GGR Geography CoursesGGR100Y1 A basic physical geography moulded around a simple systems approach. The atmospheric,
biospheric and lithospheric systems and their interactions. GGR107Y1 Relations between population growth, agricultural development, urbanization and the
natural environment. From the origins of agriculture to the present. From a few million to
six billion people. The cost to the environment. The prospect of sustainability. GGR124Y1 Introduction to the urban process. From the origin of cities to global urbanization;
urban systems; uneven growth and the functional specialization of cities; economic
restructuring, migration, public policies. Dynamics of urban property markets, population
and demography, job location, housing, mobility and neighbourhood change, social structure
and spatial inequalities. Planning, politics and policy issues in Canadian cities. GGR201H1 An introduction to the principles of geomorphology; earth materials; major features of
crustal morphology; landforming processes of water, wind, waves and ice; human impact on
earth surface processes. One hour laboratory session approximately every other week; a
local field trip. GGR203H1 Introduction to the large scale processes responsible for determining global and
regional climate and atmospheric circulation patterns, as well as the small scale
processes responsible for determining the microclimates of specific environments. GGR205H1 Introduction to soil science emphasizing the physical, chemical and mineralogical
properties of soils and their application to environmental, agricultural and
geomorphological studies. GGR206H1 An introduction to the hydrologic cycle with emphasis on the terrestrial branch;
precipitation, evaporation, runoff, flood prediction; ground water and snowmelt hydrology. GGR220Y1 This basic course in economic geography introduces the main concepts and models that
apply to problems of rural land use, trade and spatial economic interaction, industrial
location, and regional development. GGR233Y1 This course addresses the twin imperatives of appropriate institutions for sustainable
development and the need for scientific understanding as a basis for environmental action.
Focus on Canadian environmental and natural resource issues. GGR239H1 Introduction to geopolitical theories. Emphasis on the development of the nation state,
theories of land claims and the territorial manifestations of nationalism with
contemporary examples from Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East. In-depth analysis of
how spatial distribution of and competition for scarce resources (such as oil and water)
affect the foreign policy of countries. GGR240Y1 An introduction to issues in the historical geography of the Americas emphasizing
comparisons between North and South. The course begins with the pre-Columbian Americas and
the impact of European imperial expansion. It explores the emergence of cultural realms
and the development of regional economies and societies into the 20th century. GGR246H1 An historical, topical, and regional introduction to the geography of Canada. Primary
emphasis is on the resource base, regional differences and disparities, urbanization,
industrialization, social and economic policy and population change. GGR249H1 Conflict between the conservatism of long-established patterns of settlement and land
use and the drive for economic development. Agricultural reform; colonization of the
interior, emergence of industrial regions; growth of large cities. Case studies of the
problems of regional development. Latin America in world trade. Trade relations with
Canada. (Offered in alternate years) GGR252H1 The problem of retail location. The spatial structure of consumer demand and retail
facilities. Shopping centres and retail chains. Techniques for site selection and trade
area evaluation, location strategies, retail planning. GGR254H1 After a brief historical overview, focuses on contemporary issues in American society:
economy, politics, race, and class. Regional distinctions and disparities: Frostbelt,
Snowbelt. Urban development: inner-city problems and suburbanization. U.S. as world power. GGR256H1 Introduction to spatial organization and environmental impact of recreation. Prediction
of demand, problems of over-use, ecological risks, conflicts of interests, planning
perspectives, Canada's tourist trade. GGR270Y1 Theory and practical application of elementary quantitative techniques in geography
emphasizing descriptive, inferential and spatial statistical analysis, probability,
sampling, and spatial analysis. GGR272H1 Introduction to database and GIS software. Acquisition and processing of locational,
environmental, and socio-economic data. Spatial resolution and map scale. Raster and
vector data structures. Map projections and geocoding. GGR273H1 Introduction to contouring and thematic mapping software. Interpolation and surface
generation. Cartographic generalization. Use of symbols, patterns and colour. GGR299Y1 Credit course for supervised participation in faculty research project. See page 42 for details. GGR302H1 Emphasis on the role of glacial landforms and sediments on continents, and marine
sediments in oceans, for reconstructing ice age climates. Exercises involve interpretation
of landforms from maps and aerial photos and laboratory analyses of materials collected on
local field trips. (Offered in alternate years) GGR305H1 Introduction to the spatial and temporal patterns of plant and animal distribution. The
first half focuses on contemporary environmental and biological controls. The second half
examines past patterns and their causes. GGR307H1 An introduction to fundamental principles of soil and water chemistry with a limited
