Any Penn State undergraduate can take GEOG 121 to satisfy three of the University's General Education requirement of six credits in Social and Behavioral Sciences. Introduction Geographic data specify the locations and characteristics of people, the objects people create, and the various features of the natural environment with which people interact. One of the objectives of Mapping Our Changing World is to familiarize students with the products and practices of each of these specialized fields. More importantly, however, the course emphasizes the common characteristics shared among all kinds of geographic data. Information is data that has been selected and organized in response to a specific problem or question.
Information systems are computerized tools that assist people in transforming data into information.
GIS skills are in demand. Mapping Our Changing World is an introduction to GIScience that provides students with the technical and contextual knowledge they need to become knowledgeable consumers of geographic data and information produced by government agencies, industry, and popular media. The course is intended to be of value not only to future specialists in the geographic information sciences, but also to every student who is concerned with social and environmental research and policy-making. Like other information technologies, GIS is evolving rapidly. Learning is not just a prelude to a career in GIS or GIScience, it is a lifelong responsibility.