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Geography (GEOG)

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Geography (GEOG)

Location

Location

  • Burnside Hall, Room 705
  • 805 Sherbrooke Street West
  • Montreal, Quebec H3A 2K6
  • Telephone: 514-398-4951 (or leave message 514-398-4111)
  • Fax: 514-398-7437
  • Website:

About Geography

About Geography

The Geography Department offers programs in both Arts and Science. See Faculty of Science > Geography (GEOG) for B.Sc. Geography programs, a list of teaching staff, an outline of the nature of Geography and the opportunities for study in this discipline.

Geography is a broad, holistic discipline - both a natural and a social science because it examines people and their environment and serves as a bridge between physical and cultural processes. Human Geography (a social science, thus B.A. programs) is concerned especially with the political, economic, social, and cultural processes and resource practices that create spatial patterns and that define particular places. Physical Geography (B.Sc. programs) integrates disciplines such as climatology, geomorphology, geology, biology, hydrology, ecology, soil science and even marine science. Whether considering greenhouse gas emissions, the spread of disease, or threats to biodiversity, in all cases, geographers are interested in where things happen, why, and with what consequences.

Our graduates go on to careers in environmental consulting, social agencies or non-governmental organizations. Skills in Geographic Information Science (GIS) are very marketable. Students are well prepared for graduate work in social sciences, urban planning and environmental studies at leading schools.

Prerequisites

Prerequisites

There are no departmental prerequisites for entrance to the B.A. Major Concentrations or Honours programs in Geography. It is helpful for Arts students to include 6 credits of Mathematics in their CEGEP or pre-university programs. A student who has completed college or pre-university geography courses fully equivalent to those of first year university may, with the adviser's approval, substitute other courses as part of the Major Concentrations or Honours programs. B.A. students in U0 are invited to take GEOG 205 for science credit and GEOG 200 for social science credit.

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) - Minor Concentration Geography (18 credits)

The Minor Concentration Geography is designed to provide students in the Faculty of Arts with an overview of basic elements of human geography at the introductory and advanced level.

This minor concentration may be expanded into the Major Concentration Geography but not into the Major Concentration Geography - Urban Systems.

Complementary Courses (18 credits)

9 credits selected from:

GEOG 201 (3) Introductory Geo-Information Science
GEOG 203 (3) Environmental Systems
GEOG 210 (3) Global Places and Peoples
GEOG 216 (3) Geography of the World Economy
GEOG 217 (3) Cities in the Modern World
GEOG 272 (3) Earth's Changing Surface

9 credits from Geography (GEOG) courses at the 300- or 400-level.

Faculty: 
Faculty of Arts—2010-2011 (last updated Apr. 22, 2010) (disclaimer)

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) - Minor Concentration Geographic Information Systems (18 credits)

This minor concentration is designed to provide students in the Faculty of Arts who have an interest in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) with a basic, but comprehensive knowledge of concepts and methods relating to the analysis of geospatial data.

This minor concentration may be expanded into the Major Concentration Geography but not into the Major Concentration Geography - Urban Systems.

Required Courses (15 credits)

GEOG 201 (3) Introductory Geo-Information Science
GEOG 306 (3) Raster Geo-Information Science
GEOG 307 (3) Socioeconomic Applications of GIS
GEOG 308 (3) Principles of Remote Sensing
GEOG 506 (3) Advanced Geographic Information Science

Complementary Courses (3 credits)

3 credits selected from:

ATOC 309 (3) Weather Radars and Satellites
COMP 420 (3) Secondary Storage Algorithms and Data Structures
COMP 557 (3) Fundamentals of Computer Graphics
GEOG 535 (3) Remote Sensing and Interpretation
GEOG 551 (3) Environmental Decisions
URBP 505 (3) Geographic Information Systems
Faculty: 
Faculty of Arts—2010-2011 (last updated Apr. 22, 2010) (disclaimer)

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) - Minor Concentration Geography (Urban Systems) (18 credits)

This minor concentration may be expanded into the Major Concentration Geography (Urban Systems).

