Human Geography
The Human Geography programs provide the opportunity to learn about the relations between landscapes, places, people and nature, and the spatial organization of human activities. While students are encouraged to explore the breadth of the discipline, we also identify courses by theme for students who wish to develop expertise in one or two subfields (e.g., urban geography, cultural and historical geography). The Human Geography programs appeal to students who wish to develop an integrative understanding of the cultural, economic, political and social forces that shape how people use and experience the environments they live in. These programs offer training in quantitative and qualitative research methods, including GIS and Remote Sensing.
Program Requirements: For the full list of course descriptions, please see the Faculty of Arts & Science Calendar.
Specialist Enrolment Requirements
This is a limited enrolment program. Students must have completed 4.0 credits and meet the requirements listed below to enrol.
Variable Minimum Grade
A minimum grade is needed for entry, and this minimum changes each year depending on available spaces and the number of applicants. The following courses must be completed:
- 0.5 credit in GGR courses at the 100- or 200-level, with a minimum grade of 75%, or
- 1.0 credit in GGR courses at the 100- or 200-level, with a minimum grade of 70%
To ensure that students admitted to the program will be successful, applicants with a final grade or grade average lower than the minimum grades stated above will not be considered for admission. Please note that obtaining this minimum final grade does not guarantee admission to the program. Jointly-offered GGR courses will also be considered (e.g. JEG, JGI, JGE).
Completion Requirements:
First Year Geography Courses: Any 2 courses (1.0 credit) from JEG100H1, GGR101H1, GGR107H1, GGR112H1, GGR124H1, GGR196H1, GGR197H1, GGR198H1, GGR199H1. 200/300-level GGR courses may also be used to meet this requirement. Contact the Undergraduate Administrator to update your program.
Physical and Environmental Geography Course: Any course (0.5 credit) not used to satisfy first year course requirement from JEG100H1, GGR101H1, GGR201H1, GGR203H1, GGR205H1, GGR206H1, GGR223H1
Methods Courses: All (1.5 credits) of GGR270H1, GGR271H1, GGR272H1
Regional Geography Course: Any course (0.5 credit) from GGR240H1, GGR246H1, GGR254H1, GGR341H1, GGR342H1, GGR343H1, GGR344H1
Fourth Year Courses: Any 2 (1.0 credit) 400 series GGR courses, at least one of which must be from Group E. Up to 0.5 credit can be used from GGR493Y1, based on suitability of placement for this program, and approved by department.
Applications: Any 11 courses (5.5 credits) from Group E; Up to 1.5 credits can be from Group F. Up to 1.0 credit can be used from GGR493Y1, based on suitability of placement for this program, and approved by department.
Note: At least 4.0 credits must be 300/400 series courses. Of these, at least 1.0 credit must be 400 series (includes Fourth Year Course requirement).
Total credits: 10.0
Major Enrolment Requirements
This is a limited enrolment program. Students must have completed 4.0 credits and meet the requirements listed below to enrol.
Variable Minimum Grade
A minimum grade is needed for entry, and this minimum changes each year depending on available spaces and the number of applicants. The following courses must be completed:
- 0.5 credit in GGR courses at the 100- or 200-level, with a minimum grade of 67%, or
- 1.0 credit in GGR courses at the 100- or 200-level, with a minimum grade of 63%
To ensure that students admitted to the program will be successful, applicants with a final grade or grade average lower than the minimum grades stated above will not be considered for admission. Please note that obtaining this minimum final grade does not guarantee admission to the program. Jointly-offered GGR courses will also be considered (e.g. JEG, JGI, JGE).
Completion Requirements:
First Year Geography Courses: Any two courses (1.0 credit) from JEG100H1, GGR101H1, GGR107H1, GGR112H1, GGR124H1, GGR196H1, GGR197H1, GGR198H1, GGR199H1. 200/300-level GGR courses may also be used to meet this requirement. Contact the Undergraduate Administrator to update your program.
Physical and Environmental Geography Course: Any course (0.5 credit) not used to satisfy first year course requirement from JEG100H1, GGR101H1, GGR201H1, GGR203H1, GGR205H1, GGR206H1, GGR223H1
Methods Courses: All (1.0 credit) of GGR270H1, GGR271H1
Regional Geography Course: Any course (0.5 credit) from GGR240H1, GGR246H1, GGR254H1, GGR341H1, GGR342H1, GGR343H1, GGR344H1
Fourth Year Course: Any course (0.5 credit) from 400 series courses from Group E.
Applications: Any 7 courses (3.5 credits) from Group E; Up to 1.0 credit can be from Group F. Up to 1.0 credit can be used from GGR493Y1, based on suitability of placement for this program, and approved by department.
Note: At least 2.0 credits must be 300/400 series courses. Of these, at least 0.5 must be 400 series (includes Fourth Year Course requirement).
Total credits: 7.0
Minor Enrolment Requirements
This is an open enrolment program. A student who has completed 4.0 credits may enrol in the program.
Completion Requirements:
(4.0 credits)
First Year Geography Courses: Any 2 courses (1.0 credit) from JEG100H1, GGR101H1, GGR107H1, GGR112H1, GGR124H1, GGR196H1, GGR197H1, GGR198H1, GGR199H1. 200/300-level GGR courses may also be used to meet this requirement. Contact the Undergraduate Administrator to update your program.
