Geography

This course focuses on the functions of the biophysical environment of the city state of Singapore. The topics include geology, soils, river systems, water supply, natural reserves, green areas, land reclamation and coastal environments. The environmental problems that arise from the development of a large tropical city within a limited area, and the possible solutions for such problems are examined. The course emphasizes current events in Singapore and discusses what Singapore's environment may look like in the future.

This course looks at the geography of the contemporary Arab world, including origins and consequences. Topics addressed include: the Arab world as a geographic object; Islam as a shared and at times divisive faith; ethnic and religious minorities in the Arab world; recent states with complex heritages; forms and practices of power in the Arab world; from Caliphate to Nation State; the Arab world as a space of movements; from the medina to the metropolis, the tradition and modernity of the Arab city; hydrocarbons as a source of wealth and as an obstacle to development; water as a vital and coveted resource; the Arab world in the face of food-related challenges; interface or periphery, the Arab world and its margins, and between the temptation to withdraw and promises of an opening, the Arab world in the face of globalization.

This course examines many aspects of environmental threat today, most especially climate change. It begins with basic principles and introductory concepts and distinctions. This course explores the impacts of global change on the atmosphere, oceans, and land surfaces with focus given to each sphere in turn.

The UN has defined seventeen sustainable development goals. At least half of these (e.g. clean water and sanitation, affordable and clean energy, industry, innovation and infrastructure, responsible consumption and production, climate action, life below water, life on land, no poverty and zero hunger, and sustainable cities and communities) have implications for how society exploits Earth's finite resources (e.g. energy, freshwater, minerals, soils, and metals). This course provides geoscience and earth systems perspectives on the opportunities, limitations, and challenges that are likely to arise from the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. 

This course examines the interaction between geography and history through the concepts of geographic space, region, territory, and place that serve to analyze the geographic diversity of Latin America. Topics include: geographic analysis and geographic space with a human focus; society-nature metabolism and biogeographic diversity in pre-Columbian America; the role of the region in shaping the world system.

This course examines the development of social and behavioral geography, focusing on how places, landscapes, and environments both reflect and shape social life.