In this course students use computers to explore the various elements of design that are incorporated into a professionally produced map. Prerequisite is Map Reading . This course prepares students to do geographic research. During the term you learn what makes a research topic geographic, how to write problem statements and hypothesis, how to organize a research plan or methodology, and how to conduct a review of the literature pertaining to your topic. This course should be taken at the same time as 316 and 317, so that by the end of the semester you have all the skills needed to begin an actual geographic research project required for the geography degree.
Geographers often use statistics to analyze their research data.
In this course you will learn about various tests, which is appropriate for a particular situation, and how to interpret the significance of test results. You will learn how to use computer-driven statistics packages and how to display your data using various graphs and chart formats. Geographers rely on maps for conducting and presenting research. This courses gives you practice producing maps in a hurry by scanning images and then using paint or graphics software to produce maps specific to your research project. We nickname the course - Quick and Dirty Mapping.