Geography and environmental science - Faculty of Arts

Offered by the School of Geography and Environmental Science

Campus availability: Clayton, South Africa*

* NOTE: The sequence of units and units available differ between these two campuses. Please refer to the individual campus entries below.

Relevant courses

2442 Diploma in Arts (Geography and Environmental Science)
0002 Bachelor of Arts (and associated double degrees)
3910 Bachelor of Arts (Global)
0050 Bachelor of Science
2340 Bachelor of Environmental Science

The school's research and teaching program can be divided into five main thematic groups:

Physical geography focuses on the science of the environment and shares with other branches of the natural sciences an interest in the earth's atmosphere, vegetation cover and terrain. It encompasses biogeography, climatology, geomorphology, hydrology, Quaternary environments, earth systems interactions and soil analysis.
Human geography investigates the ways in which human communities occupy, use and modify spaces and places on the Earth. As well as their contribution to environmental management, human geographers focus on cultural, economic and political processes especially in urban and third world settings, and the study of globalisation is an important theme.
Environment and society is a third thematic group within the school focused on environmental policy and practice, the resolution of natural resource conflicts, and the application of sustainability strategies.
Geographic information science centres around the geo-spatial techniques used to analyse and manage the environment. Here, students learn to collect and handle digital spatial data, implement data integration procedures and develop spatial modelling. These techniques are applied to social and environmental issues such as sustainability and efficiency.
Australian Indigenous archaeology specialises in archaeological studies of Aboriginal Australia and Torres Strait.

Many geography units offer opportunities for field studies in different landscapes. These include day or weekend trips to study cities, coasts, alpine areas, soils, hydrology, climatology and meteorology, Australian Indigenous archaeology, tourism and environmental management. More extensive and lengthy excursions are also available. Specialist intensive study units examine Australian desert and prehistoric environments (landscape processes and prehistory), regional sustainability (in South Africa) and sustainable development (in the Italian Riviera). Basic laboratory techniques are also taught in selected physical geography and archaeology units.

Those proceeding into the fourth or honours year have the further opportunity to consolidate their understanding of an area (or areas) of specialisation, while pursuing a research topic under expert supervision. Computer techniques are considered highly relevant, from a minimum expectation of basic keyboarding to the integration of sophisticated analytical methods in later segments of the program. The school also supports specialist thematic mapping utilising Geographical Information Systems (GIS).

Year coordinators

Students seeking advice on their course programs or other academic matters are invited to approach the appropriate year coordinator. Year coordinators for 2009 will be:

First year: Dr Haripriva Rangan
Second year: Associate Professor Jason Beringer
Third year: Dr Stephen Legg
Fourth year: Dr Christian Kull

Clayton

Sequences

First year sequence

A first-year sequence consists of either GES1000* or GES1070 and either GES1020 or GES1050.

* Not offered from 2008.

Minor sequence

Students complete a standard minor chosen from the units below.

Major sequence

Students complete a standard major chosen from the units below.

Units

First-year level

GES1000 Natural environment and human impact*
GES1070 Natural hazards and human vulnerability
GES1020 Australian physical environments: Evolution, status and management
GES1050 The global challenge

Second/Third-year level

The second- and third-year syllabus permits students to select from a variety of systematic sub-disciplines. At third-year level, majoring students elect to enrol in one or more of the main systematic fields which are intended to challenge them with appropriate advanced material and to intensify their familiarity with the purpose and practice of original research work.

GES2130 Soils, land use and the environment
GES2160 Coastal geomorphology and management
GES2170 Biogeography - the status of Australian vegetation
GES2190 Climatology: Surface-atmosphere processes and interactions
GES2210 Environmental hydrology
GES2320 Tourism and the environment
GES2340 Cities and sustainability
GES2460 Environmental policy and management
GES2660 Power and poverty: Geographies of an uneven development
GES2750 Economic spaces and industrial landscapes**
GES2760 Place and the politics of identity
GES2860 Climate change and variability (previously GES3860 Climate change and variability)
GES3220 Tourism and the environment
GES3240 Cities and sustainability
GES3250 Environmental assessment and decision making
GES3260 Cultural landscape, environment and sustainability in Italy
GES3330 Field studies in regional sustainability (field-based unit; late January)
GES3350 Resource evaluation and management
GES3360 Soils, landscape and their management
GES3370 Applied environmental climatology
GES3420 Researching human environments
GES3470 Urbanisation and regional development in the Indo-Pacific rims
GES3520 Social space and urban justice
GES3530 Landscape processes (field-based unit, July break)
GES3550 Quaternary environments
GES3555 Environmental change: Past to future
GES3610 GIS Geographical information systems for business and social science applications
GES3750 Sharing prosperity: Geographies of work, regional development and economy
GES3810 Geographical information systems (GIS) for environmental management
GES3820 Geographical information systems (GIS) for environmental management
GES3850 The Australian atmospheric environment - a synoptic-scale approach**

* Not offered from 2008.

** Not offered from 2007.

South Africa

Sequences

First year sequence

A first-year sequence consists of GES1003 and GES1030.

Minor sequence

Students complete a standard minor chosen from the units below.

Major sequence

Students complete a standard major chosen from the units below.

Units

First-year level

Core

GES1003 Introduction to human geography
GES1030 Introduction to physical geography

Optional

GES1004 Techniques in geography and environmental science
GES1050 The global challenge

Second/Third-year level

GES2000 Research methods in geography and environmental science
GES2150 Coastal geomorphology and management*
GES2190 Climates of the earth boundary layer
GES2230/GES3230 Climatology
GES2240/GES3340 Geomorphology and soils
GES2250/GES3250 Environmental assessment and decision making
GES2340/GES3240 Cities and sustainability
GES2420/GES3320 Environmental policy and management
GES2660/GES3660 Power and poverty: Geographies of uneven development
GES2810/GES3810 Geographical information systems (GIS) for environmental management
GES2900/GES3900 The Southern African atmospheric environment: A synoptic approach

* Not offered from 2008.

Contact details

Enquiries (Clayton): Room S217, South Wing, Menzies building
Telephone +61 3 9905 2910
Email geography@arts.monash.edu.au
Visit http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/ges

Enquiries (South Africa): 144 Peter Road, Ruimsig, South Africa
Telephone +27 11 950 4009
Fax +27 11 950 4004
Email inquiries@monash.ac.za