Summary

The Cultural Geography curriculum is a complete education in Cultural Geography using online materials.

Organization

This repository is organized into three main components:

Core Curriculum (this page): the foundational knowledge of the field;
Advanced Topics: focused study in specific areas;

Process: Learners may work through the curriculum independently or collaboratively, and either sequentially or selectively.

For simplicity, courses in the Core Curriculum are ordered according to their prerequisites.
The Core Curriculum provides a shared foundation and is intended to be completed in full.
Advanced Topics are optional; learners are encouraged to select one area of focus and complete all courses within that topic.

Note: When there are courses or books that don't fit into the curriculum but are otherwise of high quality, they belong in extras/courses, extras/readings.

How to contribute

Communities

Subreddits:
- r/geography (active discussions on human, cultural, and physical geography topics)
- r/AskGeography (Q&A focused on geographic concepts, including cultural aspects)
Discord servers:
- The Geography Discord (community focused on social/human geography, history, politics, and related topics)
Other:
- AAG Cultural Geography Specialty Group (professional network for scholars via American Association of Geographers; includes forums and events)
- AAG Communities Platform (member discussion forums for geography specialty groups, including cultural)
You can also interact through GitHub issues. If there is a problem with a course, or a change needs to be made to the curriculum, this is the place to start the conversation. Read more here.
Join our Discord server (for discussions around this and other curricula):

Curriculum

Foundations of Human & Cultural Geography
Core Cultural Geography
Culture, Power, and Difference
Political, Economic & Urban Cultural Geography

How to use this curriculum

Core Sections

These four sections form the essential foundation. Complete them in this exact order:

Foundations of Human & Cultural Geography
Start here. This section introduces the basic concepts and ways of thinking used throughout the entire field.
Core Cultural Geography
Move to this section next. It builds directly on the foundations and covers the central topics every cultural geographer needs to understand.
Culture, Power, and Difference
Study this third. It deepens your understanding by exploring how power, identity, and inequality shape places and cultures.
Political, Economic & Urban Cultural Geography
Complete this fourth. It connects earlier ideas to major real-world areas of geography: politics, economy, and cities.

Foundations of Human & Cultural Geography

Subject	Why study?	Book / Text	Course
Geographic Thinking (space, place, scale, landscape)	It teaches how to analyze locations, areas, and their sizes to understand patterns and connections on Earth. This skill helps explain why things happen where they do and how places relate at different levels.	Geography: Realms, Regions, and Concepts (Open Textbook Library)	Saylor “Introduction to Geography”
Human Geography Overview	It reveals how people shape and are shaped by their surroundings across the planet. You gain tools to examine population, cities, economies, and cultures through a spatial lens.	Introduction to Human Geography (Open Textbook - Dorrell et al.)	edX AP Human Geography
Introduction to Cultural Geography	It introduces the core ideas of how culture shapes and is shaped by space, place, and landscape — the unifying foundation for all later study.	Fundamentals of Human Geography (Open - Wing Cheung) OR Cultural Geographies: An Introduction (Horton & Kraftl - preview chapters if accessible)	Saylor World Regional Geography

Core Cultural Geography

Subject	Why study?	Book / Text	Course
Cultural Geography Fundamentals	It shows how beliefs, practices, and ways of life create and change landscapes around the world. You learn to read the visible signs of culture in everyday environments.	Introduction to Human Geography (Open Textbook - Dorrell et al.)	UND Human Geography
Population & Migration	It explains how people grow, move, and settle in different areas over time. This gives insight into global population patterns, cities' growth, and movement of communities.	Introduction to Human Geography (Open Textbook - Dorrell et al.)	edX AP Human Geography
Language, Religion, and Identity	It helps understand how spoken words, faiths, and sense of belonging spread and shape communities in specific places. You see why groups feel connected or distinct in various locations.	Introduction to Human Geography (Open Textbook - Dorrell et al.)	UND Human Geography
Cultural Landscapes & Meaning	It teaches how humans add layers of meaning to physical surroundings through buildings, art, and use of land. This ability reveals stories and values hidden in the places people create.	Introduction to Human Geography (Open Textbook - Dorrell et al.)	Coursera “Cultural Geography” or related human geography modules if available; alternatively UND Human Geography

Culture, Power, and Difference

Subject	Why study?	Book / Text	Course
Cultural Theory for Geographers	It provides ways to think about how ideas, power, and everyday life shape places and identities. You gain tools to question and analyze hidden influences on spaces.	Cultural Geography: A Critical Introduction (Mitchell - select chapters if accessible)	Open University “Culture, Identity & Place”
Race, Ethnicity, and Space	It uncovers how racial and ethnic groups experience, claim, or face exclusion in different locations. This builds understanding of inequality patterns tied to physical and social spaces.	Introduction to Human Geography (Open Textbook - Dorrell et al. - relevant chapters)	Coursera “Race and Cultural Diversity”
Gender and Space	It examines how gender roles influence access to, use of, and safety in various places. You learn why certain environments feel welcoming or restrictive to different genders.	Introduction to Human Geography (Open Textbook - Dorrell et al. - relevant chapters)	OpenLearn Feminist Geography
Postcolonial & Critical Geography	It explores the lasting effects of colonialism on land, people, and power structures today. This knowledge helps recognize and challenge unequal spatial legacies across the world.	Introduction to Human Geography (Open Textbook - Dorrell et al. - relevant chapters)	SOAS “Decolonising Geography”

Political, Economic & Urban Cultural Geography

Subject	Why study?	Book / Text	Course
Political Geography & Borders	It explains how governments, territories, and boundaries organize power and identity on Earth. You gain ability to analyze conflicts, alliances, and control over space.	Introduction to Human Geography (Open Textbook - Dorrell et al. - relevant chapters)	Saylor “Political Geography”
Economic Geography & Culture	It shows how production, trade, and money flow create differences between places. This reveals connections between culture, resources, and global economic patterns.	Introduction to Human Geography (Open Textbook - Dorrell et al. - relevant chapters)	MIT OpenCourseWare Globalization
Urban Cultural Geography	It uncovers how cities become centers of diverse cultures, creativity, and social life. You learn to read urban spaces as reflections of history, migration, and community dynamics.	Introduction to Human Geography (Open Textbook - Dorrell et al. - relevant chapters)	UND Human Geography

Code of conduct

Hocbigg's code of conduct.

Hocbigg - Cultural Geography

Contents