Faculty of Arts
Department of Geography
Geography
The Environment in the Age of the Internet
The Environment in the Age of the Internet: Activists, Communication, and the Digital Landscape is an interdisciplinary collection that draws together research and answers from media and communication studies, social sciences, modern history, and folklore studies. Edited by Heike Graf, its focus is on the communicative approaches taken by different groups to ecological issues, shedding light on how these groups tell their distinctive stories of “the environment.”
Licence: CC BY 4.0
Environmental Biology
This world environmental biology text covers salient issues in the environment using a biological perspective. It covers introductory concepts in environmental biology, from climate change to ozone depletion.
Includes: Instructor resources, student resources, summaries
Licence: CC BY 4.0
Reviews: Available through the Open Textbook Library
Environmental Science: A Canadian Perspective
This environmental science text has been positively-reviewed and has been successfully adopted by other faculty. It covers introductory concepts in environmental science, from ecosystems to sustainable development.
Includes: Instructor resources, student resources, summaries
Licence: CC BY-NC 4.0
Reviews: Available through the BCcampus Open Textbook Collection
Forests and Food: Addressing Hunger and Nutrition Across Sustainable Landscapes
This volume provides important evidence and insights about the potential of forests to reducing global hunger and malnutrition, exploring the different roles of landscapes, and the governance approaches that are required for the equitable delivery of these benefits.
Licence: CC BY 4.0
Geographic Information System Basics
This geographic information systems text has been positively-reviewed. It covers introductory concepts in GIS, from augmented maps to vector files. Reviews are available from BC Campus.
Includes: Instructor resources, student resources, summaries
Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0
Introduction to Environmental Science, 2nd Edition
This course uses the basic principles of biology and earth science as a context for understanding environmental policies and resource management practices. Our planet is facing unprecedented environmental challenges, from oil spills to global climate change. In ENSC 1000, you will learn about the science behind these problems; preparing you to make an informed, invaluable contribution to Earth’s future.
Includes: Study questions, terms lists
Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Reviews: Available through the Open Textbook Library
Introduction to Human Geography
This physical geography text has been positively-reviewed. It covers introductory concepts in human geography, from migration to agriculture.
Includes: Instructor resources, student resources, summaries
Licence: CC BY 4.0
Reviews: Available through the Open Textbook Library
Monitoring Animal Populations and Their Habitats: A Practitioner’s Guide
This book provides a framework that managers of natural resources can use to design monitoring programs that will benefit future generations by providing the information needed to make informed decisions.
Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Nature of Geographic Information
This world GIS text covers introductory concepts in GIS, from data and information geography to integrating geographic data.
Includes: Instructor resources, student resources, summaries
Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Reviews: Available through the Open Textbook Library and BCcampus Open Textbook Collection
Open Geography Education
This website is a resource dedicated to providing high-quality and free online geography resources.
Includes: Several textbooks, mapping assignments, collection of online resources
Licence: CC BY 4.0 applied to the website, resources within may vary
Physical Geography (Lumen Learning)
This Lumen Learning covers some of the concepts of first-year physical geography with a balance of application and theory.
Includes: Summaries, examples, videos, and graphics
Licence:CC BY 4.0, unless otherwise noted.
World Regional Geography: People, Places and Globalization
This world geography text has been positively-reviewed and has been successfully adopted by other faculty. It covers introductory concepts in geography, from North American geography to African geography.
Includes: Instructor resources, student resources, summaries
Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Reviews: Available through the Open Textbook Library
Earth Science
Coastal Dynamics
This textbook on Coastal Dynamics focuses on the interrelation between physical wave, flow and sediment transport phenomena and the resulting morphodynamics of a wide variety of coastal systems.
Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
The Delft Sand, Clay & Rock Cutting Model
In dredging, trenching, (deep sea) mining, drilling, tunnel boring and many other applications, sand, clay or rock has to be excavated. This book gives an overview of cutting theories. It starts with a generic model, which is valid for all types of soil (sand, clay and rock) after which the specifics of dry sand, water saturated sand, clay, atmospheric rock and hyperbaric rock are covered.
Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Earth Science (Lumen Learning)
This text includes introductions to concepts from level I earth science courses, from geology to water systems. It was developed through Lumen Learning and a professor of Geology and Earth Sciences from Santa Ana College.
Includes: Exercises, summaries
Licence: CC BY 4.0, unless otherwise noted.
Geological Structures: A Practical Introduction
This manual is about structures that occur within the Earth’s crust. Structures are the features that allow geologists to figure out how parts of the Earth have changed position, orientation, size and shape over time.
Includes: Labs
Licence: CC BY-NC 4.0
Geosciences LibreTexts Library
A LibreTexts collection of open textbooks, assignments, and other educational resources on the subject of geosciences.
Includes: Lab experiments, case studies, interactive applications and worksheets
Licence: CC BY 4.0, unless otherwise noted.