Complementary Courses (18 credits)

18 credits selected as follows:

Group A

9 - 12 credits selected from:

GEOG 210 (3) Global Places and Peoples
GEOG 217 (3) Cities in the Modern World
GEOG 303 (3) Health Geography
GEOG 311 (3) Economic Geography
GEOG 315 (3) Urban Transportation Geography
GEOG 331 (3) Urban Social Geography
GEOG 494 (3) Urban Field Studies

Group B

6 - 9 credits selected from:

Architecture

Although Architecture courses have prerequisites, they are waived for Urban Systems students, but the course may not be taken before the year indicated:

U2 - ARCH 378;

U3 - ARCH 515, ARCH 527, ARCH 528, ARCH 529, and ARCH 550.

ARCH 550 requires permission of the Geography adviser.

Note: ARCH 550 has the same content as CIVE 433 but requires an additional project.

ARCH 378 (3) Site Usage
ARCH 515 (3) Sustainable Design
ARCH 527 (3) Civic Design
ARCH 528 (3) History of Housing
ARCH 529 (3) Housing Theory
ARCH 550 (3) Urban Planning and Development

Civil Engineering

CIVE 433 requires departmental permission to register (call, 514-398-6345).

CIVE 433 (3) Urban Planning
CIVE 540 (3) Urban Transportation Planning

Economics

ECON 348 (3) Urban Economics

Geography

GEOG 307 (3) Socioeconomic Applications of GIS

History

HIST 353 (3) History of Montreal

Law

PUB1 004 (3) Land Use Planning

Political Science

POLI 318 (3) Comparative Local Government
POLI 337 (3) Canadian Public Administration

Urban Planning

URBP 201 (3) Planning the 21st Century City
URBP 501 (2) Principles and Practice 1
URBP 506 (3) Environmental Policy and Planning
Faculty: 
Faculty of Arts—2010-2011 (last updated Apr. 22, 2010) (disclaimer)

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) - Major Concentration Geography (36 credits)

This program is designed to cover the main elements of human geography.

Required Courses (6 credits)

GEOG 201 (3) Introductory Geo-Information Science
GEOG 210 (3) Global Places and Peoples

Complementary Courses (30 credits)

30 credits selected as follows:

Physical Geography

3 credits from:

GEOG 203 (3) Environmental Systems
GEOG 272 (3) Earth's Changing Surface

Statistics

3 credits from:

Note: Credit given for statistics courses is subject to certain restrictions. Students should consult the "Course Overlap" information in the "Course Requirements" section for the Faculty of Arts.

BIOL 373 (3) Biometry
GEOG 202 (3) Statistics and Spatial Analysis
MATH 203 (3) Principles of Statistics 1
PSYC 204 (3) Introduction to Psychological Statistics
SOCI 350 (3) Statistics in Social Research

Field Courses

3 credits from:

Note: Field course offerings are determined each year in February.

GEOG 290 (1) Local Geographical Excursion
GEOG 398 (3) Field Studies in Human Geography
GEOG 494 (3) Urban Field Studies
GEOG 495 (3) Field Studies - Physical Geography
GEOG 496 (3) Geographical Excursion
GEOG 497 (3) Ecology of Coastal Waters
GEOG 499 (3) Subarctic Field Studies

Analysis and Methodology

3 credits from:

GEOG 306 (3) Raster Geo-Information Science
GEOG 307 (3) Socioeconomic Applications of GIS
GEOG 308 (3) Principles of Remote Sensing
GEOG 351 (3) Quantitative Methods
GEOG 506 (3) Advanced Geographic Information Science

Geography

The remaining 18 credits are to be selected from Geography (GEOG) courses excluding GEOG 200 and GEOG 205. Of these 18 credits, at least 3 credits must be at the 400-level or above.

Faculty: 
Faculty of Arts—2010-2011 (last updated Apr. 22, 2010) (disclaimer)

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) - Major Concentration Geography - Urban Systems (36 credits)

This interdisciplinary concentration exposes students to the various approaches to urban studies in many disciplines. Students who wish to retain the option of entering a Geography honours program should include GEOG 201, GEOG 203, GEOG 216 and GEOG 272 as well as the 9 credits of Required Courses listed below.

