Geography

1.1. Overview

The study of geography develops the students’ concept of the earth as an integrated whole and their understanding of different processes in nature and society, as well as the spatial distribution and interdependence of these processes. The focus is on learning the interaction between the environment and human activities for sustainable development. The environment is understood in its broadest sense, encompassing the physical, chemical, biological, and built environments. In studying geography, the students develop a sustainable way of life whilst promoting attitudes that value both natural and cultural diversity and active participation in solving global problems. Thus, students are trained in the various sub-fields of Geography in particular and environmental sciences in general to understand, exploit and manage their environment in a sustainable way. Core concepts in geography include place, space, landscape, systems thinking and sustainable development. The students also acquire different skills that are becoming more and more valuable in the global village.

1.2 Philosophy

The philosophy of the B.Sc. Geography programme is to equip the students with theoretical and practical knowledge to understand the interrelationships among the physical, chemical, biological and human realms of the environment so that they can make effective contributions to the development of Nigeria, Africa and the global community.

1.3 Objectives

1. To describe the earth’s physical, chemical, biological and human
   environments and their interrelationships;
2. To interpret geographic concepts, theories, problems and methods so that they can apply such knowledge in solving human problems;
3. To identify careers in areas like Geographic Information System, surveying, Urban and rural planning; environmental impact assessment; environmental management; climate change. Such skills will equip geography graduates to fit into many areas in both the public and private sectors of the economy;
4. To apply geographical concepts to different socio-cultural contexts;
5. To cultivate the ability to apply their geographical knowledge and skills to the understanding and solution of societal problems in Nigeria and elsewhere; and
6. To develop a range of useful skills and competencies for public, private or self-employment.

1.4 Unique features of the programme

1. interpretation of data using Remote sensing and Geographic Information System;
2. classification, analyses and interpretation of Maps;
3. understanding the science of, environment problems and how to sustainably manage them;
4. clear understanding of climate science, climate change and its global impacts; and
5. demonstration on how to deploy entrepreneurial skills in managing the environment.

1.5 Employability skills

A graduate of Geography at the bachelor’s honor’s level should have the following employability skill:

1. mathematical competence and basic competencies in science and technology;
2. digital competence in computer and GIS;
3. analytical skills to interpret the complex environment we live in
4. social and civic competences;
5. effective communication;
6. sense of initiative and entrepreneurship; and
7. cultural awareness and expression

1.6 21st century skills emphasized

1. Critical thinking, problem solving, reasoning, analysis, interpretation, synthesizing information.
2. Research skills and practices, interrogative questioning.
3. Creativity, artistry, curiosity, imagination, innovation, personal expression.
4. Perseverance, self-direction, planning, self-discipline, adaptability, initiative.
5. Oral and written communication, public speaking and presenting, listening.
6. Leadership, teamwork, collaboration, cooperation, facility in using virtual workspaces.
7. Information and communication technology (ICT) literacy, media and internet literacy, data interpretation and analysis, computer programming.

1.7 Admission and Graduation Requirements

1.7.1 Admission requirements:

Admission into the geography programme may be through any of the following modes:

1.7.1.1 Four (4) year degree admission:

In addition to acceptable scores in UTME, candidates must have obtained five Senior Secondary Certificate (SSC) credit passes which must include Mathematics, English Language and Geography and any two from literature, History, Languages, CRK/IRK, Economics, Government, Biology, Agricultural Science and Chemistry, in not more than two (2) sittings, to be admitted into the programme.

1.7.1.2 Direct Entry Admission:

Direct Entry applicants for admission into the B.Sc. Geography degree programme shall possess at least five credits in GCE, ‘O’ Level, SSCE, NECO. The credits at ‘O’ level must include Geography, English Language and Mathematics and any other two from science or social sciences or both. In addition, DE candidates shall possess a pass at ‘A’ level, GCE or IJMB or ND in Geography or its equivalent at least with upper credit and NCE in Geography or equivalent with at least Merit level.

