Geography Department Learning Goals

By the time they graduate, Geography majors will be able to:
  1. Understand, use, and articulate concepts that are fundamental to a geographical perspective, such as scale, region, location, place, distance, and connectivity. [Concepts]
  2. Critically examine a range of thematic problems; pose and evaluate geographic questions within a range of epistemological frameworks.[Frameworks and Problems]
  3. Develop and use basic geographic skills such as map reading and analysis, landscape interpretation, and regional synthesis; interpret and evaluate different forms of geographic evidence such as maps, landscapes, images, and location/place based data. [Skills and Evaluation]
  4. Select and implement geographic methods that are appropriate to answer given questions; analyze quantitative and qualitative information to answer those questions; effectively tell the story visually, verbally, in writing and through maps. [Synthesis and Application]
  5. Design and carry out independent geographic research that demonstrates an understanding of how geographers ask questions, collect evidence, use methods, and contextualize their investigation and findings in relation to philosophical and theoretical frameworks. [Independent Inquiry]


Department of Geography

McCardell Bicentennial Hall
287 Bicentennial Way
Middlebury College
Middlebury, VT 05753