number of environmental applications covered in labs/tutorials. Chemical equilibria in
soil and water; redox equilibria in soil and water; surface chemistry; sorption and ion
exchange; complexation; solute transport. GGR310H1 The changing relationship between people and the biosphere from the emergence of
hominids to the present. Environmental constraints on human evolution, hunter-gatherer
societies and their environmental impacts, evolution of agriculture and consequences of
increasing population and technology, including deliberate and inadvertent introductions
of plants and animals and forest fragmentation. Effectiveness of contemporary approaches
to conservation. (Offered in alternate years) GGR312H1 The large scale processes determining regional and global climate, including
biogeochemical cycles, radiation, maintenance of general circulation, and sea ice and snow
processes. (Offered in alternate years) GGR314H1 A comprehensive examination of the greenhouse warming problem, beginning with economic,
carbon cycle, and climate model projections; impacts on and adaptive responses of
agriculture, forests, fisheries, and water resources; abatement options; technical and
institutional issues. GGR323H1 Explores issues in geographies of population at a variety of scales from global to
local. Issues include demographic patterns and population change, fertility, families and
cohorts, mortality, and migration and immigration. Will draw mainly on the Canadian and
U.S. experience, but examples will also be drawn from other regions of the world. GGR324H1 An introductory overview of major issues in interurban and intraurban transportation at
both local and national scales. Topics include causes of spatial interaction, graph theory
and network analysis, gravity and entropy-maximizing models, urban transportation and land
use, congestion, public transit and transport policy. GGR326H1 Examination of industrial location models, industrial behaviour, and the innovation
process. Canadian trade and technological policy and the locational and policy
implications of foreign-owned industry are discussed. GGR327H1 Practical course on field methods designed to enable students to carry out their own
research projects. Behavioural observation, interviewing, questionnaire design, attitude
scaling, sampling theory, content analysis of written and graphic material, data coding
and computer applications in surveys. GGR331H1 Environmental effects of resource industries and commodity trade, with special
attention to the forest industry. Topics include: staple theory, the business cycle and
the resource cycle; market solutions to environmental problems; resource scarcity;
recycling and technological substitutions; global resource trade, footloose industry and
pollution havens. GGR332H1 This course examines 1) factors affecting the spatial distribution of wastes; and 2)
models and policy implications inherent in all aspects of waste management, from waste
generation through recycling and waste disposal. Contrasting waste management practices in
the developed and the developing world is a central theme. GGR333H1 Regional supply/demand patterns; conventional and alternative energy sources;
production and delivery systems; end uses and efficiencies; energy forecasting; national
and regional energy policies; policy options ("soft" vs. "hard"
paths); energy analysis. GGR334H1 Canadian water policies; estimation of supply and demand; inter-basin water transfers;
alternative strategies for industrial and community water supply and waste water disposal;
Great Lakes. (Offered in alternate years) GGR336H1 Processes of urbanization; development of urban systems; changing internal patterns:
central area, residential districts, housing, transportation, reform and planning
movements. Emphasis on the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century. GGR337H5 Electro-magnetic radiation exchange and measurement of optical, thermal infrared, radar
from aircraft or satellites. Digital image analysis. Applications in land use surveys,
forestry, geomorphology and hydrology. Usually offered at Erindale College. GGR339H1 The interdependence of political processes and institutions, public policy and urban
geography. The political economy of federalism, urban growth, planning and public services
as they shape the urban landscape. Canadian and U.S. comparisons. GGR340H1 Deals with the emergence of present day conflicting regionalisms in Canada through a
study of the evolution of the provinces and of their urban systems from the 1850's to the
1990's. The geographic impact of successive central government policies: British
mercantilism, Confederation's National Policy, Equalization Policies of the welfare state,
the National Energy Policy and NAFTA. GGR342H1 Changes in the social, political and economic geography of Southeast Asian countries.
Examples drawn from Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines as these
emerging newly industrialized countries enter the 21st century. Emphasis on
political-economy, urbanization and environment since 1950. GGR343H1 The evolving physical, social, political and economic landscape of China. Emphasis on
development strategies, industry, agriculture, urbanization and the environment since
1949. GGR344H1 Overview of the physical environment and historical geography; changes in population
distribution during the Soviet period; current demographic and ethnic problems; the rural
economy; urbanization, industrial location, and regional development issues. GGR347H1 Changes in social and economic geography with Japan's emergence as a modern state.
