GR 320 Cultural Geography

Overview of Course

Throughout our Semester at Sea voyage, you will encounter a wide range of places and cultures. Cultural Geography provides a framework for understanding how places shape cultures—and how cultures, in turn, shape places. In this course, we examine the geographic patterns of key cultural themes, including population, religion, economic activity, belief systems, cuisine, and language, while analyzing the historical and contemporary processes that produce these patterns.
Course content is closely tied to the ship’s itinerary, helping you interpret the connections between the natural and built environments we experience and the cultures and identities of the people who inhabit them. Particular attention is given to the relationship between cultural systems and environmental conditions, including resource use, sustainability, and ecological interdependence. This approach deepens our understanding of the shared responsibility to care for the planet.
The course emphasizes critical reflection on diverse cultural perspectives and lived experiences across global contexts. Through lectures, maps, case studies, videos, short writing assignments, and group discussions, you will develop the analytical tools needed to examine how cultural practices, identities, and power relations are expressed spatially.
By the end of the course, you will be better equipped to interpret cultural landscapes, engage thoughtfully with global diversity, and understand the complex connections between culture, environment, and place.