You are in the official 2008-2009 General Catalog
for California State University, Fresno.
You are in the official 2008-2009 General Catalog
for California State University, Fresno.
Subject Matter Preparation
for
Single Subject Teaching Credential in Social Sciences
Certificate in Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
*As of fall 1998, admission to the M.A. in Geography has
been suspended.
Suspension is not expected to exceed three years.
Aribilola S. Omolayo, Chair
Michelle Calvarese
James Kus
Chi Kin Leung
Segun O. Ogunjemiyo
Akiko Yamane
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 is composed of both the physical
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. Geography
seeks 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, and 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 certain
objectives. First, we provide a greater understanding of the world as an
element of a liberal education for the larger number of our students. Second,
we conduct programs that assure a depth of knowledge in subject matter and
technique for majors and minors in geography. Third, we serve those students
in related disciplines who wish to strengthen programs of study through
a selection of courses in geography.
Instruction at introductory and advanced 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, which include medical geography, economic studies of China, urban revitalization, archeological studies, political ecology of natural resource management, environmental monitoring using remote sensing, urban air quality, and climate change and global governance.
Two laboratory facilities are available for student use. One laboratory
is a physical geography laboratory that is maintained for the conducting
of research and for instruction in physical geography. It is also used for
the support of the department's atmospheric science research, which primarily
focuses on the study of air quality in the San Joaquin Valley. The second
laboratory is the Urban Planning and Environmental Research Laboratory.
It is a 32-station, state-of-the-art, computer laboratory that is used for
instruction and research in urban planning, Geographic Information Systems
(GIS), environmental studies, remote sensing, and a variety of other applications.
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.
Geography
Courses