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Program Requirements
The Major is designed to provide a coverage of the main elements of physical geography.
Required Courses (22 credits)
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GEOG 201 Introductory Geo-Information Science (3 credits)
Overview
Geography : An introduction to Geographic Information Systems. The systematic management of spatial data. The use and construction of maps. The use of microcomputers and software for mapping and statistical work. Air photo and topographic map analyses.
Terms: Fall 2014
Instructors: Sengupta, Raja; Lehner, Bernhard (Fall)
Fall
3 hours and lab
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GEOG 203 Environmental Systems (3 credits)
Overview
Geography : An introduction to system-level interactions among climate, hydrology, soils and vegetation at the scale of drainage basins, including the study of the global geographical variability in these land-surface systems. The knowledge acquired is used to study the impact on the environment of various human activities such as deforestation and urbanisation.
Terms: Fall 2014
Instructors: Moore, Timothy R; Chmura, Gail L (Fall)
Fall
3 hours
Restriction: Because of quantitative science content of course, not recommended for B.A. and B.Ed. students in their U0 year.
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GEOG 216 Geography of the World Economy (3 credits)
Overview
Geography : The course introduces the geography of the world economic system. It describes the spatial distribution of economic activities and examines the factors which influence their changing location. Case studies from both "developed" and "developing" countries will test the different geographical theories presented in lectures.
Terms: Fall 2014
Instructors: Coomes, Oliver T; Breau, Sebastien (Fall)
Fall
3 hours
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GEOG 217 Cities in the Modern World (3 credits)
Overview
Geography : An introduction to urban geography. Uses a spatial/geographic perspective to understand cities and their social and cultural processes. Addresses two major areas. The development and social dynamics in North American and European cities. The urban transformations in Asian, African, and Latin American societies that were recently predominantly rural and agrarian.
Terms: Winter 2015
Instructors: Forest, Benjamin; Oswin, Natalie (Winter)
Note: Winter
Note: 3 hours
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GEOG 272 Earth's Changing Surface (3 credits)
Overview
Geography : Introduction to the study of landforms as products of geomorphic and geologic systems acting at and near the Earth's surface. The process geomorphology approach will be used to demonstrate how landforms of different geomorphic settings represent a dynamic balance between forces acting in the environment and the physical properties of materials present.
Terms: Fall 2014
Instructors: Pollard, Wayne H (Fall)
Fall
3 hours
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GEOG 290 Local Geographical Excursion (1 credit)
Overview
Geography : Introduction to landscape interpretation and geographical site analysis in physical and human geography. A three-day fall excursion with preparatory and concluding seminars.
Terms: Fall 2014
Instructors: Coomes, Oliver T; Pollard, Wayne H; Lapointe, Michel F (Fall)
Fall
1 credit
Restrictions: Open to first-year Geography Major and Honours students only.
This fee of $130 is charged to all students registered in GEOG 290. This course is held at Mont Sutton, in the Eastern Townships during a week-end in mid-September. The fee is used to support the cost of transportation, accommodations, local fees and all meals.
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GEOG 302 Environmental Management 1 (3 credits)
Overview
Geography : An ecological analysis of the physical and biotic components of natural resource systems. Emphasis on scientific, technological and institutional aspects of environmental management. Study of the use of biological resources and of the impact of individual processes.
Terms: Fall 2014, Summer 2015
Instructors: Dressel, Holly (Fall) Meredith, Thomas C (Summer)
3 hours
Prerequisite: Any 200-level course in Geography or MSE or BIOL 208 or permission of instructor.
**Due to the intensive nature of this course, the standard add/drop and withdrawal deadlines do not apply. Add/drop is the second lecture day and withdrawal is the fourth lecture day.
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GEOG 351 Quantitative Methods (3 credits)
Overview
Geography : Multiple regression and correlation, logit models, discrete choice models, gravity models, facility location algorithms, survey design, population projection.
Terms: Winter 2015
Instructors: Malhotra, Avni (Winter)
Winter
3 hours
Prerequisite: MATH 203 or permission of instructor
You may not be able to get credit for this course and other statistic courses. Be sure to check the Course Overlap section under Faculty Degree Requirements in the Arts or Science section of the Calendar.
Complementary Courses (36 credits)
3 credits of statistics:
Note: Credit given for statistics courses is subject to certain restrictions. Students in Science should consult the "Course Overlap" information in the "Course Requirements" section for the Faculty of Science.
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BIOL 373 Biometry (3 credits)
Overview
Biology (Sci) : Elementary statistical methods in biology. Introduction to the analysis of biological data with emphasis on the assumptions behind statistical tests and models. Use of statistical techniques typically available on computer packages.
