Offered By	ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences and ANU Colleges of Science
Academic Contact	Dr Bruce Doran

The geography program is an associate member of the College of Arts and Social Science. All undergraduate geography courses are available to Arts students (subject to prerequisites) and can be used to form an Arts major in either the Bachelor of Arts or BA's in combined programs.

Geography deals with human-environment interactions. Geography is about Earth's diversity, its resources, and humankind's survival on the planet. Geographers analyse the associations of things and events that give special character to particular places; the interconnections between different areas; and the working of complex systems through time. Geography is the only academic discipline in which an integrative perspective focusing on spatial relationships and processes is a fundamental concern. Geography takes an integrative approach to environmental problems and their solution, including the study of economic and social goals and processes that determine strategies of resource use and ecosystem management.

The importance of literacy and numeracy, graphical, verbal and analytical skills, and competence in report preparation and presentation, are stressed in the Program's educational objectives. The Program has a particular focus on the practical application of GIS and computational methods. Tutorials, laboratory work and field work are an integral part of most courses. Fieldwork usually involves weekend trips or a period of up to one week during the teaching breaks. Students will be expected to meet costs for meals, accommodation and some travel costs during fieldwork. Wherever practicable these costs are kept to a minimum by camping.

Requirements

This major will consist of a minimum of 42 units comprising:

(a) no more than 12 units from the list of designated first year (Group A) courses

(b) no more than 24 units from the list of designated Group B courses

(c) at least 18 units from the list of designated Group C courses

With the permission of the Head of School, the major may include the following courses in Population Studies: POPS2001 and POPS2002.

BA students may incorporate Geography courses in the following multi-disciplinary majors in the College of Arts & Socieal Science: Human Sciences, Population Studies, Development Studies, and Environmental Studies. Staff from Geography jointly administers the Population Studies program. A major in Human Sciences or Population Studies is a valuable complement to a major in Geography.

Students seeking advice on appropriate course structures are invited to consult staff in the Program.

The information published on the Study at ANU 2010 website applies to the 2010 academic year only. All information provided on this website replaces the information contained in the Study at ANU 2009 website.