Africa.  3 ug. Cr. Land and livelihood south of the Sahara.  Problems of modernization of traditional societies and economies.  Fulfills the A&S Behavioral and Social Science requirement.
 
15-041-231. Geography of the Middle East. 3 ug. Cr. Land and livelihood south of the Sahara.  Problems of modernization of traditional societies and economies.  Fulfills the A&S Behavioral and Social Science requirement.
 
15-041-236. Geography of Southern and Eastern Asia. 3 ug. Cr. Impact of modernization process on regional balances, environment, and role of Asia in the world economic system.  Fulfills the A&S Behavioral and Social Science requirement.
 
15-041-261. People and Environment: Part I: Ecosystems and Population.  3 ug. Cr. The fundamentals of ecosystem structure, function, and process.  World population dynamics and human adaptation to the environment are also covered.  Fulfills the A&S Natural Science requirement.  Courses can be taken out of sequence. 
 
15-041-262. People and Environment: Part II: Food and Water Resources.  3 ug. Cr. The development, current practices, and sustainability of agriculture, fisheries, and water resource management.  The impact of population growth, land use, and technological change on food and water resources are also evaluated.  Fulfills the A&S Natural Science requirement.
 
15-041-263. People and Environment: Part III: Energy and Mineral Resources.  3 ug. Cr. Energy's role in human history and the contemporary societal problems of using non-renewable energy.  The potential of renewable energy sources and conservation are evaluated, as are the consequences of non-renewable energy use such as pollution and climate change.  Fulfills the A&S Natural Science requirement.

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15-041-301. Elements of Climatology. 3 ug. Cr. Meteorology:  physical principles, instrumentation and modeling.  Global climatic patterns: quantification, impact of natural events and human activities on climate change.  Prereq.: Geog. 101 & 111, or Perm. Instr. 
 
15-041-302. Climate and Landforms. 3 ug. Cr. Influence of climate on landform genesis.  Global patterns of energy and water related to weathering processes and rates, mass movement and denudation.  Polygenetic landscapes.  Prereq.: Geog. 102 & 112, or Perm. Instr. 
 
15-041-303. Environmental Geography. 3 ug. Cr. The physical environment:  the nature, distribution and circulation of energy and elements in the biosphere; quantitative analyses of the dynamic plant/animal-environment relationships; environmental degradation and assessment.  Prereq.: Geog. 103 & 113, or Perm. Instr. 

15-041-311. Resource Conservation. 3 ug. Cr. Are the earth's resources on the verge of exhaustion? Discussion of the sustainability of human society and the biosphere. Innovative avoidance of resource crises. 
15-041-322.  Cities and Globalization.  3 ug. Cr. Evolution of cities and urban networks.  Urban aspects of contemporary globalization.
 
15-041-323. Urban Geography. 3 ug. Cr. Geography of urban processes and forms.  Political, economic and social aspects of the contemporary city.
 
15-041-333.  Political Geography.  3 ug. Cr. Political processes, structures and conflicts at the local, national, and international scales.

15-041-335. Geography of Religion. 3 ug. Cr. Distribution, diffusion, and territorial conflicts of the major world religions. 
 
15-041-341. Economic Geography.  3 ug. Cr. Industrial location, agriculture patterns, and the location of tertiary functions in urban places.  An introduction to spatial analysis, processes, and location models.
 
15-041-342.  Marketing Geography.  3 ug. Cr. Practical and theoretical analysis of siting problems emphasizing retailing and public sector activities.
 
15-041-343. Industrial Location.  3 ug cr.  Manufacturing regions and the industrial location process.  Analysis of siting problems emphasizing environmental impacts.
 
15-041-351.  Recreation Geography.  3 ug. Cr. Games people play around the world.  How to locate and manage parks, resorts, wilderness areas, and sporting facilities.  Where sports professionals are recruited.
 
15-041-376.  Environmental Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems.  3 ug. Cr. Lecture will emphasize practical applications of remote sensing and GIS to the environment.  Hands-on labs use state-of-the-art software and near-real-time and historic geospatial data sets.  Priority given to Environmental Studies Program majors.

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15-041-501. Problems in Geography. Individual research projects, requiring prior faculty approval. Cr. and hrs. to be arranged. 

15-041-502. Problems in Geography. See 15-041-501. 

15-041-503. Problems in Geography. See 15-041-501. 

