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Subject Lists
First-year subjects
Second/third-year subjects
Third-year subjects
Third/fourth-year subjects
Fourth year Honours subjects
Geography is an area of study which should be of interest to anyone who is concerned with the relationship between society and the environment. It is a discipline which combines both the physical and social sciences and by doing so provides students with the skills and conceptual frameworks needed to understand the complex processes which shape the world around us. It deals with a wide range of problems, scales and places. It covers a range of approaches to society and environment including natural systems, political economy, and cultural politics. Geography is a discipline which seeks to contribute to creating just societies and sustainable environments.
Geography is for people who are interested in exploring some of the following questions: Have we mismanaged the Australian landscape? Why is stream flow more variable in Australia than elsewhere? Why is biodiversity higher in some places than in others, and why is conservation of biodiversity important to us? Are famines made by drought or by people? Are we responsible for the have-nots of the world? Who has the power to make the urban landscape and why? How are women and migrants exploited in urban social spaces? What is cultural heritage and whose interests does it serve? Can Aboriginal land rights be resolved? Can developmental and environmental concerns co-exist?
In addition to the Major in Geography, the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies offers a Major in Environmental Studies and a Specialist Program in Environmental Studies. For further information see the entries in this Handbook titled Environmental Studies and Environmental Studies: Specialist Program. The Department of Geography and Environmental Studies also offers pathways for students who wish to gain privileged entry into either a Master of Urban Planning or Master of Landscape Architecture: see the entry in this Handbook under Planning and Design.
There are no prerequisites for first-year subjects in Geography.
The prerequisite for a second/third year subject in Geography is usually two first-year subjects in Geography (25 points). Students who have done suitable alternative first-year subjects are advised to consult with the Department for permission to enrol. Exemptions may also be granted where second/third-year subjects are taken as part of an approved interdepartmental program with its own entry requirements.
The prerequisite for a third/fourth year Geography subject is usually three second/third-year subjects in Geography (37.5 points).
A Major in Geography usually consists of nine 12.5 point subjects totalling 112.5 points. It comprises:
Two first-year subjects in Geography (25 points), and;
Second/third-year subjects in Geography totalling 87.5 points
It is recommended that students take at least one 25 point subject in their third year of study since these subjects incorporate fields of study which are regarded as an important component of training in the discipline.
Students wishing to complete a double Major in Geography would undertake 175 points of second/third-year subjects in Geography.
| Example courses | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1. For students wishing to specialise in physical geography | Semester | |
| At least four of: | ||
| 121-025 Biodiversity | 1 | |
| 121-029 Environmental Hydrology B | 1 | |
| 121-033 Environmental Hydrology A | 1 | |
| 121-018 Geomorphology | 2 | |
| 121-022 Urban Environments | 2 | |
| 121-030 Ecological Biogeography | 2 | |
| 121-031 Ecological Biogeography (Theory) | 2 | |
| 121-032 Australian Quaternary Environments | 2 | |
| 2. For students wishing to specialise in human geography | ||
| At least four of: | ||
| 121-015 Development and the Third World | 1 | |
| 121-016 Landscapes of Power: New Cultural Geographies | 1 | |
| 121-019 Urban Geography: The Post-Modern City | 1 | |
| 121-020 Australia and the Pacific Rim in a Global Economy | 1 | |
| 121-017 Society and Environments | 2 | |
| 121-028 Sustainable Development | 2 | |
| 121-036 China Field Class: Development and Environment in China | 2 | |
| 705-220 Urban Development in Asian Megacities | 2 | |
| 121-026 The Mobile World: Geographies of Migration and Tourism | 1 | |
The prerequisites for entry to fourth year Honours in Geography are:
Completion of all the requirements for the BA, and;
Completion of a Major in Geography, and;
An average grade of H2B or higher over the second/third-year subjects within the Major.
Students should note that the Department offers a pure Honours program only.
Students undertaking Pure Honours students in Geography must complete:
121-037 Geography Honours Thesis (50 points), and;
Four Honours subjects in Geography equivalent to 50 points.
or
121-037 Geography Honours Thesis (50 points), and;
121-040 Honours Coursework in Geography(50 points).
Part-time Honours students will complete 50 points of Honours coursework in the first year. In the second year of their part-time Honours course students will undertake 121-037 Geography Honours Thesis (50 points).
The Department of Geography and Environmental Studies provides students with information and skills relevant to thinking about the relationship between society and the environment. Few would doubt the contemporary relevance of this issue. Environmental considerations are an important and necessary component of doing business for almost all sectors of industry and government. This means that students who are skilled in this area are well equipped to enter the workforce.
Many students entering the workforce find little direct use for the particular knowledge they have acquired while doing their university degree. This is not the case for Geography students. The knowledge and skills that students learn when studying Geography are much sought after by employers of many kinds. About half of our graduates find their way into jobs which use the specific skills they learnt in Geography.
The skills this department provides which are so attractive to prospective employers include analytical and technical skills (in both the physical and social sciences), survey skills (physical and social science), writing and information synthesis, communication and group work skills, computing skills, and knowledge of social and environmental interactions
Previous students from the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies have found themselves in many different careers, in government, the private sector, retail and marketing, computing, teaching, human resources and public relations.
The Department of Geography and Environmental Studies
Old Commerce Building
The University of Melbourne
Parkville Victoria 3052
Tel: +61 3 9344 6339
Web: http://www.geography.unimelb.edu.au
121-010 Famine in the Modern World
121-011 Australia in Asia
121-012 Environmental Change
121-013 Global Ecology and Biogeography
121-014 Ecology for Engineers
121-015 Development and the Third World
121-016 Landscapes of Power: New Cultural Geographies
121-017 Society and Environments
121-018 Geomorphology
121-019 Urban Geography: The Post-Modern City
121-020 Australia and the Pacific Rim in a Global Economy
121-021 Environmental Politics and Management
121-022 Urban Environments
121-023 China in Transition
121-024 GIS and Remote Sensing in Geography
121-025 Biodiversity
121-026 The Mobile World: Geographies of Migration and Tourism
121-028 Sustainable Development
121-029 Environmental Hydrology B
121-030 Ecological Biogeography
121-031 Ecological Biogeography (Theory)
121-033 Environmental Hydrology A
121-035 Research Project in Geography and Environmental Studies (Advanced)
121-032 Australian Quaternary Environments
121-034 Field Class: Environmental Studies and Sustainable Development
121-036 China Field Class: Development and Environment in China
950-300 Environmental Management Systems
121-037 Geography Honours Thesis
121-038 GIS for Environmental Policy Making
121-040 Honours Coursework in Geography
121-041 Honours Coursework in Geography (mid-year entry)
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Status: Official 1999 Last Modified: Tuesday October 20 11:47 SGML to HTML Conversion: Information Technology Services Authorised by: Academic Registrar Email Enquiries: Course_Information@registrar.unimelb.edu.au