HND applicants from relevant disciplines such as Surveying and Geo- informatics, Cartography, Estate Management, Town Planning, Architecture, and Environmental Sciences will also be considered for admission provided they satisfied the requirements above. This is applicable to only five-year programme
1.7.2 Graduation requirements
Total minimum credit required for graduation is 120 and 90 for students admitted through UTME and Direct Entry admissions respectively. In order to graduate, a student should pass all compulsory courses. One semester will normally be devoted to Student’s Industrial Training (SIWES)

1. describe the earth’s physical, chemical, biological and human
   environments and their interrelationships;
2. interpret geographic concepts, theories, problems and methods so that they can apply such knowledge in solving human problems;
3. apply geographical concepts to different socio-cultural contexts;
4. cultivate the ability to apply their geographical knowledge and skills to the understanding and solution of societal problems in Nigeria and elsewhere; and
5. develop a range of useful skills and competencies for public, private or self-employment.

1.8 List of Courses

100 LEVEL COURSES

FIRST SEMESTER
Max. 24 credits, 15 – core
Core Courses
1 GEO 101 Introduction to Physical Geography 2
2 GEO 103 Introduction to Practical Geography 2
3 GEO 105 Introduction to Environmental Science 2
4 MTH 101 Elementary Mathematics 3
5 GST 111 Communication in English 2
6 GEO 107 Geography and Development of Abuja FCT 2
7 GEO 109 Evolution of Geography in Nigeria 2
Elective Courses
1 SVG 101 Introduction to Surveying & Geoinformatics 2
2 URP 101 History of Town Planning 2
3 ECN 101 Principles of Economics I 3
4 BIO 101 General Biology I 2
5 STA 101 Introduction to Statistics 2

SECOND SEMESTER COURSES
Max. 24 credits, 17 – core
Core Courses
1 GEO 102 Introduction to Human Geography II 2
2 GEO 104 Introduction to Physical Geography II 2
3 GEO 106 Local Field Studies I 2
4 GEO 108 Map Analysis 3
5 GST 112 Nigerian Peoples and Culture 2
6 MTH 102 Elementary Mathematics II 3
7 GST 101B Use of English II 1
8 GST 102 Introduction to Philosophy 2
Elective Courses
1 EVM102 Introduction to Natural Environment 2
2 GST 104 Science and Society 2
3 GST 122 Use of Library 1
4 ECN 102 Principles of Economics II 3
5 BIO 102 General Biology II 4

200 LEVEL COURSES

FIRST SEMESTER
Max. 24 credits, 18 – core
Core Courses
1 GEO 201 Introduction to Geomorphology and Soils 2
2 GEO 203 Spatial Organization of Society 2
3 GEO 205 Field Course 3
4 ENT 211 Entrepreneurship and Innovation 3
5 GEO 207 Elementary Land Surveying 2
6 GEO 209 Elementary Statistics for Geographers I 2
7 GEO 211 Introduction to field data collection in Geography 2
8 GEO 216 Introduction to Rural Geography and Development 2
Elective Courses
1 SOS 211 Introduction to Soil Science 2
2 EVM 201 Natural Ecosystems 3
3 EVM 203 Economics of Environmental Management 3
4 URP 203 Planning Principle and Practice 2

SECOND SEMESTER COURSES
Max. 24 credits, 18 – core
Core Courses
1 GEO 202 Introduction to Climatology and Biogeography 2
2 GEO 204 Introduction to Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System 2
3 GEO 204 Introduction to Population Geography 2
4 GEO 206 Settlement Geography 2
5 GEO 210 Elementary Statistics for Geographers II 2
6 GEO 212 Introduction to Climatology and Climate Science 3
7 GEO 214 Introduction to Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 2
8 GST 222 Peace and Conflict Resolution 2
Elective Courses
1 SOS 222 Introduction to Soil and Water Management 2
2 EVM 204 Environmental Problems 2
3 EVM 206 Introduction to Valuation 2
4 EVM 208 Environmental Psychology and Perception 2

300 LEVEL COURSES

FIRST SEMESTER
Max. 24 credits, 18 – core
Core Courses
1 GEO 301 History of Geographic Thought 2
2 GEO 303 Science of Climate Change 2
3 GEO 305 Research Methods I 2
4 GEO 307 Quantitative Techniques in Geography 2
5 GEO 309 Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) 6
6 GEO 311 Population and Environment 2
7 GEO 313 Economic Geography 2
Elective Courses
1 GEO 317 Soil Geography 2
2 ENV 307 Land Degradation and Rehabilitation 2
3 ENV 315 Energy and Environment 2