Introductory Physical Geology Laboratory Manual – 1st Canadian Edition
Introduction to Geology is a textbook designed to ease new students into the often complex topics of Geology and the study of our planet and its makeup. The book assists readers through the beginning topics and nomenclature of Geology to familiarize them with Geology’s version of the scientific methods. This is an adaptation designed for students at the University of Saskatchewan.
Includes: Exercises
Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0
Laboratory Manual for Introductory Geology
This textbook is a comprehensive lab manual for the core curriculum Introductory Geosciences classes with both informational content and laboratory exercises. Topics include basic laws and theories in Geology, the Earth’s interior and plate tectonics, water and climate change, igneous rocks and volcanoes, and earthquakes.
Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0
Reviews: Available through the Open Textbook Library
Physical Geology
This textbook was written by an earth sciences professor at Thompson Rivers University in British Columbia, Canada. This was done in collaboration with academics from various post-secondary institutions across BC and the rest of Canada. It has been successfully adopted.
Includes: Applications, chapter summaries, exercises, and solutions
Licence: CC BY 4.0
Surveying and Mapping
This book provides an introduction into the field of surveying and mapping.
Includes: Exercises and worked examples
Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Soil Science
Digging into Canadian Soils: An Introduction to Soil Science
Written by members of the Canadian Society of Soil Science, “Digging into Canadian Soils: An Introduction to Soil Science” provides an introduction to the core disciplines of soil science, and introduces concepts and vocabulary. The textbook provides supplementary materials that are specific to regions in Canada, or may be of specific interest beyond what might be considered introductory soil science material.
Includes: Glossary, study questions and answers
Licence: CC BY-NC 4.0
Introduction to Soil Science Laboratory Manual (Schwyter and Vaughan) (LibreTexts)
Available through LibreTexts, these labs explore the fundamental principles of soil science and soils as a natural resource.
Licence: CC BY 4.0
Open Case Studies: Soil Science
A collection of online case studies on the topic of soil science, from UBC.
Licence: Except where otherwise noted, this website is licensed under CC BY 4.0
Principles of Soil Science Exercise Manual (LibreTexts)
Available through LibreTexts, this exercise manual was designed for use in an upper-level undergraduate soils course. The manual consists of ten hands-on or experiment-type exercises and fourteen take-home fact-finding and critical thinking exercises.
Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Virtual Soil Science Learning Resources
This collection of resources is gathered by a group of scientists, students, and multimedia experts across Canada. Resources cover a variety of topics at both the graduate and undergraduate level, including basic soil science, soil classification, and land use impacts.
Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, unless otherwise indicated
Urban Studies
Community Resilience to Climate Change: Theory, Research and Practice
This reader is an Open Educational Resource, meant to accompany a graduate or higher-level undergraduate university course in climate change resilience, adaptation, and/or planning. While the material is geared toward students in urban and regional planning, it may also be of interest to students of urban studies, public health, geography, political science, sociology, risk management, and others. Each section of this volume includes (1) an introductory summary, (2) a reading list with full text articles, (3) student exercises meant to enhance understanding and facilitate in-class discussion, and (4) additional discussion prompts or activities for instructors to use in class. The format of materials is intended to convey key concepts, while leaving ample space for student exploration, discourse, and creativity. Lessons may culminate in an applied, imaginative final project, a sample framework of which is provided at the end of Section VI.
Licence: CC BY-NC 4.0
Introduction to Human Geography
This textbook includes chapters on Population and Migration, Cultural Geography, Political Geography, Sustainable Development, Food, Water, & Agriculture, Urban Geography, Environmental Issues, and Living with Disasters.
Includes: Learning outcomes, essential questions, embedded videos, and summaries
Licence: CC BY 4.0
Sustainable Cities: Adding an African Perspective
Sustainable Cities: Adding an African Perspective is a course that introduces students to the theories and strategies to reimagine cities from an urban sustainability perspective. The course modules are beginner level building blocks that cater to the new inter-disciplinary trend around Cities Engineering. The modules provide an introduction to concepts of sustainability, urbanization, climate change; strategies for best practices in the design of new cities and redesign of existing ones; and tools and methodologies for environmental assessments, material flows, and urban metabolism. Each module is expected to take 2-3hours for completion, this includes following the videos, reading through the global cities and African cities examples, and completing assessments, contributing to discussions and reflections. The course activities and interactions will enable students to design cities in developed and developing world contexts, in addition to engineering the great African cities of the future. The course is organized in 4 modules, where each module begins with an introduction to definitions and theories, followed by academic research on the topic, then showcases case studies from global cities in developed and developing world contexts, and from African cities.
Includes: Assessments with quizzes, discussions, and reflections.
Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Please refer to the Libraries and Cultural Resources (LCR) Staff Directory to connect with a librarian supporting this subject area.
Know of an open educational resource (OER) not listed?
Contact us at oer@ucalgary.ca.
Already using an OER? Have you adapted or created an OER?
Let us know by completing the OER Adoption and Creation Sharing Form