University of Montana Catalog

Introduction to Geography

Rule: Must complete all of the following courses:

	Course	Credits
	GPHY 111N - Intro to Physical Geography Offered autumn and spring. Introduction to the earth’s major natural environmental systems, their spatial distribution and interrelationships, including weather and climate, vegetation and ecosystems, soils, landforms, and earth-surface processes.	3 Credits
	GPHY 112N - Intro to Phys Geography Lab Offered autumn and spring. Prereq. or coreq., GPHY 111. Introduction to concepts and techniques needed to understand and analyze the information contained in various types of maps, graphs, aerial photos, imagery, and other graphics and geographic data sets. This is prerequisite to GPHY 385.	1 Credits
	GPHY 121S - Human Geography Offered autumn and spring. Introduction to Human Geography focuses upon the linkages between geography and society including analysis of regions, ethnic groups, urban landscapes, migration and population change, geopolitics, economics, and cultural differences.	3 Credits
Minimum Required Grade: C-		7 Total Credits Required

Regional Geography Course

Rule: Must complete at least 1 of the following courses

	Course	Credits
	GPHY 141S - Geography of World Regions Offered autumn. An overall view of how the lands and peoples of the world are organized into coherent geographical regions, how landscapes differ from region to region, and how the people differ in terms of their traits, beliefs, ways of life, and economic livelihood.	3 Credits
	GPHY 144 - Montana's Mountains Consent of Instructor. A field-based course offered during winter session in the winter splendor of the North Fork of the Flathead River and Glacier National Park. Topics addressed include physical geography, geology, winter ecology, national park management, environmental history, and the changing economy of the region.	3 Credits
	GPHY 241 - Montana Offered autumn. The physical, cultural, economic, political, and historical geography of the state including Montana’s mountains and the prairies.	3 Credits
	GPHY 243X - Africa Offered intermittently. A survey of the biophysical and cultural geography of Sub-Saharan Africa. Emphasis is on the region's cultural-historical development and current ecological, demographic, and economic patterns.	3 Credits
	GPHY 245X - The Middle East Offered intermittently. A survey of the biophysical and cultural geography of Southwest Asia and North Africa. Emphasis on environmental change; rehistory; patterns of cultural and historical change; issues of socio-economic, religious, and political diversity; and the broader political significance of the region.	3 Credits
	GPHY 342 - North America Offered intermittently. Physiographic regions of North America; highlights of historical geography blended with physical and cultural aspects of the continent. Lesser known places are explored.	3 Credits
	GPHY 344 - Crown of the Continent Offered autumn. The study of the geographical setting of the Crown of the Continent of North America, including the richness of physical geography, history, culture, and models of conservation. Examines ongoing research initiatives, impacts of climate change, regional transformations, and the relationship between people and this mountainous environment.	3 Credits
	GPHY 347 - Regional Geography (Mult Reg) (R-9) Offered intermittently. Selected regions will be listed as appropriate in each Class Schedule.	3 Credits
	GPHY 348 - Field Studies in Geography (R-12) Offered autumn and spring. Through extended backcountry travel, experiential examination of regional landforms, climate, hydrology, soils, and patterns of vegetation and wildlife. Local landscapes, natural-resource endowment, and societies with particular emphasis on human-environmental interaction. Geographical skills and techniques, including map reading and navigational skills. Offered by the Wild Rockies Field Institute as part of a semester-long, 12-credit field experience with corequisite courses in allied fields.	3 Credits
	GPHY 442 - Regionalism & Rocky Mtn West Offered intermittently. Same as HSTA 462. Investigation of regionalism as a concept and its future in the Rocky Mountain West. Regionalism as a geographical, economic, political, and cultural entity.	3 Credits
	GPHY 444 - High Asia Offered intermittently. A study of the geography and mountain-society interactions in High Asia. The course includes attention to the theory and methodology of mountain geography, with attention to physical and human systems and their interaction.	3 Credits
	GPHY 445 - Regional Geography Offered intermittently. In-depth treatment of a geographic region, a particular regional problem, or the methodology of regional geography. Topics vary.	3 Credits
Minimum Required Grade: C-		3 Total Credits Required

Geographic Methods

Rule: Must complete all of the following courses

	Course	Credits
	GPHY 284 - Intro to GIS and Cartography Offered every term. Open to sophomores or juniors or with Consent of Instructor. This course is designed as a practical introduction to the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for storing, retrieving, analyzing and displaying spatial data. It will also cover the history of cartography and the conventions of the modern map-making process.	3 Credits
	GPHY 385 - Field Techniques Offered autumn and intermittently in spring. Prereq., GPHY 112 or Consent of Instructor. Field techniques used by geographers and planners in making field observations and in collecting data.	3 Credits
Minimum Required Grade: C-		6 Total Credits Required

Upper Division Systematic Geography

Rule: Must complete the following subcategories of courses

Minimum Required Grade: C-

9 Total Credits Required

Physical Geography

Rule: Must complete at least 1 of the following courses

Note: These courses simultaneously count towards the Upper Division Systematic Geography-Physical Geography and the Physical Geography Option core (see below).

