Geography is the study of spatial patterns and processes on the surface of the earth, mainly in the context of human activities. Geography explores where people and activities are located, why they are located where they are, what changes are occurring in these patterns, what impacts these changes are likely to have on human and physical environments, and what should be done about these impacts. Physical geography deals with spatial aspects of the atmosphere, land surface and waters while human geography is concerned with cultural, political and economic forces that lie behind the distribution of human activities. The Department of Geography at Lakehead University offers a broad undergraduate program of study covering physical, human, applied and regional geography, as well as a number of courses on the techniques in geography. Research interests and teaching specializations of the faculty reflect not only the breadth of geography, but also a variety of scales ranging from local to regional to global.