Applications: Any 6 courses (3.0 credits) from higher level GGR/JFG/JGE/JGI/JUG social science or humanities courses, including at least 1.0 credit at the 300/400-level. One course (0.5 credit) can be from Group F. Up to 1.0 credit can be used from GGR493Y1, based on suitability of placement for this program, and approved by department.
Human Geography Groups
Group E Optional courses for Human Geography:
- GGR216H1 Global Cities
- GGR217H1 Urban Landscapes and Planning
- GGR221H1 New Economic Spaces
- GGR223H1 Environment, Society and Resources
- GGR225H1 Power of Maps and Geographic Information
- GGR240H1 Geographies of Colonialism in North America
- GGR241H1 Geographies of Urban Social Exclusion
- GGR246H1 Geography of Canada
- GGR251H1 Geography of Innovation
- GGR252H1 Marketing Geography
- GGR254H1 Geography USA
- GGR272H1 Geographic Information and Mapping I
- GGR273H1 Geographic Information and Mapping II
- GGR299Y1 Research Opportunity Program
- GGR314H1 Global Warming
- GGR320H1 Geographies of Transnationalism, Migration, and Gender
- GGR324H1 Spatial Political Economy
- GGR326H1 Remaking the Global Economy
- GGR327H1 Geography and Gender
- GGR328H1 Labour Geographies
- GGR329H1 The Global Food System
- GGR332H1 Social Geographies of Climate Change
- GGR334H1 Water Resource Management
- GGR336H1 Urban Historical Geography of North America
- GGR338H1 Environmental Issues in the Global South
- GGR339H1 Urban Geography, Planning and Political Processes
- GGR340H1 Health Geography
- GGR341H1 Changing Geography of Latin America
- GGR342H1 The Changing Geography of Southeast Asia
- GGR343H1 The Changing Geography of China
- GGR344H1 Political Economy of Germany and the EU
- GGR349H1 Managing Urban Natures
- GGR352H1 Understanding Spatiality
- GGR354H1 Infrastructure
- GGR357H1 Housing and Community Development
- GGR359H1 Comparative Urban Policy
- GGR360H1 Culture, History, and Landscape
- GGR363H1 Critical Geographies: An Introduction to Radical Ideas on Space, Society and Culture
- GGR372H1 GIS for Public Health
- GGR373H1 Advanced Geographic Information Systems
- GGR374H1 Urban Dynamics
- GGR382H1 Field Course in Human Geography
- GGR386H1 Special Topics in Geographic Information Systems
- GGR387H1 Special Topics in Environmental Geography
- GGR389H1 Special Topics in Human Geography
- GGR400H1 Special Topics in Geography I
- GGR416H1 Environmental Impact Assessment
- GGR418H1 Political Economy of Natural Resources
- GGR419H1 Environmental Justice
- GGR420H1 Critical Development Geography
- GGR421H1 Histories of Geographical Thought
- GGR424H1 Transportation Geography and Planning
- GGR429H1 Innovation and Governance
- GGR430H1 Geographies of Markets
- GGR431H1 Regional Dynamics
- GGR433H1 Built Environment and Health
- GGR434H1 Building Community Resilience
- GGR438H1 Environment and Development
- GGR452H1 Space, Power, Geography: Understanding Spatiality
- GGR456H1 Entanglements of Power: Race, Sexuality and the City
- GGR457H1 The Post-War Suburbs
- GGR458H1 Selected Topics in Urban Geography
- GGR460H1 Global Cities, Urban Planning, Critical Theory
- GGR462H1 GIS Research Project
- GGR472H1 Developing Web Maps
- GGR481H1 Field Course in Environmental Geography
- GGR482H1 Toronto Field Course
- GGR491Y1 Research Project
- GGR492H1 Senior Practicum
- GGR496H1 Independent Research
- GGR497H1 Independent Research
- GGR499H1 Independent Research
- JGE321H1 Multicultural Perspectives on Environmental Management
- JGE331H1 Resource and Environmental Theory
- JIG322H1 Indigenous Worlds, Worldviews and the Environment
- JIG440H1 Indigenous Geographies
- JUG320H1 The Canadian Wilderness
- JUG325H1 Landscapes of Violence in Canada
- JGI216H1 Globalization and Urban Change
- JGI346H1 The Urban Planning Process
- JGI454H1 The Role of the Planner: Making a Difference
Group F (Optional science courses)
- GGR201H1 Geomorphology
- GGR203H1 Introduction to Climatology
- GGR205H1 Introduction to Soil Science
- GGR206H1 Introduction to Hydrology
- GGR301H1 Fluvial Geomorphology
- GGR305H1 Biogeography
- GGR308H1 Canadian Arctic and Subarctic Environments
- GGR310H1 Bioenergy from Sustainable Forest Management
- FOR310H1 Bioenergy from Sustainable Forest Management
- GGR337H1 Environmental Remote Sensing
- GGR347H1 Efficient Use of Energy
- GGR348H1 Carbon-Free Energy
- GGR388H1 Special Topics in Physical & Environmental Geography
- GGR401H1 Special Topics in Geography II
- GGR405H1 Sustainable Systems for Natural Resources Management
- GGR406H1 Geomorphology and the Anthropocene
- GGR413H1 Watershed Hydroecology
- GGR414H1 Advanced Remote Sensing
- GGR498H1 Independent Research