Department of Geography

Courses

 Bison image - General Education Course

GEO 100 Bison image  Intro to Human Geography (CT)3 Credit hours   

This critical thinking course provides a systematic examination of contemporary concepts and processes of human geography in global perspective, including economics, geopolitics, culture, nationalism, urbanization, governance, agriculture, population, and migration.

Attributes: Critical Thinking, International, Core II Social Sciences
Grade Mode: Normal Grading Mode
GEO 101 Bison image  Physical Geography (CT)4 Credit hours   

Systematic survey of earth-sun relationships, land-surface form, climate, soils, water, natural vegetation, and other natural content as a background for human geography.

Attributes: Critical Thinking, Natural Sciences
Grade Mode: Normal Grading Mode
GEO 110 Basic GIS1 Credit hour   

Introduction to GIS concepts including GIS components, spatial and tabular data, database elements, data formats, and map design; hands-on experience with a GIS.

Attributes: Digital Humanities
Grade Mode: Normal Grading Mode
GEO 111 Air Photos & Satellite Imagery1 Credit hour   

Introduction to photogrammetry and remote sensing through the hands-on investigation of aerial photographs and satellite imagery using the latest technology.

Attributes: Digital Humanities
Grade Mode: Normal Grading Mode
GEO 112 Smartphone GPS1 Credit hour   

Principles of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS); using your smartphone for Global Positioning Systems (GPS)/GNSS orientation, and data collection.

Attributes: Digital Humanities
Grade Mode: Normal Grading Mode
GEO 113 Web GIS1 Credit hour   

Students learn to build web maps, share GIS data on the internet, and create web GIS applications.

Attributes: Digital Humanities
Grade Mode: Normal Grading Mode
GEO 203 Bison image  Economic Geography (CT)3 Credit hours   

A systematic examination of world economic geography with a focus on population, agriculture, transportation, land use, urbanization, industry, energy, and the environment.

Attributes: Critical Thinking, International, Core II Social Sciences
Grade Mode: Normal Grading Mode
GEO 206 Bison image  Geography West Virginia3 Credit hours   

A survey of the geography of West Virginia including landforms, climate, settlement patterns, population, economics, resources, politics, and environmental changes.

Attributes: American Institutions, Core II Social Sciences
Grade Mode: Normal Grading Mode
GEO 207 Bison image  Biblical Geography3 Credit hours   

Students explore the physical and human geography of ancient Palestine and assess how geography informs our understanding of people, events, and places described by Jewish and Christian scriptures.

Attributes: Core II Humanities
Grade Mode: Normal Grading Mode
GEO 222 Bison image  Global Environment Issues (CT)3 Credit hours   

Environmental issues have great emotional, political, and economic significance. The dynamics of global environmental problems, their complex interactions, and effects on potential stakeholders will be examined at the international scale.

Attributes: Critical Thinking, International, Core II Social Sciences
Grade Mode: Normal Grading Mode
GEO 223 Digital Earth4 Credit hours   

Students employ GIS, GPS, Remote Sensing, and Drones for spatial data collection and analysis and investigate how the tools function for studying human and physical Earth systems.

Grade Mode: Normal Grading Mode
GEO 230 Bison image  Intro to Meteorology (CT)4 Credit hours   

Introduction to the composition of the atmosphere and weather phenomena, including thunderstorms, tornadoes, and hurricanes.

Attributes: Critical Thinking, Core II Natural Sciences
Grade Mode: Normal Grading Mode
GEO 280 Special Topics1-4 Credit hours   
Grade Mode: Normal Grading Mode
GEO 281 Special Topics1-4 Credit hours   
Grade Mode: Normal Grading Mode
GEO 282 Special Topics1-4 Credit hours   
Grade Mode: Normal Grading Mode
GEO 283 Special Topics1-4 Credit hours   
Grade Mode: Normal Grading Mode
GEO 300 Methods in Geography3 Credit hours   

Provides an introduction to research methods in geography. Topics addressed include: data sources; sampling; data collection, storage, and management; descriptive measures and data visualization techniques; qualitative and quantitative analysis.

Pre-req: STA 225 with a minimum grade of D or STA 150 with a minimum grade of D or STA 150B with a minimum grade of D or MGT 218 with a minimum grade of D or PSY 223 with a minimum grade of D or SOC 345 with a minimum grade of D or GEO 440 with a minimum grade of D.

Grade Mode: Normal Grading Mode
GEO 305 Bison image  Geog of USA & Canada3 Credit hours   

Survey of physical, historical, population, economic, political, cultural, and regional geographies of Canada and the United States, including an analysis of the multi-cultural nature of the societies.

Attributes: American Institutions, Multicultural
Grade Mode: Normal Grading Mode
GEO 317 Bison image  World Regional Geography3 Credit hours   

World regions examined using a synthesis of physical and human geographical themes including environment, culture, landscape, climate, landforms, globalization, population patterns, urbanization, economies, and political geography.

