Concentration in Climate and Environmental Change (Bachelor of Arts in Geography)

Students on Summer 2019, Fall 2019, or Spring 2020 requirements GEOGCLECON

View Degree MapA semester-by-semester path to completing degree and major requirements

Requirements

The concentration requires at least 15 credit hours (including at least 12 credit hours at the 300–499 level), including the requirements listed below.

Select from the following courses:
- GEOG-G 107 Physical Systems of the Environment
- GEOG-G 109 Weather and Climate
- GEOG-G 185 Environmental Change: The End of the World as We Know It?
- GEOG-G 304 Physical Meteorology and Climatology
- GEOG-G 307 Biogeography: The Distribution of Life
- GEOG-G 315 Environmental Conservation
- GEOG-G 329
- GEOG-G 341 Ecological Restoration: Science, Politics, and Ethics
- GEOG-G 347 Geographies of Resilience
- GEOG-G 349 Holocene Paleoclimate
- GEOG-G 350 Field Methods in Physical Geography
- GEOG-G 405 Ecological Climatology
- GEOG-G 407
- GEOG-G 444 Climate Change Impacts
- GEOG-G 449 Political Ecology
- GEOG-G 451 Physical Hydrology
- GEOG-G 452 Tree-Ring Science
- GEOG-G 461 Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change
- GEOG-G 467 Ecohydrology
- GEOG-G 478 Global Change, Food, and Farming Systems
- GEOG-X 473 Internship in Geographical Analysis (approved topics only; see academic advisor)
- GEOG-X 490 Undergraduate Readings and Research in Geography (approved topics only; see academic advisor)
- One (1) additional course from the Geographic Methods course list
GEOG-G 107 Physical Systems of the Environment
Credits
3
Prerequisites
None
Description
Explores the physical processes of the Earth—its weather, climate, landforms, oceans and ecosystems—and analyzes a range of environmental issues.
- Summer 2025CASE NMcourse
  
  Spring 2025CASE NMcourse
  
  Fall 2024CASE NMcourse
GEOG-G 109 Weather and Climate
Credits
3
Prerequisites
None
Description
What causes tornadoes, hurricanes, and other extreme weather? What is climate change and why is it occurring? Learn about weather, climate, and how they interact.
Repeatability
Credit given for only one of EAS-E 122, GEOG-G 109, or GEOL-G 122.
- Summer 2025CASE NMcourse
  
  Spring 2025CASE NMcourse
  
  Fall 2024CASE NMcourse
GEOG-G 185 Environmental Change: The End of the World as We Know It?
Credits
3
Prerequisites
None
Description
How has the global environment changed? How are we influencing Earth's natural processes, now and in the future? Learn about climate change, resource consumption, and land use change.
- Summer 2025CASE NMcourse
  
  Spring 2025CASE NMcourse
  
  Fall 2024CASE NMcourse
GEOG-G 304 Physical Meteorology and Climatology
Credits
3
Prerequisites
None
Description
Provides an introduction to the physical basis of Earth\'s atmosphere and climate system from global to local scales, emphasizing physical processes and properties. Analyzes surface energy and water balances in varied landscapes. Covers issues related to climate change.
Repeatability
Credit given for only one of GEOG-G 304, EAS-A 340, or GEOL-G 340.
- Summer 2025CASE NMcourse
  
  Spring 2025CASE NMcourse
  
  Fall 2024CASE NMcourse
GEOG-G 307 Biogeography: The Distribution of Life
Credits
3
Prerequisites
None
Description
A survey of the present and past distributions of the world's plants and animals, emphasizing ecological explanation of species distributions. Topics include evolution and distribution of major plant and animal groups, world vegetation, plant and animal domestication, introduction of plant and animal pests, destruction of natural communities, and extinction.
- Summer 2025CASE NMcourse
  
  Spring 2025CASE NMcourse
  
  Fall 2024CASE NMcourse
GEOG-G 315 Environmental Conservation
Credits
3
Prerequisites
None
Description
Explores the environmental impact of global population growth, natural resources utilization, and pollution. Examines current problems relating to energy consumption, farming practices, water use, resource development and deforestation from geologic and ecological perspectives. Strategies designed to avert predicted global catastrophe will be examined to determine success potential.
- Summer 2025CASE SHcourse
  
  Spring 2025CASE SHcourse
  
  Fall 2024CASE SHcourse
- Summer 2025CASE SLcourse
  
  Spring 2025CASE SLcourse
GEOG-G 341 Ecological Restoration: Science, Politics, and Ethics
Credits
3
Prerequisites
None
Description
Can humans restore ecosystems and undo the environmental harm they have caused? To what state/extent should ecosystems be restored? What drives the ecological restoration movement? Investigates the deeply interconnected history, philosophy, ecology, geomorphology, and political economy of restoration through readings, discussions, and fieldwork.
- Summer 2025CASE SHcourse
  
  Spring 2025CASE SHcourse
  
  Fall 2024CASE SHcourse
GEOG-G 347 Geographies of Resilience

Credits
3
Prerequisites
None
Description
The recent expansion of the concept of resilience into the policy realm has generated theoretical, methodological, and practical challenges. This course explores the theoretical foundations of resilience and its current use in guiding practitioners and policy makers. Emphasizes the work on social-ecological systems under global environmental change.

