Departmental Notes
Subject Code for Geography: GPHY
Subject Code for Urban and Regional Planning (Graduate Studies): SURP
World Wide Web Address: http://queensu.ca/geographyandplanning/
Head of Department: Melissa Lafrenière
Departmental Office: Mackintosh-Corry Hall, Room E208
Departmental Telephone: 613-533-6030
Departmental Fax: 613-533-6122
Associate Head – Geography Undergraduate Programs: Ian Strachan
Undergraduate Program Assistant: Sharon Mohammed
Undergraduate Office E-Mail Address: geography.info@queensu.ca
Associate Head – Geography Graduate Programs: Neal Scott
Graduate Programs Coordinator (GPHY): Kristina Fennell
Director – School of Urban and Regional Planning (Graduate Studies): Ajay Agarwal Graduate Programs Coordinator (SURP): Kristina Fennell
Overview
The Department of Geography and Planning is an integrated department that studies the earth's places, societies, environments and landscapes. The Department is unique in bridging the social sciences and humanities (i.e., human geography) and planning with physical geography. Geography and Planning puts this understanding of social and physical processes within the context of places and regions - recognizing the great differences in cultures, political systems, economies, landscapes, and environments across the world, and the links between them. In physical geography we study natural processes, their interactions, and both naturally and human-generated environmental issues. In the social sciences we study a variety of social problems, with a special focus on the uneven distribution of resources and services at scales from the local to the global. In humanities research we explore how human beings have made, and continue to make, the places (physical, social and metaphorical) in which they live. In all these areas, Queen’s Geography and Planning has scholars and teachers of international repute who are dedicated to making a dynamic and innovative research and teaching environment and a warm and supportive interpersonal environment for our students and faculty.
Students who choose geography and planning for their degree in either the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science programs will develop the independent and self-directed learning skills needed to think laterally, critically, and creatively. These are skills that are critical to meeting the demands of the world as they will find it, and over which they may have influence. Geography and Planning provides an ideal framework for integrating other fields of knowledge. It is not surprising that geographers and planners often contribute substantially to the applied management of urban and regional systems, resources, and environments. Students in our program can select from courses in urban, economic, social, historical, and cultural geography, urban planning, as well as physical geography. Students can also take one of our two certificate programs in Geographic Information Science (GIS) and Urban Planning Studies to focus on these two important areas of employment and research. A degree from the Department of Geography and Planning also provides a solid foundation in qualitative and quantitative research methods, remote sensing, and Geographic Information Science (GIS) and Urban Planning Studies to focus on these two important areas of employment and research. Students will be exposed to teamwork, active learning, real-world projects, and research in all aspects of geography.
Departmental Policies
Ancillary Fees
Any student who participates in a Geography and Planning course where there are field trips may be required to pay a fee. Any student who participates in a course that uses the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Laboratory will be required to pay a GIS access fee to set up a network account in this specialized facility (Mackintosh-Corry Hall, E223) and receive a 24-hour access card. The GIS access fee is fully refundable upon return of the GIS access card.
Advice to Students
Prerequisites
Students wishing to take a course at the 200- or 300-level, for which they lack the stated prerequisites, may appeal to the Course Instructor to have the prerequisites waived. For admission to all 500-level courses, students need the consent of a supervising member of the Department and permission of the Undergraduate Committee based on the submission of a proposal.
Students in GPHY 502 and GPHY 503 are required to file a soft-cover, bound copy of their thesis with the Department upon completion of the course. Students in GPHY 503 are normally required to present their results orally to the department as a requirement for successful completion of the course. Students in GPHY 502 are encouraged, but not required, to do so.
Study Abroad Option
Students participating in any international study program are expected to meet all fourth-year prerequisites by the end of third year and need to plan their programs accordingly.
