Welcome to GEO 101, Cultural Geography. This course is an introduction to cultural geography through the study of global patterns of many aspects of human culture, including population, language, religion, urban and rural settlement, and ways of economic livelihood.

Students will start to study these aspects of culture with the two basic questions geographers ask: the first is "where," the second is "why." Cultural geography is the most basic component of human geography. Human geography is the study of where and why human activities are located where they are - for example, religions, businesses, and cities. Cultural geography is, by definition, then focused on those things that are human-created. This is distinctly different from physical geography, which is concerned with why natural forces occur as they do - for example, climates, landforms, and types of vegetation. Having made that distinction, students will see that there is at least, on some level, a connection between the physical setting and certain aspects of human cultures. Igloos can't be found in the rainforest, but neither can bamboo huts be found on the tundra. However, Coca-Cola can be found in both places. The focus of this course, again, is on the global patterns of certain key aspects of human culture.

Students will enjoy this course and become better aware of the similarities and differences that exist among different groups in their ever-shrinking world.