You are in the official 2000-2001 General Catalog
for California State University, Fresno.
You are in the official 2000-2001 General Catalog
for California State University, Fresno.
Subject Matter Preparation for
Single Subject Teaching Credential in Social Sciences
*As of fall 1998, admission to the M.A. in Geography has
been suspended.
Suspension is not expected to exceed three years.
Stanley F. Norsworthy, Chair
Jerry C. Towle, Graduate Adviser
Robert E. Lee, Undergraduate Adviser
James S. Kus
Chi Kin Leung
Wayne V. Merchen
Joyce A. Quinn
S. Jeffery Underwood
Paul Vander Meer
Instruction at introductory, advanced, and graduate levels is conducted by a faculty whose teaching and research interests are diverse. All major facets of the discipline are represented as are a number of specializations.
Geography is an integrative discipline that bridges the natural and social
sciences. Its distinctiveness is as much a product of its unique approach
to the study of the earth and its human inhabitants as it is the subject
matter itself. Thus, geography employs a spatial framework for organizational
purposes analogous to the chronological framework employed in history.
Central to geographic inquiry is a concern with the human occupance of the
earth, the character of the human environment, and the interrelationships
that link humans and the physical world. In sum, geography seeks to provide
a broad understanding of the world, its people, and its problems and to
provide applied specializations and technical skills that can address economic,
social, and environmental problems at scales that range from local to global.
Not surprisingly, the subject matter of geography is diverse. Geographers
examine and analyze patterns of rural and urban settlement, resource exploitation,
land use, social and cultural phenomena. They are concerned with the natural
features and processes of the earth's surface, the ways in which nature
has conditioned the human occupance of the earth, and the ways in which
people have modified natural landscapes.
The department's instructional programs are designed to address several
objectives. First, for the larger number of our students, we provide a greater
understanding of the world as an element of a liberal education. Second,
we conduct programs for majors and minors in geography that assure a depth
of knowledge in subject matter and technique. Third, we serve those students
in related disciplines who wish to strengthen programs of study through
a selection of courses in geography.
A variety of facilities is available for student use. Well-equipped laboratories
are maintained for the conduct of research and instruction in physical geography
and the technique fields Geographic Information Systems (GIS), cartography,
air photo interpretation and remote sensing, meteorological instrumentation,
and quantitative analysis. The department also operates a weather station.
The department has a computer laboratory for mapping, Geographic Information
Systems (GIS), and a variety of other applications. The department is also
well-equipped for fieldwork.
Geographers are employed in government and the private sector. Their
knowledge and skills have applications in a variety of fields including
teaching, planning, cartography, GIS, locational analysis, intelligence
and security, land and resource management, policy research, transportation,
and industrial development.
Agencies of federal, state, and local governments are major employers of
geographers. At the federal level many agencies employ geographers. At state
and local levels most geographers are involved in planning, land and resource
management, and community development. Because many businesses and industries
have important geographical dimensions to their operations, there is demand
for geographers in the private sector. Geographers are employed in banking,
transportation, international trade, utilities, wholesaling and retailing,
and a number of other fields. Finally, teaching is a major occupation for
individuals with training in geography. The department welcomes inquiries
about career opportunities.
