1. Required foundational courses (select two of these)
ANTH 1201. Introduction to Geographic Information Systems and Spatial Analysis
TTh 9-10:20a Instructor: P. VanValkenburgh
This course offers an introduction to the concepts and techniques of Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Through weekly lab assignments and work on independent projects, students develop skills in cartography and coordinate systems, spatial database design, image processing, basic spatial analysis, hydrological modeling, and three-dimensional modeling. Discussions and case material draw primarily from the application of GIS in archaeology, anthropology, and cultural geography, including the study of archival materials and the ethics of geographic representation. Provides foundation for upper division coursework in spatial analysis. Software focuses on ESRI products (ArcMap, ArcScene, ArcCatalog, ArcGIS Pro).
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SOC 2610. Spatial Thinking in Social Science
M 9a-12p Instructor: J. Logan
This course reviews ways in which social scientists have incorporated concepts about space, place, and distance into their theories and research. Examples are drawn from many substantive areas, including the spatial organization of communities, spatial inequalities, and mobility. Separate laboratory meetings introduce methods of spatial analysis encountered in the course readings, including an introduction to GIS and related mapping tools.
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PHP 2015. Foundations of Spatial Analysis in Public Health
MW 3-4:20p Instructor: W. Goedel
The distribution of power and privilege in society directly shapes where we live and what opportunities we have available to us for achieving optimal health and well-being. Describing how sociopolitical forces shape our neighborhoods and communities can help us understand how and why health and disease vary over space and time. In this course, we will use a combination of didactic lecture sessions and interactive tutorial sessions to develop our knowledge and skills as spatial thinkers and understand how geographic information system applications like ArcGIS can be used to collect, analyze, and visualize spatial data to inform, evaluate, and improve public health programs. In small groups, we will work together to conduct spatial analyses using data from programs delivered by the Rhode Island Department of Health to learn and apply best practices for conducting spatial analyses and communicating their results.
2. Elective courses
a. Advanced courses in spatial methods (strongly recommended for quantitatively oriented students)
SOC 2960G. Spatial Data Analysis Techniques in the Social Sciences
W 1-4p Instructor: J. Candipan
Survey course of statistical methods that can be used to analyze spatial and/or clustered data at the individual and aggregate levels. Topics include multilevel analysis; fixed effects approaches; spatial choice; spatial autocorrelation, heterogeneity and dependence. Application with real data. NOT a course about Geographic Information Systems (GIS) or mapping techniques.
b. Disciplinary offerings