Core Principles

A graduate level course exploring the emergence of the climate science-policy interaface and social and physical impacts of climate change with emphasis on NYC. Students examine the current climate crisis and its projected future impacts through published international and domestic reports. The course draws on community experiences through case studies, meetings with community groups, and field work, including a comprehensive Jamaica Bay resilience analysis.

An interdisciplinary examination of human-environment interactions combining earth systems approaches with geographic concepts of place, space, scale, and borders. Students explore political economic and ecological dynamics shaping human experience, peoples' relationship to nature, and institutional responses to climate and environmental crises.

An introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS) exploring applications, concepts, and theories. Students acquire critical tools and techniques for analyzing spatial data using ArcGIS Pro, with skills transferable to other platforms including QGIS. The course addresses questions in urban planning, public health, climate justice, and environmental resource management.

An interdisciplinary ILC (co-taught with Philosophy) using political anthropology and social philosophy to unpack narratives about climate and environmental crises. Students examine who controls dominant environmental narratives, how different governments and economies influence these narratives, and their effects on climate management. Includes experiential learning with local environmental justice organizations.

An exploration of cultural geography through critical subdisciplines examining how cultural practices, beliefs, and values shape and are shaped by spatial environments. Students analyze socio-spatial dynamics underlying development, urbanization, and global environmental change, while examining roles of states, markets, and communities in resource governance.