“Our daily lives are interwoven with geography. Each of us lives in a unique place and in constant interaction with our surroundings. Geographic knowledge and skills are essential for us to understand the activities and patterns of our lives and the lives of others.”
Gilbert M. Grosvenor Center for Geographic Education, Why Geography Is Important (2007)
All geography courses at Alexander Mackenzie High School are based on the fundamental geographic inquiry questions: “What is where, why there, and why care?”
- Charles Gritzner
Grade 9
Issues in Canadian Geography (Academic)
This course examines interrelationships within and between Canada’s natural and human systems and how these systems interconnect with those in other parts of the world. Students will explore environmental, economic, and social geographic issues relating to topics such as transportation options, energy choices, and urban development. Students will apply the concepts of geographic thinking and the geographic inquiry process, including spatial technologies, to investigate various geographic issues and to develop possible approaches for making Canada a more sustainable place in which to live.
Issues in Canadian Geography (Applied)
This course focuses on current geographic issues that affect Canadians. Students will draw on their personal and everyday experiences as they explore issues relating to food and water supplies, competing land uses, interactions with the natural environment, and other topics relevant to sustainable living in Canada. They will also develop an awareness that issues that affect their lives in Canada are interconnected with issues in other parts of the world. Throughout the course, students will use the concepts of geographic thinking, the geographic inquiry process, and spatial technologies to guide and support their investigations.
Grade 11
Travel and Tourism: A Regional Perspective (CGG3O1)
This course focuses on travel and tourism as the vehicle for studying selected world regions. Using a variety of geotechnologies and inquiry and communication methods, students will conduct and present case studies that develop their understanding of the unique characteristics of selected world regions; the environmental, cultural, economic, and political factors that influence travel and tourism; and the impact of the travel industry on communities and environments around the world.
Grade 12
The Environment and Resource Management (CGR4M1)
This course investigates the complexity and fragility of ecosystems and the pressures human activities place on them. Students will examine ecological processes, the principles of sustainability, and strategies for resource management, with a focus on the challenges of environmental degradation and resource depletion. Students will use geotechnologies and skills of geographic inquiry to explain and evaluate various approaches to achieving a more sustainable relationship between people and their environment.
World Issues: A Geographic Analysis (CGW4U1)
This course examines the global challenges of creating a sustainable and equitable future, focusing on current issues that illustrate these challenges. Students will investigate a range of topics, including cultural, economic, and geopolitical relationships, regional disparities in the ability to meet basic human needs, and protection of the natural environment. Students will use geotechnologies and skills of geographic inquiry and analysis to develop and communicate balanced opinions about the complex issues facing Canada and a world that is interdependent and constantly changing.
Equity and Social Justice: From Theory to Practice (HSE4M1)
This course enables students to develop an understanding of the theoretical, social, and historical underpinnings of various equity and social justice issues and to analyse strategies for bringing about positive social change. Students will learn about historical and contemporary equity and social justice issues in Canada and globally. They will explore power relations and the impact of a variety of factors on equity and social justice. Students will develop and apply research skills and will design and implement a social action initiative relating to an equity or social justice issue.