Attributes: International
Grade Mode: Normal Grading Mode
GEO 350 Severe Storms and Natl Hzrds4 Credit hours   

Basics of earth and atmospheric hazards including flooding, earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, tornadoes, and volcanic eruptions, and how to mitigate the impacts.

Grade Mode: Normal Grading Mode
GEO 355 Aviation Weather3 Credit hours   

A study of atmospheric conditions on aeronautical operations. Topics include atmospheric properties, aviation hazards including thunderstorms, wind shear, turbulence, and icing, and weather flight resources.

Pre-req: GEO 230 with a minimum grade of D.

Grade Mode: Normal Grading Mode
GEO 402 Geography of Appalachia3 Credit hours   

A study of the geography of Appalachia, including landforms, climate, settlement patterns, population, economics, resources, politics, and environmental changes.

Attributes: American Institutions
Grade Mode: Normal Grading Mode
GEO 404 Bison image  Geography of Europe3 Credit hours   

An examination of the geography of Europe focusing on contemporary issues, including climate, culture, economics, environmental change, everyday life, international relations landforms, language, politics, population, religion, and urbanization.

Attributes: International
Grade Mode: Normal Grading Mode
GEO 405 Bison image  Political Geography3 Credit hours   

A systematic and regional survey of world political problems and international relations stressing current geopolitical conflicts.

Attributes: International
Grade Mode: Normal Grading Mode
GEO 406 Bison image  Population Geography3 Credit hours   

An examination of contemporary patterns, processes, and problems of population geography in global perspective, including fertility, mortality, demographic change, migration, malnutrition, urbanization, natural resource sustainability, and future projections.

Attributes: International
Grade Mode: Normal Grading Mode
GEO 408 Bison image  Geog of South & Middle America3 Credit hours   

A study of settlement, transportation, manufacturing, agriculture, geopolitics, and natural resources of South and Middle American countries.

Attributes: International
Grade Mode: Normal Grading Mode
GEO 410 Urban Geography3 Credit hours   

Study of the evolution, morphology and land use, functions, and problems of urban areas, with emphasis on governance, planning, and the social and environmental impacts of urbanization.

Attributes: American Institutions
Grade Mode: Normal Grading Mode
GEO 411 Medical Geography3 Credit hours   

An examination of contemporary issues and problems in health and medical geography, including the spatial aspects of global health, health care policy, and disease origins, diffusion, and ecology.

Grade Mode: Normal Grading Mode
GEO 418 Geography For Educators3 Credit hours   

A study of geographic concepts, methods, and technologies essential for effective teaching of geographic content for K-12 social studies teachers and college educators.

Grade Mode: Normal Grading Mode
GEO 422 Bison image  Environmental Geography3 Credit hours   
Attributes: International
Grade Mode: Normal Grading Mode
GEO 423 Cartography & GIS3 Credit hours   

This course is an introduction to cartography and is the cornerstone of Geographic Information Science. In this class you will learn basic map design, map interpretation and appreciation. We will explore the nature of spatial data, and learn what maps can and cannot represent. We will study maps as a data source for Geographic Information Systems, and as a graphic tool for scientific visualizations.

Grade Mode: Normal Grading Mode
GEO 424 Transportation Geography3 Credit hours   

A geographic analysis of transportation and its spatial organization. Concepts, models, and analytical methods related to traffic demand, network configuration, and allocation of transport facilities are covered.

Grade Mode: Normal Grading Mode
GEO 425 Climatology4 Credit hours   

A study of elements of weather and climate, methods of climatic classification, and the distribution and characteristics of world climate regions.

Grade Mode: Normal Grading Mode
GEO 426 Principles of GIS4 Credit hours   

Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS) principles, techniques, and applications for the social and natural sciences with emphasis on foundational geographic principles in a lecture/lab format.

Attributes: Digital Humanities
Grade Mode: Normal Grading Mode
GEO 427 Programming GIS4 Credit hours   

Students automate GIS analyses and workflows by building repeatable models, programming with Python, and using other concepts and techniques within both desktop and web GIS applications.

Pre-req: GEO 423 with a minimum grade of D or GEO 426 with a minimum grade of D or GEO 429 with a minimum grade of D or GEO 430 with a minimum grade of D or NRRM 423 with a minimum grade of D or NRRM 433 with a minimum grade of D.

Grade Mode: Normal Grading Mode
GEO 429 Location Analysis and GIS4 Credit hours   

Concepts, models, and methods of geographic location analysis of natural resource extraction, manufacturing, services, retail and market area analytics, and logistics using GIS.