Terms: Fall 2014
Instructors: Leung, Brian (Fall)
Fall
2 hours lecture and 2 hours laboratory
Prerequisite: MATH 112 or equivalent
You may not be able to receive credit for this course and other statistic courses. Be sure to check the Course Overlap section under Faculty Degree Requirements in the Arts or Science section of the Calendar.
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GEOG 202 Statistics and Spatial Analysis (3 credits)
Overview
Geography : Exploratory data analysis, univariate descriptive and inferential statistics, non-parametric statistics, correlation and simple regression. Problems associated with analysing spatial data such as the 'modifiable areal unit problem' and spatial autocorrelation. Statistics measuring spatial pattern in point, line and polygon data.
Terms: Fall 2014
Instructors: Berrang Ford, Lea (Fall)
Fall
2.5 hours and lab
You may not be able to receive credit for this course and other statistic courses. Be sure to check the Course Overlap section under Faculty Degree Requirements in the Arts or Science section of the Calendar.
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MATH 203 Principles of Statistics 1 (3 credits)
Overview
Mathematics & Statistics (Sci) : Examples of statistical data and the use of graphical means to summarize the data. Basic distributions arising in the natural and behavioural sciences. The logical meaning of a test of significance and a confidence interval. Tests of significance and confidence intervals in the one and two sample setting (means, variances and proportions).
Terms: Fall 2014, Winter 2015, Summer 2015
Instructors: Best, Ana; Wolfson, David B (Fall) Correa, Jose Andres (Winter) Correa, Jose Andres (Summer)
No calculus prerequisites
Restriction: This course is intended for students in all disciplines. For extensive course restrictions covering statistics courses see Section 3.6.1 of the Arts and of the Science sections of the calendar regarding course overlaps.
You may not be able to receive credit for this course and other statistic courses. Be sure to check the Course Overlap section under Faculty Degree Requirements in the Arts or Science section of the Calendar. Students should consult for information regarding transfer credits for this course.
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PSYC 204 Introduction to Psychological Statistics (3 credits)
Overview
Psychology : The statistical analysis of research data; frequency distributions; graphic representation; measures of central tendency and variability; elementary sampling theory and tests of significance.
Terms: Fall 2014, Winter 2015, Summer 2015
Instructors: Amsel, Rhonda N (Fall) Gu, Fei (Winter) Darainy, Mohammad (Summer)
Fall and Winter
Restriction: Not open to students who have passed a CEGEP statistics course(s) with a minimum grade of 75%: Mathematics 201-307 or 201-337 or equivalent or the combination of Quantitative Methods 300 with Mathematics 300
This course is a prerequisite for PSYC 305, PSYC 406, PSYC 310, PSYC 336
You may not be able to receive credit for this course and other statistic courses. Be sure to check the Course Overlap section under Faculty Degree Requirements in the Arts or Science section of the Calendar.
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SOCI 350 Statistics in Social Research (3 credits)
Overview
Sociology (Arts) : This is an introductory course in descriptive and inferential statistics. The course is designed to help students develop a critical attitude toward statistical argument. It serves as a background for further statistics courses, helping to provide the intuition which can sometimes be lost amid the formulas.
Terms: Fall 2014
Instructors: MacKenzie, Kenneth (Fall)
Prerequisite: SOCI 211
Restriction: Not open to students who have taken PSYC 204, PSYC 305 or ECON 227
You may not be able to receive credit for this course and other statistic courses. Be sure to check the Course Overlap section under Faculty Degree Requirements in the Arts or Science section of the Calendar.
3 credits of GIS techniques:
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GEOG 306 Raster Geo-Information Science (3 credits)
Overview
Geography : Formal introduction to a computer-based Geographical Information System (GIS). Topics will focus on map analysis and on transforming and displaying spatial data. GIS will be used by students to solve problems in both physical and human geography.
Terms: Winter 2015
Instructors: Lehner, Bernhard (Winter)
Winter
2 hours and laboratory
Prerequisite: GEOG 201
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GEOG 308 Principles of Remote Sensing (3 credits)
Overview
Geography : A conceptual view of remote sensing and the underlying physical principles. Covers ground-based, aerial, satellite systems, and the electromagnetic spectrum, from visible to microwave. Emphasis on application of remotely sensed data in geography including land cover change and ecological processes.
Terms: Fall 2014
Instructors: Arroyo Mora, Juan Pablo; Kalacska, Margaret (Fall)
12 credits of systematic physical geography:
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GEOG 305 Soils and Environment (3 credits)
Overview
Geography : Discussion of the major properties of soils; soil formation, classification and mapping; land capability assessment; the role and response of soils in natural and disturbed environments (e.g. global change, ecosystem disturbance).
