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. 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 use the 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.