In that kind of atmosphere, teacher and student may quickly get to know each other by first names. The major requires work in four distinct areas. All students must meet the same class requirements, although electives are offered in most segments. Systematic Geography - A range of classes built around physical and human systems that create distinctive geographical landscapes. They include themes from urban geography to economic, cultural and physical geography.
Students select two courses from about a dozen.
Regional Geography - The department offers some 10 courses built around specific world regions and geographic situations. For example, in focusing on East Asia or the United States and Canada, professors give attention to specific regions, landscapes, culture groups, economic geography and settlement histories. This track is designed to help students develop a fuller sense of geographic analysis and a better understanding of major regions of the world. In this phase, students learn how to chart and illustrate spatial data that come from the analyses in the first three segments. Although students know they must meet the minimum two-course requirement in each of these phases, most take additional geography classes that interest them.