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Geography
Loeb Building B349
Telephone: (613) 520-2561
Fax: (613) 520-4301
E-mail: hazel_anderson@carleton.ca
Web site: carleton.ca/geography
The Department
Chair of the Department: Simon Dalby
Departmental Supervisor of Graduate Studies: Iain Wallace
The Department of Geography and Environmental Studies offers programs of study and research in human and physical geography leading to the degrees of Master of Arts, Master of Science, and Doctor of Philosophy.
The Department believes that the greatest strength of geography, as a discipline, lies in its ability to integrate and apply knowledge across its broad spectrum. The structure of the Ph.D. program expresses this philosophy. Masters students may follow this approach or pursue studies in a thematic sub-field of the discipline.
Students are accepted into the graduate program based on the standard of previous academic work, research interests, letters of reference, and the availability of faculty to act as supervisors. Each student's program of study, as far as possible, is based on the interests of the individual, although certain courses may be required. An advisory committee, consisting of the student's research supervisor and at least one (Masters) or two (Ph.D.) other members of the faculty, is established to monitor progress and provide thesis research guidance.
Excellent research laboratory facilities exist for the study of near surface processes, and the physics, chemistry, and thermodynamics of earth materials, and for geomatics (computer cartography, GIS and for remote sensing). These facilities are supported by a highly qualified full-time staff in laboratory instrumentation, cartography, and computing. The Maps, Data and Government Information Centre in the MacOdrum Library houses an extensive collection of cartographic resources, including imagery and digital products. The university's location in Canada's capital city offers students access to important federal resources, such as the National Library, the Public Archives of Canada, the Canada Centre for Remote Sensing, Statistics Canada, and the specialist libraries of many government departments.
Systematic interests of Departmental members are applied to a variety of world regions, although emphasis is given to Canada (including northern studies) and the Third World. Individual faculty research interests are posted on our Web site carleton.ca/geography. The interacting and overlapping clusters of research specialization within the Department are the following:
Physical Geography
Studies of natural and anthropogenic processes close to the earth's surface and their geotechnical significance; climate-ground interaction; geocryology; soils and sediments; vegetation structure and health; biogeography; Quaternary studies; karst.
Resource Development
Identification and analysis of development processes; the interplay of environmental, demographic, social, gender, political, and economic variables in the spatial development of land resources, settlement systems, and natural resource-based industries; environmental impact assessment and environmental management. Canadian and Third World development are stressed.
Cultural, Historical, and Political Geography
Rural and urban settlement history; ethnicity; territorial organization and the concepts of state, group politico-territorial identities, territoriality, and self-determination; role of territory in conflict situations; perceptions of environment and geographies of the mind; gender as a cultural variable; urban heritage conservation.
Social and Economic Geography
Geographical analyses of the social and economic organization of societies; area variations in social well-being; medical geography; provision of public and informal services in changing local and regional environments; implications of gender roles; industrial systems; philosophy of science and of geography.
Geomatics
Development of applications in computer cartography and the use of remote sensing in geographical research.
Qualifying-Year Program
Applicants with exceptional promise who have a general (3-year) bachelor's degree, or who have substantially less than the Honours B.A. in Geography, may be admitted to a qualifying-year program. To be considered for admission into the master's program, qualifying-year students must attain at least overall high honours standing in their qualifying-year geography courses. See the General Regulations section of this Calendar for details about the the qualifying year.
Master of Arts
Admission Requirements
The normal requirement for admission into the master's program is a B.A.(Honours) or B.Sc. (Honours) in Geography or a related discipline, with at least high honours standing. In exceptional cases, pertinent work experience may be considered in support of an application to the Department. Students entering the program from other disciplines or with academic deficiencies may be required to take additional courses.
Program Requirements
The M.A. in Geography should normally take from twelve to eighteen months, but fieldwork may necessitate some extension. The specific program requirements of the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies are:
5.0 credits, which must include:
- One of GEOG 5000 or GEOG 5001
- M.A. thesis (2.5 credits) which must be defended at an oral examination
- GEOG 5905 - Masters Research Workshop
- 1.5 other Credits
- All students are required to have a reading knowledge of the language considered essential to their research.
In addition to the formal requirements, M.A. students will normally be required to attend the Departmental Seminar series, and the Graduate Field Camp.
