Field Courses
The department offers field courses focusing on the urban geography of Montreal (GEOG 494), the urban geography of new Master-Planned cities in Singapore and Malaysia (GEOG 425), the physical geography of Montérégie region of southern Quebec (GEOG 495), the physical geography of the Schefferville area in far northern Quebec (GEOG 499), and environmental management in Barbados (GEOG 496). GEOG 494 is offered during fall and/or May semester, while the others are offered over 8-14 day periods during winter break or the summer.
In addition, Geography offers courses as part of the Panama Field Study Semester (PFSS) and the African Field Study Semester (AFSS)
Local Field Courses
GEOG 398
Field St in Human Geography
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Geography: Introduction to basic field work techniques in human geography. Emphasis on field methods, observational techniques, data collection and processing.
Offered by: Geography
- Winter
- 3 hours
- Prerequisite: Any introductory human geography course; or by permission of the instructor
- A fee of $975.00 is charged to all students registered in GEOG 398.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2023 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2023 academic year
Outline |
Application form [Fall 2022]
GEOG 494
Urban Field Studies
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Geography: Geographical research in urban public and semi-public spaces. Demonstration of techniques of mapping, sampling, measurement, photography, interviewing. Attention to research design.
Offered by: Geography
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2023 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2023 academic year
Outline [Fall 2022]
GEOG 495
Field Studies-Physical Geog
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
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.
Offered by: Geography
- 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
- Additional Dept. fee $563.10 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.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2023 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2023 academic year
Outline [May 2022]
Barbados Field Course
GEOG 496 Geographical Excursion (3 Credits) Application instructions [Winter 2023]
Geography: Lecture course on the geography of a region and excursion through the selected country or region including landscape interpretation and field study projects.
Offered by: Geography
- Winter
- Prerequisites: GEOG 290 and permission of instructor
- Instructor's approval required.
- A fee of $2,650.25 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
Southeast Asian Urban Field Studies
GEOG 425
SE Asia Urban Field Studies
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Geography: This course allows students to experience some of the urban changes taking place in Southeast Asian cities, a dynamic region, while providing the opportunity to connect recent scholarship with field observations. We will explore various current themes in urban studies and urban geography including globalization, the transnational circulation of urban policies, interpretations of culture and heritage / new built heritage, gentrification, migrant labour, public housing, creative clusters, and new cities as national economic strategies.
Offered by: Geography
- Prerequisite(s): GEOG 217 and GEOG 325
- Restriction(s): Preference will be given to Urban Studies Majors and Minors
- A fee of $1508.63 covers the cost of a 2 week urban field studies course in Singapore and Malaysia, including accommodation, ground transportation and entrance fees. Students are responsible for arranging their own airfares to Singapore.
- **Web withdrawal is not applicable.
- **The Instructor’s approval is required.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2023 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2023 academic year
This is a 15-credit program offered in the Winter term (January to April) that addresses the Latin America tropical environment.
GEOG 498
Humans in Tropical Envirnmnts
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Geography: Focus on understanding of inter-relations between humans and neotropical environments represented in Panama. Study of contemporary rural landscapes, their origins, development and change. Impacts of economic growth and inequality, social organization, and politics on natural resource use and environmental degradation. Site visits and field exercises in peasant/colonist, Amerindian, and plantation communities.
Offered by: Geography
- Winter
- 6 hours lecture for 4 weeks, 3 hours seminar, 2 hours laboratory, 8 hours conference
- Restriction: Location in Panama. Student must register for a full semester of studies in Panama
- Prerequisites: HISP 218, MATH 203 or equivalents
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2023 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2023 academic year
This is a 15-credit program offered in the Winter term (January to April) that provides an multidisciplinary semester based in East Africa.
GEOG 404
Environmental Management 2
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
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).
Offered by: Geography
- Winter
- 3 hours
- Prerequisite: GEOG 302 or permission of instructor
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2023 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2023 academic year
GEOG 416
Africa South of the Sahara
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Geography: A synthetic overview of physical and cultural geography examining particularly the relation of African peoples to their landscapes, the causes and consequences of environmental changes, and the idea of sustainable development as it applies to African landscapes, resource systems and economies.
Offered by: Geography
- Winter
- Offered in Kenya as part of the African Field Studies semester.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2023 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2023 academic year
GEOG 423
Dilemmas of Development
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Geography: Africa seems beset by development problems. Some of these appear to have no clear answer. Such dilemmas present significant barriers to moving forward with durable, effective development in Africa. This course will examine two primary and frequently interlocked dilemmas in East Africa with wide ranging impact - food security, and conflict.
Offered by: Geography
- Prerequisite: GEOG 310 or GEOG 408 or GEOG 410, or equivalent
- Restriction: Open to students in the African Field Study Semester (AFSS) only
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2023 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2023 academic year
GEOG 451
Res in Society & Dev in Africa
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Geography: Three intersecting components: 1) core development themes including culture change, environmental conservation, water, health, development (urban and rural), governance and conflict resolution, 2) research techniques for topics related to core themes, including ethics, risk, field methods and data analysis, 3) field documentation, scientific recording and communication.
Offered by: Geography
- Winter
- Prerequisite: Open to U2 or later students in the AFSS.
- Corequisite: NRSC 452.
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken, or are taking ANTH 451.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2023 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2023 academic year
GEOG 493
Health & Environment in Africa
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Geography: Exploration of key diseases of development, as well as patterns and determinants of health and disease in East Africa. Topics will focus on population and environmental health.
Offered by: Geography
- Prerequisite: GEOG 221, GEOG 303 or permission of instructor
- Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken GEOG 403. Open to students in the African Field Study Semester (AFSS) only.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2023 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2023 academic year
Outline [May 2022]