Students should observe the levels indicated by course numbers: 200-level are first year (U1); 300-level, second year (U2); 400- or 500-level, third year (U3).

For students majoring in Urban Systems, the total number of credits permitted outside Arts and Science is 30. Faculty of Arts regulations about "Courses Outside the Faculties of Arts and of Science" may be found with the Arts guidelines for "Course Requirements". 

Required Courses (12 credits)

GEOG 201 (3) Introductory Geo-Information Science
GEOG 217 (3) Cities in the Modern World
GEOG 331 (3) Urban Social Geography
GEOG 351 (3) Quantitative Methods

Complementary Courses (24 credits)

24 credits selected as follows:

Statistics

3 credits from:

Note: Credit given for statistics courses is subject to certain restrictions. Students should consult the "Course Overlap" information in the "Course Requirements" section for the Faculty of Arts.

BIOL 373 (3) Biometry
GEOG 202 (3) Statistics and Spatial Analysis
MATH 203 (3) Principles of Statistics 1
PSYC 204 (3) Introduction to Psychological Statistics
SOCI 350 (3) Statistics in Social Research

15 - 21 credits from the course lists below:

Architecture

Although Architecture courses have prerequisites, they are waived for Urban Systems students, but the course may not be taken before the year indicated:

U2 - ARCH 378;

U3 - ARCH 515, ARCH 520, ARCH 527, ARCH 528, ARCH 529, and ARCH 550.

ARCH 550 requires permission of the Geography adviser.

Note: ARCH 550 has the same content as CIVE 433 but requires an additional project.

ARCH 378 (3) Site Usage
ARCH 515 (3) Sustainable Design
ARCH 520 (3) Montreal: Urban Morphology
ARCH 527 (3) Civic Design
ARCH 528 (3) History of Housing
ARCH 529 (3) Housing Theory
ARCH 550 (3) Urban Planning and Development

Art History

ARTH 314 (3) The Medieval City

Civil Engineering

CIVE 433 requires departmental permission to register (call, 514-398-6345).

CIVE 433 (3) Urban Planning
CIVE 540 (3) Urban Transportation Planning

Economics

ECON 348 (3) Urban Economics

Geography

GEOG 210 (3) Global Places and Peoples
GEOG 303 (3) Health Geography
GEOG 311 (3) Economic Geography
GEOG 315 (3) Urban Transportation Geography
GEOG 380 (3) Adaptive Environmental Management
GEOG 494 (3) Urban Field Studies

History

HIST 353 (3) History of Montreal

Jewish Studies

JWST 371D1 (3) Jews and the Modern City
JWST 371D2 (3) Jews and the Modern City

Law

PUB1 004 (3) Land Use Planning

Management

FINE 445 (3) Real Estate Finance

Political Science

POLI 318 (3) Comparative Local Government

Urban Planning

URBP 201 (3) Planning the 21st Century City
URBP 501 (2) Principles and Practice 1
URBP 506 (3) Environmental Policy and Planning

Balance of up to 6 credits selected from the course lists below:

Geography

GEOG 290 (1) Local Geographical Excursion
GEOG 306 (3) Raster Geo-Information Science
GEOG 307 (3) Socioeconomic Applications of GIS
GEOG 316 (3) Political Geography
GEOG 504 (3) Industrial Restructuring - Geographic Implications

Political Science

POLI 337 (3) Canadian Public Administration
POLI 411 (3) Immigration and Multiculturalism in Canada

Sociology

SOCI 230 (3) Sociology of Ethnic Relations
SOCI 333 (3) Social Stratification
SOCI 338 (3) Introduction to Biomedical Knowledge
Faculty: 
Faculty of Arts—2010-2011 (last updated Apr. 22, 2010) (disclaimer)

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) - Honours Geography (60 credits)

The B.A. Honours Geography program is more concentrated and focused than the Major Concentration.

