ENVI 298
Cultural Geography Spring 2026
Division II

Why do things happen where they do? What is the relationship between place and identity? How do history and politics shape the way people conceptualize space? What can landscapes tell us about the values, beliefs, and ideas of the people who inhabit them? Questions like these drive the vibrant field of cultural geography. Cultural geographers study how humans shape, experience, and imagine the material world. They explore the relationship between humans and their environment at scales ranging from the global to the local, and they ask how we may better understand ourselves and others by examining the places and landscapes we create. Drawing on case studies from around the world and exploring our local area, this class will survey the major theoretical, methodological, and empirical themes that have preoccupied modern geographers. Along the way, students will acquire some useful tools for making a world that is more beautiful, sustainable, and just.