A spatial frame of reference for the changing patterns of world events. Study of the relationships between physical and cultural environments and major, global issues such as population, pollution and economic change. Social Science and ELED majors given preference.

Supervised reading or research at the lower-division level. Permission of department chair required. Consult department for applicability towards major requirements. Not available to first-year students.

This is a summer term travel course that will introduce students to the landscape and culture of the "Celtic Fringe" of Europe- a culturally distinct region that includes present-day Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Cornwall (in England) and Brittany (in France). These areas share i) a cultural heritage (including languages) distinct from the rest of Western Europe; ii) an historical experience of marginalization and oppression during much of the last several centuries; and iii) a 21st century experience of cultural renaissance as peripheral regions that are reasserting themselves in modern Europe. In this travel course, we will visit all of these areas except Scotland, and will focus on understanding the common historical and cultural factors that unite the Celtic Fringe as region.

Asia is a complex and diverse part of the world that contains more than half of the world's population, some of the world's fastest growing economies, and countries and cultures that are fundamentally linked to our everyday lives in North America. In this upper-division, reading-intensive course, students will be introduced to the natural environments, political developments, demographic trends, gender issues, religious and cultural frameworks, and past and present relationships between the United States and Asian countries, The course will emphasize current events, problem, and trends across sub-regions and in individual countries, and will draw on diverse sources of information including books, academic and popular articles, films and novels.