In addition to the Faculty of Arts requirement that Honours students maintain a minimum CGPA of 3.00, students in a Geography Honours Program must maintain a program GPA of at least 3.30 and complete a 6-credit Honours thesis. Honours students are encouraged to participate in 500-level seminars with graduate students.

Required Courses (15 credits)

GEOG 201 (3) Introductory Geo-Information Science
GEOG 351 (3) Quantitative Methods
GEOG 381 (3) Geographic Thought and Practice
GEOG 491D1 (3) Honours Research
GEOG 491D2 (3) Honours Research

Complementary Courses (45 credits)

45 credits selected as follows:

Introductory

12 credits from:

GEOG 203 (3) Environmental Systems
GEOG 210 (3) Global Places and Peoples
GEOG 216 (3) Geography of the World Economy
GEOG 217 (3) Cities in the Modern World
GEOG 272 (3) Earth's Changing Surface

Statistics

3 credits from:

Note: Credit given for statistics courses is subject to certain restrictions. Students should consult the "Course Overlap" information in the "Course Requirements" section for the Faculty of Arts.

BIOL 373 (3) Biometry
GEOG 202 (3) Statistics and Spatial Analysis
MATH 203 (3) Principles of Statistics 1
PSYC 204 (3) Introduction to Psychological Statistics
SOCI 350 (3) Statistics in Social Research

Field Courses

3 credits from:

Note: Field course offerings are determined each year in February.

GEOG 290 (1) Local Geographical Excursion
GEOG 398 (3) Field Studies in Human Geography
GEOG 494 (3) Urban Field Studies
GEOG 495 (3) Field Studies - Physical Geography
GEOG 496 (3) Geographical Excursion
GEOG 497 (3) Ecology of Coastal Waters
GEOG 499 (3) Subarctic Field Studies

Additional Geography

18 credits of Geography (GEOG) courses selected in consultation with the program adviser.

Outside Geography

9 credits at the 300- or 400-level or above of courses taught by units other than Geography selected from the humanities, social and physical sciences or engineering that have been approved by the program adviser as related to the student's focus within Geography.

Faculty: 
Faculty of Arts—2010-2011 (last updated Apr. 22, 2010) (disclaimer)

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) - Honours Urban Systems (60 credits)

The B.A. Honours Urban Systems program is more concentrated and focused than the Major Concentration. In addition to the Faculty of Arts requirement that Honours students maintain a minimum CGPA of 3.00, students in a Geography Honours Program must maintain a program GPA of at least 3.30 and complete a 6-credit Honours thesis. Honours students are encouraged to participate in 500-level seminars with graduate students.

Students should observe the levels indicated by course numbers: 200-level are first year (U1); 300-level, second year (U2); 400- or 500-level, third year (U3).

For students in the Honours Urban Systems, the total number of credits permitted outside Arts and Science is 30. Faculty of Arts regulations about "Courses Outside the Faculties of Arts and of Science" may be found with the Arts guidelines for "Course Requirements". 

Required Courses (21 credits)

GEOG 201 (3) Introductory Geo-Information Science
GEOG 217 (3) Cities in the Modern World
GEOG 351 (3) Quantitative Methods
GEOG 381 (3) Geographic Thought and Practice
GEOG 491D1 (3) Honours Research
GEOG 491D2 (3) Honours Research
GEOG 494 (3) Urban Field Studies

Complementary Courses (39 credits)

39 credits selected as follows:

Statistics

3 credits from:

Note: Credit given for statistics courses is subject to certain restrictions. Students should consult the "Course Overlap" information in the "Course Requirements" section for the Faculty of Arts.