Master of Science
Admission Requirements
The normal requirement for admission into the M.Sc. program in Geography is a B.Sc. (Honours) or B.A. (Honours) in Physical Geography or a related discipline, with at least high honours standing. Students entering the program from other disciplines or with academic deficiencies may be required to take additional courses. The intended research area must be eligible for NSERC support. Applicants for admission must provide an outline of their proposed project, which must be suitable for the M.Sc. program.
Program Requirements
The M.Sc. in Geography should normally take from eighteen to twenty four months. The specific minimum program requirements are:
5.0 credits, which must include:
- GEOG 5001 Modeling Environmental Systems
- GEOG 5905 Masters Research Workshop
- GEOG 5906 M.Sc. Thesis (2.5 credits) which must be defended at an oral examination
- 1.0 credit in Physical Geography selected from:
GEOG 5107, GEOG 5303, GEOG 5307, GEOG 5803, GEOG 5804, GEOG 5900, GEOG 4003, GEOG 4004, GEOG 4006, GEOG 4008, GEOG 4101, GEOG 4103, GEOG 4104, GEOG 4108, GEOG 4109, or from courses offered by Departments in the Faculty of Science.
- 0.5 credit free elective
Only 0.5 credit towards the program may be obtained in GEOG 5900 - Graduate Tutorial. Tutorials given by the thesis supervisor will not count for credit towards the M.Sc. Only 0.5 credit may be obtained at 4000 level.
In addition to the formal requirements, M.Sc. students will normally be required to attend the Departmental Seminar Series, and the Graduate Field Camp.
Doctor of Philosophy
The doctoral program in geography is structured around two fields:
- the geography of societal change with emphasis on the global political economy; restructuring and the environment; geographies of socio-cultural evaluation; feminist geographies
- the geography of environmental change with emphasis on environmental processes and anthropogenic impacts; appraisal and societal management of environmental resources
Students in each field are required to complete GEOG 6000/GEOG 6001, which addresses substantive and methodological issues arising out of the interactions of social and environmental systems. Every student's thesis committee will include at least one faculty member from the field other than the chosen field.
Admission Requirements
The normal requirement for admission to the Ph.D. program is a master's degree (or the equivalent) in geography, with at least an A- average. A student already registered in the M.A. program who shows outstanding academic performance and research promise may be permitted to transfer to the Ph.D. program with a recommendation by the Departmental graduate committee.
Applicants whose academic preparation has deficiencies in certain areas may be admitted to the Ph.D. program with the requirement that they complete additional course work.
Admission to the Ph.D. program is granted on a full-time basis in September for the fall term. In exceptional cases, a part-time program may be considered.
Program Requirements
Program requirements for the Ph.D. degree are outlined in the General Regulations section of this Calendar. The specific program requirements of the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies are:
- 10.0 credits
- GEOG 6000/GEOG 6001
- Either GEOG 6003/GEOG 6004 or GEOG 6006/GEOG 6007
- Two written comprehensive examinations including GEOG 6905 and either GEOG 6906 or GEOG 6907
- Presentation and oral defence of the thesis proposal as outlined below
- Language requirement as outlined below
- A thesis equivalent to 8.0 of the required 10.0 credits which must be defended at an oral examination
Comprehensive Examinations
Each doctoral candidate is required to write two comprehensive examinations:
- GEOG 6905
- GEOG 6906 or 6907, according to the chosen field of specialization
The comprehensive examinations must be completed after course requirements for the Ph.D. have been completed. The examinations will normally occur no later than the winter term of second year of registration in the Ph.D. program. Failure to complete the examinations successfully will result in denial of permission to continue in the program.
Thesis Proposal
Candidates normally register in the thesis on entry to the program and work actively to define their research topic during the first term of registration. The thesis proposal is normally presented after comprehensive requirements have been fulfilled. Candidates normally submit and defend the thesis proposal at an oral examination no later than the end of the winter term of the second year of registration in the Ph.D. program. Continuous registration is required after initial registration in the thesis.
Language Requirement
All Ph.D. candidates must demonstrate an ability to comprehend geographical literature in a language other than English, where required by the thesis committee.
Residence Requirements
All Ph.D. candidates must be registered full time in a minimum of six terms to satisfy the residence requirement.
Collaborative Ph.D. with a Specialization in Political Economy
The Department of Geography and the Institute of Political Economy offer
a Collaborative Program in Political Economy at the Ph.D. level. For further
details, see the Institute of Political
Economy's Collaborative Ph.D. with a Specialization in Political Economy section of this Calendar.
