Overview of Course

This course offers an introduction to the field of cultural geography, providing students with an understanding of how place impacts culture and identity, and how culture and identity impact a place. Cultural geography requires us to rethink the spaces within which people conduct their lives and to examine how cultural practices intersect with the broader structures of social and political power in specific places. We will examine patterns and spatial influence on language, religion, population, migration, lifestyles, economic activities, etc. The course offers an opportunity to comprehend the diversity of cultures and places, how to apply an equity lens in a cultural context, and will help students apply this geographic knowledge and skills to their chosen careers in any field. The course format will use a combination of lectures, readings, maps, videos, case studies, fieldwork, and assignments to provide students with the tools needed to understand the cultural geography of many regions of the world, including the places we will visit during the voyage.