Emphasis on developments in industry, agriculture, urbanization and the environment since
1945. GGR348H1 Physical and human geography of the Middle East and North Africa. Resources, economic
and political geographies of the region. Additional topics: regional distinctions and
disparities, regional development, trade patterns, geography of petroleum resources,
territorial and resource conflicts. GGR357H1 An introduction to housing in context: as a commodity, a political process and social
necessity. The analysis of housing markets in an urban and spatial context, emphasizing
the allocation mechanism, residential location and tenure choice, the role of the state,
social housing and the relationships of housing changes to mobility, neighbourhood
transition, and social equity. Case studies of specific policy issues and alternative
housing strategies. GGR361H1 Three related themes are discussed: the underlying social, cultural and economic forces
that have given cities their form and image; various aesthetic and political philosophies
that have been put into practice in constructing the urban landscape; and recent European
and North American attempts to control the landscape of the contemporary metropolis by the
application of urban policy and planning. GGR364H1 The creation and survival of ethnic communities in Canada with particular emphasis on
rural settlements. Aspects of ethnic territoriality, the stability of ethnic communities,
and the adaptation of immigrants to the Canadian environment. Models of ethnic
assimilation within the different regions of Canada. GGR366H1 Toronto's development compared to other large North American cities. Culture, social
life, economy, politics, and planning process. GGR371H1 Applied multivariate analysis: multiple regression, log-linear models, spatial
statistics, and selected additional topics including: time series, factor and cluster
analysis. GGR373H1 An introduction to the processing of spatially referenced information by means of
computer workstation hardware and geographic information system software. GGR390H1 Introduction to field methods in vegetation mapping/analysis, soils, hydrology and
geomorphology. The course includes exercises and a project during a one-week field camp
early in September, a little preparation during the preceding summer, and complementary
practical work and/or seminars during the Fall Term. Each student is required to pay the
costs of their transportation and accommodation. Students must register with the
Department in April 1999. GGR391H1 A seminar course in which each student prepares a research proposal incorporating
relevant theory, published research, existing sources of data, and methods of enquiry and
analysis. A proposal prepared in this course may be used to plan research for GGR 491Y. GGR392H1 The design and execution of a small research project using the methods of historical
geography. Components include: project design, literature review, data-gathering from
primary sources such as Canadian census manuscripts, data analysis and the presentation of
a short research paper. GGR393H1 Predicting the impact of development on communities, wildlife and the natural
environment. The laws, institutions, processes and methods of environmental assessment.
Approaches to ecosystem management, monitoring and mitigation are introduced through
sample Environmental Impact Statements. GGR400H1 Content in any given year depends on instructor. Consult Departmental Office in April. GGR401H1 Elements of drainage basin morphology and hydrology, classification of rivers, stream
patterns, and hydraulic geometry. Elements of open channel flow and sediment transport.
River channel adjustments to hydrologic change and human impacts on river development.
Paleohydrology and paleohydraulics. Exercises include experimentation in a laboratory
flume. GGR402H1 Introduction to climate and carbon cycle modelling at the global scale with emphasis on
0 and 1 dimensional models and box models. Applications to understanding the present
climate, explaining past climates, and predicting man-induced climatic changes. (Offered
in alternate years) GGR409H1 The environmental behaviour and ecotoxicology of inorganic and organic chemical
contaminants is discussed in order to understand the scientific basis of pollution
concerns. Theory is illustrated with qualitative and quantitative examples and case
studies. Facility is gained with simple mathematical models. Application of scientific
theory and observations to policy development and the interface between science and policy
is discussed throughout. GGR413H1 Modern developments in geomorphology, including form and process models, interactions
of hydrology, ecology and geomorphology; the course emphasizes use of computer simulation
models of drainage basin processes. GGR415H1 The policy and institutional aspects of resource and environmental planning in Canada.