Graduate Courses
Not all of the following courses are offered in a given year. For an up-to-date statement of course offerings for 2005-2006 and to determine the term of offering, consult the Registration Instructions and Class Schedule booklet, published in the summer and available online at carleton.ca/cu/programs/sched_dates/
In addition to the selection of courses offered by the Department, graduate students in geography are encouraged to consider, in partial fulfillment of their degree requirements, appropriate courses offered in such disciplines as biology, chemistry, economics, engineering, geology, history, international affairs, physics, political science, and sociology.
Courses at the University of Ottawa may also be taken for credit in a Carleton M.A. program; permission of the Departments in both universities is required.
- GEOG 5000 [0.5 credit]
- Approaches to Geographical Inquiry
- A review of the major philosophical perspectives shaping research and explanation by geographers. Particular attention is paid to interpretations of social structure and human action, the nature of the biophysical universe, and the interaction between human beings and their environments.
- GEOG 5001 [0.5 credit]
- Modeling Environmental Systems
- Methods and problems of research on the physical environment, with illustrative material taken from the atmospheric and surface earth sciences. Issues such as the identification and behaviour of environmental systems, temporal and spatial scale, experimental method under field conditions, and simulation and model development are considered.
- GEOG 5003 [0.5 credit]
- Critical Approaches to Qualitative Geographical Research
- Development of critical research skills through consideration of the relationship between theory and method. Examination of: interviewing, personal narratives, participatory research, focus groups, participant observation, archival research and visual methodologies. Practical experience in selected methods.
- GEOG 5005 [0.5 credit]
- Global Environmental Change: Human Implications
- Global environmental change: its significance for societies, economies and international relations. Value systems underlying environmental discourse; political economy of the environment; sustainability and security. Environmental diplomacy and grassroots environmentalism. Regionalized impacts of pressures on natural environments; challenges of adaptation. (Also listed as INAF 5701.)
- GEOG 5107 [0.5 credit]
- Field Study and Methodological Research
- Field acquisition and analysis of geographic material; supervised field observations and methodology. (Individual or group basis, by special arrangement.)
- GEOG 5200 [0.5 credit]
- Issues in Development in Africa
- Analysis of structures and processes of political, social, and economic change in intertropical Africa at scales ranging from the intrahousehold and local community to the state and international system. An objective is to integrate gender and the environment into analyses which draw on theories of political economy. (Also listed as INAF 5603.)
- GEOG 5303 [0.5 credit]
- Geocryology
- Development of ground ice in permafrost regions of Canada; ice segregation and pore-water expulsion during ground freezing; analytical and numerical approaches to modeling permafrost conditions.
- Prerequisite: GEOG 4108 or permission of the Department.
- GEOG 5307 [0.5 credit]
- Soil Resources
- Physical, mineralogical, chemical, and other properties of soils will be studied in agricultural, environmental, geomorphological and/or geotechnical contexts, as relevant to the students enrolled.
- GEOG 5400 [0.5 credit]
- Territory and Territoriality
- Contemporary geographical and international relations theorizing is challenging notions of boundaries and territories in the political organization of modernity. Using contemporary writings on geopolitics, security, sovereignty, self-determination and identity politics this course investigates territoriality as a political and intellectual strategy. (Also listed as INAF 5402.)
- GEOG 5405 [0.5 credit]
- Cultural and Historical Geography
- Methodological approaches in cultural and historical geography emphasizing the use of primary documents and cartographic and statistical methods in the study of Canada. Also offered at the undergraduate level with different requirements, as GEOG 4305.
- GEOG 5500 [0.5 credit]
- Globalization and Localities
- A review of recent theoretical and methodological debate in this field and analysis of the changing geography of production, employment, and social consumption in advanced economies. Policy issues will be considered.
- GEOG 5508 [0.5 credit]
- Agribusiness North and South
- Analysis of the transformation of agriculture into an integrated multi-sectoral food production system and of its theoretical implications. Focus on the growth and strategies of agribusiness institutions in advanced industrial societies and on their penetration into, and impact upon, Third World economies. (Also listed as INAF 5304.)
- GEOG 5700 [0.5 credit]
- Sustainability and Development in the Circumpolar North
- The Circumpolar Arctic Region is undergoing rapid political, economic, social and technological development, which impacts sustainability. Climate, contaminants and biological diversity focus international attention, Nunavut, the Russian North, major developments, and international circumpolar regime formation will be discussed, with significant emphasis on environment and development.
