3000 level courses
Third Year Courses are all Program courses, generally taken at third year and above. They use the same numbering convention as in Second Year Courses. The Program Courses are further numbered by sub-discipline, but the distinctions are not critical to program planning.
- 30xx : Field Courses
- 32xx : Technical courses (e.g. Statistics, Geographic Information Systems, Research Methods)
- 33xx : Physical/Environmental courses
- 34xx : Human/Urban Geography
- 39xx : Selected Topics Courses that are used for one-off offerings, or to allow immediate offering of a course going through review.
3001F Community-based Methods and Practices
This is an advanced community-based experiential course that combines in-class discussions with community based research. Students will train in methodologies and ethics of working with First Nations communities. Areas of research may include but not limited to ecological restoration, land claims, self-government, education, health and wellness and urban issues.
Antirequisite(s): Earth Sciences 3023F/G, Indigenous Studies 4023F/G.
Prerequisite(s): Permission of the Department and 3rd or 4th year status in any Specialization or Honours Specialization module in the Department of Geography and Environment.
Extra Information: 2 lecture hours, 0.5 course.
3002A Community-based Praxis
This field course provides students with practical experience working in a local First Nations community on a collaborative project. Centering Indigenous ways of knowing, a major focus is on understanding intersecting cultural, political, ecological, social, and economic factors that shape community life. Topics include Indigenous governance, treaties, and political ecologies.
Antirequisite(s): Indigenous Studies 4024A/B.
Prerequisite(s): Any course in Arts and Humanities or Social Science and registration in third or fourth year.
Extra Information: Bi-weekly 3-hour lecture, bi-weekly 3-hour outdoor tutorial. Cross-listed with Indigenous Studies 4024A/B. 0.5 course.
3210A Geocomputation
An introduction to multivariate statistics and data analysis using computational methods; reproducibility in data analysis, data presentation, exploratory data analysis, and data mining for Geography.
Antirequisite(s): All other senior level statistics courses numbered 2000 or above.
Prerequisite(s): Geography 2210A/B or Biology 2244A/B or Statistical Sciences 2244A/B and enrolment in a geography program or permission from the instructor.
Extra Information: 2 lecture hours, 2 laboratory hours, 0.5 course.
3211A Spatial Statistics
Topics include exploratory spatial data analysis, global and local spatial statistics, spatial autocorrelation and interpolation, spatial regression models, and geographically weighted regression. The emphasis will be on developing analytical skills with practical applications using statistical software and Geographic Information Systems.
Prerequisite(s): Third or fourth year status at the University including Geography 2210A/B or equivalent and Geography 2220A/B or permission of the instructor.
Extra Information: 2 lecture hours, 2 lab hours, 0.5 course (main campus) Limited enrollment
3222B Geographic Information Science II
Methods and techniques in Geographic Information Science. Spatial data encoding from maps and geographic database implementation. Spatial interpolation and other modeling techniques. Integration of remote sensing, GIS and Visualization. Hands-on experience using ESRI, ArcGIS software.
Prerequisite(s): Geography 2210A/B or Biology 2244A/B or Statistical Sciences 2244A/B and Geography 2220A/B.
Extra Information: 2 lecture hours, 2 laboratory hours, 0.5 course.
3224B Spatial Ecology and GIS
GIS methods for analyzing environmental and ecological data. Emphasis is placed on quantifying and interpreting spatial patterns in data collected on plants and wildlife. The course will exploreissues associated with scale, networks, disturbance, and feedback. Topics covered include habitat fragmentation, protected areas, wildlife tracking, home ranges, and species distributions.
Prerequisite(s): Geography 2210A/B or Biology 2244A/B or Statistical Sciences 2244A/B; and Geography 2220A/B or Geography 2230A/B.
Extra Information: 2 lecture hour, 2 laboratory hours, 0.5 course.
