Urban and Economic Geography Courses

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Dear EnvS Students,

Geography is offering three great courses in urban and economic geography this Fall, described below.  If you are an undergraduate with a minor in Geography, Urban Studies or Economics, you might consider one of these courses.  Check with your minor advisor to be sure the course you want to take meets a requirement in the minor.  Graduate students with an interest in urban geography or urban economics may also be interested in knowing about these courses.  Check with you major advisor, if you think one of these courses would benefit you.

Dr. Trulio

Geography 117, Advanced Economic Geography, TR 12-1:15 pm, taught by Dr. Kathrine Richardson, Associate Professor, Department of Geography and Global Studies

Geography 117, advanced economic geography, is a new class, which focuses on the global dynamics of the key elements within the world economy, namely, the firm, the state, capital, and labor.  In addition to theory, we will also examine case studies and draw from examples in the U.S., Europe, Asia, South America and to a certain degree Africa.  In particular, we will spend time on traditional U.S. and European headquartered multinational corporations, the Japanese Keiretsu, the Korean Chaebol, the Chinese diaspora, and the rise of the Chinese state firm and emerging Indian transnational companies.  We will work to learn how these denizens of the world economy interact/engage with governments, capital, labor, and the environment from the global to the local scale.  It should make for an interesting and informative class.  By the end of this class, you should have a much greater understanding of the world economy and its key components, and be able to discuss and analyze global economic processes and events.  There are no pre requirements for the class, but this is a fairly demanding course regarding readings and in-class engagements, so you should be at the junior level if you plan to enroll for the course. Due to the advanced content, this class would also be a good class for graduate students interested in global economic processes.

Geography 105, Urban Geography, T 3-5:45 pm, taught by Dr. Kathrine Richardson, Associate Professor, Department of Geography and Global Studies

This course provides an introduction to the theories of urban geography, and its processes, change, and development.  The course begins with the theories of the origins, growth and development of cities around the world.  The course then moves onto exploring the contemporary economic functions of cities, spatial structure, and socio-cultural characteristics with an emphasis on North American cities.  Now, with an understanding of urban fundamentals, we then examine existing urban debates and public policy controversies.  Throughout the course, we will place special emphasis on the interplay between established or ‘classical’ theories in an effort to explore new processes, problems, and opportunities that are emerging within the urban.  It is my hope that by the end of this course, you will have a greater understanding of (and be able to articulate) a variety of the many different theories and fundamental ideas that form the foundations as to what we call ‘urban processes’ or ‘urban development’.  The class includes one to two field trips in San Jose/San Francisco. By the end of this course, you will have a greater grasp of some of the many different processes, problems, and opportunities that are contributing to why urban geography is an ever changing and dynamic area of study and life!  This is a good class to take if you are interested in pursuing a career/graduate degree in planning or public policy.

Geography 115, The Geography of the Global Economy,  R 3-5:45 pm, taught by Dr. Kathrine Richardson, Associate Professor, Department of Geography and Global Studies

This course is a survey of geographical theories of development and underdevelopment and their relevance to the wider topics of development theory.  To this end, the course will address the major themes of development studies in the contemporary world and their historical evolution from the 1500s to the contemporary period.  This course will help you to understand the conflicting nature of definitions of development; evaluate the role of colonialism and imperialism in the global economic system; define and evaluate the conflicting theories of development; understand and evaluate the role of globalization in the development - underdevelopment debate; analyze the role of various geographic concepts in explaining the potential for development in different regions of the world; and identify and explain the role and effect of various actors (e.g. UN, World Bank, World Trade Organization, the state, and Nongovernmental Organizations) in the global political-economic system on the development of regions across the world.   By the end of the course you will have a much greater grasp of the many ideas and activities related to the notion of global development.  You will also be competitive when applying for internships and jobs that focus on international development work.