Department of Geography


Loeb Building B349
Telephone: 520-2561
Fax: 520-4301

The Department


Chair of the Department:
M.W. Smith
Departmental Supervisor of Graduate Studies:
To be announced

The Department of Geography 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. Doctoral studies in physical geography may be undertaken in cooperation with the Ottawa-Carleton Geoscience Centre.

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 other member of the faculty, is established to monitor progress and provide thesis research guidance.

Excellent research laboratory facilities exist for the geotechnical study of near surface processes, and the physics, chemistry, and thermodynamics of earth materials, as well as for computer cartography and for remote sensing. These facilities are supported by a highly qualified full-time staff in laboratory instrumentation, cartography, and computing. There is a specialized Map Library in the geography building. 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 stress is given to Canada (including northern studies) and the Third World (especially Africa). The main clusters of specialization within the Department are the following:

Physical Geography and Geotechnical Science
Studies of natural processes close to the earth’s surface and their geotechnical significance; climate-ground interaction; geocryology; chemical, physical, and thermodynamic characteristics of soils and sediments; hydrology.
(C.R. Burn, N.C. Doubleday, Joyce Lundberg, M.W. Smith, J.K. Torrance, T.P. Wilkinson, P.J. Williams)

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, outdoor recreation, tourism, and natural resource-based industries; environmental impact assessment and environmental management. Canadian and Third World development is stressed.
(R.D. Bollman, M.J. Brklacich, John Clarke, M.F. Fox, A.F.D. Mackenzie, E.W. Manning, G.I. Ozornoy, M.H. Sadar, M.W. Smith, S.J. Squire, D.R.F.Taylor, J.K.Torrance, A.I. Wallace, T.P. Wilkinson)

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.
(John Clarke, Simon Dalby, N.C. Doubleday, Fran Klodawsky, V.A. Konrad, Suzanne Mackenzie, E.J. Marshall, S.J. Squire, I.C. Taylor, John Tunbridge)

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 for environmental restructuring; industrial systems; philosophy of science and of geography.
(David Bennett, Simon Dalby, Fran Klodawsky, A.F.D. Mackenzie, Suzanne Mackenzie, E.J. Marshall, G.I. Ozornoy, D.M. Ray, A.N. Spector, A.I. Wallace)

Computer Cartography and Remote Sensing
Development of applications in computer cartography and the use of remote sensing in geographical research. (M.F. Fox, D.J. King, D.R.F. Taylor, T.P. Wilkinson).

Qualifying-Year Program

Applicants with exceptional promise who have a general (pass) 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 an overall high honours standing in their qualifying-year geography courses. The General Regulations section of this Calendar provides details about the regulations governing the qualifying year.

Master of Arts

Admission Requirements

The normal requirement for admission into the master’s program is an honours B.A. or B.Sc. in Geography, with at least high honours standing. In exceptional cases, pertinent work experience may be considered in support of an application to the Department. Applicants who have taken their undergraduate degree in the physical or natural sciences or engineering, as well as in physical geography, will be considered if their research interests coincide with those of the Department. Applicants in human geography may be accepted from related fields if their proposed research is closely related to faculty research experience. Students with academic deficiencies may be required to take additional courses.

Program Requirements

The M.A. in Geography normally takes from twelve to eighteen months, but field work may necessitate some extension. All master’s students in geography are required to complete a minimum of 5.0 credits (or the equivalent), including an M.A. thesis (equivalent to 2.0 credits) which must be successfully defended at an oral examination. 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 a Research Proposal Workshop and the Departmental Seminar series.

Doctor of Philosophy

The doctoral program in geography is structured around two fields:

Students in each field are required to complete 45.600/45.601, Doctoral Core Seminar: Geography, Society and the Environment, 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 are:

Comprehensive Examinations

Each doctoral candidate is required to write two comprehensive examinations:
Comprehensive Examination: Geography, Society and the Environment
Based on the core seminar, Geography 45.600/ 45.601, this examination will involve a general knowledge of: the intellectual history of society/environment interrelations in western thought and contemporary (including feminist) critiques thereof; the treatment of the environment within major political philosophies and its bearing on global patterns of economic and social development; the structure and social origins of contemporary discourse concerning global environmental change; the articulation of scientific research and uncertainty with processes of environmental policy making; the political economy of local, national, and international responses to perceived threats to environmental integrity.

The examination will take the form of a major research paper whose specific nature will be defined by a committee comprised of the two instructors of the core seminar and a member of the student’s advisory committee (normally the supervisor). Evaluation is on the basis of Pass, Pass with Distinction,  Fail.

