Richmond Home

Geography Major & Minor

The discipline of geography seeks to understand the transformation of the earth in relationship to both human and environmental processes and serves as a bridge between the natural and social sciences. Spatial theories (scale, location, place, and connectivity) allow geographers to critically analyze change in the cultural, physical and economic landscape.

Students find geography’s interdisciplinary nature combines well with other programs and fields of study such as international studies, environmental studies, biology and economics.

Geography Major

The Geography Major

Note: No grade below a C- (1.70) will be allowed for credit within the major.

10 units, including:

  • SUST-101 Introduction to Sustainability

  • GEOG-210 Planet Earth: People and Place

  • GEOG-250 Planet Earth: Wind, Water, Fire

  • GEOG-260 Introduction to Geographic Information Systems

  • DSST-189 Introduction to Statistical Modeling (or equivalent research methods course, with approval of department)

  • GEOG-401 Geography Capstone

  • Four units in electives, which must include an approved experiential learning component (internship, field work, study abroad). Three of the electives must be at the 300 level or higher.

Geography Minor

The Geography Minor

Note: No grade below a C- (1.70) will be allowed for credit within the minor.

Six units, including:

  • GEOG-210 Planet Earth: People and Place

  • GEOG-250 Planet Earth: Wind, Water, Fire

  • GEOG-260 Introduction to Geographic Information Systems

  • Three units of electives in geography, to include no more than one unit of GEOG-390 nor more than a half unit of GEOG-388.

Sustainability Minor

Sustainability Minor

The minor in Sustainability empowers students to shape a just and sustainable world through core concepts in (1) systems thinking, (2) justice, (3) sustainability knowledge, (4) integration, and (5) acting for positive change. The sustainability curriculum follows the structure of the Triple Bottom Line Approach (Society/Equity, Economy, Environment/Nature) and includes consideration of the impacts of our actions, personally and collectively, on others, as well as a sense of self-efficacy to work toward improving conditions that foster well-being of people and the environment now and into the future. Inherent in the sustainability worldview is an understanding of definitions of sustainability and the complexity of sustainability challenges across cultures.

Requirements

The minor in Sustainability requires 5 Units, plus an Acting for Positive Change Requirement with embedded reflection. Grade point average of coursework comprising the minor must be no less than 2.00, with no course grade below C- (1.70). Units include:

  • SUST-101 Introduction to Sustainability

  • GEOG-345 Global Sustainability: Society, Economy, Nature

  • 1 course in Economic Sustainability, chosen from:

    • ECON-211 Economic Development in Asia, Africa, and Latin America

    • ECON-230 Environmental Economics

    • ECON-234 Urban Economics

    • ECON-330 Environmental and Resource Economic Theory

    • MGMT-348 Environmental Management

    • MGMT-353 Sustainability and Accountability in Business

    • MKT-329 Sustainable Marketing

    • GEOG-370 Economic Geography and Globalization

  • 1 course in Environmental Sustainability, chosen from:

  • 1 course in Social Sustainability, chosen from:

Acting for Positive Change Requirement can be fulfilled through the following, with associated reflection approved and supervised by the Chair of the Department of Geography, Environment, and Sustainability:

  • Directed Research

  • Internship

  • Sustainability Study Abroad

 Electives in Economic, Environmental, and Social Sustainability cannot be double counted toward the Environmental Studies or Geography Majors or Minors.

Questions should be directed to the Chair of the Department of Geography, Environment, and Sustainability.