[IAI Code: S4902N] Introduces geographical perspectives on environment and development studies with case studies drawn from Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Investigates the origins of the global South in relation to the global North, especially the historical and contemporary processes driving environmental, economic, and cultural change.
A basic introduction to the environmental systems of the Earth's surface, including landforms, soils, and ecosystems and how these systems are affected by global change. Emphasizes the importance of human-Earth relations and a holistic view of environmental systems. Same as ESE 103.
A survey of major world regions by systematically considering five themes: environment, population and settlement patterns, cultural coherence and diversity, geopolitical fragmentation and unity, and economic and social development. While examining the persistence of unique regions, the course will both scale up to global linkages and scale down to place-specific impacts of globalization processes. Same as ESE 106.
In-depth exploration of global urbanization. Using a comparative regional approach, discuss the recent history of global urbanization, dissect its problems, and offer possible solutions. Approximately ten major regions of the world will be examined, exploring the significant urban patterns and processes, built and natural environments, and social, economic, and cultural landscapes of each.
Introduction to the complex relationship between people and the natural environment from a social science perspective. Explores different approaches to environmental issues, and examines the role of population change, political economy, technologies, environmental policymaking, and social institutions in causing and resolving contemporary social and environmental global issues. Same as ESE 210.
Focuses on geopolitical conflicts over ideology, resources, and territory from the mid-nineteenth century to the present. Examines these conflicts from the perspectives of political geography and political theory. Same as GLBL 221.
An interdisciplinary approach to the study of big rivers, encompassing geomorphology, engineering, ecology, risk assessment and planning. Commencing with an assessment of the nature of big rivers; their hydrology and geomorphic setting; hazards associated with large rivers, and issues of river impoundment and management, then proceed to examine the geography, geomorphology, and ecology and management of a range of the World's greatest rivers, focusing on how a geomorphological understanding of such large rivers can aid study of riverine ecohabitats and inform decisions regarding water usage and engineering management. If the weather permits, a one day field-trip will be organized in the second half of the course to view aspects of a local river in Illinois/Indiana. Same as ESE 222.
Examines the role of engineers, technology, and geopolitics from the mid-nineteenth century to the present. Colonialism, the world wars, the Cold War, the War on Terror and other historical contexts are covered. Present-day politics are grounded in these longer histories to illustrate how engineering and technology continue to transform geopolitical relations.
Systematic analysis of the environmental and human processes shaping rural and urban Illinois through a data science lens.
Same as Same as ESE 287, NRES 287, and PS 273. See NRES 287.
Examination of the tools, techniques, strategies, and rationales that can be used by urbanists to produce and sustain a productive, fair, and equitable city. Emphasis is placed on diagnosing, implementing, and sustaining an ideal U.S. city as a complex whole that embeds an array of interconnecting parts (neighborhoods, retail districts, downtowns, city economies). Lectures and discussion cover the broad background of theories, concepts, and principles that will be essential for imagining and implementing these ideals, strategies and plans. Same as ESE 350.
Overview of the spatial analysis (nomothetic) approach to geographic research, both physical and human; includes discussion of the scientific method, with explanations and uses of analytic geographic concepts in studying real world problems. Prerequisite: A course in geography.
Investigates the fundamentals of geographic information science as well as the basic skills in the execution of that theoretical knowledge with industry standard software packages. Student will learn the basics of projections and coordinate systems, how geographic information is stored and manipulated, and the theory and practice behind the production of thematic maps. Includes lecture and hands-on laboratory components. Same as ESE 379.
Study of the analytical capabilities of geographic information systems with an emphasis on learning to solve spatial problems in both the vector and raster data formats. Students will develop the skills necessary to answer questions or solve problems in their areas of interest, with particular emphasis on problems and questions that require multiple steps to resolve. Students will learn the fundamental theory behind spatial problem solving, but also learn to execute these procedures with industry-standard software packages. Thus, this class contains both lecture/discussion elements and hands-on laboratory work. Same as ESE 380. Prerequisite: GGIS 379/ESE 379.
Supervised independent study of special topics or regions. May be repeated once. Prerequisite: Junior standing; at least one formal course in the topic or region of interest; consent of instructor.
Independent study and research projects for students who are working toward the degree with distinction in geography. Prerequisite: Junior standing; consent of honors adviser.
Supervised, off-campus experience in a field directly pertaining to Geography and/or GIS. A written report is required at the end of the internship relating work accomplishments to the student's program of study. Approved for Letter and S/U grading. May be repeated in separate terms up to 6 hours. Prerequisite: Consent of faculty sponsor and Director of Undergraduate Studies; at least two courses taken within Geography & GIS.
Introduces the conceptual and technical fundamentals of geographic information science as a gateway to advanced study in geographic information science, and cover geographic information science as an interdisciplinary scientific field and geographic information systems as a tool in many application domains. Students will be introduced to unique characteristics of geospatial data in the capture, processing, storage, analysis, communication, and interpretation of geospatial information, which will prepare them to utilize information science techniques and critical spatial-thinking skills to address geospatially-related challenges. 4 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. Prerequisite: There are no prerequisites for this course, although familiarity with basic descriptive and inferential statistics as well as some experience with at least one computer scripting/programming language will be helpful.
