GEOG 5440 - Studies in Economic Geography

Studies in world and local patterns of agriculture, manufacture, transportation or retail/service activities. In any term, the course focuses upon one of these four economic sectors.

1. Agriculture. Describes and analyzes agricultural systems throughout the world; focuses on selected crop-livestock systems and the changing character of agricultural land use in the United States.

2. Manufacture. Examination of theories and strategies of industrial plant location, the relationship of industrialization to regional economic growth and development, and selected industry case studies evaluating the interrelations of locational, economic, technological, and political factors in the respective industry’s historic evolution.

3. Transportation. Examination of the historic evolution of transport systems in developed and developing nations, transport factors in location theory, techniques of transport analysis, the urban transport dilemma, and competitive and complementary characteristics of the different transport modes.

4. Retail and Service. Examination of the evolution of the retail and service sector, the geography of retail and service firms, theories and strategies of retail and service firm location, and the relationship between retail and service sector and local economic development.

Credits: 2 to 3 hours

Notes: Open to Upperclass and Graduate Students.