SECOND SEMESTER COURSES
Max. 24 credits, 18 – core
Core Courses
1 GEO 302 Geomorphology 2
2 GEO 304 Biogeography 2
3 GEO 306 Field Course 2
4 GEO 308 Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System I 2
5 GEO 312 Hydrology 2
6 GEO 314 Urban Geography 2
7 GEO 316 Agricultural Geography 2
8 GEO 318 Land Evaluation 2
9 GEO 320 Geography of Africa 2
Elective Courses
1 GEO 322 Ecosystem services 2
2 GEO 324 Environmental Pollution and Contamination 2
3 GEO 326 Drought and Desertification 2
4 GEO 328 Management of Demographic Change 2

400 LEVEL COURSES

FIRST SEMESTER
Max. 24 credits, 15 – core
Core Courses
1 GEO 401 Systematic Geography of Nigeria 2
2 GEO 403 Research Methods II 2
3 GEO 405 Project 6
4 GEO 407 Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System II 3
5 GEO 409 Agriculture, Ecosystem and Environment 2
Elective Courses
Physical Geography Options
1 GEO 411 Tropical Geomorphology 3
2 GEO 413 Applied Geomorphology 3
3 GEO 415 Climate Change Modelling 3
4 GEO 417 Soil Use and Management 3
Human Geography Option
1 GEO 413 Transport Geography 3
2 GEO 417 Political Geography 3
3 GEO 419 The Developing World 3
4 GEO 421 Demography 3
Applied Geography Options
1 GEO 423 Water Resources Management 3
2 GEO 425 Urban Planning 3
3 GEO 427 Advanced Land Surveying 3
4 GEO 429 Housing Studies 3

SECOND SEMESTER
Max. 24 credits, 06 – core
Core Courses
1 GEO 402 Contemporary Philosophy and Methodology in Geography 2
2 GEO 404 Quantitative Techniques in
Geography II 2
3 GEO 406 Applied Climatology 2
Elective Courses
Physical Geography Options
1 GEO 408 Fluvial Geomorphology 3
2 GEO 410 Tropical Climatology 3
3 GEO 412 Micro Climatology 3
4 GEO 414 Vegetation and Ecosystem 3
Human Geography Option
1 GEO 414 Industrial Geography 3
2 GEO 416 Social Geography 3
3 GEO 418 Medical Geography 3
4 GEO 420 The Developed World 3
Applied Geography Options
1 GEO 422 Environmental Management 3
2 GEO 424 Regional Planning 3
3 GEO 426 Photogrammetry 3
4 GEO 428 Advanced Cartography 3

1.9 Course Contents with Learning Outcomes

The course contents below are for the courses that have been indigenously developed by the Department to make up the Balance of the 30% of CCMAS for B.Sc. Geography Programme, in line with the requirements of the CCMAS document.

100 LEVEL COURSES

GEO 107: Geography and Development of the FCT (2CU)

a. Learning Outcomes:

At the end of this course, students should be able to;

1. Explain the meaning of institutional economics and the difference between formal and informal institutions.
2. List the characteristics of formal and informal institutions.
3. Evaluate the role of institutions in the predictive efficacy of economic theory.
4. Determine the effect of institutions on the transaction cost of economic activity.
5. Analyze the effect of institutions on economic performance.

b. Course Content:

1. Conceptual issues (region, territory, geography, development, etc.)
2. Background to the creation of the FCT
3. Size and geographical location.
4. Human elements of the landscape
5. Environmental resources
6. Commercial, industrial, and service activities
7. Indigenous populations and traditional socio-spatial systems
8. Development patterns and processes
9. Administrative and institutional structures
10. The FCT master plan and challenges associated with it

GEO 109: Evolution of Geography in Nigeria

a. Learning Outcomes:

At the end of this course, students should be able to

1. Define and explain the concepts of geography, themes, evolution, and development;
2. Explain the historical evolution of geography in Nigeria;
3. Discuss the major areas to which geography as a profession has contributed towards Nigeria’s development, and
4. Identify and explain the relationships between geography and associated disciplines in the natural sciences, environmental sciences, and earth sciences.

