Course Offerings
Undergraduate Course Offerings (Fall 2017)
Your first step to registration must include a visit to the Course Registration Guide 2017. We strongly recommend the use of the Visual Schedule Builder in the selection of your courses. This tool helps organize your time and provide further information including instructor names and lecture/lab times. Please note that the descriptions below are provided for your convenience and that more information is available in the current calendar.
ES101: Introduction to Environmental Studies
A multidisciplinary introduction to environmental studies with an emphasis on natural resources and environmental conditions. Topics may include ecological systems, sustainability, environmental worldviews and ethics, economic systems, and policy and decision-making. Canadian and international examples are discussed.
GG101: Introduction to Physical Geography
This course provides an introduction to physical geography. Topics include weather and climate, hydrology, geomorphology and biogeography. Laboratory exercises address geographic methods and techniques and illustrate human-environment relations through case studies.
GG102: Introduction to Human Geography
This course provides an introduction to human geography. Topics include population and development, cartography and GIS, economic geography, cultural geography and political geography. In laboratory exercises, students learn methods and techniques used by geographers.
GL101: The Anatomy of the Earth
This course provides an introduction to the geological processes operating inside Earth. Topics include the identification of minerals and rocks, their structural arrangement and tectonic processes responsible for their global distributions. Human use of earth materials and the environmental impact of geophysical processes will also be addressed.
GESC251: Cartography
An introduction to the theory, practice and critique of cartography, emphasizing the basics that should be understood by all map users and map makers. Topics will include: the history of mapping, the purpose of maps, mental mapping, cartographic design, map projections, thematic map types, online mapping and virtual globes.
GESC254: Geographic Information and Analysis
This course provides hands-on experience with the application of computers in geography and environmental studies to the manipulation, analysis and graphic presentation of geographic information. Students are introduced to elementary descriptive statistics and to techniques of exploratory data analysis as well as to geographic information and its properties, acquisition and analysis.
GESC290: Global Resource and Environmental Issues
A multidisciplinary introduction to the administrative, management and conceptual context for resource and environmental management, introducing topics such as environmental governance, systems approaches, and environmental thought, drawing on a few in-depth cases from across Canada.
GESC291: Development and the Environment
An examination of the forms and challenges of development, and its interactions with the natural environment, in local, rural, and remote contexts in Canada and internationally. Socio-political, economic and ecological perspectives will be used to understand change in the context of land, water and forest resources, agriculture and food security, coastal environments, rural livelihoods and urban systems.
GG273: Geographies of Health and Disease
This course introduces theories, concepts, methods and public health issues pertaining to the geographies of health, illness and disease, including the emergence of new infectious diseases.
GG281: Atmosphere and Hydrosphere
This course systematically examines the major concepts of climatology and hydrology. (Physical Geography)
GG294: Geography of Tourism
Consideration of tourism in terms of its functional system; study of the impacts of tourism on regions, communities and landscapes; introduction to development and management of resources for tourism and tourism planning.
GESC362: Global Food Systems
This course examines global economic, socio-cultural, environmental and political influences on food systems. Topics may include various threats to, and impacts on, food systems and sustainable food projects.
GESC391: Wildlife and Rural Land Resources Management
The study and application of techniques of use to the geographer in the management of forestry, range and farmland species of wildlife. Included will be discussions on conflicts in land use and private versus public forms of management.
GESC399: Third Year Field Studies
This course provides an introduction to field research. Students will work in the classroom learning how to design, undertake and report on a comprehensive research project. Data will be collected outside the local region and this will involve extended field research.
GG333: Field Surveying
The course begins with basic measurement of vertical and horizontal angles, differential and profile levelling, closed traverse and total station surveying, coordinate geometry, and topographic surveys. The students are then introduced to Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) based surveying methods. Students will gain practical experience in the use of automatic and laser levels, theodolites, total station, RTK GPS systems, and UAV.
GG336: Coastal Processes and Landforms
The course provides students with knowledge of the processes active in the coastal environment. Waves, tides and currents and their effects on the development of landforms on hard and soft coastlines will be the focus of study. (Physical Geography)
GG361: Spatial Analysis
This course provides an introduction to the characteristics of different types of spatial data and examines how they may be represented and analyzed. Emphasis is placed on procedures which can be implemented in a GIS environment and on their application to real world problems.
GG365: Canadian Urban Spaces
This course examines the social, economic, political and environmental processes affecting the Canadian urban system and the internal structure of cities.
GG369: Geographical Information Systems
The purpose of this course is to develop skills and knowledge in concepts and techniques of GIS by studying its application to a variety of geographic and environmental problems (e.g., resource management, crime, business, public facilities, health and disease). For each application, the topics studied include the sources and properties of the data contained in the GIS, the functions and analysis used in the application, as well as the types and uses of graphic, tabular and data products of the application. Students will gain hands-on experience in the use of GIS software including ArcGIS.
GG381: Hydrology
An overview of hydrological processes with emphasis on Canadian examples; the hydrological cycle; surface hydrology; groundwater hydrology; measurement techniques. (Physical Geography)
GESC494: Northern Resources and Environments
An examination of northern ecosystems and environments in the context of resources management. The primary focus is on Canada and Alaska.
GG465: Capstone Urban Sustainability
In this capstone course students will work on a project within a problem-based learning context that deals with aspects of urban planning and development. Students will research, analyze and resolve a local issue identified by a community partner and propose solutions grounded in principles of sustainability.
GG474: Seminar in Cultural Geography
In this seminar course, students will investigate a selection of sociospatial processes and transformations pertinent to everyday experiences.
GG481: Seminar on Cold Regions
This course examines periglacial, permafrost, hydrological and oceanographic processes active in the cold regions ecosystems. (Physical Geography)
GG482: Hydrology of Cold Regions
This course provides a detailed overview of the hydrology of cold regions. (Physical Geography)
GG499V: Cold Regions Eco-Hydrology – Hoarfrost River Homestead
The Cold Regions Research Centre (CRRC) at Laurier is offering an intensive field-based course on the physical principles of cold regions eco-hydrology and water resources. Factors governing eco-hydrological processes in cold regions landscapes will be discussed including precipitation, interception, energy balance, snow accumulation and redistribution by wind, plant physiology, plant-snow interactions, over-winter moisture redistribution in vegetation, snow and soil properties, and coastal/lake processes. Each will be framed within the context of the subarctic Boreal Shield, a distinctly Canadian landscape. Students will be exposed to an overview of each subject, with recent scientific findings and new cutting edge theories, tools and techniques. More details are found on our fieldwork page.
Graduate Course Offerings
All program details are available on the W-LGPIG web pages.