Objectives:

This course serves to introduce students to world cultural diversity through the approach of contemporary human geography. The course has no prerequisite. At the conclusion of the course, all students should be able to:

1. Identify the contribution of societal agricultural, industrial, and urban development to the character of contemporary world cultures.

2. Describe the contribution of fundamental human values held in religious and linguistic traditions to the societal institutions of diverse cultures.

3. Explain the principles of economic and social development and cultural diffusion as they affect contemporary world lifestyles.

4. Explain the geographic and social factors which affect population growth worldwide and desired family size individually.

5. Explain the role of natural resources and climatic characteristics in affecting contemporary and historic lifestyles.

6. Analyze relations among political and economic systems in the context of states of the world.

7. Analyze relations among individuals as reflective of cultural diversity in religion, language, and ethnicity.

8. Analyze relationships between government policy and individual responses using cross cultural comparisons of development strategies.

9. Describe how human beings react to the contemporary urban environment and corresponding technological change in rural regions.

While mastering the above content oriented objectives, students will also find improvement in their written, oral, and cartographic communication skills. Students will also examine statistical tables and be asked to draw conclusions from them. Problem solving skills will be addressed in role playing situations, through evaluation of government policies, and in examining theoretical work of selected geographers. Students will be frequently confronted with the alternative value systems of other world cultures. Implications for decision making within and between cultures will be developed.