Plan of attack after undergrad

September 4, 2007 7:21 PM

Anyone know of graduate programs, internships or jobs within the field of human geography? Something along the lines of activism, research or study in how we can make more sustainable or "green" decisions with our migration, transportation and consumer trends.

I'm currently taking a course titled "Human Impact on the Environment" which has piqued an interest in human geography and sustainability.

Anything that might be considered alternatives to graduate school or not your typical run of the mill internships/jobs would be great!

My background is International Studies: Human Rights and Social Movements with a growing interest in "green" and environmental issues.

posted by Etta Hollis to education (12 comments total)

you might look at some of the programs, fellowships, organizations, etc., affiliated with the Boston-based Inter-University Committee on International Migration, if you haven't yet. I've seen some neat stuff tied to these groups...
posted by whatzit at 7:29 PM on September 4, 2007

Sorry this is so vague, but I've heard that the University of British Columbia has a good Geography program generally, and tries to incorporate humanities-type studies into the program. It might be worth a look if you could go to school in Canada.
posted by ohio at 7:56 PM on September 4, 2007

My current university had a great Geog program. They are our upstairs neighbors. There is prly a list of programs somewhere. You should talk to your current professors though.
posted by k8t at 8:06 PM on September 4, 2007

Googling sustainable living ph.d came up with some grad programs + more. Here's the sustainable systems graduate program from umich and here's the institute for life support and sustainable behavior from the University of Hartford.
posted by jourman2 at 8:07 PM on September 4, 2007

Not that you're limited to PhD programs, but here is a list of all the PhD-granting geography programs in the US [compiled by a friend; thanks Deb]. The discipline called "Geography" had a difficult time in the 20th century, with many programs dissolved, absorbed, or fragmented into new programs called Environmental or Energy Sciences or Studies (and many other permutations). Also be aware that "human geography" has different connotations in the US and UK (and presumably Germany, from which you write?), and the themes you addressed are also within the realm of "Urban Studies" or "Urban Planning" programs.
posted by zachxman at 8:12 PM on September 4, 2007

"development studies" would be one name for a program you might be interested in - most major universities in the US have a program along these lines.
posted by LobsterMitten at 8:13 PM on September 4, 2007

for example
another example (this department is sometimes called "rural sociology", so you might think about whether you're interested in rural environments or urban environments)
posted by LobsterMitten at 8:16 PM on September 4, 2007

The University of Michigan has the School of Natural Resources and Environment. I know some PhD students who work on problems not dissimilar to what you describe.

This is going to be the case where the individuals involved are much more important than the department they are in. What I would suggest is to look around some of the links that people here have provided and find some names doing work that you like. Then go to a library that has access to your favorite database of academic journals and type their name in. Read some papers by them, but most importantly follow citations (both foreward and back citations) and find out about other people doing other work that excites you. This will also give you a list of folks that you might want to contact to ask for advice. I think a lot of professors wouldn't mind a short, polite email asking for some names of other people doing work on similar questions, even from someone out of the blue.
posted by Schismatic at 9:41 PM on September 4, 2007

You could look into the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London, and the Institute of Social Studies (ISS) in The Hague. ISS has a program specifically aimed at a more activist/grassroots approach towards Development Studies. (At least it did several years ago...)
posted by thegreatfleecircus at 4:17 AM on September 5, 2007

Also, you might be interested in Aprovecho in Oregon. I visited about 10 years ago and was pretty impressed:

Aprovecho is a non-profit research and education center located outside of Cottage Grove, Oregon. Our 40 acre rural campus is the classroom for our ongoing educational programs. At Aprovecho you will experience live working examples of Appropriate Technology, Sustainable Forestry, Organic Agriculture, Permaculture, and the interconnectedness that is shared by these systems and with the land.
posted by thegreatfleecircus at 4:23 AM on September 5, 2007

Check the College of Environmental Science and Forestry.
posted by rachelpapers at 4:47 AM on September 5, 2007

I only know UC Berkeley's programs, but they have a great geography grad school with some environmental work that has a fairly political bent (check out the Country and the City, and Imperial San Francisco -- books that have come out of that program). There's also the Society & Environment division of the Environmental Science Policy & Management department, also definitely worth checking out.
posted by salvia at 6:24 PM on September 5, 2007