It is often difficult to equate directly courses completed on exchange programs to Queen’s courses. Therefore, students planning to participate in a third-year exchange must complete the following courses at Queen’s during their first two years:
Major (Arts), General (Arts), Minor (Arts)
Code | Title | Units |
---|---|---|
GPHY 101 & GPHY 102 | Human Geography and Physical Geography and Natural Resources | 6.00 |
Select two from the following: | 6.00 | |
Introduction to Qualitative Methods in Geography | ||
or SOCY 210 | Social Research Methods | |
Remote Sensing I: Remote Sensing of the Environment | ||
Geographic Information Science | ||
Introduction to Statistics | ||
Select two from the following: | 6.00 | |
Cities: Geography, Planning, and Urban Life | ||
Geographies of the Global Political Economy | ||
Place, Space, Culture, and Social Life |
Major (Science), General (Science), Minor (Science),
Code | Title | Units |
---|---|---|
GPHY 101 & GPHY 102 | Human Geography and Physical Geography and Natural Resources | 6.00 |
GPHY 207 | Principles of Biogeography | 3.00 |
GPHY 208 | Surface Processes, Landforms, and Soils | 3.00 |
GPHY 209 | Weather and Climate | 3.00 |
GEOL 200 | Oceanography | 3.00 |
GPHY 247 | Introduction to Statistics | 3.00 |
Select one of the following | 3.00 | |
Remote Sensing I: Remote Sensing of the Environment | ||
Geographic Information Science | ||
Select one from the following: | 6.00-12.00 | |
General/Minor (Science) - 6.00 units from CHEM or MATH or PHYS at the 100-level or above | ||
Major (Science) - 6.00 units from MATH or STAT at the 100-level or above; 6.00 units from CHEM or PHYS at the 100-level of above |
Faculty
For more information, please visit: https://www.queensu.ca/geographyandplanning/people
- Ajay Agarwal
- George Bevan
- Laura Jean Cameron
- DongMei Chen
- Julia Christensen
- Dan Cohen
- Patricia Collins
- Ryan Danby
- Carolyn DeLoyde
- Betsy Donald
- Kesha Fevrier
- David Gordon
- Maxwell Hartt
- Melissa Lafrenière
- Warren Mabee
- John Meligrana
- Christopher Omelon
- Carolyn Prouse
- Neal Scott
- Mark Stoller
- Ian Strachan
- Laura Thomson
- Robert Way
- Graham Whitelaw
Courses
NOTE Field Trip: estimated cost $30.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Articulate the distinctiveness of Geography as a discipline.
- Describe key concepts of place, space, scale and location, and the relationships between these as they relate to Human Geography.
- Demonstrate an applied understanding of place and space-based approaches to contemporary issues and events.
- Identify core causes of social and geographical inequalities that shape our world (e.g., distribution of resources, migration controls, health disparities, etc.) and explain the impacts of these inequalities across multiple scales.
- Learn and apply a variety of research methods used in the study of Human Geography.
NOTE Field Trip: estimated cost $30.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Gain knowledge of key concepts and laws governing physical geography / Earth system science.
- Understand the processes giving rise to patterns and phenomena observed in the Earth system at local, regional, and global scales.
- Discover the use and implementation of basic tools and techniques used by geographers to study spatial and temporal patterns.
- Appreciate the way humans are linked to, as well as impact, the Earth's systems.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Develop a critical understanding of key concepts related to ecological and historical biogeography.
- Explain the impacts of contemporary environmental issues on biophysical processes and environmental change that influence species distribution.
- Apply understanding of how the physical environment and biological interactions can influence species distribution and abundance at different scales.
- Analyze global species distribution patterns as a function of climate, latitude, glacial history, and geological history.
NOTE Field Trip: estimated cost $25.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Recognize and explain the relevance of geomorphology and pedology as it applies the environment, earth sciences, climate and planning.
- Explain and categorize the geomorphological agents/forces and processes that shape the earth’s surface. Emphasis will be placed on weathering, pedogenic (soil forming), tectonic, volcanic, mass wasting, glacial, and fluvial processes.
- Recognize landforms, soil orders, and sediment structures and explain the processes and forces that created them.
- Apply the use of air photos, maps, and remote sensing imagery (e.g., Google Earth), to identify earth surface features and infer their processes of formation.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Gain an understanding of the processes behind the creation of weather patterns and phenomena.
