Geography & Sociology

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Faculty

Jennifer Speights-Binet, Chair, Professor, Geography
Theresa C. Davidson, Director, Professor, Sociology
Don E. Bradley, Professor, Sociology
H. Hugh Floyd, Professor, Sociology
Jonathan Fleming, Associate Professor, Geography
Jennifer M. McClure, Associate Professor, Sociology
Jennifer L. Rahn, Associate Professor, Geography
Charles (Chuck) Stokes, Associate Professor, Sociology
Jordan R. Cissell, Assistant Professor, Geography
Carol Ann Vaughn Cross, Assistant Professor, Sociology

Undergraduate Programs and Requirements

Majors
Geography Major (B.S.)  
Geography Major (B.S.) w/a Concentration in Geographic Information Science (GIS)  
Sociology Major (B.A.)  

Minors
Environmental Studies Minor  
Sociology Minor  
Traditional Geography Minor  

Interdisciplinary Major
Global & Cultural Studies Interdisciplinary Major (B.A.)  with a required concentration in one of the following:
     Europe , Human Geography , Latin America , Middle East  

Interdisciplinary Minors
Global & Cultural Studies Interdisciplinary Minor *
Latin American Studies Interdisciplinary Minor *

Certificate
Geographic Information Science (GIS) Certificate (CRT) 
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The Department of Geography and Sociology offers a major in geography plus a major in geography with a concentration in geographic information science (GIS), both leading to a bachelor of science degree. Additionally, the department offers a major in sociology leading to a bachelor of arts degree. A certificate in geographic information science is also available and can be added to any undergraduate program.

The department also offers minors in environmental studies, sociology, traditional geography, and, in cooperation with other departments, interdisciplinary minors in global and cultural studies and Latin American studies. An interdisciplinary major in global and cultural studies, which includes a human geography concentration, is also available.*
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*The global and cultural studies interdisciplinary major and minor are offered in cooperation with the Department of History. The Latin American studies interdisciplinary minor is offered in cooperation with the Department of History and the Department of World Languages and Cultures. See those catalog sections for more information.

General Education: University Core Curriculum and Distribution Requirements

See General Education Overview  in the Howard College of Arts and Sciences introductory pages for a list of required and applicable courses.

Geography majors cannot use geography to satisfy the general education natural and computational science or social science requirement.

Sociology majors cannot use SOCI 100 (Introduction to Sociology)  to meet the general education social science requirement.

Department Minors

The Geography and Sociology Department strongly recommends that students select a minor.

The department offers two options for a geography-related minor and one for sociology:

• A traditional geography minor for students seeking one to complement history, political science, global and cultural studies, international relations, public administration, public health, education, or other disciplines and programs.
• An interdisciplinary environmental studies minor for students interested in the relationship between humans and the environment. Students examine ways that politics, economics, the sciences, history, ethics, and philosophy influence human behavior in the natural world. Students pursuing this program must complete a field-based May or summer term course.
• A sociology minor which offers a foundation in understanding relationships among persons in groups, as well as relations between groups.

Geography majors may complete the environmental studies minor but may not pursue the traditional geography minor. Sociology majors cannot pursue a sociology minor.

Geography Certificate

The Geography and Sociology Department also offers a 16-hour certificate in geographic information science (GIS) which can be incorporated into any major program. Our GIS certificate provides a highly marketable set of technical and analytical skills used to gather, manage, and view data about geographic places, analyze spatial relationships, and model spatial processes.

Geography majors may complete the geographic information science certificate.

Programs

• Geography Major (B.S.)
• Geography Major w/a Conc in Geographic Information Science (GIS) (B.S.)
• Sociology Major (B.A.)

• Environmental Studies Minor
• Sociology Minor
• Traditional Geography Minor

• Geographic Information Science (GIS) Certificate (CRT)

Courses

• GEOG 101 - Global Geography: Places, Landscapes, and Regions (4)
• GEOG 150 - Environmental Geography: Understanding Planet Earth (4)
• GEOG 216 - Fundamentals of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) (4)
• GEOG 299 - Essentials of Geography and Environmental Studies (4)
• GEOG 301 - Independent Study (1-4)
• GEOG 305 - Globalization: Geographies of Economic Change (4)
• GEOG 311 - Directed Teaching Experience (1-4)
• GEOG 316 - Applied GIS (4)
• GEOG 330 - Natural Hazards and Disasters (4)
• GEOG 350 - Coastal and Marine Geography: Modern Marine Science (4)
• GEOG 360 - Urban Geography: The North American City (4)
• GEOG 361 - Bridging London (4)
• GEOG 370 - Suburban Nation (4)
• GEOG 391 - Exploring North American Landscapes (4)
• GEOG 392 - Geographies of Africa (4)
• GEOG 395 - Giants of Asia: China & India in the 21st Century (4)
• GEOG 397 - Andes to Amazon: Physical Landscapes of Latin America (4)
• GEOG 416 - Geospatial Analysis (4)
• GEOG 460 - Geography Internship (1-4)
• GEOG 480 - Caribbean Field Course: Adventures in SCUBA Diving on Coral Reefs, Coastal Processes, & Island Geography (4)
• GEOG 485 - Landscapes of the American South (4)
• GEOG 490 - Special Topics in Geography (4)
• GEOG 499 - Senior Seminar (4)

• SOCI 100 - Introduction to Sociology (4)
• SOCI 101 - Introduction to Cultural Anthropology (4)
• SOCI 205 - Sociology of Race and Ethnic Relations (4)
• SOCI 300 - Quantitative Analysis in the Social Sciences (4)
• SOCI 305 - Prisons, Punishment, and Power (4)
• SOCI 310 - Archaeology (4)
• SOCI 315 - Sociological Theory (4)
• SOCI 320 - Research Methods (4)
• SOCI 324 - Human Sexuality (4)
• SOCI 330 - Sociology of Gender (4)
• SOCI 331 - Sociology of Aging (4)
• SOCI 333 - Sociology of Religion (4)
• SOCI 337 - Health, Illness, and Healing in Social Context (4)
• SOCI 339 - Sociology of Mental Disorder (4)
• SOCI 343 - Criminology (4)
• SOCI 345 - Juvenile Delinquency (4)
• SOCI 347 - Independent Study (2 or 4)
• SOCI 348 - Sociology of Family (4)
• SOCI 349 - Sociology of Children and Youth (4)
• SOCI 360 - Urban Geography: The North American City (4)
• SOCI 361 - Bridging London (4)
• SOCI 370 - Suburban Nation (4)
• SOCI 373 - Women and Religion (4)
• SOCI 399 - London Study Topics (4)
• SOCI 401 - The Individual in Society (4)
• SOCI 403 - Social Class and Inequality (4)
• SOCI 404 - Sociology of Poverty (4)
• SOCI 405 - Sociology of Deviance (4)
• SOCI 407 - Sociology Internship (4)
• SOCI 409 - Special Topics in Sociology (2 or 4)
• SOCI 427 - Sociology and Environment (4)
• SOCI 430 - Senior Seminar (4)