GEOG 24 American Landscapes and Cultures
Someone once said that Americans are a people in space rather than a people in time. A political configuration of relatively recent vintage, the United States, nevertheless, occupies a vast amount of space. The occupation and ordering of that space has produced distinctive landscapes with many regional variations. This course will examine the formation of these cultural landscapes beginning with those produced by Native Americans, and following the settlement process up to contemporary, post-modern America. Along the way, we will explore, among other things, the development of such American landscape elements as grid-pattern towns, cowboy ranches, skyscrapers, shopping malls, and corporate office parks.