GGR 480C - Capstone Geography Field Class - POLICY - DRAFT2

All Geography Majors are required to take this class to complete their degree.

GGR 480C is taught in the Summer Pre-session, which is the 3-week session after the end of the Spring Semester and before the start of the first Summer Session.

GGR 480C has two prerequisites: GGR 250 (Physical Geography) and GGR 380 (Geographic Thought and Method). GGR 380 has three prerequisites: GGR 230, GGR 250, and either GGR 370W or GGR 371.

Students can take the class in either their Senior Year or at the end of their Junior Year.

• In the Senior Year, student may fully participate in the May graduation ceremony, though their actual degree will not be available until after the grades are posted for GGR480C.
  
• In the Junior Year, student must make sure that they have completed GGR 380 (taught in the Spring Semester) to meet the prerequisites of GGR 480C. GGR 250 also needs to be taken prior to GGR 480C.

The only exceptions permitted to the above requirements are:

1. Students who are have military duties that are in conflict with the class.
2. Students who have an NAU Institutional Excuse that prevents them from taking the class. This includes students registered with Disability Services who cannot take the class for reasons related to their disability.

   It is the student's responsibility to adequately document these circumstances, and final approval of the exception requires a majority vote of the geography faculty members.

Other exceptions are strongly discouraged, but will be considered by submitting a petition to the department before the middle of the Fall Semester of the student's senior year. The petition must be approved by a majority of the Geography faculty members.

Students who receive an exceptions will be required to arrange an alternative independent project that is equivalent to the effort involved in the GGR480C class. In addition:

1. The student must identify a geography faculty member who is willing to oversee the alternative independent project.
2. The alternative independent project must be approved by the geography faculty by a majority vote.
3. Students doing an alternative project must register for the GGR480C class and pay the class fees.
4. The grade for the independent study project will be issued through the GGR480C class.

This draft policy is based on geography faculty discussion on April 1, 2005.