Home to a number of breathtaking geographic landforms, from the Cascade Range to the McKenzie and Rogue rivers, Oregon is the ideal place to study geography. But geography is more than mountains and rivers and maps. It's about how cultures and societies are affected by their natural surroundings and how people can enact change in the world. Geography is a way of looking at the world, understanding the dynamics between humans and the environment, and learning to use that information to make real change.
As a geography major, you'll come to understand how national and physical boundaries affect power and inequality; the significance of resource abundance and resource shortage for different people in different places; why particular regions contribute more to environmental issues than others; how climate change affects plants, animals, and water resources; how place defines who we are, how we act, and the choices we make; and much more. You'll learn how to use cutting edge spatial technologies that are in high demand in business, governments, and nonprofits around the world. Asking these questions and using these methods, you'll learn where positive change is taking place and how to be a part of it.