New Course Provides Broad Examination of the European Realm

Europe, an area of increased interest in light of recent disagreements between European and American leaders over international policy, will be the subject of a geography topic course being offered at Western Carolina University in the fall semester.

Taught by Jeffery Neff, Western Carolina associate professor of geography, the course will meet from 6 p.m. to 8:50 p.m. on Wednesday evenings. There are no prerequisites for the course and material will be presented in a manner that requires no previous geography coursework. Interested students may register for the three-hour course, “Topics in Regional Geography: Europe” (GEOG 440), for the 2003 fall semester.

“Because of the recent heightened tensions between the United States and the European community regarding economic disagreements and political and strategic issues, this course is highly pertinent to an understanding of current world affairs,” said Neff.

“Europe is our friend and ally and a major trading partner. America’s future will always be closely tied to decisions made and agendas set in Europe,” he said. “We must continue to learn about and understand Europe and the Europeans.”

The course is intended to provide a broad examination of the European realm including the environment, culture and ethnicities, economy and international issues. Lectures will be supplemented with video documentaries.

For more information about the course, contact Jeff Neff at the department of geosciences and natural resources, (828) 227-7367 or e-mail neffj@wcu.edu. For information about registering for classes at Western, contact the Office of the Registrar at (828) 227-7232.