Rural Adaptation
This research seminar will invert the figure/ground relationship of city and hinterlands, focusing on the rural territory as an ecological, social, cultural and spatial entity with its own attendant operations, and, in the context of changing climates, specific risks and opportunities. The Finger Lakes Region, its industries, economies, and ecologies will be the locus of our attention. Throughout the semester, each student will research a specific operational landscape, which will be collectively compiled into a Rural Atlas of the Finger Lakes Region. The atlas will unpack the cultural, geographic and regulatory contexts that shape each particular type of rural landscape, the specific risks and changes projected for the region, as well as speculative tools, management methods and assemblages that might help these communities adapt.
Topics
- Students will interpret and synthesize multiple sources (including lectures, readings, and spatial data) to explore the environmental, economic, social, and political forces that have shaped and continue to shape rural regions, with specific attention to the Finger Lakes.
- Students will apply design research methods to construct analytical drawings, diagrams and maps of the processes, policies and procedures that create specific rural landscapes.
- Students will construct a timeline of rural landscape change in the Finger Lakes Region from pre-colonial times to present, synthesizing information from lectures, readings, and additional sources.
- Students will demonstrate proficiency in ArcGIS software and methods for compiling and analyzing spatial data.
- Students will evaluate the current and projected impacts of climate change on the Finger Lakes Region, using primary sources and current projection models.
- Students will demonstrate responsible scholarship through properly citing sources (text, image, and datasets), and adhering to the highest academic standards through the construction of an Atlas bibliography.
- Students will construct an atlas entry on a specific operational landscape, combining both written and visual analysis, working iteratively through multiple drafts.
- Students will work collaboratively to produce a class-wide Rural Atlas of the Finger Lakes using shared drawing criteria.
Official roster learning outcomes
Sources
- Course catalogue ↗2026-2027