Development Geography

What is Development Geography?

Development geography is based upon an understanding that wealth is unequally distributed on this planet and that this has fundamental consequences for us all. Trying to understand the causes and consequences of this inequality often involves studying a combination of social, economic, historical, political and environmental factors. More specific foci include economic development, livelihoods, resource distribution, natural disasters, population change, and differing consumption, to name a few. Through such studies, development geographers also want to understand better the broad range of potential development options at the local, regional and global levels.
 

Overview of Development Geography at McGill

Development geography is one of the cornerstones of the Department of Geography at McGill. We offer undergraduate courses and graduate seminars with development foci on Africa, Latin America, Asia and Northern Québec. As well as these McGill located courses, we also teach a number of development related field-based courses spanning Eastern Africa, Barbados, and Panama. Development geography professors in the Department also contribute to the International Development Studies programme, and the School of the Environment at McGill, and students are encouraged to take courses in these to complement their studies in geography.

McGill Graduate students focusing upon development geography for their MA, MSc or PhD degrees complete fieldwork across the globe in developing regions from Sierra Leone to Peru , Northern Québec to Vietnam. They are supported by a range of funding options both external (such as SSHRC, IDRC, FQRSC ) and internal to the Department. Graduate students also have the potential to become graduate student fellows at the McGill Centre for Developing Area Studies .

The development geography professors in the Department have a broad range of complementary interests. These synergies generate a stimulating learning environment for students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. We foster critical perspectives on development and offer research training that is supported by our own active involvement in field research.

McGill Development Studies Option. This site provides information about a new graduate option at McGill, available within Geography.