- Identify and recognize how large-scale aspects of our atmosphere are formed, how they evolve and move, and what impact they have on our global, regional, and local weather systems.
- Explore and explain the distinction between weather and climate, the connection between them, observed changes and their possible impacts.
- Be able to discuss the weather with an understanding of consequences for day-to-day life.
NOTE Field Trip: estimated cost $100.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Be able to use appropriate methodologies to collect environmental data.
- Develop skills to communicate field data results with maps, tables, and figures.
- Learn to recognize approaches to quality control of data.
- Gain an appreciation for the detailed planning behind field data collection.
- Discover the importance of taking detailed field notes.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Articulate the rationale for several approaches to urban geography and how it is possible to gain urban insights from each.
- Define the concepts of space, place, scale, urbanization, urbanism, and planning and understand how they help us study cities from a geographical perspective.
- Describe current urbanization trends and projects for countries around the world, with a particular knowledge of the post WWII and contemporary Canadian urban context.
- Demonstrate the integral role that space plays in shaping how urban residents express their social and cultural values.
- Analyze how cities are governed and how they could be more sustainable in the future.
- Demonstrate active listening skills to consider peers' perspectives and to articulate effective communication with peers.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Explain using the basic concepts, theories, and frameworks from economic and political geography the connection between global scale social, economic, environmental, and political challenges, e.g., climate change, energy (in)security, debt crises and civil unrest.
- Describe how capitalism (as a system) and globalization (as a process of integration) create patterns of uneven development within and between countries and different geopolitical regions.
- Critically evaluate key political economic theories (e.g., neoliberalism, Marxism), policies (e.g., trade liberalization), and practices (e.g., structural adjustment programs) within the context of globalization, focusing on how they shape and sustain the hierarchical ordering of space, power, and resources.
- Consolidate their knowledge about space, place, scale, and power as abstract concepts and apply them to an analysis of how inequality is produced and reproduced in the global economy.
- Communicate key concepts from the course, (e.g., capitalism, uneven development, inequality) in plain language format to a non-academic audience.
- Develop critical thinking, research, and analytical skills through engagement with academic literature and case studies as well as written assignments and class participation.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Explain key theoretical approaches and concepts in social and cultural geography, including landscape, place, space, borders, and diaspora.
- Describe how interlocking systems of power shape social geographies across the Global North and Global South.
- Analyze cultural artefacts and case studies to explain how people make sense of their social and cultural worlds.
- Communicate complex ideas in written, verbal, and visual form.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Identify and describe some major trends in urban and regional planning from prehistoric times to the present.
- Identify and classify important historical plan precedents from maps and drawings.
- Understand the evolution of Canadian community planning from social, environmental, and regulatory perspectives.
- Identify and define key terms and concepts from different interdisciplinary fields that intersect with planning practice.
- Develop a basic familiarity with some of the tools and techniques planners employ in their work.
- Compare and critically assess the quality of contemporary community plans.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Gain a hands-on appreciation for the value and purpose of qualitative research in a well-justified research proposal.
- Learn how to craft a geographic research question and choose appropriate research methods to answer it.
- Access and assess published research using different search tools and evaluative frameworks.
- Practice critical reflexivity to deepen understanding of the relationships between social position, power dynamics and research ethics.
- Provide, receive, and implement constructive feedback on a research proposal.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Explain key concepts of remote sensing and apply governing laws of electromagnetic radiation as they relate to imaging systems.
- Apply standard image processing techniques to view, analyze, and interpret remote sensing data across a range of spatial and temporal scales.
- Describe and demonstrate how remote sensing derivatives can be used to map or model a range of environmental processes and urban phenomena.
- Recognize the limitations of remotely sensed data in environmental and urban applications, and issues surrounding data access, surveillance, and privacy.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Identify key concepts in Geographical Information Science.
- Visualize spatial data to create maps and identify patterns.
- Apply Geographic Information Systems to the interpretation and analysis of raster and vector data.