3225B Transportation Geography and GIS
Provides a comprehensive introduction to concepts, theories, and models in the field of transportation geography. GIS and spatial analysis methods for solving transport issues and problems will be presented. Topics covered include accessibility, planning, public transit, active transport, smart mobility, impacts on land use, health, energy, environment, and social equity.
Prerequisite(s): Third or fourth year-status and Geography 2220A/B, or permission of the instructor.
Extra Information: 2 lecture hours, 2 laboratory hours, 0.5 course.
3250B Social Science Research Methods in Geography
A survey of a range of social scientific methods for studying humans (e.g., interviews, questionnaires); with an emphasis on research designs involving human interaction. Topics include identifying research problems, questions and designs, sources of error, ethics and values in research, methods of data collection, data analysis and presentation of findings.
Antirequisite(s): Political Science 2325F/G.
Prerequisite(s): Two full courses in Geography and third or fourth year status at the University.
Extra Information: 2 lecture hours, 2 laboratory hours, 0.5 course.
3311A Micrometeorology
Principles of weather and climate at micro-, local, and meso-scales; processes associated with transfer of heat, mass, and momentum and resulting climates near the surface; local winds, fog, urban climates and air pollution.
Prerequisite(s): One of Geography 2310A/B, Geography 2320A/B or Geography 2330A/B, or at least 3rd year standing in an Environmental Science or Earth Sciences program. (A 1000-1099 level course in Applied Mathematics, Mathematics, or Physics is also recommended).
Extra Information: 2 lecture hours, 2 laboratory hours, 0.5 course.
3350B Climate Change: Past and Future
Learn about the lessons Earth’s past climate holds for future climate change. Students are introduced to methods of paleoclimatology, past environmental changes and their impacts on early societies, and future climate change including models, international agreements, climate and graphical literacy in the media, and strategies for reaching climate goals.
Prerequisite(s): One of Geography 2310A/B, 2320A/B or 2330A/B, or 3rd year standing in an Environmental Science or Earth Sciences program.
Extra Information: 2 lecture hours, 2 laboratory hours, 0.5 course.
3354A Water and Cities
Explores how issues of water quantity and quality upstream, within, and downstream of urban centers are inextricably tied to the sustainability of cities. Students will learn basic water monitoring techniques and draw on systems thinking to better understand quantitative outcomes and identify interventions to support sustainable water management in cities.
Prerequisite(s): One of Geography 2210A/B, Geography 2310A/B, Geography 2320A/B or Geography 2330A/B, or at least third-year standing in an Environmental Science or Earth Sciences program, or permission of the instructor with a demonstration of some quantitative coursework.
Extra Information: 2 lecture hours, 2 laboratory hours, 0.5 course.
3413G Climate, Culture, and Indigenous Geographies
This course offers an introduction to the interrelated dynamics of climate crisis and colonialism. The influence of geographies of epistemology, culture, place and power on climate change impacts, strategies, and outcomes is explored. Adopting an anti-colonialist framework and emphasizing inclusive Indigenous Kinship approaches the course moves from theory to action.
Antirequisite(s): Indigenous Studies 3600F/G, Geography 3901A/B taught in Fall 2022.
Prerequisite(s): Two full courses or equivalent in Geography. Third or fourth year status at the University.
Extra Information: 2 lecture hours, 1 tutorial hour, 0.5 course.
3414A Digital Technology, Society, and Environment
This course engages with digital technologies as social and spatial phenomena. Through an exploration of themes including the cloud, internet infrastructures, smart cities, digital platforms, and the gig/sharing economy, the course identifies the environmental and social implications of pervasive digitality while critically navigating through utopian versus dystopian discourses of technology.
Prerequisite(s): Registration in year 3 or 4 in any module.
Extra Information: 2 lecture hours, 1 tutorial hour, 0.5 course.
3416G Urban Culture of Public Spaces
A geographic investigation of urban culture focusing on the design, use and identities of urban public spaces as evidenced through systematic observations of social life in urban public settings. Relevant concepts, theories, and field methods are applied to guide and critique the investigation.
