The course is 5 weeks long, beginning 24 June, offered through enetlearning.org. There is a modest fee for eNet to support and deliver the course. Video and description below. Each week, there are a few readings/short videos, a discussion forum, a hands-on activity (including the use of ArcGIS Online and a few other tools such as Urban Observatory), and a short quiz
2 graduate credits
Instructor: Joseph Kerski
Course Description: http://www.enetlearning.org/professional-development/online-course-catalog/geography-for-the-21st-century/
COURSE SYLLABUS: Geography in the 21st Century Syllabus
COURSE CONTENT:
Fundamental to geography is the study of issues surrounding land use, natural hazards, population, economics, land use, and political issues, which will be emphasized in this course. However, as geography encompasses all that is in the world, at multiple places, scales, and time periods, it is impossible to cover its breadth in the short time that our course will run. Therefore, this course will touch on these issues but will focus on how to use 21st Century perspectives, themes, and tools to teach these issues.
Rural, Urban, Economic, Land Use, and Population Issues: Over the 5 weeks of this course, participants will deepen their understanding of and ability to effectively teach population dynamics (including such concepts as settlement, land use, age, birth rate, growth rate, and human-environment interaction), land use issues (such as zoning, sense of place), urban issues (such as historical and current development of cities, site vs. situation, and challenges facing cities), and economic geography (including industrialization, employment, measures of development).
Core Geography Themes: Embedded in studying these issues are core geography themes such as considerations of scale in patterns and processes, interpreting maps and analyzing geospatial data, understanding and explaining the implications of associations, networks, and interconnections among phenomena in places, defining regions and the regionalization process, and understanding the nature of and limitations of geographic data.
Spatial Perspectives and Tools: The spatial perspective is critical to understanding geographical content and processes. Being competent and confident in the application of the spatial perspective to geographical understanding enhances and strengthens our ability to communicate and teach about human geography. A number of powerful web mapping and related tools are now available for the geography instructor, and this course builds familiarity and confidence in using these tools through a series of hands-on activities.