- Recognize the limitations of spatial data to describe geographic processes.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Identify the features of a data set to determine how best to summarize and display it.
- Choose the appropriate statistical test and provide the rationale for selection.
- Compute basic parametric statistical tests to test hypotheses.
- Interpret the results of statistical tests and data software output to draw valid conclusions.
- Communicate results of statistical analyses with clear figures and text.
- Apply knowledge of statistics and research design (e.g., sampling) to critically evaluate research findings.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Develop an in-depth knowledge of Canada and its multiple regions and subregions.
- Identify and apply core concepts from human geography (economic, social, cultural, and political) to the study of Canada.
- Connect histories of settlement, trade, colonialism, and extraction with contemporary issues in Canadian geography and society.
- Enhance academic writing, presentation, critical thinking, and research skills in relation to course materials.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Identify the intellectual traditions within which concepts such as modernity, colonialism, racial capitalism, dependency, neoliberalism, uneven development, and sustainability operate as frameworks for understanding the Caribbean.
- Consolidate knowledge about space, place, scale, and power as abstract concepts through application to concrete issues of social justice in the Caribbean and its diaspora.
- Make connections between specific patterns of uneven geographical development and forms of resistance, and struggle within the Caribbean.
- Make connections between the specific economic and political relationships and policies that reproduce patterns of uneven geographical development within and across the Caribbean and the changing political economy of powerful states.
- Communicate complex ideas surrounding uneven development in the Caribbean and the social economic and spatial flows they generate to a lay audience.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Develop an advanced understanding of key concepts in northern science relating to climate, geomorphology, hydrology, and environmental change.
- Identify the major processes and systems, both biophysical and social, that operate throughout Arctic and northern regions.
- Evaluate the impacts of environmental change and climate change on northern landscapes and peoples.
- Learn to communicate a holistic understanding of the biophysical and social character of the Arctic and northern regions.
NOTE Field Trip: estimated cost $75.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Learn fundamental principles of ethical northern scientific research.
- Develop an understanding of key principles in applied cold regions science including evaluating impacts of climate change.
- Apply theoretical principles of cold regions science to remote and field-based activities.
- Formulate solutions to advanced geospatial and modelling problems.
- Communicate the results of independent research in topics related to applied cold regions science.
NOTE Field School cost is dependent on location and duration in the field, to a maximum of $3000. Please refer to the Department website for further information.
NOTE This course is repeatable for credit under different topic titles.
NOTE Learning Hours may vary.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Demonstrate understanding of the relationship between people and their environments.
- Actively and experientially engage with ontologies, epistemologies, and methodologies contextualized by particular places, communities, and environments.
- Hone teamwork skills, including the ability to work under pressure, in various contexts, and difficult conditions.
- Apply oral-visual and technical skills to knowledge translation in ways that reach beyond an academic audience.
NOTE Field Trip: estimated cost $30.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Describe and categorize agents of landscape pattern, including those associated with the physical environment, biotic processes, natural disturbance, and human activities.
- Understand the consequences of landscape pattern on ecosystem processes.
- Apply lessons from landscape ecology to challenges in natural resource management and biodiversity conservation.
- Manipulate geospatial data to conduct a landscape pattern analysis within a geographical information system.
NOTE Field Trip: estimated cost $50.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Explain the physical processes that govern the movement of water within a watershed, and the temporal and spatial variability of these processes.
- Identify various approaches used to investigate hydrological processes, and consider the advantages/limitations of these approaches in different situations (e.g., scales of investigation, data availability).
- Apply some field methods used to quantify inputs and outputs of water in physical hydrological investigations.
- Apply analytical and data handling techniques to describe and quantify the water balance components.
NOTE Field trips may apply in certain years dependent on snow and ice conditions; maximum cost $75.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Identify, describe, and explain the formation of glacial features and landforms.
- Explain the physical processes governing the fluctuations of glaciers at present and throughout Earth's history.
- Employ and evaluate the suitability of various investigative methods in glaciology.
