GEOG 140 Introduction to Cultural Geography studies the relationships between culture, space, place, and the environment. A wide variety of cultures, their landscapes, and the changes they are undergoing will be examined through a geographic lens. Through Cultural Geography we will begin to understand cultural differences and open up new possibilities for solving our own problems as well as for viewing the rest of the world in less judgmental terms.
Prerequisites: English Studies 12 or English First Peoples 12 or ENGL 60 with a minimum grade of 60%
Accessibility Services Notice
Students who would like an academic accommodation and who have a documented disability should contact Accessibility Services, if they have not already done so.Course Details| Total number of weeks | 15 |
|---|
| Total Credits | |
|---|
| Total Hours | 60 |
|---|
Typical hours per week breakdown| Lecture | 3 |
|---|
| Lab (lab, field, computer) | 1 |
|---|
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, the learner will be able to:
- Given a global or regional map, describe the spatial distributions of cultural phenomena, such as religion, language, agriculture, demographics, governance, folk traditions, popular trends and ethnicity
- Explore concepts of cultural appropriation
- Assess ideologies around ethnicity and race
- Examine aspects of human political behaviour, including territorialism, breaking up of empires, changing political landscapes, and the rise of ethnic nationalism
- Explain cultural spatial distributions using the themes of culture region, cultural diffusion, cultural ecology, cultural interaction and cultural landscape
- Utilize a variety of mapping and graphing techniques to present and analyze cultural geographic data
- Be able to identify over 100 countries and significant bodies of water
- Identify demographic trends and explore driving forces behind these trends
- Understand origins of agriculture, recent changes in agriculture and identify global patterns of agriculture
- Identify distribution of major language groups, explore the links between other aspects of culture and language
- Identify major world religions, their characteristics, distribution and interconnectedness with other cultural traits
- Distinguish between folk culture, popular culture and indigenous culture
- Explore the role of urbanization on culture
- Examine the cultural imprint of the urban landscape
Teaching and Learning Approach
The class will be comprised of two weekly presentations in which students follow lectures, participate in class
discussions, examine maps, use online resources, watch short videos, relate learning to current events and
participate in educational activities. Labs will include one sixty-minute class per week or may be outdoors,
including the possibility of a field trip.Learning Resources
Domosh, Mona; Neumann, Roderick; Price, Patricia (2019) Contemporary Human Geography, Culture,
nd
Globalization, Landscape, 2 Edition. W.H. Freeman and Company.Detailed Course Content, Topics, and Sequence Covered
1. Introduction to Cultural Geography.
2. Exploring Cultural Geography – An overview of the three themes of humans and land, regional studies and spatial analysis as used in Human Geography Cultural Difference – Exploring cultural differences
3. Population Geography – Examining variations in growth and distribution, demographic transition historical demography, and other demographic traits.
4. Agriculture – Examining types of agriculture, world distribution, changes to agriculture and contemporary problems of food production
5. Ideology and Religion – Identify major world religions, their characteristics, distribution, and interconnectedness with other world issues
6. Language the Cultural Core – Introduction to geolinguistics, distribution of languages, cultural impact and loss of languages.
7. Reading Break
8. Midterm Exam
9. Race and Ethnicity
10. Power and Authority – Examining aspects of human political behaviour. Including: break up of empires, changing political landscapes, rise of ethnic nationalism.
11. Development Geography – Striving for Equality, Fairness and Social Justice
12. Urban Growth and Development – Patterns of urbanization, historical perspectives, new directions, and cultural variations.
13. Cities – Cities as centers of power and creativity, and poverty, congestion, and pollution. A look at how we got here and where we are going.
14. Review for Final ExamAssessment
| Title | Learning Outcomes | Value |
|---|
| Midterm Exam | 1, 2, 5, 6, 8-12 | 15% |
| Lecture Quizzes and Assignments | 1-14 | 25% |
| Lab Assignments | 1-14 | 40% |
| Final Exam | 1-14 | 20% |
| Total | 100% |
Grading Table
Standard Academic and Career Programs Grading Table
| Percentage | Letter Grade | GPA |
| 90-100 | A+ | 4.33 |
| 85-89 | A | 4.00 |
| 80-84 | A- | 3.67 |
| 76-79 | B+ | 3.33 |
| 72-75 | B | 3.00 |
| 68-71 | B- | 2.67 |
| 64-67 | C+ | 2.33 |
| 60-63 | C | 2.00 |
| 55-59 | C- | 1.67 |
| 50-54 | P | 1.00 |
| 0-49 | F | 0.00 |
| | DNW | 0.00
|
See the Academic Calendar for General Information including how to withdraw from course(s) and other regulations.
Disclaimer
Information contained in this course outline is correct at the time of publication. Content of the course is revised on an ongoing basis to ensure relevance to changing educational, employment and market needs. The instructor will endeavor to provide notice of changes to students as soon as possible. The instructor reserves the right to add or delete material from courses.