b. Course Content:

1. Conceptual issues (geography, themes, evolution, and development)
2. Geography in Nigerian schools’ systems (from the colonial era to the present)
3. Colonial period and beginning of university-level geography teaching and research in Nigeria (1948-1959)
4. Geography in Colleges of Education and Polytechnic Education Training Systems (1960-present);
5. Indigenization and diffusion of geography teaching and research at the university level (1960 to 1969);
6. Consolidation and professionalization of university-level geography teaching and research (1970-1984)
7. Geography from 1984 to the present (expansion into non-university tertiary education levels, division of the field, and the birth of new fields from geography); and
8. Geography and national development in Nigeria.

200 LEVEL COURSES

GEO 211: Introduction to Field Data Collection in Geography

a. Learning Outcomes:

At the end of this course, students should be able to;

1. Define and explain the concepts of geography, data, space, field, spatial elements, and processes;
2. Explain the values of field data in geographical analysis;
3. Discuss the major features and processes by which data are collected in the field;
4. Examine the different methods used to collect data on different geographical features and processes; and
5. Describe the kinds of tools and instruments used in field data collection.

b. Course Content:

1. Definition of major concepts (geography, data, space, field, spatial elements, and processes);
2. The role of field data in geographical analyses;
3. Human and physical geographical features and processes;
4. Observation methods of field data collection;
5. Enumeration methods of field data collection;
6. Measurement methods of field data collection;
7. Instantaneous and continuous monitoring methods of field data collection;
8. Use of geospatial tools in field data collection;
9. Tools and instruments used in field data collection; and
10. Challenges of field data collection.

GEO 212: Introduction to Meteorology and Climate Science

a. Learning Outcomes:

At the end of this course, students should be able to;

1. Define and explain the concepts of weather, observation, casting, and prediction;
2. Explain the relationship of meteorology with other sciences;
3. Discuss the major kinds of weather-causing events;
4. Explain the scales in the occurrence of weather;
5. Describe the major categories of destructive weather events;
6. Describe the major instruments used in weather observation, prediction, modeling, forecasting, and nowcasting;
7. Describe weather observation platforms;
8. Describe the major activities involved in weather prediction, nowcasting, forecasting, numerical prediction, ensembles, and modeling;
9. Explain the major applications of areas of meteorology.

b. Course Content:

1. Concepts of weather, observation, casting, and prediction;
2. Relationship of meteorology with other sciences;
3. Major kinds of weather-causing events (temperature, pressure, water vapour, wind, and mass energy flow);
4. Scales in the occurrence of weather events (local, regional, and global);
5. Major categories of destructive weather events (cyclones, typhoons, hurricanes, storms);
6. Major instruments used in weather observation (conventional weather station instruments, air quality monitors, radiosondes, ceilometers, flood sensors, lightning sensors, thunder sensors, snow gauges, pyranometers, spectroradiometers, pyrheliometers, scintillating counters, transmissometers, and remote sensing instruments);
7. Major instruments used in weather prediction, modeling, forecasting, and nowcasting (workstations and supercomputers);
8. Weather observation platforms (ground stations, buoys, aircraft, and spacecraft);
9. Major activities involved in weather prediction: nowcasting, forecasting, numerical prediction, ensembles, and modeling;
10. Major applications of areas (agriculture, aviation, navigation, marine, water resources, outdoor activities, nuclear, military, environmental management, renewable energy) Examine the different methods used to collect data on different geographical features and processes.

GEO 214: Introduction to Environmental Monitoring and Assessment

a. Learning Outcomes:

At the end of this course, students should be able to;

1. Define and explain the concepts of environment, risks, hazards, and monitoring;
2. Explain the value of environmental monitoring and assessment;
3. Explain technical developments on data collection and analysis methods;
4. Explain the rules and steps for making monitoring systems and methods at different scales and for different uses;
5. Explain the use of geospatial technologies in environmental monitoring and assessment.

b. Course Content:

