Geography is the study of place, or space,
in the same sense that history is the study of time. Geographers ask two
essential questions: "Where are things located?" and "Why are
they located where they are?" While the answer to the former is largely
descriptive, the answer to the latter is entirely analytical.
The geographer is concerned primarily with
interpreting and explaining the occurrence, distribution, and
interrelationships of the physical and cultural elements that can be discerned
in the natural as well as the built environment. Geography is both a natural
science and a social science as it examines people and their environment and
serves as a bridge between the physical and cultural worlds.
Physical geography is a natural science that
is devoted to the study of such topics as weather, climate, natural vegetation,
soils, water, and landforms. Human geography is a social science that examines
such topics as population growth and migration, religion and language, social
and political systems, patterns of livelihood and economic organization, folk
and popular culture, and settlement systems.
Geographers also analyze regions that range in size from worldwide to local. To facilitate geographic analysis, geographers use many research tools, including field observations, maps, computer graphics, remote sensing, statistics, and other quantitative methods as well as the most modern types of geographic information systems.
For more information please see the College
of Art and Sciences Geography
Career Page.