  • Geography 45.696F1,W1,S1
    Comprehensive Examination: The Geography of Societal Change
    Based on the field seminar Geography 45.603/604, this examination will focus on substantive research challenges in theory and methodology associated with the themes of the field: global political economy, restructuring and the environment; geographies of socio-cultural evaluation; feminist geographies.

  • Geography 45.697F1,W1,S1
    Comprehensive Examination: The Geography of Environmental Change
    Based on the field seminar, Geography 45.606/ 45.607, this examination will focus on substantive research challenges in theory and methodology associated with the themes of the field: appraisal and societal management of environmental resources; environmental processes and anthropogenic impacts.

    The field comprehensive examination will take the form of a major research paper whose specific nature will be defined by the student’s advisory committee. It will require the student to situate the topic area of research within the literature and methodological practices of the field. The advisory committee will form the examining board of the comprehensive. Evaluation is on the basis Pass, Pass with Distinction, Fail.

    The comprehensive examinations must be completed after course requirements for the Ph.D. have been completed. Normally this will be no later than the end of the third term of registration in the Ph.D. 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 must be 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 fourth term of registration in the Ph.D. program.  Continuous registration is required after initial registration in the thesis.

    Language Requirement

    All Ph.D. candidates are required to demonstrate an ability to comprehend geographical literature in a language other than English. This will normally be satisfied in the context of course work for the core and field seminars. The other language will normally be French, but may be an alternative pertinent to their research, as recommended by the thesis committee. Fluency in a second language required to undertake field research may be substituted as a fulfilment of this requirement.

    Residence Requirements

    All Ph.D. candidates must be registered full time in a minimum of six terms to satisfy the residence requirement.

    Graduate Courses*— Master of Arts

    In addition to the selection of courses offered by the Department, graduate students in geography are encouraged to consider, in partial fulfilment 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.

    The following courses, normally offered annually, are tentatively scheduled for 1997-98:

  • Geography 45.500F1
    Approaches to Geographical Enquiry
    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.

  • Geography 45.501F1,W1
    Modelling Environmental Systems
    An introductory seminar in methods and problems of research on the physical environment. With illustrative material taken mostly 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.

  • Geography 45.505W1
    Global Environmental Change: Human Implications
    The nature of contemporary changes in global environmental systems and their significance for society, the economy, and international relations. Phenomena such as climatic warming, deforestation, and the environmental pressures of urbanization and intensive agriculture are analyzed in terms of their regionally differentiated impacts and challenges for societal adaptation.

    (Also offered as International Affairs 46.571)

  • Geography 45.517F1, W1, S1 Field Study and Methodological Research Field acquisition and analysis of geographic material; supervised field observations and methodology. (Individual or group basis, by special arrangement). Coordinator: Supervisor of graduate studies.

  • Geography 45.520F1 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 offered as International Affairs 46.563) A.F.D. Mackenzie.

  • Geography 45.530F1 Soil Thermal and Hydrologic Regimes
    Characteristics of soil regimes, particularly in freezing soils; role of soil properties; analytical and numerical methods, including computer simulation.
    (Alternates with Geography 45.532)

    M.W. Smith.

  • Geography 45.533W1
    Periglacial Geomorphology
    Permafrost, its distribution and significance, seasonal ground freezing, ground thermal regime, physical, thermodynamic, and geotechnical properties of freezing and thawing soils, terrain features ascribable to frost action, and solifluction and patterned ground.

    C.R. Burn.

  • Geography 45.534F1
    Aspects of Clay Mineralogy and Soil Chemistry
    The role of clay minerals in soils will be considered from a geotechnical and/or biological perspective.

    J.K. Torrance.

  • Geography 45.537W1
    Soil Resources
    The properties of soils, development, classification, productive potential, and management problems of the world’s soils. Primary emphasis will be agricultural, but environmental and geotechnical aspects will be considered.

    J.K. Torrance.

  • Geography 45.540F1
    Territory and Territoriality
    Contemporary geographical and international relations theorizing is challenging conventional notions of the importance of boundaries and territories in the political organization of modernity. Through an investigation of contemporary writings on geopolitics, security, sovereignty, self-determination and identity politics, this course investigates the use of territoriality as a political and intellectual strategy.

    (Also offered as International Affairs 46.542)

    Simon Dalby.

  • Geography 45.541F1
    Society and Space
    Analysis of geographers’ contributions to contemporary social theory and of the geographical significance of theoretical debates in related fields.

    Fran Klodawsky.

