Objectives

The Graduate Program in Geography at the Federal University of Ceará (UFC) has as its main objective the training of qualified geographers to work in research, extension, and teaching, contributing to the production of geographic knowledge while being committed to social transformation. This is achieved through the integration of theory and practice, the promotion of innovation, sustainability, social inclusion, and ethical principles.

To achieve its objectives, the Program is organized into two interconnected research lines, reflecting the accumulated experience throughout its trajectory and the results expressed in its scientific and technical production:

Research Line 1 – Socio-Environmental Studies of the Coastal Zone: aims to promote research concerning the dynamics of nature and the geo-environmental, political, economic, and cultural analysis of cities and their networks, examining changes and continuities in representations and new geographic information systems, and expanding spatial configurations related to urban expansion in arid, humid, and coastal zones.

Research Line 2 – Nature, Countryside, and City in the Semi-Arid Region: aims to stimulate and develop research related to strategies of regionalization, border connections (national/international), and territorial occupation through technical, cultural, and geo-economic challenges of modernization and interiorization policies, expanding spatial configurations in semi-arid and inland regions.

In accordance with these objectives, the Program’s structure goes beyond the dichotomies still present in the field of Geography. By integrating different research lines, it seeks to bring together faculty and researchers with diverse theoretical and methodological approaches, in order to understand the interactions between society, time, space, and nature, especially through the analysis of modernization processes at a macro-regional scale. In this sense, themes such as the environment, geoprocessing, and teaching are approached in a transdisciplinary manner.

The achievement of the Program’s mission and the implementation of its objectives reinforce its commitment to society at multiple scales, addressing emerging topics and issues. In this way, PPGG/UFC contributes to both the public and private sectors, training professionals who are attentive to the State’s demands and the needs of society.