15-041-504, 505, 506. Individual Work in Physical Geography. .  Directed applied research projects, requiring prior faculty approval, dealing with geographic topics related to Earth Science such as meteorology, earth resources, and human impact on climate and resources. Open to Earth Science majors only. Cr. and time to be arranged.
 
15-041-507, 508, 509. Capstone Experience in Geography.  2 ug. Cr. Required of all graduating majors, senior year.  Supervised preparation of a research project incorporating the use of models and spatial analysis mapping learned in fulfilling the theory, techniques, and systematic requirements of the major.

15-041-522. Urban Problems.  3 ug. or gr. cr.   Examination of contemporary urban problems from a geographical perspective.  Issues include gentrification and displacement, urban sprawl, metropolitan fragmentation, and urban environmental concerns.

15-041-570. Soils. 3 ug. Or gr. cr. Examination of the factors determining spatial variability in pedogenesis and development. Soil classification. Soils as a factor in human land use. Mandatory field trips. 

15-041-571. Approaches to Past Landscapes. 3 ug. Or gr. cr. Introduction to the methods of environmental and geoarchaeology using case studies from around the world with an emphasis on soil analysis. Local field trip some years. 

15-041-573. The Urban Habitat. 3 ug. Or gr. cr. The city as a physical environment; urban environmental problems and management. 

15-041-574. Introduction to Computer Cartography.  4 ug. Or gr. cr.  Lecture emphasizes cartographic principles which are implemented in computer lab to produce maps using cartographic software packages.  Map transformations, projections, analysis of spatial data, graphic design, and GPS.

15-041-576. Introduction to Remote Sensing. 4 ug or gr. cr. Basic physical principles of electromagnetic radiation; remote sensings systems; interpretation of aerial photographs, thermal and radar imagery; digital analysis of multispectral satellite data, remote sensing applications. 

15-041-578. History and Philosophy of Geography. 3 ug. Or gr. cr. Growth of geographic thought stressing contemporary problems. The theories and aims of the discipline. 

15-041-579. Field Work and Research Methods. 3 ug. Or gr. cr. How to formulate hypotheses, gather geographical data (through field samplings, laboratory analyses and testings), and analyze data with multivariate statistical methods. 

15-041-580. Introduction to Geographic Information Systems. 4 ug. Or gr. cr. Essential elements of a GIs: hardware requirements; GIs software; data acquisition; data structures; spatial database; methods of data analysis and spatial modeling; applications of GIs to a variety of environmental and economic problems.  Course taught by Claire Gomersall (Winter 2002)

15-041-581. GIs Modeling Environmental Applications. 4 ug or gr. cr.  The examination of GIs modeling techniques and selected problems relating to the application of geographic information systems to environmental and land use problems.  Prereq.: 15-041-580 or Perm. Instr.
 
15-041-582. GIs Urban-Economic Applications. 4 ug. Or gr. cr.  The examination of selected problems relating to the successful application of geographic information system technology to urban-economic areas.  Prereq.: 15-041-580 or Perm. Instr.
 
15-041-583. Intermediate Remote Sensing.  4 ug. Or gr. cr.  Digital image processing of remotely sensed data: radiometric and geometric correction, image enhancement, image classification, and digital change detection.  Integration of remote sensing and geographic information systems.  Prereq.: 15-041-576.

15-041-585. Geographic Methods: Quantitative Techniques. 3 ug. Or gr. cr. Introduction to statistical inference with emphasis on areal statistics and applications to geographic problems. 

15-041-586. Geographic Methods: Advanced Quantitative Techniques.  3 ug. Or gr. cr.  See 15-041-585.

15-041-588. Medical Geography. 3 ug. Or gr. cr. Geographic perspectives on disease, death, and health care systems. Prereq.: Not open to freshman.  

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15-041-601. Field Projects. Off-campus research in the "real world," requiring prior faculty approval. Cr. and hrs. To be arranged. 

15-041-602. Field Projects. See 15-041-601. 

15-041-603. Field Projects. See 15-041-601. 

15-041-683. Advanced Remote Sensing.  4 gr. cr.  Current problems, issues, and research in the area of satellite remote sensing of the environment are explored.  Traditional issues of scale, resolution, and accuracy of satellite and ancillary date are also discussed.  New research opportunities under the Earth Observing System are explored.  Prereq.: 15-041-576.
 
