Name: Gerald E. Buker
Year: Senior
Major: Geography
Did you know what you wanted to major in when you came to Clark?
Yes, I have been fascinated by maps since I could read, so geography was an obvious choice. My first grade teacher cited my fascination with geography and sure enough seventeen years later, it is still true. I picked Clark based on its geography program.
Best class so far?
Social Justice and the City. Instead of merely learning about social justice issues in urban areas, we delved into the reason they exist and why they are important.
Worst class so far?
Suburban Sprawl, a class which had the potential to be something great, but wasn’t.
Best/worst professor?
Professors Mark Davidson and Jim Murphy. Davidson makes you think about the concepts presented while Murphy has a knack for entertaining (but informative) lectures. Honorable mention goes to history professor Doug Little, who weaves a historical narrative that creates a craving for more.
Okay, let’s bring in a scary question: what do you want to be when you
grow up?
Something in urban geography, in some capacity. Time will tell. If I am still passionate about the subject in two years, I have dreams of grad school.
Pros/cons of your major?
Pros: geography is an extremely broad discipline allowing you to study many other subjects on a spatial scale. Instead of learning about a theory, you see why the theory exists where it does.
Cons: unlike other subjects, geography is ill defined.
If you could recommend one class to anyone thinking about choosing this
area of study what would it be?
GEOG 16, Intro to Economic Geography. It is a good intro class and introduces the diverse set of topics that geography entails. Also, it shows that the subject is not just about maps.
Final comments about what you’re studying?
Geography is like a suffix for many other subjects, like history or economics. It allows for the combination of an assortment of subjects. I recommend it if you want to study these phenomena on a spatial scale, or if you love maps.
