Overview of Course

What better way to make the most of your Semester at Sea than to see it through the lens of geography? This course offers you an introduction to the multidisciplinary field of Geography by creating a foundation and understanding of the breadth of the discipline and its application to other fields of study. It is a survey course, and in it, you will get an overview of the discipline of Geography and tools that will allow you to examine the relationship between places, culture, and environment. The course topics cover physical geography (landforms, climate, weather, and natural resources), human interactions (cultural, political, economic, public health, and urban studies), and tools for analyzing things geographically (survey methods, fieldwork, mapping, and Geographic Information Science). The course uses a combination of lectures, fieldwork, and assignments designed to have you appreciate the use of a spatial lens to gain a deeper physical and cultural understanding of the places we will visit during the voyage.