Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to: focus on contemporary geography by examining cultural ecology and environmental determinism, and discovering how new technologies enhance geographical exploration; describe the development of languages and religions and identify differences in religious cultures; infer and justify the origins of human culture and its effect on the environment by examining the domestication of plants and animals and the impact of resource consumption; connect ethnic distribution with settlement patterns and evaluate the effect this has on cities, suburbs, and rural areas; break down economic sectors, assess their standards of living, and anticipate how the economy of a region is affected by its resources; assess the impact humans have on the environment, distinguish between renewable and non-renewable resources, and consider threats to environmental sustainability; weigh and debate the benefits of industrialization, genetic engineering, and chemical pesticides against land conservation and hazardous waste management; identify environmental risk factors such as toxins and pollutants, and question how politics can affect environmental health.