- GEOG 5703 [0.5 credit]
- Natural and Regional Resource Analysis
- A review and critical appraisal of selected methods for natural and regional resource analysis such as plan evaluation methods, input-output models, resource optimization models, natural resource accounting, and ecological economics.
- GEOG 5800 [0.5 credit]
- Spatial Information Systems
- Advanced concepts and problems involving spatial information systems. Infrastructure and implementation issues, especially involving integration of GIS and environmental models, and production of spatial decision support systems. Landscape characterization and pattern analysis, interpretation and visualization of uncertainty in data and predictions.
- GEOG 5803 [0.5 credit]
- Remote Sensing and Image Analysis
- Advanced sensors and calibration; analysis of atmospheric, topographic and bi-directional reflectance effects; spectral, spatial and temporal image analysis; non-parametric classification; physical modeling; project and laboratories in student's application field.
- GEOG 5804 [0.5 credit]
- Geographic Information Systems
- GIS for students with no previous experience. Includes data formats and structures, input/output and analysis capabilities, and GIS applications.
- GEOG 5900 [0.5 credit]
- Graduate Tutorial
- Tutorial, directed reading or research, offered on an individual basis, to meet specific program needs; may be taken in one of the areas of specialization of the Department.
- GEOG 5905 [0.5 credit]
- Masters Research Workshop
- A workshop which focuses on the challenges of research design in the various sub-fields of geography. The workshop will culminate with the development and defence of a thesis research proposal.
- GEOG 5906 [2.5 credits]
- M.Sc. Thesis
- Thesis supervision will be given in Physical Geography, as listed in the introductory section of this department's program description.
- GEOG 5909 [2.5 credits]
- M.A. Thesis
- Thesis supervision will be given in all areas of specialization of the Department, as listed in the introductory section of this department's program description.
- 6000-level courses are open only to students registered in the doctoral program.
- GEOG 6000 [0.5 credit]
- Doctoral Core Seminar: Geography, Society and the Environment
- Geographical perspectives on the development of society/environment interrelations in Western thought and critiques thereof. The course is taught by faculty representing the two fields of the program, the geography of social change and the geography of environmental change.
- GEOG 6001 [0.5 credit]
- Doctoral Core Seminar: Geography, Society and the Environment
- Geographical perspectives on the development of society/environment interrelations in Western thought and critiques thereof. The course is taught by faculty representing the two fields of the program, the geography of social change and the geography of environmental change.
- GEOG 6003 [0.5 credit]
- Field Seminar: Geography of Societal Change
- Analysis of current geographical and related research into the three themes of global political economy: restructuring and the environment; geographies of socio-cultural evaluation; and feminist geographies.
- GEOG 6004 [0.5 credit]
- Field Seminar: Geography of Societal Change
- Analysis of current geographical and related research into the three themes of global political economy: restructuring and the environment; geographies of socio-cultural evaluation; and feminist geographies.
- GEOG 6006 [0.5 credit]
- Field Seminar: Geography of Environmental Change
- Analysis of geographical and related research into the appraisal and societal management of environmental resources, and environmental processes and anthropogenic impacts.
- GEOG 6007 [0.5 credit]
- Field Seminar: Geography of Environmental Change
- Analysis of geographical and related research into the appraisal and societal management of environmental resources, and environmental processes and anthropogenic impacts.
- GEOG 6905 (0.0 credit)
- Comprehensive Examination: Geography, Society and the Environment
- This examination involves a general knowledge of geographical perspectives on the development of society/environment interrelations in Western thought and critiques thereof. A specific theme will be identified for each candidate.
- GEOG 6906 [0.0 credit]
- Comprehensive Examination: The Geography of Societal Change
- This examination focuses on research challenges in theory and methodology in the themes of global political economy: restructuring and the environment; geographies of socio-cultural evaluation; feminist geographies. A specific theme will be identified for each candidate.
- GEOG 6907 [0.0 credit]
- Comprehensive Examination: The Geography of Environmental Change
- This examination focuses on research challenges in theory and methodology associated with the appraisal and societal management of environmental resources, and environmental processes and anthropogenic impacts. A specific theme will be identified for each candidate.
- GEOG 6909 [8.0 credits]
- Ph.D. Thesis
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