Terms: Fall 2014
Instructors: Moore, Timothy R (Fall)
Fall
3 hours and laboratory
Prerequisite: GEOG 203 or introductory course in biology or geology
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GEOG 321 Climatic Environments (3 credits)
Overview
Geography : The earth-atmosphere system, radiation and energy balances. Surface-atmosphere exchange of energy, mass and momentum and related atmospheric processes on a local and regional scale. Introduction to measurement theory and practice in micrometeorology.
Terms: Winter 2015
Instructors: Strachan, Ian Brett (Winter)
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GEOG 322 Environmental Hydrology (3 credits)
Overview
Geography : Quantitative, experimental study of the principles governing the movement of water at or near the Earth's surface and how the research relates to the chemistry and biology of ecosystems.
Terms: Winter 2015
Instructors: Roulet, Nigel Thomas; Lehner, Bernhard (Winter)
Winter
3 hours
Prerequisite: GEOG 203 or equivalent
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GEOG 372 Running Water Environments (3 credits)
Overview
Geography : The course focuses on the physical habitat conditions found in streams, rivers, estuaries and deltas. Based on the laws governing flow of water and sediment transport, it emphasizes differences among these environments, in terms of channel form, flow patterns, substrate composition and mode of evolution. Flooding, damming, channelisation, forestry impacts.
Terms: Fall 2014
Instructors: Lapointe, Michel F (Fall)
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GEOG 470 Wetlands (3 credits)
Overview
Geography : An examination of the structure, function and utility of wetlands. Topics include the fluxes of energy and water, wetland biogeochemistry, plant ecology in freshwater and coastal wetlands and wetlands use, conservation and restoration. Field trip(s) are envisaged to illustrate issues covered in class.
Terms: Fall 2014
Instructors: Chmura, Gail L (Fall)
Fall
3 hours
Restriction: Permission of instructor.
3 credits of field courses:
(Field course availability is determined each year in February.)
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GEOG 495 Field Studies - Physical Geography (3 credits)
Overview
Geography : Field research projects in physical geography. Held locally in Monteregian or Eastern Township regions. The course is organised around field projects designed to formulate and test scientific hypotheses in a physical geography discipline. May Summer session.
Terms: Summer 2015
Instructors: Pollard, Wayne H (Summer)
2-week field school
Prerequisites: 6 credits from the following list of Systematic Physical Geography courses: GEOG 305, GEOG 321, GEOG 322, GEOG 350, GEOG 372
Instructor's approval required. Additional Dept. fee $470.02 will be charged to student fee account to cover the cost of transportation, accommodations, local fees and all meals for approximately 12 nights, as the course is held at the Gault Estate at Mont St.-Hilaire during May. Application forms avail. Geog. Office or web page.
**Since this is a field course, the Victoria Day statutory holiday will not be taken into consideration. Therefore, students are expected to attend their lecture on Monday, May, 18, 2015.
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GEOG 496 Geographical Excursion (3 credits)
Overview
Geography : Lecture course on the geography of a region and excursion through the selected country or region including landscape interpretation and field study projects.
Terms: Winter 2015
Instructors: Meredith, Thomas C (Winter)
Winter
Prerequisites: GEOG 290 and permission of instructor
Instructor's approval required.
This fee of $2097 in Winter is charged to all students registered in GEOG 496 Geographical Excursion. The course is held in Barbados, West Indies and is given during the last week of February (Study Break). The fee is used to support the cost of transportation, accommodations, local fees and some meals for ten days. Note that the trip to Barbados is compulsory if you enroll for GEOG 496.
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GEOG 499 Subarctic Field Studies (3 credits)
Overview
Geography : An introduction to the geography of the subarctic with emphasis on the application of field methods in physical and/or human geography.
Terms: Fall 2014
Instructors: Pollard, Wayne H (Fall)
Fall
Instructor's approval required.
This fee of $1,887.43 is charged to all students registered in GEOG 499 Subarctic Field Studies. This course is held at Schefferville, Quebec in late August through early September. The fee is used to support the cost of transportation, accommodations, local fees and all meals. The department subsidizes a portion of the cost of this compulsory activity for each student registered in a Geography Major or Honours program.
15 credits from approved courses in Geography, or elsewhere in the Faculty of Science, or in the Faculty of Engineering; at least 9 credits of which are to be taken outside Geography. Students may also include any courses that are not already counted towards the GIS techniques or the systematic physical geography requirements. Admission to 500-level courses in Geography requires the instructor's permission. It is not advisable to take more than one 500-level course in a term.