1. Conceptual issues in environmental monitoring and assessment
2. technical developments in data collection and analysis for environmental monitoring and assessment;
3. Use of scientific principles in the design of monitoring systems at the local, regional, and global scales
4. Use of monitoring data in assessing the consequences of natural resource management and human economic actions;
5. Monitoring systems to estimate exposure to risks both at the individual and population levels;
6. Development of monitoring systems for various applications (agriculture, manufacturing, fisheries, and forestry);
7. Use of monitoring in pollution assessment and pre-market screening;
8. use of geospatial technologies in environmental monitoring and assessment;
9. Single medium and multimedia monitoring systems;

GEO 215: INTRODUCTION TO RURAL GEOGRAPHY AND DEVELOPMENT

a. Learning Outcomes:

At the end of this course, students should be able to;

i. Define and explain the concepts and importance of rural, geography;
ii. Explain the major characteristics, patterns, and types of rural areas;
iii. Describe the major functions of rural areas and their relationships with their urban counterparts;
iv. Describe the major population and resource base characteristics of rural areas;
v. Identify the major developmental challenges of rural areas and strategies for managing them.
vi. Explain the nature and importance of rural development planning.

b. Course Content:

i. The meaning and scope of rural geography.
ii. Fundamental characteristics of rural areas (size, population, occupation, social interaction, infrastructure)
iii. Rural settlement types (clustered, agglomerated/nucleated, semi-clustered, hamletted, and dispersed/isolated.)
iv. Rural settlement patterns and their function
v. Rural population characteristics and resources base
vi. Rural resources planning
vii. Rural resources planning Theories and models of rural development
viii. Challenges of rural development
ix. Rural development strategies

300 LEVEL

GEO 311: POPULATION AND ENVIRONMENT

a. Learning Outcomes:

At the end of this course, students should be able to;

i. Define and explain some fundamental concepts in population- environment interactions;
ii. Explain the major causes of population change;
iii. Describe the ways population change increases the intensity of environment-impacting human activities;
iv. Discuss the ways in which the environment has been responding to such changes.

b. Course Content:

i. The scope of population and environment
ii. Theories of population growth and resource relationships
iii. Population growth and human well-being
iv. Population problem and policies
v. Relationship between population and environment
vi. Population and environmental sustainability
vii. The impact of population dynamics on the environment (fossil fuel extraction, mineral extraction, fossil fuel burning, freshwater resource exploitation, urban development, agriculture, transportation)
viii. Population changes and food, water, and energy security
ix. Managing the effects of population growth on the environment

GEO 320: GEOGRAPHY OF AFRICA

a. Learning Outcomes:

At the end of this course, students should be able to;

i. Describe the major geographic features and processes of Africa;
ii. Understand the relationships between human systems and the physical
environment in Africa’s geography;
iii. Identify the role of Africa’s geography in promoting its development;
iv. Discuss the influence of Africa’s geography on the status of its political and
economic relations within and outside the continent.

b. Course Content:

i. Evolution of the physical and human landscape of Africa (setting, size, nationalities, political groupings);
ii. Physical Geography (tectonics, landforms, climate, soil, vegetation)
iii. Human-environmental interactions (desertification, deforestation, impact of
iv. conservation);
v. Social Geography (people, culture, role of gender, education, development perspectives,
vi. historical influences);
vii. Systems of resource utilization: agriculture (traditional verses cash cropping, policy questions, climate impacts), mineral resource extraction, fossil fuel exploitation, forestry resources, manufacturing
viii. Political geography (colonialism, post-colonial government systems, conflict)
ix. Population and Medical Geography (population distribution, birth and death rates, age, disease, mobility)
x. Transportation and communication
xi. Spatial Aspects of Development (Rural-Urban Dichotomy and Core- Periphery Relations)
xii. Geography of Development (Globalization, Economic Development, Financial systems, transportation)
xiii. Regional economic groupings and cooperations
xiv. Urbanization (city structures, rural urban migration, housing)

GEO 322: Ecosystem Services

a. Learning Outcomes:

At the end of this course, students should be able to;

i. Define and explain some fundamental concepts in ecosystem services;
ii. Explain the major types of ecosystem services
iii. Identify the factors influencing changes in ecosystem services;
iv. Describe the challenges and importance of ecosystem services
v. Discuss the ways in ecosystem services promote human well-being.