BIOL 373 (3) Biometry
GEOG 202 (3) Statistics and Spatial Analysis
MATH 203 (3) Principles of Statistics 1
PSYC 204 (3) Introduction to Psychological Statistics

Geography

12 credits from the following Geography (GEOG) courses:

GEOG 203 (3) Environmental Systems
GEOG 210 (3) Global Places and Peoples
GEOG 221 (3) Environment and Health
GEOG 303 (3) Health Geography
GEOG 307 (3) Socioeconomic Applications of GIS
GEOG 311 (3) Economic Geography
GEOG 331 (3) Urban Social Geography

Categories

12 credits in ONE of three categories:

Urban History and Theory

Urban Design

Urban Policy and Governance

Urban History and Theory

Although Architecture courses have prerequisites, they are waived for Urban Systems students, but the course may not be taken before the year indicated:

U3 - ARCH 528 and ARCH 529

ARCH 528 (3) History of Housing
ARCH 529 (3) Housing Theory
ARTH 314 (3) The Medieval City
GEOG 503 (3) Advanced Topics in Health Geography
GEOG 504 (3) Industrial Restructuring - Geographic Implications
HIST 353 (3) History of Montreal
JWST 371D1 (3) Jews and the Modern City
JWST 371D2 (3) Jews and the Modern City
SOCI 222 (3) Urban Sociology
URBP 501 (2) Principles and Practice 1

Urban Design

Although Architecture courses have prerequisites, they are waived for Urban Systems students, but the course may not be taken before the year indicated:

U2 - ARCH 378;

U3 - ARCH 515, ARCH 520, ARCH 521, ARCH 527, and ARCH 550.

ARCH 550 requires permission of the Geography adviser.

Note: ARCH 550 has the same content as CIVE 433 but requires an additional project.

ARCH 378 (3) Site Usage
ARCH 515 (3) Sustainable Design
ARCH 520 (3) Montreal: Urban Morphology
ARCH 521 (3) Structure of Cities
ARCH 527 (3) Civic Design
ARCH 550 (3) Urban Planning and Development
CIVE 433 (3) Urban Planning
CIVE 540 (3) Urban Transportation Planning
GEOG 315 (3) Urban Transportation Geography
URBP 201 (3) Planning the 21st Century City
URBP 505 (3) Geographic Information Systems

Urban Policy and Governance

ECON 348 (3) Urban Economics
FINE 445 (3) Real Estate Finance
POLI 318 (3) Comparative Local Government
POLI 337 (3) Canadian Public Administration
PUB1 004 (3) Land Use Planning
SOCI 230 (3) Sociology of Ethnic Relations
SOCI 388 (3) Crime
URBP 506 (3) Environmental Policy and Planning

Remaining Credits

12 remaining credits selected as follows:

6 credits must be chosen from the above lists;

6 credits may be chosen from courses at the 300-level or above outside the program in consultation with the program adviser.

Faculty: 
Faculty of Arts—2010-2011 (last updated Apr. 22, 2010) (disclaimer)

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) - Joint Honours Component Geography (36 credits)

Students wishing to study at the Honours level in two disciplines can combine Joint Honours Program components in any two Arts disciplines. For a list of available Joint Honours programs, see "Overview of Programs Offered" and "Joint Honours Programs". 

Joint Honours students should consult an adviser in each department to discuss their course selection and their interdisciplinary research project (if applicable).

In addition to the Faculty requirement that Joint Honours students maintain a minimum CGPA of at least 3.00, students in a Joint Honours Component Geography program must maintain a program GPA of at least 3.30.

Required Courses (9 credits)

GEOG 201 (3) Introductory Geo-Information Science
GEOG 351 (3) Quantitative Methods
GEOG 381 (3) Geographic Thought and Practice

Complementary Courses (27 credits)

27 credits selected as follows:

Introductory

12 credits of introductory courses from:

GEOG 203 (3) Environmental Systems
GEOG 210 (3) Global Places and Peoples
GEOG 216 (3) Geography of the World Economy
GEOG 217 (3) Cities in the Modern World
GEOG 272 (3) Earth's Changing Surface

Statistics

3 credits from:

Note: Credit given for statistics courses is subject to certain restrictions. Students should consult the "Course Overlap" information in the "Course Requirements" section for the Faculty of Arts.

