GEOG 202 -- Geography of Europe

Detail of the Nolli Map of Rome, 1748, image Courtesy UO Infographics Lab [link]

Expanded course description

Why do they speak French in Brussels, but not in Amsterdam? Why does London have such a moderate climate even though it is located farther north than the southern shores of Hudson's Bay? Why is the basic organization of Paris so different from that of comparably sized North American cities? How has European integration affected where people live and how they relate to one another? This course provides insight into questions such as these by exploring the nature of the basic physical and human patterns found in contemporary Europe-not just what is where, but why it is there. Students are introduced to the diversity of the physical and human-created landscapes of Europe; the nature and implications of patterns of language, religion, and ethnicity; the ways in which Europeans have used their land to make a living; and the changing nature of the European political pattern. The course offers a broad foundation for understanding Europe as a region. It provides a useful appreciation of context for the casual European traveler and a valuable set of introductory insights for the serious student of Europe. The course is structured with three primary objectives in mind:
o Acquaint students with basic features of the physical and human geography of Europe by emphasizing how those features came to be and why they are located where they are.
o Familiarize students with the ways in which Europe's internal developments and external relationships have shaped the character of the European landscape.
o Provide students with an understanding of how maps and other geographic tools can foster insight into world regions.

Group: SSC

Offered 200602.

Syllabus

Although syllabi can change from term to term, a syllabus may provide further information about typical instances of this course.