Intended to introduce students to CyberGIS – Geospatial Information Science and Systems (GIS) based on advanced cyberinfrastructure as well as the state of the art in high-performance computing, big data, and cloud computing in the context of geospatial data science. Students will use CyberGISX, which is an innovative cyberGIS framework for conducting data-intensive, reproducible, and scalable geospatial analytics with Jupyter Notebook as its primary user environment. Students are expected to learn how to develop Jupyter notebooks to analyze and visualize geospatial data using leading-edge cyberGIS software and python libraries. Emphasis is placed on learning the cutting-edge advances of cyberGIS and its underlying geospatial data science principles. Same as GEOL 407. 4 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours.
Explores migrant urbanisms worldwide, foregrounding migrants as city-makers. Through theoretical and case-study engagements at the intersection of migration and urbanization, the course examines how migrants’ everyday struggles over urban space forge new territories key to global migration projects and governance. Students will gain a critical lens to reimagine migration beyond the nation-state, as a distinctive urban phenomenon, and to understand the role of urban processes in shaping contemporary migrant trajectories. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. Prerequisite: Restricted to Junior, Senior or Graduate students.
Introduces geospatial artificial intelligence (AI) methods through the lens of algorithmic fairness, environmental justice, and democratic governance. Students develop technical competency in machine learning, spatial statistics, and deep learning while critically examining how these tools can perpetuate or challenge spatial inequities. Through hands-on labs and community-engaged case studies, students learn to evaluate AI bias, implement fairness-aware algorithms, and design transparent, accountable geospatial AI systems that serve all communities equitably. 4 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. Prerequisite: Undergraduates: GGIS 379 or instructor approval. Graduate students: GGIS 403 or instructor approval.
Same as ANTH 436, ESE 439, IB 439, and NRES 441. See IB 439.
Application of remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS) technologies in solving geospatial and environmental problems. Same as IB 476. 3 undergraduate hours. 3 graduate hours. Prerequisite: GGIS 103, GGIS 224, or consent of instructor.
Fundamentals of energy-matter interaction mechanisms, and the manifestation of reflected and emitted radiation on photographs and images; introduces characteristics of aerial films and filters, electro-optical scanners, and digital processing; and emphasizes applications in environmental problems. Same as NRES 477. 3 undergraduate hours. 3 graduate hours. Prerequisite: GGIS 280 or STAT 100 or equivalent, or consent of instructor.
Introduce remote sensing techniques to identify features and phenomena at the surface of Earth with aircraft and satellite platforms. The covered topics include remotely sensed data and major sensor systems, optical, thermal, LiDAR, and hyperspectral remote sensing, techniques for image enhancement and image classification, and applications of remote sensing in various domain fields. 3 undergraduate hours. 3 graduate hours. Prerequisite: GGIS 477 or equivalent.
Focuses on Geographic Information Science (GIScience) principles that underlie the development of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software and its intelligent use. Helps students adapt to rapidly changing geospatial technologies. Knowledge gained in this course will be general and, thus, not be limited to any specific software product that may be revised in the future. 4 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. Prerequisite: Graduate standing or instructor approval.
Introduction to programming to customize and extend the capabilities of geographic information systems. Topics include the principles of programming, advanced function and tools coding, visualization, fundamental spatial data structures, and spatial algorithms. 4 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. Prerequisite: GGIS/ESE 379 or equivalent, or consent of instructor.
Detailed examination and discussion of the methods of initiating and executing research projects in human or physical geography (taught in separate sections); requires students to write a research proposal of a quality suitable for a graduate thesis. 2 undergraduate hours. 2 graduate hours. Prerequisite: GGIS 471; either graduate standing in geography or senior standing as a geography major and consent of department.
Explores special topics not covered in regularly scheduled Geography courses. 3 or 4 undergraduate hours. 3 or 4 graduate hours. May be repeated if topics vary in the same term to a maximum of 9 undergraduate hours or 12 graduate hours or in separate terms to a maximum of 12 undergraduate hours or 12 graduate hours.
Intended to introduce students to geospatial visualization and visual analytics as well as the state-of-the-art of cartographic mapping and visualization technologies in the context of cyberGIS (cyber geospatial information science and systems) and geospatial data science. Students will learn open source mapping and visualization libraries such as Leaflet, D3 and Plotly and how to mash up these libraries to create interactive and dynamic visualization tools and GIS applications. Students are expected to learn how to visualize not only geospatial data but also results of spatial analysis. Emphasis is placed on learning the cutting-edge advances of geospatial visualization and visual analytics and practical skills to create geospatial applications based on such advances.
Advanced techniques of spatial analysis, including spatial autocorrelation, trend surface analysis, grouping and regionalization procedures, and point pattern analysis.
Independent research project or thesis topic development to be supervised by Geography & GIS faculty advisor. May be repeated in separate semesters. After passing the Preliminary Exam, PhD candidates should register for GGIS 599: Thesis Research instead of this course.
Weekly research presentations by invited speakers and Geography & GIS PhD students on a wide range of topics. Required for all GGIS graduate (excluding PSM) students. 0 graduate hours. 0 professional hours. Approved for S/U grading only. May be repeated in separate terms.
Advanced study of current research in social geography; topic will vary from term to term. Prepares students for thesis and dissertation research through the study of relevant literature and completion of a research paper. May be repeated up to 8 hours, if topics and instructor vary.
Graduate-level exploration of a topic in Geography & GIS that is not covered by an existing course. Topics and instructors vary by semester. Approved for Letter and S/U grading. May be repeated if topics vary.
Major individual project that demonstrates the student's ability to solve an advanced geospatial problem or develop a GIS-based application. Student will work closely with a faculty capstone advisor to determine the project focus and expected outcome(s).
Individual research under supervision of members of the faculty in their respective fields. Approved for S/U grading only. May be repeated in separate terms.