b. Course Content:

i. Definition of basic concepts
ii. Origin, development, and importance of ecosystem services;
iii. Approaches to the classification of ecosystem services;
iv. Regulating services (purification of water and air, carbon sequestration and climate regulation, waste decomposition and detoxification, prey population reductions, and biological control of pests and diseases, pollination, disturbance regulation, and flood protection);
v. Provisioning services, also called ecosystem goods (food, including seafood and game; crops, wild foods, and spices; raw materials, including lumber, skins, fuelwood, organic matter, fodder, and fertilizer; genetic resources, including crop improvement genes, and health care; biogenic minerals; medicinal resources, including pharmaceuticals, chemical models, and test and assay organisms; energy, including hydropower and biomass fuels; and ornamental resources, including fashion, handicrafts, jewelry, pets, worship, decoration, and souvenirs; like furs, feathers, ivory, orchids, butterflies, aquarium fish, shells, etc.);
vi. Cultural services (cultural activities, including use of nature as motif in books, films, paintings, folklore, national symbols, advertising, etc.; spiritual and historical, including use of nature for religious or heritage value; sports and recreational experiences, including ecotourism, outdoor sports, and recreation; science and education, including use of natural systems for school excursions, and scientific discovery; and therapeutic, including ecotherapy, social forestry, and animal assisted therapy.
vii. Supporting services; that support other ecosystems to provide their services (services such as nutrient cycling, primary production, water purification, soil formation, and habitat provision).
viii. Challenges in the management of ecosystems and strategies for maximum derivation of ecosystem services.

GEO 324: Environmental Pollution and contamination

a. Learning Outcomes:

At the end of this course, students should be able to;

i. Define and explain some fundamental concepts in environmental pollution and contamination;
ii. Explain the major causes of environmental pollution and contamination;
iii. Describe the major types of environmental pollutants and contaminants;
iv. Describe the major pathways for environmental pollution and contamination;
v. Identify the major strategies for control and remediation of polluted and contaminated sites.

b. Course Content:

i. Conceptual issues and importance of information on exposure to pollution and contamination;
ii. Exposure, Bioaccumulation, and Risk Assessment;
iii. Interlinks between the exposure and biological, ecological, and human health effects, including those of climate change;
iv. Environmental dissipation and distribution processes;
v. Contaminants of emerging concerns (including antibiotic-resistant microorganisms or genes, microplastics/nanoplastics, electronic wastes, light, and noise) and/or their biological, ecological, or human health effects;
vi. Techniques of measuring and examining environmental occurrences, transport, behavior, and effects within the environment;
vii. Bioindicators in monitoring;
viii. Toxicological studies
ix. Modelling of pollution processes, patterns, or trends that is of clear environmental and/or human health interest;
x. Remediation/mitigation: new techniques with clear links to biological, ecological, or human health effects;

GEO 326: Drought and Desertification

a. Learning Outcomes:

At the end of this course, students should be able to;

i. Define and explain some fundamental concepts (rainfall variability, degradation, drought, desertification);
ii. Describe the major types and causes of drought.
iii. Explain the major causes of desertification;
iv. Describe the major consequences of drought and desertification;
v. Discuss the strategies for managing the problems of drought and desertification, and
vi. Evaluate the measures and policies put in place for managing drought and desertification, with particular emphasis on Nigeria;

b. Course Content:

i. Conceptual issues (rainfall variability, degradation, drought, desertification);
ii. Causes and types of droughts (climatic/meteorological, hydrological, agronomic, and geological)
iii. Land degradation factors and processes causing desertification;
iv. Severity, distribution, and extent of drought and desertification;
v. Consequences of drought;
vi. Consequences of desertification (environmental, agronomic, economic, social, climatic, and political)
vii. Strategies for management of drought and desertification;

viii. National and international policies on drought and desertification management.