Advising Note: See the Geography website for the list of approved courses in the Faculty of Science. Some courses require the permission of the Department and from the Associate Dean of Science, Student Affairs.
Geography Approved Course List - Major, Honours and Liberal Programs
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GEOG 404 Environmental Management 2 (3 credits)
Overview
Geography : Practical application of environmental planning, analysis and management techniques with reference to the needs and problems of developing areas. Special challenges posed by cultural differences and traditional resource systems are discussed. This course involves practical field work in a developing area (Kenya or Panama).
Terms: Winter 2015
Instructors: Meredith, Thomas C (Winter)
Winter
3 hours
Prerequisite: GEOG 302 or permission of instructor
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GEOG 501 Modelling Environmental Systems (3 credits)
Overview
Geography : Most problems in environmental science deal with weak relationships and poorly defined systems. Model development and simulation will be used in this course to help improve understanding of environmental systems. Simulation of environmental systems is examined, focusing on problem definition, model development and model validation.
Terms: Fall 2014
Instructors: Roulet, Nigel Thomas (Fall)
Fall
1.15 hours lecture, 0.58 hours seminar, 0.69 hours project, 0.58 hours laboratory
Restriction: open only to U2 or U3 students who have completed six or more credits from courses at the 300 level of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, Biology, Chemistry, Earth and Planetary Sciences, Geography, Natural Resource Sciences, or a McGill School of Environment domain, or permission of the instructor
Prerequisites: MATH 139 or MATH 140, MATH 141, and MATH 203, or equivalent
Enrolment limited to 20 students by availability of workstations
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GEOG 505 Global Biogeochemistry (3 credits)
Overview
Geography : An examination of the storage, transfers and cycling of major elements and substances, with an emphasis on the global scale and the linkages between the atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere and biosphere.
Terms: Winter 2015
Instructors: Moore, Timothy R; Roulet, Nigel Thomas (Winter)
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GEOG 506 Advanced Geographic Information Science (3 credits)
Overview
Geography : Critically analyse major themes in geographic information science and draw out the practical ramifications for spatial technologies and research. Topics such as spatial interoperability, data quality, scale, visualization, location based services and ontologies are covered.
Terms: Fall 2014
Instructors: Sieber, Renee; Sengupta, Raja (Fall)
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GEOG 523 Global Ecosystems and Climate (3 credits)
Overview
Geography : Linkages and feedbacks among climate, ecosystems, and human land use at global scales. How global-scale ecological processes (primary production, carbon cycle, etc.) are driven by variations in climate and land use practices such as agriculture and deforestation. How natural and human-modified ecosystems exchange carbon and water with the atmosphere.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2014-2015 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2014-2015 academic year.
Fall
3 hours
Prerequisite: GEOG 203 and 321 or equivalent, or permission of the instructor
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GEOG 535 Remote Sensing and Interpretation (3 credits)
Overview
Geography : Basic photogrammetry and interpretation procedures for aircraft and space craft photography and imagery.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2014-2015 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2014-2015 academic year.
Winter
3 hours
Prerequisite: GEOG 308 and written permission of instructor
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GEOG 536 Geocryology (3 credits)
Overview
Geography : Study of the unique geomorphic aspects of periglacial and permafrost environments. The focus will be on processes in cold climates, the impact of human activity on permafrost landscapes and potential impacts of climatic change.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2014-2015 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2014-2015 academic year.
Fall
3 hours
Prerequisite: GEOG 272 and any 300-level geomorphology course approved by instructor
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GEOG 537 Advanced Fluvial Geomorphology (3 credits)
Overview
Geography : An examination of current advances in fluvial geomorphology: sediment entrainment and transport, alluviation and river channel evolution.
Terms: Winter 2015
Instructors: Lapointe, Michel F (Winter)
Winter
Prerequisite (Undergraduate): permission of instructor
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GEOG 550 Historical Ecology Techniques (3 credits)
Overview
Geography : Principles and methods of Quaternary paleoecology and vegetation reconstruction. Examination of ecosystem response to human disturbance and environmental change.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2014-2015 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2014-2015 academic year.
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GEOG 555 Ecological Restoration (3 credits)
Overview
Geography : A broad overview of ecological restoration. Considers causes of environmental degradation, why and what we restore, how restoration goals are set, and standards in restoration practice, as well as critiques and philosophies of ecological restoration, such as "ecocultural" restoration.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2014-2015 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2014-2015 academic year.
Faculty of Science—2014-2015 (last updated Feb. 18, 2014) (disclaimer)