Grade Mode: Normal Grading Mode
GEO 430 Environmental Raster GIS4 Credit hours   

Environmental Applications of GIS raster analysis, including local, neighborhood, and zonal operations, terrain analysis, distance modeling, and surface interpolation, data collection and input, and advanced spatial analysis using GIS.

Pre-req: GEO 426 or GEO 429 or IST 423.

Grade Mode: Normal Grading Mode
GEO 431 Remote Sensing & Photogram4 Credit hours   

Scientific study of the earth using images and data captured using satellite- or aircraft-borne sensors, with emphasis on issues of acquisition, photogrammetric interpretation, spatial analysis and application.

Pre-req: GEO 426 with a minimum grade of D or GEO 429 with a minimum grade of D or GEO 430 with a minimum grade of D or IST 423 with a minimum grade of D.

Grade Mode: Normal Grading Mode
GEO 432 Enterprise GIS3 Credit hours   

Principles and techniques for planning, implementing, and managing Geographic Information Systems technologies in a firm or agency.

Pre-req: GEO 426 or GEO 429 or GEO 430 or GEO 431 or IST 423.

Grade Mode: Normal Grading Mode
GEO 433 GPS & Mobile Geospatial Tech3 Credit hours   

An analysis of the design and deployment of Global Navigation Satellite Systems such as GPS (Global Positioning System) and their application to mobile map services.

Pre-req: GEO 426 or GEO 429 or GEO 430 or GEO 431 or IST 423.

Grade Mode: Normal Grading Mode
GEO 434 Floods Hazards and GIS3 Credit hours   

Application of principles of flood hazards preparation, disaster management, and mitigation using Geographic Information Systems (GIS).

Grade Mode: Normal Grading Mode
GEO 440 Spatial Statistics and GIS4 Credit hours   

Statistical methods applied to problem solving in geography and using GIS for display and analysis. Primary focus on descriptive and inferential spatial statistics, mapping, and spatial analysis of data.

Grade Mode: Normal Grading Mode
GEO 450 Extreme Weather4 Credit hours   

Basics of extreme weather phenomena including hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, droughts, blizzards, and how to mitigate the impacts.

Grade Mode: Normal Grading Mode
GEO 454 Drones: Remote Sensing & GIS3 Credit hours   

Learn FAA rules and safety procedures; prepare for Remote Pilot licensing exam; operate drones to collect remote sensing data; process imagery for analysis; integrate sUAS imagery with existing GIS data.

Grade Mode: Normal Grading Mode
GEO 460 Weather Analysis4 Credit hours   

Introduction to reading weather maps and meteorological analysis techniques including satellite and radar image interpretation and numerical weather prediction.

Grade Mode: Normal Grading Mode
GEO 480 Special Topics1-4 Credit hours   
Grade Mode: Normal Grading Mode
GEO 481 Special Topics1-4 Credit hours   
Grade Mode: Normal Grading Mode
GEO 482 Special Topics1-4 Credit hours   
Grade Mode: Normal Grading Mode
GEO 483 Special Topics1-4 Credit hours   
Grade Mode: Normal Grading Mode
GEO 485 Independent Study1-4 Credit hours   
Attributes: No Textbook Required
Grade Mode: Normal Grading Mode
GEO 486 Independent Study1-4 Credit hours   
Attributes: No Textbook Required
Grade Mode: Normal Grading Mode
GEO 487 Independent Study1-4 Credit hours   
Grade Mode: Normal Grading Mode
GEO 488 Independent Study1-4 Credit hours   
Grade Mode: Normal Grading Mode
GEO 490 Internship1-6 Credit hours   

Cooperative learning experience with regional employer/government agency.

Attributes: No Textbook Required
Grade Mode: Credit/No Credit Grade Only
GEO 498 Bison image  Senior Capstone2 Credit hours   

This senior capstone course combines research methods, data collection, and analysis to produce original research on questions and problems in geography. Par I: Pilot Project.

Pre-req: GEO 300 with a minimum grade of D and (GEO 423 with a minimum grade of D or GEO 426 with a minimum grade of D).

Attributes: Capstone Course
Grade Mode: Normal Grading Mode
GEO 499 Bison image  Senior Capstone II1-3 Credit hours   

This senior capstone course combines research methods, data collection, and analysis to produce original research on questions and problems in geography. Part II.

Pre-req: GEO 426 with a minimum grade of D and (MTH 225 with a minimum grade of D or GEO 440 with a minimum grade of D or MGT 218 with a minimum grade of D or PSY 223 with a minimum grade of D or SOC 345 with a minimum grade of D or ANT 301 with a minimum grade of D or EDF 417 with a minimum grade of D).

Attributes: American Institutions, Capstone Course
Grade Mode: Normal Grading Mode

Faculty

Professors
Law, Leonard

Associate Professors
Cordoba, Kozar, Walz

Assistant Professors
Adams