  • Geography 45.542F1
    Selected Concepts in Social Geography
    Theme to be announced.

  • Geography 45.543F1
    Selected Concepts in Cultural Geography
    Investigation of a substantive theme in cultural geography.
    Theme to be announced.

  • Geography 45.544W1
    Gender and Environments
    This course examines the relation between gender role change and the creation and use of environments. Changes in people’s activities, in the first and third worlds, are assessed in the context of feminist analyses. Conceptual and methodological skills for gender-sensitive research are developed. Subsequent directed field experience may be achieved by taking 45.517.

    A.F.D. Mackenzie.

  • Geography 45.545W1
    Problems in Historical Geography
    Philosophical and methodological approaches in geography, history, and historical geography, emphasizing the use of primary documents, model building, and statistical methods as they relate to the historical geography of Canada.
    Also offered at the undergraduate level, with different requirements, as 45.435, for which additional credit is precluded.

    John Clarke.

  • Geography 45.550F1
    Spatial Dynamics of Urban and Regional Change
    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.

  • Geography 45.555W1
    Tourism and International Development
    The nature and effect of tourist development in various parts of the world, and the role of tourism in developed and developing countries.

  • Geography 45.558W1
    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 offered as International Affairs 46.534)

    A.I. Wallace.

  • Geography 45.570W1 Problems of Development in Arctic and Subarctic Environments Research seminar on specific problems in Canada’s northland. Experience from other parts of the world will be incorporated when appropriate.

  • Geography 45.572W1 Issues in Canadian Resource Development
    The economic, environmental, and social challenges facing Canadian resource-based industries and the communities they support. Focus on the agricultural, energy, forest, and mineral sectors. The global and national contexts of the political economy of production, marketing, and resource management are reviewed.

  • Geography 45.573F1, W1
    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.

  • Geography 45.580W1 Spatial Information Systems and Computer Cartography
    The concepts and problems involved with spatial information systems, especially those with a mapping component.

  • Geography 45.583W1
    Remote Sensing and Image Analysis
    Radiometric, geometric, and resolution characteristics of remotely sensed data;  image processing algorithms; analysis of spectral, textural, and contextual image information; applications to vegetation mapping and environmental analysis.

  • Geography 45.584F1
    Introduction to Geographic Information Systems
    Introduction to geographical application of GIS for students with no previous experience. Includes benefits and limitations of GIS, data formats and structures, input/output capabilities, analysis functions, and applications.

  • Geography 45.590F1, W1, S1
    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.

    Coordinator: Supervisor of graduate studies.

  • Geography 45.599F4, W4, S4
    M.A. Thesis
    Thesis supervision will be given in all areas of specialization of the Department, as listed on page 269.

    Coordinator: Supervisor of graduate studies.

    Graduate Courses — Doctor of Philosophy

    The following is a list of courses open only to students registered in the doctoral program.

  • Geography 45.600F1, 45.601W1
    Doctoral Core Seminar: Geography, Society and the Environment
    The intellectual history of society/environment interrelations in western thought and contemporary (including feminist) critiques thereof; the treatment of the environment within major political philosophies and its bearing on global patterns of economic and social development; the structure and social origins of contemporary discourse concerning global environmental change; the articulation of scientific research and uncertainty with processes of environmental policy making; the political economy of local, national, and international responses to perceived threats to environmental integrity. The course prepares students for the comprehensive examination on geography, society and the environment. The course is required of all first-year doctoral students. Evaluation is by letter grade. The course is team-taught by two faculty members representing the two major fields of the program, the geography of social change and the geography of environmental change.

  • Geography 45.603F1, 45.604W1
    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. The course prepares students for their field comprehensive examination. The course is required of all first-year doctoral students in this field. Evaluation is by letter grade.

  • Geography 45.606F1, 45.607W1
    Field Seminar: Geography of Environmental Change
    Analysis of current geographical and related research into the two themes of appraisal and societal management of environmental resources, and environmental processes and anthropogenic impacts.  The course prepares students for their field comprehensive examination. The course is required of all first-year doctoral students in this field.  Evaluation is by letter grade.

  • Geography 45.695F1,W1,S1
    Comprehensive Examination: Geography, Society and the Environment

  • Geography 45.696F1,W1,S1
    Comprehensive Examination: The Geography of Societal Change

  • Geography 45.697F1,W1,S1
    Comprehensive Examination: The Geography of Environmental Change

  • Geography 45.699F,W,S
    Ph.D. Thesis

    Courses Not Offered in 1997-98


    45.555 Tourism and International Development