Geography and Urban Studies

Geography and Urban Studies 1052 (formerly C052): Introduction to the Physical Environment
4 credit hours

Prerequisite: Geology 1001

An environmental science course that reviews the earth's climates, natural vegetation, and soils. Climate types are understood through earth-sun relationships and atmospheric processes, with an emphasis on world patterns. Causal connections among climate, vegetation, and soils are identified and are used by the student as a tool for understanding natural regions of the world.

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Geography and Urban Studies 1021 (formerly R055): Urban Society: Race, Class, and Community
3 credit hours

An introduction to the contemporary American city, emphasizing the major social trends and public issues affecting individuals and communities in urban settings. A cross-disciplinary approach is emphasized, with political, economic, spatial, social, and historical aspects of city life orienting the course. There will be a considerable amount of discussion about racial issues in this course.

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Geography and Urban Studies 1025 (formerly C060): World Urban Patterns
3 credit hours

A survey of the major urban regions and cities of the world. Emphasis is on understanding urban life in different cultures and societies and on an analysis of urban patterns in a broad range of countries. Some of the major themes to be discussed are industrialization, land-use patterns in cities, poverty, environmental issues, and urbanization in the Third World.

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Geography and Urban Studies 1031 (formerly C062): Geography of World Affairs
3 credit hours

A review of how globalization brings environmental, social, demographic, and economic issues into focus across regions of the world. The course deals with major issues facing specific regions (e.g., drought in Africa and Asia, tourism in Middle America and the Caribbean, economic development in East Asia, environmental issues in the Pacific and elsewhere).

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Geography and Urban Studies 2074 (formerly C086): Geography of East and South Asia
3 credit hours

(Cross-Listings: Asian Studies 2074)

A course whose main objective is to introduce students to the peoples and environments of South Asia, Southeast Asia, and East Asia. More than one-half of the world's people live in this fast-developing part of the world. They vary greatly from country to country and even within countries in cultural background and standard of living and in how they make their livings; whether they are urban or rural residents; and in many other dimensions, such as ethnicity, language, religion, political systems, foods, ways, etc. Students will learn the basic geography of each of the countries of South, Southeast, and East Asia and about their critical social and political issues (e.g., human rights, separatist movements, women's issues, and poverty); their environmental issues; and their changing and developing economies.

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Geography and Urban Studies 2031 (formerly 0130): Economic Geography
3 credit hours

An introduction to the complex economic patterns of the world. This course examines why economic activities are distributed in particular ways and looks at the consequences of economic location decisions. Case studies of American industries supplement an analysis of location theories and models.

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Geography and Urban Studies 3016 (formerly 0216): Contemporary Issues in City Planning
3 credit hours

Detailed analysis of a specific issue affecting cities and metropolitan areas, usually with a focus on the Philadelphia metropolitan area. Issues such as sprawl, redevelopment, and sustainability are often the focus of the course.

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Geography and Urban Studies 4075 (formerly 0225): Regional Development in the Third World
3 credit hours

A geographical approach to the issue of economic development, with an emphasis on food production, environmental problems, spatial and regional planning, the provision of services (especially health and education), and integrated rural development.

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Geography and Urban Studies 3076 (formerly 0228): Metropolitan Tokyo
3 credit hours

(Cross-Listings: Asian Studies 3076)

A review of the history of Tokyo's growth and development from the time of its founding to the present. The course also introduces various neighborhoods in Tokyo, including some that are famous and well documented in guidebooks and others that are unknown and off the beaten path. In addition, the course covers urban problems and planning in Tokyo and various aspects of Tokyo architecture and design. It is intended for newcomers to Tokyo and for students who know Tokyo well. There are several field trips and short research papers.

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Geography and Urban Studies 3052 (formerly 0238): Environmental Problems in Asia
3 credit hours

(Cross-Listings: Asian Studies 3052 & Environmental Studies 3052)

An introduction to examining environmental issues in several East and Southeast Asian countries, using Japan as the model. Emphasis is on deforestation, river basin development, urban planning, ecotourism, and the role of nongovernmental organizations.

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Geography and Urban Studies 4096 (formerly W252): Problems of Environmental Quality
3 credit hours

A discussion and research course on specific environmental problems, such as tropical rain forest destruction, environmental impacts on climate, ocean contamination, and nuclear radiation and waste. Although global in nature, these issues will be discussed within the context of U.S. and Japanese understanding of and approaches to dealing with them. Fieldwork and group projects provide students with opportunities to explore cross-cultural concerns in small groups.

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Geography and Urban Studies 3054 (formerly 0254): Energy, Resources, and Conservation
3 credit hours

(Cross-Listings: Environmental Studies 3054)

A course in which vital nonrenewable resources are identified and their global and North American distribution, character, and utilization is studied. Special attention is paid to energy sources now in short supply and to benign renewable sources for future needs.

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Geography and Urban Studies 2025 (formerly 0274): American Places: Home, City, Region
3 credit hours

(Cross-Listings: American Studies 2051)

An exploration of the importance of place in determining the character of American culture. A variety of materials, visual and textual, are used to examine the way our lives are shaped by the home, the design of the city, and the suburban and regional areas beyond the city. The extent to which places hold their identities in the face of mass culture and megalopolis is also explored.

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Geography and Urban Studies 3000 (formerly 0305): Special Seminar in Geography and Urban Studies
3 credit hours

Seminars on special topics that vary according to the instructor. Check the course schedule for specific seminar topics.

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Geography and Urban Studies 3000 (formerly 0305): Special Seminar in Geography and Urban Studies: The Geography of Japan
3 credit hours

(Cross-Listings: Asian Studies 2000)

An overview of the archipelago of Japan featuring its physical and human geography. Particular attention is paid to the intense usage of limited natural resources, the planning issues with the rapid industrialization, and the high-density of urbanization, the importance of the international trade and new technologies and their roles in shaping new geographic relationships for Japan with other parts of the world.

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Geography and Urban Studies 4000 (formerly 0310): Special Seminar in Geography and Urban Studies
3 credit hours

Seminars on special topics that vary according to the instructor. Check the course schedule for specific seminar topics.

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Geography and Urban Studies 4000 (formerly 0310): Special Seminar in Geography and Urban Studies: Urban Issues and Globalization in Pacific Asia
3 credit hours

(Cross-Listings: Asian Studies 2000)

Pacific Asia is one of the fastest changing parts of the world, with rapid economic growth, great social change and enormous growth of cities and metropolitan regions. This course focuses on several key places that reflect Pacific Asia's dynamism, and looks at topics such as the adaptation of rural migrants to city life, the change of urban economies associated with globalization, new patterns of urban spatial structure and architectural design, and various urban social problems associated with growth and poverty. Special attention is given to Jakarta and Batam in Indonesia, Singapore, Bangkok, Shanghai and Tokyo. Students will do readings and reports about individual cities.

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