Course # 38520 Section Number 1 Day(s) W Time(s) 3:00pm-5:50pm Term Fall 2025 Specialization Survey Research Syllabus Syllabus 2/14/24 Geographic Information Systems (GIS) refers to tools and techniques for handling, analyzing, and presenting spatial data. GIS has become a powerful tool for social sciences applications over the past thirty years, permitting lines of scientific inquiry that would not otherwise be possible. This course provides an introduction to GIS with a focus on how it may be applied to common needs in the social sciences, such as economics, sociology, and urban geography, as distinct from physical or environmental sciences. Students will learn basic GIS concepts as applied to specific research questions through lectures, lab exercises, and in-class demonstrations. Examples of the kinds of topics we will pursue include how we can use GIS to understand population trends, crime patterns, asthma incidence, and segregation in Chicago. Recent News More news Ten Years of MSCAPP: Where Public Policy Meets Coding Wed., July 23, 2025 Rising Star in Mexico: Roberto Velasco Álvarez, MPP'17 Wed., July 23, 2025 Student Profile: Maria Villamizar Londono Wed., July 16, 2025 Upcoming Events More events Harris Summer Campus Visit Mon., July 28, 2025 | 10:00 AM Harris School of Public Policy 1307 E 60th St Chicago, IL 60637 United States Civic Leadership Academy 2026 Virtual Information Session Wed., July 30, 2025 | 12:00 PM UChicago Summer Send-Off in Tokyo Thu., July 31, 2025 | 7:30 PM DevilCraft-Hamamatsucho, Risewell Building, 1F, Minato-ku Tokyo 105-0013 Japan