GEO 328: Management of Demographic Change

a. Learning Outcomes:

At the end of this course, students should be able to;

i. Define and explain some fundamental concepts in demographic change and its management;
ii. Explain the major causes of demographic change;
iii. Describe the ways demographic change can be managed;
iv. Discuss the ways in which the environment has been responding to such changes; and
v. Discuss the nature and implementation of population management policies, with particular emphasis on Nigeria and China.

b. Course Content:

i. Conceptual issues in demographic change (population pressure, population momentum, and demographic dividends);
ii. Demographic change, resource management, and national development;
iii. Some perspectives on demographic transition theory (optimistic view, pessimistic view, social justice view)
iv. Implications of demographic change on development
v. Demographic change and resource management
vi. Measurement of Demographic Changes (Population Density, Means of Centrality, Dispersion of Population, Concentration of Population)
vii. Urbanisation and modernisation
viii. Population education and family life
ix. Strategies for managing demographic change (Family Planning and Practices)
x. Population policies (case studies of Nigeria, and China)

400 LEVEL

GEO 409: Agriculture, Ecosystem and Environment

a. Learning Outcomes:

At the end of this course, students should be able to;

i. Define and explain some fundamental concepts: agriculture, ecosystems, services, and environment.
ii. Explain the fundamental principles of ecological interactions;
iii. Describe the major features, functions, and management of agricultural ecosystems;
iv. Discuss the ways in which agricultural ecosystems impact the ecosystem services and ecological functioning of the environment; and
v. Discuss the strategies for managing the impacts.

b. Course Content:

i. Conceptual issues in agriculture, ecosystems, and the environment;
ii. Principles of cross-scale ecological interactions in the environment;
iii. The interplay between agroecosystems and the environment (soil, air, and water) and the role of ecological processes in the provision of ecosystem services;
iv. Nature and characteristic features of agroecosystems;
v. Management of agricultural systems
vi. Mechanisms governing the bio-physical features and functioning of agroecosystems (e.g., the biogeochemistry, ecology, and sustainability of agricultural systems)
vii. Agroecosystems and their role in catalyzing/mitigating global change (climate change, greenhouse gases, and biodiversity loss);
viii. Ecological consequences of land use intensification and other human impacts (soil degradation and erosion, water and waste management, and associated mitigation approaches);
ix. Environmental implications of agricultural land use and land use change (biodiversity conservation and land management, and ecological restoration and stewardship)
x. agroecosystem management and agri-environmental policies.

GEO 415: CLIMATE CHANGE MODELLING

a. Learning Outcomes:

At the end of this course, students should be able to;

i. Define and explain some fundamental concepts: agriculture, ecosystems, services, and environment;
ii. Explain the fundamental principles of ecological interactions;
iii. Describe the major classification systems of climate change models;
iv. Discuss the strengths and limitations of each of the various models;
v. Explain the applications of the models in climate change management;
vi. Outline the challenges of climate change modeling.

b. Course Content:

i. Scientific basis of climate change modeling
ii. Importance of climate change models
iii. Characteristics of climate change models
iv. Earth System Models
v. Coupled atmosphere–ocean–sea ice global climate models
vi. Box models
vii. Zero-dimensional models
viii. Model with combined surface and atmosphere
ix. Models with separated surfaces and atmospheric layers
x. Radiative-convective models
xi. Higher-dimension models
xii. EMICs (Earth-system models of intermediate complexity)

xiii. GCMs (global climate models or general circulation models)
xiv. Applications of climate change models
xv. Climate modeling research and development (roles of national meteorological services, universities, and national and international research laboratories)

GEO 417: Soil Use and Management

a. Learning Outcomes:

At the end of this course, students should be able to;

i. Define and explain some fundamental concepts in soil use and management;
ii. Explain the major soil uses and management practices;
iii. Discuss the concepts of soil health and degradation;
iv. Describe the critical social, biodiversity, environmental management, and climate change issues in soil use and management;
v. Discuss the major challenges in soil use and management.

b. Course Content:

i. The interdisciplinary nature of sustainable soil use and management
ii. Sustainable development goals (SDGs) and soil management
iii. Soil as a living body
iv. The concepts of soil health and degradation
v. Interdisciplinary research in soil use and management
vi. Categorisation of soil use and management types
vii. Soil use and social issues (such as indigenous knowledge systems, the transfer of new knowledge, farmer behavior, and the management of issues involving stakeholders)
viii. Soil use and climate change management issues (the soil organic carbon problem, biochar as a mitigation, and the soil greenhouse gas problem;
ix. Soil biodiversity and ecology (biodiversity and ecosystem services);
x. Soil and environmental management issues (degradation, nutrient mining, pollution, soil erosion Soil leaching).