15-041-693. Advanced GIs 4 ug. Or gr. cr.  A research seminar in geographic information systems.  The exact topics may vary from term to term.  Students are expected to develop and carry out a small research project which will result in a professional paper and a computer presentation.  Prereq.: 15-041-581 or 582 or Perm. Instr.

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15-041-701. Geographic Research. Advanced research projects, pursued individually in the library or laboratories, requiring prior faculty approval. Cr. and hrs. To be arranged. 

15-041-702. Geographic Research. See 15-041-701. 

15-041-703. Geographic Research. See 15-041-701. 

15-041-704. Staff Seminar. 1 gr. cr. Forum for discussing research papers by visiting speakers, faculty, and graduate students. Credit varies with extent of student's participation. 

15-041-705. Staff Seminar. 1 gr. cr. See 15-041-704. 

15-041-706. Staff Seminar. 1 gr. cr. See 15-041-704. 

15-041-715. Introduction to Graduate Geography. 4-12 gr. cr. A common first term for all incoming graduate students; orientation to the geographic research problems, data, and techniques most abundantly available in Cincinnati. 

15-041-716. Geography Theory and Literature. 4 gr. cr. Major current ideas in research areas of student choosing, as reflected in the professional literature of the last decade.. 

15-041-720. Seminar: Regional Geography. 4 gr. cr. Delimiting regions, disparities in regional growth and development, selected country case studies. 

15-041-731. Seminar: Man's Physical Environment. 4 gr. cr. Development of theory and methods in physical geography. 

15-041-735. Seminar: Sensitive Environments. 4 ug. Cr. Impact of human activities on physical and biological processes in vulnerable environments such as tropical rain forests, wetlands, arid and polar regions, and aquatic ecosystems.

15-041-770. Seminar: Environmental Geography. 4 gr. cr. Environmental legislation, and the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) process. Prereq.: Geog. 301, 2, 3, or perm. 

15-041-771. Seminar: Urban Geography.  4 gr. cr.  Examination of contemporary themes and trends in urban geography.  Emphasis on political and economic dimensions.

15-041-772. Seminar: Political Geography. 4 gr. cr. Global, national, regional, and local processes affecting electoral politics, economic development politics, and social movements are examined. The intersection of different-scaled processes at the urban level is emphasized. 

15-041-773. Seminar: Cultural Geography Theory. 4 gr. cr. Geographical theory and methods for the study of the interconnectedness of people and environment, including cultural ecology, environmental perception and natural hazards research. 

15-041-774. Seminar: Physical Geography. 4 gr. cr. Current research in surficial and atmospheric processes including climate, denudation, tectonic effects, and hydrology. Emphasis on human impact on process rates and location in the Holocene. 

15-041-778. Seminar: Geographic Development. 4 gr. cr. Economic development and modernization of traditional societies. Agricultural reform, water resources development, industrialization policies, and manufacturing location. 

15-041-780. Seminar: Social Theory in Geography. 4 gr. cr. Contemporary developments in social theory related to urban, economic, political, and cultural geography are examined. 

15-041-781. Seminar: Population Geography. 4 gr. cr. Examination of demographic components of regional change. 

15-041-782. Seminar: Urban Population Change. 4 gr. cr. Intra-urban residential location and related issues are analyzed from a variety of theoretical perspectives. 

15-041-784. Seminar: Location Theory.  4 gr. cr. Introduction to classic models in urban-economic-transportation geography, and current modeling in both human and physical geography.

15-041-785. Seminar: Location Analysis.  4 gr. cr.  Discussion of spatial interaction models, diffusion models, location and allocation models, and network analysis; model formulation and solution strategies.

15-041-788. Seminar: Manufacturing Geography. 4 gr. cr. Classical and contemporary approaches to the problems of industrial location, industrial restructuring, and industrial estates. 

15-041-792. Seminar: Research Models. 4 gr. cr. Application of mathematical methods to relationships indicated by geographic theory. Construction and use of multivariate spatial models. Prereq.: 585 and 586, or approved equiv. 

15-041-797. Seminar: Graduate Research II. 4 gr. cr. Fundamentals of research design; preparation of thesis, dissertation, or grant proposals.

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15-041-871. Thesis Research. Preparation of MA thesis, contingent upon faculty approval of a thesis proposal. Credits vary with the research accomplished. 

15-041-971. Dissertation Research. Preparation of the PhD dissertation, following completion of Comprehensive Examinations and faculty approval of a dissertation proposal. Credits may vary with the research accomplished.