- Describe the contemporary distribution of glaciers and ice sheets, and critically examine their role in society as water resources, potential geohazards, and contributors to sea level rise.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Recognize and understand the empirical evidence of climate change.
- Learn to assess the role of human involvement in climate change.
- Analyze the future effects of climate change and understand associated uncertainties.
- Recognize well-founded or false arguments used in science, policy, and media.
- Develop advanced skills for communicating climate change science and policy.
NOTE Field Trip: maximum cost $500.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Learn underlying principles related to sensors and instruments for environmental data collection.
- Understand technical strengths and weaknesses of environmental sensors and instruments.
- Identify a research topic of interest, and determine data requirements to address this question.
- Write a "research proposal" that applies knowledge to a specific scientific problem.
- Effectively communicate results in both oral and written formats.
NOTE Field Trip: estimated cost $30.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Develop understanding of the importance of healthy soils to society and to the Earth System.
- Learn key skills in field sampling of soil and laboratory analyses to determine soil properties.
- Explore the key interactions between soil physical, biological, and chemical processes and how they regulate soil 'function'.
- Formulate and test key questions about the role of land use and land management on soil quality.
NOTE Field Trip: estimated cost $25.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Identify the variables that influence the distribution of species and ecosystems and distinguish how these vary with scale of observation.
- Summarize the impact of contemporary global change on the biomes of North America.
- Compare and contrast the prominent methods and techniques used in ecological biogeography.
- Calculate summary statistics for describing the structure and composition of terrestrial ecosystems and implement null-hypothesis testing in their analysis.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Critically review academic and industry literature related to energy supply and demand.
- Describe the function of different energy generation options, in terms of technological readiness and end-use fit.
- Explain the benefits and disadvantages, both quantitative and qualitative, that different energy resources present.
- Present complex concepts in written format.
- Work independently to complete assignments.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Identify the principal forms of energy generation and conversion throughout human history.
- Analyze sources, whether written or visual, for the development of energy systems in human history.
- Discuss the influence of energy on the development of human civilization.
- Critically assess contemporary scholarship on the interaction between energy and various historical processes.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Apply the tenets of Critical Cartography to the parsing of maps from antiquity to the modern period.
- Identify the formal features of maps, as well as the aesthetic choices of the map-maker.
- Situate maps using secondary literature within the context of their production and reception.
- Recognize the limitations of cartographic visualization in representing many forms of geographic knowledge.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Analyze, engage, and apply geographical imaginations through reading, experiment, and fieldwork.
- Identify key theoretical approaches in cultural and historical geography.
- Apply methods in cultural and historical geography, including archival and creative methods, to explore geographical imaginations.
- Communicate geographical ideas and concepts in written, visual, and aural forms.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Understand key concepts related to urban transportation planning.
- Examine the association between land use and transportation.
- Examine economic, social, and environmental impacts of present travel patterns.
- Explore the ways in which transportation "problems" could be addressed.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Identify relationships between economic, social, and environmental systems.
- Apply interdisciplinary insights to the study of economic activity and market exchange.
- Analyze the connection between market exchange and broader sociospatial structures.
- Evaluate and critique the relevance of market-based solutions to social and environmental problems.
- Present complex ideas in written form.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Identify and describe major economic and demographic trends shaping urban structures and relations at multiple spatial scales.
- Explain conceptual models of regional, urban, and neighbourhood growth and decline.
- Critically review and evaluate policies and strategies for reversing, managing, and adapting to economic and population decline.
- Present conceptual and empirical analysis of urban economic decline in written and verbal formats.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Recognize and explain the connections between human health, determinants of health, and place.
- Interpret and explain health disparities as they relate to place and local environmental conditions.
- Evaluate the potential health impacts of the built environments they encounter everyday.
- Predict how local environmental conditions may contribute to population health disparities.
- Review academic and non-academic literature, conduct field observations, and communicate in written, oral, and virtual formats with greater ease and confidence.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Identify key themes, concepts, and theoretical approaches related to regional development and planning.
- Recognize that inclusive strategies are needed for regional development and planning with diverse, and/or Indigenous communities.
