Overview
GEOG 311 explores the people, institutions, and processes that shape urban places in Canada. This geographical overview of the development of Canada’s urban places covers diverse topics such as urban planning, urban policy, urban governance, societal relations with nature in urban places, economic restructuring, and housing. While GEOG 311 focuses specifically on urbanization in Canada, this focus is contextualized, considering global processes of economic, cultural, and social change that impact Canadian urban residents.
Objectives
When you have completed Geography 311: Canadian Urban Development, you should be able to
- describe the relationship between economy, politics, and geography in a historical period in Canadian urbanization.
- explain the relationship between globalization and urbanization.
- discuss the relationship between the institutional and political frameworks of urban policy, and outline the effects of those frameworks on urban policy-making.
- critically discuss the shift to increasingly entrepreneurial modes of urban governance.
- identify the actors in the urban planning process, and describe the role played by each.
- discuss the various impacts of global economic restructuring on Canadian cities and towns.
- identify how conflicting meanings of housing in capitalist society affects urban planning and urban policy.
- discuss the concept of urban space as a hybrid of nature and society.
Evaluation
To receive credit for GEOG 311, you must achieve a course composite grade of at least a D (50 percent), and you must achieve a minimum grade of at least 50 per cent on the final examination. The weighting of the composite grade is as follows:
| Activity | Weight |
| Assignment 1 | 15% |
| Assignment 2 | 25% |
| Assignment 3 | 35% |
| Final Exam | 25% |
| Total | 100% |
The final examination for this course must be requested in advance and written under the supervision of an AU-approved exam invigilator. Invigilators include either ProctorU or an approved in-person invigilation centre that can accommodate online exams. Students are responsible for payment of any invigilation fees. Information on exam request deadlines, invigilators, and other exam-related questions, can be found at the Exams and grades section of the Calendar.
To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University’s online Calendar.
Materials
The course materials include a course website, a print Reading File, online readings, a print Study Guide, and a CD-ROM (SimCity 4) that is used for one of the assignments.
Challenge for credit
Overview
The challenge for credit process allows you to demonstrate that you have acquired a command of the general subject matter, knowledge, intellectual and/or other skills that would normally be found in a university-level course.
Full information about challenge for credit can be found in the Undergraduate Calendar.
Evaluation
To receive credit for the GEOG 311 challenge registration, you must achieve an overall course grade of D (50 percent) or greater to pass.
| Activity | Weight |
| Assignment 1 | 25% |
| Assignment 2 | 35% |
| Exam | 40% |
| Total | 100% |
Challenge for credit course registration form