Prerequisite(s): Two full courses in Geography and third or fourth year status at the University.
Extra Information: 2 lecture hours, 2 laboratory hours, 0.5 course.
3431B Geography of Health and Health Care
A critical examination of the major themes in the geography of health and health care. The focus will be on the importance of understanding place, space and environment as they relate to health. Geographical aspects of health inequalities, access and utilization will be explored.
Prerequisite(s): Geography 2430A/B or a related 2000-level course in Health Sciences, Sociology or Psychology, or permission of the instructor.
Extra Information: 3 lecture hours, 0.5 course.
3432A Environmental Hazards and Human Health
This is a survey course regarding the links between human health and environmental hazard exposure. Issues will include the health impacts of water pollution, air pollution, solid and hazardous waste, toxic substances, pesticides and radiation. The limitations of models and methods are discussed.
Prerequisite(s):
Extra Information: 2 lecture hours, 1 tutorial hour, 0.5 course.
3441G Conservation and Development
Examines struggles over conservation and development in a global context. A central aim is to consider the transformation of ecosystems, loss of biodiversity, and struggles for alternatives in relation to the vast and growing inequalities in wealth, power, and resource consumption that exist within and between countries.
Prerequisite(s): Third or fourth year status at the University.
Extra Information: 3 lecture hours, 0.5 course.
3443G Energy and Power
This course investigates the political ecology of energy. Issues of politics and power, social equity, and environmental impact are examined through Canadian and international case studies. The concept of 'energy justice' is used both to critically assess current patterns of energy production and use and to explore more sustainable possibilities.
Prerequisite(s): Third or fourth year status at the University.
Extra Information: 3 lecture hours, 0.5 course.
3445F Global Agriculture and Food Systems
Food is a basic human need and agriculture is one of the most fundamental ways that societies interact with their habitats. This course examines the diversity of world agriculture and the rise of a dominant industrial system, focusing on both the social and environmental dimensions of agrarian change and their interrelation.
Prerequisite(s): Third or fourth year status at the University..
Extra Information: 3 lecture hours, 0.5 course.
3446G Climate Change, Culture Change
Challenges students to examine, understand, and question the carbon footprint of their everyday geographies, and consider how modifying personal lifestyles—their own ways of doing and thinking—can mitigate environmental impacts. Everyday geographies are examined through exercises that focus on subjects including diet, clothing, transportation, and waste, and lower-carbon alternatives.
Prerequisite(s): Third or fourth year status at the University.
Extra Information: 2 lecture hours, 2 tutorial hours, 0.5 course.
3461F Land Use and Development Issues
Critical examination of current land use and development projects; students are required actively to participate in the discussions.
Prerequisite(s): Third or fourth year status at the University.
Extra Information: 3 seminar hours, 0.5 course.
3462G Land Use Planning
Basic techniques for preparing, implementing, and applying land use plans and zoning controls.
Prerequisite(s): Third or fourth year status at the University.
Extra Information: 3 seminar hours, 0.5 course.
3463G Housing
This course explores the geography of housing in North American cities from an historical perspective, with a detailed investigation of the effects of land development, construction, financing, planning, public policy, demographics and lifestyle changes on the production and consumption of residential landscapes.
Prerequisite(s): Third or fourth year status at the University.
Extra Information: 2 lecture hours, 1 tutorial hour, 0.5 course.
3464F Financial Feasibility of Urban Developments
The objective of the course is to provide students with practical commercial property valuation skills and the ability to conduct acquisition underwriting. This quantitative course will expose students to the three major valuation approaches, cash flow pro-forma modeling and the financial impact of leverage.
Antirequisite(s): Business Administration 4613A/B.
Prerequisite(s): Geography 2460F/G. Business Administration 2257 is strongly recommended.
Extra Information: 2 lecture hours, 1 laboratory hours, 0.5 course.
