Geography

This course investigates how human societies adapt to climate change and variability. Central concepts and theories in current adaptation research are presented and discussed using case studies from different parts of the world. In doing so, central actors, policies, and management strategies are analyzed. This includes private and public stakeholders and institutions, and adaptation strategies and initiatives at different geographical scales (local, regional, national, and supranational).

This course examines some of the issues that face human kind at the beginning of the 21st century and show how geographers approach the problems facing the modern world. It includes topics that are currently reported in the media and examine the realities and uncertainties behind these issues, focusing particularly on the tools available to address key questions. The course facilitates cross-disciplinary discussion and to promote an in-depth understanding of problems facing us all. The course provides an insight into how these issues are influenced by complex interactions between social, cultural, economic, physical, and biological processes.

This course examines how cultural, social, political and economic dynamics shape landscapes, these being rural, urban, in transitions or ‘natural. You will garner a theoretical expertise for interpreting and making sense of different places, and how there are shaped by multiple dynamics across scales (from the local to the global). 

This course reviews the fundamental theories associated with the spaciality of rural areas.  The class focuses on the pressing issues faced by people within rural areas, especially farmers within Mexico and Latin America.  It also covers a detailed explanation of how agricultural markets function in terms of productivity and values.  Last, the course evaluates the impacts of industrialization and technological advancements of agricultural economies.

The class first covers the historical-social process of capitalism through a geographic perspective by explaining the different theories of political economy and its critics, mainly Marx.  The course begins with the physiocrats, then to the mercantiles, and classical political economic theories.  The course covers feudal societies, class antagonisms, creation of port cities, and centralization of markets and power within cities.  It also addresses the hierarchical dynamics of capitalism on a global scale and changes in use value and exchange value as a result of higher quality of life.  

The course is future oriented and explores the concept of sustainability in the face of global change. It encompasses a wide range of theory and practice, including social, economic, and environmental issues, and links international examples to local context and relevance. The course challenges students to critically reflect on sustainability and current approaches to sustainability.

This course examines the increasing capacity of open-source GIS in disseminating spatial data sets in non-conventional formats. It covers a showcase of diverse datasets and their potential values and hands-on practices about the uses of these datasets. 

This course identifies the difference between soil science and soil geography, and covers soil management conservation techniques. The course also allows students to participate in environmental regeneration, ordering, planning and development of basis, valleys, alluvial plans, and deltas.