	Course	Credits
	ERTH 303N - Weather and Climate Offered spring. Origin, composition, structure, and dynamics of the atmosphere, gas and radiation laws, energy budget and balance, weather elements, North American weather systems, and climate change. To succeed in this course students should have comfort with basic algebra.	3 Credits
	GPHY 311N - Biogeography Offered intermittently. Changing patterns of plant and animal distributions in space and time. Combination of historical and ecological approaches to biological species and communities. Study of external causes of plant and animal distributions, especially climatic change and human impacts.	3 Credits
	GPHY 314 - Global Mountain Environments Offered autumn. The study of mountain environments and their physical processes around the globe: Andes, Appalachians, East African Mountains, European Alps, Hindu Kush-Himalaya-Karakoram, Pamir, Rocky Mountains, Southern Alps of New Zealand, Tien Shan, and others. Topics include mountain building, alpine glaciers, mountain geomorphology and climatology, mountain watersheds, mountain biogeography, and mountain hazards such as earthquakes and mass movements.	3 Credits
	GPHY 317 - Geomorphology Offered intermittently. Prereq., GPHY 111N or GEO 101N. Important landforms and landscapes, their biophysical processes, and their formative elements.	3 Credits
	GPHY 438 - Mountain Field Study (R-6) Upper-division or graduate standing and consent of instructor. Examination of aspects of the study of mountain geography through a two-week field course based in a mountainous country and/or region. Possible areas of focus include, but are not limited to, the Northern Rocky Mountains, the Alps, the Himalaya, and the Andes.	3 Credits
	GPHY 525 - Adv Physical Geography .(R-9) Offered intermittently. Advanced topics in climate and global change, paleo-environments and biogeography, landform analysis, soils, and other selected topics. Topic titles will appear in the Class Schedule.	3 Credits
Minimum Required Grade: C-		3 Total Credits Required

Geography and Society

Rule: Must complete at least 1 of the following:

	Course	Credits
	GPHY 323S - Econ. Geog. of Rural Areas Offered spring odd-numbered years. Study of the location of economic activities, including agriculture, industry, and services. Focus on the changing nature of rural areas.	3 Credits
	GPHY 421 - Sustainable Cities Offered spring even-numbered years. Prereq., upper-division or graduate standing. A discussion of sustainability efforts in cities around the world. Topics include, for example, urban sprawl and smart growth, alternative energy, public transportation, integrated waste management, integrated water management, green architecture, and urban agriculture.	3 Credits
	GPHY 434 - Food and Famine Offered intermittently. Exploration of the production, distribution, and consumption of food; the causes and consequences of hunger; and measures that might be taken to relieve hunger.	3 Credits
	GPHY 443 - Cultural & Global Competence Offered intermittently. Prereq., upper-division or graduate standing. Designed to increase awareness of student’s own culture and increase cross-cultural sensitivity. Understanding the perspectives of other cultures and resolving possible conflicts. Examination of the role of perception, belief systems, social structures, and culture practices.	3 Credits
	GPHY 515 - Adv Human Geography (R-9) Offered intermittently. Advanced topics in cultural and historical geography, gender issues, migration and population change, economic geography, urban and settlement geography, and other selected topics. Topic titles will appear in the Class Schedule.	3 Credits
Minimum Required Grade: C-		3 Total Credits Required

Human Environment Interaction

Rule: Must complete at least 1 of the following:

	Course	Credits
	GPHY 335 - Water Policy Offered autumn. Prereq., WRIT 101 or WRIT 201, and one Approved Writing Course. Exploration of water resources issues facing the public, resource managers, and water users in the western United States today. Examines concepts, terms, and regulatory environment which provide the foundation for modern water management and policy.	3 Credits
	GPHY 336 - Exploration & Discovery Offered intermittently. Emphasis on the evidence of language, genetics, material culture, and transoceanic plant and animal exchanges in assessing mobility and population distributions in prehistory; factors that motivate exploration; the history of navigation; the impacts of exploration upon science, society, economics, and government.	3 Credits
	GPHY 338 - Mountains and Society Offered spring. Physical and cultural aspects of the mountains of North and South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. Emphasis on combining the physical landscape with an overview of the indigenous people who inhabit the worlds’ heights.	3 Credits
	GPHY 432 - Human Role Environ Change Offered intermittently. A systematic examination of the ways in which the major physical systems and ecosystems of the earth have been modified by human activity, and approaches to the rehabilitation of these systems.	3 Credits
	GPHY 433 - Cultural Ecology Offered spring. Prereq., WRIT 101 or WRIT 201 and one Approved Writing Course.or consent of instructor. Examines issues related to culture and the natural environment. Topics include cultural origins and diversity, geography of religion, geolinguistics, plant and animal domestication, livelihood systems, folk and popular culture, ethnic geography, political patterns, demography, industries, urban genesis, and the transformation of environmental systems.	3 Credits
Minimum Required Grade: C-		3 Total Credits Required

Capstone

Rule: Seniors must complete the following course

Note: Seniors must enroll in GPHY 400 in fall, attend GPHY 500 in fall, and complete course requirements in spring.

	Course	Credits
	GPHY 400 - Geography Capstone Offered autumn. Prereq.,Senior standing. Exploration of current research, projects, and programs of geographers and scientists/practitioners in allied disciplines and fields, and preparation of a professional portfolio. Student preparation for post-graduate professional and academic careers is emphasized.	1 Credits
Minimum Required Grade: C-		1 Total Credits Required

Upper Division Writing

Rule: Must complete 1 of the following courses

Note: GPHY 335 will also count toward the upper division core requirements
GPHY 499 will also count toward upper division elective credits.
Other science-based writing courses (e.g. GEO 320, GEO 499, BIOO 470, BIOO 475) may be approved by the advisor.

	Course	Credits
	GPHY 335 - Water Policy Offered autumn. Prereq., WRIT 101 or WRIT 201, and one Approved Writing Course. Exploration of water resources issues facing the public, resource managers, and water users in the western United States today. Examines concepts, terms, and regulatory environment which provide the foundation for modern water management and policy.	3 Credits
	GPHY 499 - senior thesis / capstone (R-6) Offered autumn and spring. Senior standing and consent of instructor. Independent research project in any geographical topic supervised by a faculty member, and leading to completion of the baccalaureate degree.	3 Credits
Minimum Required Grade: C-		3 Total Credits Required