- Apply regional development and planning strategies to scenarios faced by decision makers.
- Describe and explain how regions are developed by planning processes.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Apply key concepts of power and governance to the context of urban political geography.
- Describe and explain how cities are shaped and developed by spatial and political processes.
- Distinguish between different individuals, groups, and institutions that connect urban politics with social and spatial geographies.
- Formulate their own opinions and justify connections between issues in geography and urban politics.
- Evaluate issues and processes in urban political geography by combining skills in research and critical thought to effectively communicate to academic peers and policy/planning practitioners.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Apply basic digital photogrammetric operations to aerial and terrestrial imagery.
- Map features on photogrammetrically derived data products.
- Plan the acquisition of aerial and terrestrial imagery for photogrammetric processing.
- Assess the accuracy and error of photogrammetric processing and data products.
NOTE Enrollment limited to 40 students.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Compare how electromagnetic radiation reveals physical properties in passive and active remote sensing systems.
- Assess whether the source, scale, resolution, and analysis of remotely sensed data is adequate to describe environmental phenomena.
- Integrate remotely sensed data with other data sources to perform spatio-temporal analyses.
- Recognize the limitations of remotely sensed data to explain environmental phenomena.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Explore the basic interface structure of different functions, operations, and tools in ArcGIS.
- Understand the structure and functions of geodatabases and know how to set up a geodatabase to store geospatial information for different applications.
- Understand different vector-based functions and extensions including network analysis, facility location, spatial pattern analysis, and retail marketing applications.
- Gain hands-on experience in the use of GIS techniques and software to collect, organize and analyze spatial data and perform different spatial analysis for decision making of various applications.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Explore the basic interface structure of different functions, operations, and tools in ArcGIS Pro.
- Understand a set of point and raster-based GIS and process-based techniques for geo-spatial environmental data analysis and visualization.
- Use the model builder to organize different functions and documentations for a complicated analysis.
- Gain hands-on experience in the application of ArcGIS Pro software in support of environmental analysis and modeling.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Manage and design geoprocessing tools.
- Build new tools with ModelBuilder and convert it to Python scripts.
- Understand basic geoprocessing Python scripts and how they are implemented with ArcGIS processing tools.
- Write Python scripts for common geoprocessing tasks inside and outside of ArcGIS.
- Add new functionality to ArcGIS using Python scripts.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Gain an enhanced understanding of Geography as a tool for understanding Indigenous-settler relations in Canada.
- Examine in depth various dimensions of settler colonialism (past and present) and Indigenous resistance and self-determination, and their socio-spatial dynamics with respect to Indigenous lands, bodies, families, and homes.
- Identify and critically evaluate the roles of the Social Welfare State and colonial social policy in producing and perpetuating socio-spatial inequities experienced by many Indigenous peoples.
- Engage with diverse Indigenous perspectives on relationships with settlers and the settler state, Truth and Reconciliation, self-determination and Land Back, decolonization and Indigenization, and Indigenous futures.
- Develop skills in critical thinking, reflection, and written and oral communication.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Explain why privilege and power are relevant to understanding how the city is a sexualized and gendered space.
- Write and think critically about how gender, sexuality, and other markers of identity shape, and are shaped by, urban experiences.
- Articulate and analyze the various ways the city can be an alienating and dangerous space.
- Explain why the analysis must be grounded in an understanding of the politics of fear, sex, and gender.
- Identify and analyze examples of urban entrepreneurialism and its interconnectedness to globalization, gender, and sexuality.
- Explain, assess, and articulate a position on various perspectives on gender, sexuality, and the city.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Compare and contrast various theoretical approaches to development, including modernization theory, dependency theory, world-systems theory, and post-development theory.
- Critically evaluate the effectiveness of different development strategies (neoliberal economic policies, state-led development, and grassroots alternatives) on the global South.
- Analyze the role of advanced economies in the socio-ecological and development challenges facing the Global South, including the historical and ongoing effects of resource extraction, environmental degradation, labour exploitation and debt.
