Geography Major

Four Core Courses

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Core courses emphasize fundamental geographic concepts over four distinct areas of study.  Courses in the core are designed to build frameworks for understanding the earth, space, and place in a physical and human context.

We strongly encourage students to take the core courses early in your program, not only because it will provide a more thorough understanding of the different areas of study in Geography, but also because core courses are often prerequisites for 200-level courses.

Majors must select at least one course from each of the following four core areas. Minors must select at least two courses from any of the following four core areas.

• Human Environmental Geography (also referred to as Nature Society)
• Urban Economic Geography (also referred to as Globalization, Cities and Development)
• Earth System Science (ESS)
• Geographic Information Science (GIS)

One Skills Course

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Skills courses give students the opportunity to acquire and apply research, literacy, numeracy, and mapping skills for generating and interpreting knowledge. Our goal is for students to become critical thinkers and to have an understanding of how knowledge is created. Skills courses must be either offered by the Geography Department or offered by other departments with a Geography attribute.

Four Elective Courses

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It is not a requirement that students focus within an area of Geography, but it is typically a path followed by many students as they take their core courses and generally become particularly interested in one of four areas. To focus in one of the four areas in Geography, students must take their four elective courses within that subject matter.  Three of these courses must be at a 200-level and one may be either at a 100 or 200-level.

For example, if a student wants to specialize in GIScience as a Geography major, they would take the following:

• 4 Core Courses (as normal)
• 1 Skills Course (GIScience related)
• Research Methods (GEOG 141, as normal)
• 4 Specialization Courses within the GIScience field
• Capstone (GIScience related)

Focusing in a subject area within Geography does not waive the requirement to take a core course in that subject area. All Geography students must take the 4 core courses (1 in each area) to begin, and then they may continue through the major focusing in an area if they wish to do so.

Research Methods

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GEOG 141   is required for all students majoring in Geography. It is advised that you to complete this course before taking 200-level courses in Geography, preferably during your sophomore year (particularly if you plan to study abroad). Research Methods is offered at least once per year, typically in the spring semester.

Comparable courses in other departments may be subject to substitution for the Geography Research Methods course with the approval of the advisor and the Chair of the Undergraduate Studies Committee. However, this does not reduce the total number of Geography courses required for the major. Thus, majors for whom a substitution has been granted will need to take an additional Geography course to ensure that a total of 11 Geography courses are taken.

Capstone Requirement in Geography

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One Capstone credit is required for the Geography major (not required for the minor). At the university level, a capstone is defined as an experience - a course in the major or an independent project - through which students apply integrative learning. A capstone requires a complex individual or group project that is substantially defined and carried forward by the student and demonstrates accomplishment of Clark’s Liberal Education goals, especially a capacity to practice within an academic or professional field effectively.

To meet the Capstone requirement in the Geography major, the student must earn a 200 or 300 level credit that relates to the student’s specialization. Consistent with the diversity of topics and methods in the four areas of specialization, Geography students may choose from multiple paths to earning the capstone credit, subject to the approval of their capstone advisor. The student’s capstone advisor will help determine how any particular credit satisfies the capstone criteria. The advisor will make this determination based on the purpose of the capstone, which is for the student to integrate content and skills in Geography, as applied to a particular topic.

Capstone Types

1. A project completed in a specialization course (200/300 level)
2. Research experience (GEOG 299)
   • Directed Study with a faculty advisor (GEOG 299)
   • Research conducted through the Human Environment Regional Observatory (HERO) program, Forest Ecology Research Lab (FERL) work, Biogeosciences Research Group, Extractive Industries Research Group, or the Polar Science Research Laboratory
3. Internship (GEOG 298)
4. Honors thesis (GEOG 297)

Additionally, Geography 141, required of all majors, trains students in the fundamentals of Research Design and Methods and proposal writing, which broadly prepares students to conceptualize, design and conduct original research relevant to a capstone experience across all four specialization areas.

1. A specialization course (200/300 level)

A number of courses at the 200/300 level fulfill our capstone requirement across our specializations in Human-Environment Geography, Urban-Economic Geography, Earth System Science, and Geographic Information Science. Several of these courses have pre-requisites within the respective specialization areas, in which students are expected to have developed relevant topical and methodological knowledge upon which they can build their capstone project.

2. Research experience (GEOG 299)

Students may enroll in directed study for a research experience during the course of the semester. They may do so via two main avenues:

• An individual/independent research project conducted under the supervision of a faculty member. Students typically enroll in GEOG 299 during the completion of the work.
• Work done in collaboration with a research group or team, for instance, in which students may contribute as a research assistant. Examples of such projects and research teams include (but are not limited to): Human Environment Regional Observatory (HERO) program; Forest Ecology Research Lab (FERL); Biogeosciences Research Group; Extractive Industries Research Group; and the Polar Science Research Laboratory. Most such research opportunities have a separate, competitive application process. Students accepted into these research teams/groups will be advised on how to register for academic (and capstone) credit.

3. Internship (GEOG 298)

Students completing an on/off campus internship or LEEP project related to their Geography major are encouraged to consider developing a capstone through that planned work. To do so, they must identify a faculty sponsor and apply to the Career Connections Center for academic credit the semester before the internship commences. The internship must directly contribute to the student’s experiential learning relevant to their chosen specialization field. Once the internship is completed, the student should submit a synopsis of their internship experience or other materials as agreed on with their faculty sponsor and the Career Connections Center.

4. Honors thesis (GEOG 297)

The honors program in Geography provides eligible students with the opportunity to conduct a major independent research project. Honors students must successfully complete a two-semester independent honors project, to be conducted under the supervision of a faculty advisor and one additional faculty member (a second reader), who together constitute the student’s honors committee. Honors projects should make an original contribution to geographical knowledge. In crafting the research project and honors thesis, the student will work closely with a faculty supervisor and will also be able to draw upon the advice of their second reader. For further information about the honors program and eligibility criteria, please refer to the Geography honors program guide.

 

Capstone Form and process: Each student proposing a capstone needs identify a faculty advisor for the capstone, Before registration for the 200-level credit and beginning the qualifying activity, the student must complete and submit the Capstone Form under their advisor’s guidance. The student and their faculty sponsor sign the form, obtain the Geography program advisor’s signature, and submit the completed form to the Program Administrator. Towards the end of the semester or upon completion of the capstone work, the form is then updated, signed by all parties and then resubmitted. It is the student’s responsibility to coordinate all processes necessary outside of the departmental requirements (i.e. internship registration, any other Clark forms needed, etc.).

 

All students completing capstones are strongly encouraged to present their work (e.g., as a poster or presentation) during Academic Spree Day or Fall Fest. They are also required to complete the capstone survey following the completion of their capstone, and before graduation.

Double Majoring

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All majors must complete 11 Geography courses in accordance with the plan described in the Guide to the Major. Two credits at most can count simultaneously for a first and a second major, subject to the approval of the faculty advisor in each department.

University rules that dictate Double majors can be found on the Academic Advising website.