Overview of the evolution of resource and environmental management and the examination of
selected planning techniques; community involvement in planning; the ecosystem approach to
planning; emphasis on environmental planning in the urban context. GGR418H1 Resource industries and their ecological impacts, with special attention to
agriculture, forestry and fisheries. Topics include: resource depletion, substitution and
technological change; staple theory and resource-based development; commodity markets,
international trade, and pollution havens. GGR421H1 Review of persistent questions before and after Darwin. The emergence of an academic
discipline. GGR431H1 Theory and analysis of regional economic change with emphasis on North America and
Western Europe. Export-base, neoclassical, increasing returns, and political-economic
explanations of regional growth and decline, changing terms of competition, and
consequences for regional development. Geography of investment decisions, technological
change, labour-markets and labour relations. Objectives and approaches for local and
regional development policy. GGR435H1 Toronto as a case study of methods to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, their costs
and benefits, and of the practical problems involved. Seminar format with public
presentations by students. (Offered in alternate years) GGR436H1 Travel patterns, economic, political, social and environmental impacts of tourism,
tourism demand, supply capability assessment and environmental quality. GGR446H1 Origins and development. Contributions of major practitioners in Canada, USA, UK and
France. Landscape appreciation, political and applied uses of historical geography, other
current trends. GGR450H1 The geography of health and disease. Environmental and behavioural factors in the
causes and distributions of diseases. Mapping and modelling disease diffusion. Spatial
distribution of health care resources and their utilization. GGR452H1 The changing nature of space and our thinking about it, centering on works of
contemporary geographers and spatial theorists such as Lefebvre, Soja, Gregory, Harvey,
Massey and challenges to its thinking. Explores changing concepts of spatiality that
inform geographic thought and help us understand the ways political, economic and social
power is constituted and contested. GGR455H1 Research seminar exploring the reciprocal relations between gender relations and
spatial structures. Feminist geography literature from North America and Britain is
employed to illustrate the ways in which 'gender' plays an important role in the layout of
cities and in the activities of the people that reside in those cities. GGR456H1 The poor, visible minorities, native people, and women suffer disproportionately from
environmental destruction. The course examines the evidence for environmental injustice
from a spatial perspective of race, class, and gender; reviews justice arguments in
environmental advocacy discourses, and considers policy for prevention, mediation, and
retribution. GGR459H1 Alternative perspectives on urban form and growth: the processes, logics and tensions
underlying metropolitan development; production and consumption spheres; changes in the
demographic and social fabric of cities; economic restructuring and shifts in labour
markets; land development and suburbanization; inner city revitalization and decline;
conflicts over public goods and services; policy issues and equity questions; quality of
life and future urban forms. GGR462H1 The nature, design and organizational context of information systems used for spatially
referenced socio-economic, environmental, and planning data bases. Input, analysis, and
output of vector-based geographic information. Examples of geographic information systems. GGR464H1 Examines the use of GIS and remote sensing technologies in resource management,
environmental planning and municipal land use planning. Strategies for the application of
specialized software and hardware. Formulation of project objectives. Review of applied
case studies and location theory GGR473H1 The design and production of maps using cartographic and publishing software packages.
Map perception and map use, principles and elements of cartographic design, production and
reproduction of maps and atlases. Practical exercises culminate in a major project in
thematic map design. GGR480Y1 Context in any given year depends on instructor and location. Offered in summer
session. Consult departmental office in April. GGR490H1 A two week course emphasizing the use of advanced field methods for analyzing the
pattern of variations in vegetation, soils, surface hydrology and geomorphology. Course is
offered in August at one of several field stations located in Alberta, British Columbia
and Newfoundland. Students are responsible for the cost of board, lodging and transport to
and from the field. Students must register with the instructors in March. (Offered in
alternate years) GGR491Y1 Open to students who have completed 15 courses and who are enroled in a Specialist or
Major Program sponsored by the Department of Geography. Students must identify and consult
with an appropriate supervisor and obtain permission from the course coordinator. These
arrangements should be in place by the end of May. GGR492H1 Students design and implement an independent applied geography/planning project in
consultation with an NGO or government organization, who will act as their
"client." Enrolment requires written permission from a staff supervisor. Only
open to students who are enroled in a Specialist or Major program sponsored by the
Department of Geography. GGR498H1 An independent research extension to one of the courses already completed in Physical
Geography. Enrolment requires written permission from a staff supervisor. Only open to
students who have completed 15 course credits and who are enrolled in a Specialist or
Major program sponsored by the Department of Geography. GGR499H1 An independent research extension to one of the courses already completed in a social
science or humanities branch of Geography. Enrolment requires written permission from a
staff supervisor. Only open to students who have completed 15 course credits and who are
enrolled in a Specialist or Major program sponsored by the Department of Geography. |
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