- Describe and explain the role of international institutions (e.g., the World Bank, IMF, WTO) in shaping contemporary development agendas, and explore the impact of debt, foreign aid, trade policies and technology transfer on the Global South.
- Communicate key concepts from the course, (e.g., development, environmental justice, neoliberalism, globalization, (post)colonialism, capitalism, and inequality) in plain language format to a non-academic audience.
- Develop critical thinking, research, and analytical skills through engagement with academic literature and case studies as well as written assignments and class participation.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Identify the different physiographic and political regions of the Arctic and the Indigenous Peoples who live there.
- Contextualize the historical relationship between Arctic Indigenous Peoples, Arctic nation-states, and contemporary events and issues.
- Analyze the main sources of social, political, and environmental change across Arctic regions and explain linkages between them.
- Specify the different state and non-state actors in the region and their respective interests in the Arctic.
- Explain the interrelationship between physical and human geographical changes as they relate to the Arctic.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Exercise a critical and historical understanding of key concepts related to nature and environment.
- Apply analytical skills to evaluate the social and political relationships that structure these concepts.
- Explore and challenge the ways that ’taken for granted‘ understandings of nature shape our world.
- Practice research and presentation skills and learn more about the ‘nature’ of Kingston and places beyond.
NOTE Field Trip fees may apply in certain years: maximum cost $150.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Identify the core tenets of key theoretical approaches in urban political ecology, including decolonial, political economic, and feminist perspectives.
- Explain how interlocking systems of power shape access to resources and differentially expose people to harm.
- Apply concepts of community resistance and resurgence to real world examples.
- Analyze case studies from the Global North and South to explain how urban natures are socially produced.
- Communicate complex ideas in written form.
NOTE This course is repeatable for credit under different topic titles.
NOTE This course is repeatable for credit under different topic titles.
NOTE Field Trip fees may apply in certain years: maximum cost $300.
NOTE This course is repeatable for credit under different topic titles.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Critically evaluate complex social issues using spatial and geographical analysis drawing on concepts such as place, space, and scale.
- Integrate theoretical and methodological approaches from various subfields of geography to analyze and explain social and environmental issues widely considered important.
- Apply advanced geographical methods to explore complex questions in human geography.
- Research and communicate complex geographical ideas and concepts in written and verbal forms through written assignments and classroom participation.
- Communicate key concepts from the course in plain language format to a non-academic audience to practice transferable skills beyond the class.
NOTE Field Trip fees may apply in certain years: maximum cost $300.
NOTE This course is repeatable for credit under different topic titles.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Critically evaluate complex social issues using spatial and geographical analysis drawing on concepts such as place, space, and scale.
- Integrate theoretical and methodological approaches from various subfields of geography to analyze and explain social and environmental issues widely considered important.
- Apply advanced geographical methods to explore complex questions in human geography.
- Research and communicate complex geographical ideas and concepts in written and verbal forms through written assignments and classroom participation.
- Communicate key concepts from the course in plain language format to a non-academic audience to practice transferable skills beyond the class.
NOTE Field Trips within the Province of Ontario: maximum cost $175.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Apply key laboratory and field techniques in physical geography and geomatics to explore research questions in earth systems science.
- Integrate knowledge from different areas of physical geography and geomatics to develop a wholistic picture of the factors controlling atmospheric and earth surface processes, and how they are influenced by human activity.
- Evaluate and assess different methodologies to determine the most appropriate methods for addressing a key earth systems issue.
- Synthesize and present information describing the approach and outcome of project investigation to peers and stakeholders.
NOTE Admission is subject to the availability of supervisors.
NOTE Admission is subject to the availability of supervisors.
NOTE Requests for such a program must be received one month before the start of the first term in which the student intends to undertake the program.
NOTE Requests for such a program must be received one month before the start of the first term in which the student intends to undertake the program.
NOTE Requests for such a program must be received one month before the start of the first term in which the student intends to undertake the program.
NOTE Requests for such a program must be received one month before the start of the first term in which the student intends to undertake the program.