Introduction to Geography

Geography has been taught since the college's founding; in 1930 the combined department was created, with separate majors in each discipline. Currently, the department consists of three geographers and six geologists. Geography courses serve as a core for the International Relations major and the department cooperates closely with interdisciplinary programs in Environmental Studies, African Studies, American Studies, Asian Studies and Women Studies. Faculty in Geology have active research programs which take them and their students to eastern Canada, Africa, Alaska, Mexico, the American Southwest, and the Canadian Rocky Mountains and Arctic. The Connecticut Valley is a prime location for field trips which are a critical component of our program. The department is a USGS and AMS depository; the Williston Memorial Library contains more than 525,000 books and 1,850 periodicals; and students are able to access the Five College library system from department computers.

We are all born with an inherent curiosity about the world around us, but it remains for geographers to channel this innate intellectual curiosity into systematic and disciplined methods for studying people and their environments. Geography at Mount Holyoke College is approached as an essential component of the liberal arts experience, and serves as a bridge to the natural sciences. The geography major allows students to explore the connections between the physical and cultural worlds while exploring the many different areas encompassed by the field. Physical geographers study the world's climates, vegetation, soils, and landforms. Among the many issues physical geographers explore are global warming, watershed management, coastal zone planning, management of natural resources, and deforestation. Economic, Social, and Political geographers describe and interpret the patterns of human life and work, focusing on such issues as the abandonment of agricultural land, the increasing density of human settlement, food production in relation to population growth, pollution, and territorial boundary disputes. While most geographic specialties address contemporary phenomena, historical geography provides us with new insights by reconstructing geographies of the past. A growing number of geographers are going beyond the field's traditional boundaries to usethe techniques of spatial analysis to assist in regional planning, and in resource management. At Mount Holyoke, students may pursue a program of study that allows them to explore the full range of issues addressed by the discipline. A variety of course offerings allows students to balance regional and systematic approaches to geography.