BIOL 373 (3) Biometry
GEOG 202 (3) Statistics and Spatial Analysis
MATH 203 (3) Principles of Statistics 1
PSYC 204 (3) Introduction to Psychological Statistics
SOCI 350 (3) Statistics in Social Research

Research

3 - 6 credits of research courses. Where both departments require an Honours Thesis, the student has the option of submitting the thesis to either department. If the thesis is submitted to the other department, then the student must register for GEOG 492D1/GEOG 492D2. In some cases, it is required that the thesis be jointly supervised by faculty of both departments.

GEOG 491D1 (3) Honours Research
GEOG 491D2 (3) Honours Research
GEOG 492D1 (1.5) Joint Honours Research
GEOG 492D2 (1.5) Joint Honours Research

Remaining Geography

6 - 9 credits from a coherent set of Geography (GEOG) courses approved by the program adviser. Including a field course is desirable.

Faculty: 
Faculty of Arts—2010-2011 (last updated Apr. 22, 2010) (disclaimer)

Geography (GEOG) Related Programs and Study Semesters

Geography (GEOG) Related Programs and Study Semesters

African Field Study Semester

African Field Study Semester

The Department of Geography (Prof. Thom Meredith), Faculty of Science, coordinates the 15-credit interdisciplinary African Field Study Semester. For further information please contact Martine Dolmière, Internship & Field Studies Officer, 514-398-1063; see Field Studies and Study Abroad > African Field Study Semester.

Panama Field Study Semester

Panama Field Study Semester

The program is a joint venture between ³ÉÈËVRÊÓƵ and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in Panama. For more information, see Field Studies and Study Abroad > Panama Field Study Semester.

Faculty: 
Faculty of Arts—2010-2011 (last updated Apr. 22, 2010) (disclaimer)

Geography Courses of Most Interest to Arts Students

Geography Courses of Most Interest to Arts Students

GEOG 199 (3) FYS: Geo-Environments
GEOG 200 (3) Geographical Perspectives: World Environmental Problems
GEOG 201 (3) Introductory Geo-Information Science
GEOG 205 (3) Global Change: Past, Present and Future
GEOG 210 (3) Global Places and Peoples
GEOG 216 (3) Geography of the World Economy
GEOG 217 (3) The Canadian City
GEOG 221 (3) Environment and Health
GEOG 290 (1) Local Geographical Excursion
GEOG 300 (3) Human Ecology in Geography
GEOG 301 (3) Geography of Nunavut
GEOG 302 (3) Environmental Management 1
GEOG 303 (3) Health Geography
GEOG 306 (3) Raster Geo-Information Science
GEOG 307 (3) Socioeconomic Applications of GIS
GEOG 308 (3) Principles of Remote Sensing
GEOG 309 (3) Geography of Canada
GEOG 311 (3) Economic Geography
GEOG 315 (3) Urban Transportation Geography
GEOG 316 (3) Political Geography
GEOG 331 (3) Urban Social Geography
GEOG 351 (3) Quantitative Methods
GEOG 370 (3) Protected Areas
GEOG 381 (3) Geographic Thought and Practice
GEOG 398 (3) Field Studies in Human Geography
GEOG 404 (3) Environmental Management 2
GEOG 408 (3) Geography of Development
GEOG 410 (3) Geography of Underdevelopment: Current Problems
GEOG 416 (3) Africa South of the Sahara
GEOG 424 (3) Europe: Places and Peoples
GEOG 490 (3) Geography: Independent Studies
GEOG 494 (3) Urban Field Studies
GEOG 496 (3) Geographical Excursion
GEOG 498 (3) Humans in Tropical Environments
GEOG 500 (3) Geography of Regional Identity
GEOG 501 (3) Modelling Environmental Systems
GEOG 502 (3) Geography of Northern Development
GEOG 504 (3) Industrial Restructuring - Geographic Implications
GEOG 506 (3) Advanced Geographic Information Science
GEOG 508 (3) Resources, People, and Power
GEOG 510 (3) Humid Tropical Environments
GEOG 551 (3) Environmental Decisions
Faculty: 
Faculty of Arts—2010-2011 (last updated Apr. 22, 2010) (disclaimer)
Faculty: 
Faculty of Arts—2010-2011 (last updated Apr. 22, 2010) (disclaimer)
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