GEOG-G 349 Holocene Paleoclimate

Credits
3
Prerequisites
None
Description
Explores how and why the climate has fluctuated throughout Earth\'s history, the impacts of past climate change, and the implications for our future. Covers the tools and methods used in paleoclimatology including proxies (e.g., sediment core, tree rings, ice cores, etc.).
GEOG-G 350 Field Methods in Physical Geography
Credits
3
Prerequisites
None
Description
Use of instrumentation for the measurement, analysis, and interpretation of field data concerning features and processes of the natural environment. Field and laboratory equipment will be used for research projects and environmental monitoring. Practical application of biogeographic, climatological, and hydrological principles.
- Summer 2025CASE NMcourse
  
  Spring 2025CASE NMcourse
  
  Fall 2024CASE NMcourse
GEOG-G 405 Ecological Climatology
Credits
3
Prerequisites
None
Description
Surveys the relationship between climate and vegetation and explores the consequences of human impacts. Examines the role of climate on vegetation patterns, agricultural crops, and select ecosystems and in turn, the influence of vegetation on climate.
- Summer 2025CASE NMcourse
  
  Spring 2025CASE NMcourse
  
  Fall 2024CASE NMcourse
GEOG-G 444 Climate Change Impacts
Credits
3
Prerequisites
None
Description
Increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases are causing climate to change at an unprecedented rate. This course will explain how and why anthropogenic activity is causing climate to change, how this impacts society and options for adaptation and mitigation, plus the potential to reduce climate change through geoengineering.
- Summer 2025CASE NMcourse
  
  Spring 2025CASE NMcourse
  
  Fall 2024CASE NMcourse
GEOG-G 449 Political Ecology
Credits
3
Prerequisites
None
Description
An introduction to political ecology, an approach which focuses on the political-economic context of natural resource conflicts with particular attention to issues of equity, justice, and power. Covers the theoretical lineage of political ecology, its development over the last twenty years, and current hot topics in the field.
- Summer 2025CASE SHcourse
  
  Spring 2025CASE SHcourse
  
  Fall 2024CASE SHcourse
GEOG-G 451 Physical Hydrology
Credits
3
Prerequisites
None
Description
Introduction to hydrological processes occurring at multiple spatial and temporal scales. Principles of water resources such as infiltration, runoff, surface- and groundwater flow will be explored. Topics covered also include the environmental, economic, and social implications of floods, droughts, dams, and water usage as well as current and future issues in water quality, water pollution, and water-resource regulation.
- Summer 2025CASE NMcourse
  
  Spring 2025CASE NMcourse
  
  Fall 2024CASE NMcourse
GEOG-G 452 Tree-Ring Science

Credits
3
Prerequisites
None
Description
Examines the science of dendrochronology. Developing a scientific understanding of the information recorded by trees is essential to our quest to better understand natural and human processes.
GEOG-G 461 Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change
Credits
3
Prerequisites
None
Description
Introduction to global environmental change (GEC), focusing on the human causes and consequences of biophysical transformations of land systems. Emphasis on socioeconomic, political, institutional, and environmental dimensions of land change; tropical forests, grasslands, and urbanizing areas; international environmental regimes; spatial methodologies in GEC research, and integrated approaches.
- Summer 2025CASE SHcourse
  
  Spring 2025CASE SHcourse
  
  Fall 2024CASE SHcourse
GEOG-G 467 Ecohydrology
Credits
3
Prerequisites
Consent of instructor
Description
Introduces basic principles and concepts in forest ecohydrology, focusing on modeling perspectives. Examines processes and feedback among water, carbon, and nitrogen fluxes in application to water resources and forest management: control of climate, vegetation change, and disturbance regimes on hydrological and biogeochemical processes.
- Summer 2025CASE NMcourse
  
  Spring 2025CASE NMcourse
  
  Fall 2024CASE NMcourse
GEOG-G 478 Global Change, Food, and Farming Systems
Credits
3
Prerequisites
None
Description
Introduction to food production and consumption systems, emphasizing linkages to land use and social change on food/farming system sustainability. Topics include urbanization, population growth, and economic liberalization; farming livelihoods, gender, and poverty; biotechnology; agro-ecology, global health.
- Summer 2025CASE SHcourse
  
  Spring 2025CASE SHcourse
  
  Fall 2024CASE SHcourse
GEOG-X 473 Internship in Geographical Analysis

Credits
1–6 credit hours
Prerequisites
Consent of instructor
Notes
Maximum of 3 credit hours will count toward major
Description
Supervised field experience in geography, normally in conjunction with approved work at a government agency or private firm. Requires 45 hours of work per 1 credit hour.
Repeatability
May be repeated for a maximum of 6 credit hours in GEOG-X 274, GEOG-X 374, GEOG-X 473 and GEOG-X 474.
Grading
S/F grading.

GEOG-X 490 Undergraduate Readings and Research in Geography

Credits
1–3 credit hours
Prerequisites
Consent of instructor
Description
Individual readings and research in geography.
Repeatability
May be repeated for a maximum of 6 credit hours in GEOG-G 450 and GEOG-X 490.
Concentration GPA, Hours, and Minimum Grade Requirements.
1. At least 9 credit hours in the concentration must be completed at the 300–499 level.
2. Except for the GPA requirement, a grade of C- or higher is required for a course to count toward a requirement in the concentration.
3. A GPA of at least 2.000 for all courses taken in the concentration—including those where a grade lower than C- is earned—is required.
4. Exceptions to concentration requirements may be made with the approval of the department's Director of Undergraduate Studies, subject to final approval by the College of Arts and Sciences.