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Cities, Places and Regions

Cities, Places and Regions, photo of Chicago skyline

Associated Faculty

Both physical and human geographers are interested in understanding the nature of places and delimiting regions — areas characterized by uniformity and homogeneity in one or more ways — as a tool for analyzing spatial differentiation across the Earth?s surface.

Human geography involves the analysis of how processes relating to such issues as religion, race, class, gender and social justice occur in certain places and how those issues are expressed in the cultural landscape.

Of special interest to human geographers are the study of people and the communities to which they belong, such as cities, neighborhoods and ethnic groups, the movement of people and ideas from place to place, and the interaction of people and communities with the natural environments in which they live.

Physical geography is a natural science that analyzes patterns and processes associated with the natural environment, such as the geographic distribution of landforms and biological species.

Physical geographers also rely heavily on the delimitation of regions in order to make sense of complicated spatial patterns and processes.

The curriculum associated with these sub-disciplines prepares students for careers requiring the possession and application of knowledge with regard to how people, places, and regions are linked by global networks and processes (e.g., globalization, international trade, immigration, Internet technology, global climate system):

  • Urban and Regional Planning
  • Historic Preservation and Management
  • Community Development
  • Tourism
  • Community Resources Management
  • Community Organization
  • Policy Consultancy
  • K-12 Education
  • Market Research and Analysis
  • Transportation Management
  • Public Health
  • Demography
  • Foreign Service
  • Human Resource Management
  • Public Diplomacy
  • Humanitarian Affairs
  • Community Development
  • Tourism
  • Community Resources Management
  • Community Organization
  • Policy Consultancy
  • K-12 Education
  • Market Research and Analysis
  • Transportation Management
  • Public Health
  • Demography
  • Foreign Service
  • Human Resource Management
  • Public Diplomacy
  • Humanitarian Affairs