Module Information For Visiting and Erasmus Students
2014/15
Department*
Geography
Notes
Visiting/Erasmus
Module Info on
Department
Website
List of available modules
Module
ECTS
Page
GG2023 Geography Student Seminars
10
2
GG2024 Physical Geography: Changing Environments
10
3
GG2025 Human Geography: Changing Worlds
10
4
GG3012 History and Philosophy of Geography
5
5
GG3015 Globalisation
5
6
GG3020 Coastal Processes & Management I
5
7
GG3021 Coastal Processes & Management II
5
8
GG3030 Environmental Governance I
10
9
GG3034 Practical Physical Geography
5
10
GG3037 Urban Economic Structure & Regeneration
5
11
GG3054 Tropical Environments
5
12
GG3476 Periglacial Geomorphology - scheduled for year 2014-15
5
13
GG3475 Glacial Geomorphology - scheduled for year 2015-16
10
14
GG4026 Environmental Governance II
10
15
GG4033 Historical Geography I
5
16
GG4034 Historical Geography II
5
17
GG4036 Globalisation & African Development
5
18
GG4037 Climate Change
5
19
GG4040 Reconstructing Environmental Change
5
20
GG4060 Property Development, Planning & the State
10
21
1
Module Code*
Module Name*
ECTS Weighting*
GG2023
Geography Student Seminars
10 Credits
Semester/term Semester 1 and 2
taught*
Contact Hours*
25 hours (Seminars, workshops and individual feedback)
Module Professor Mark Hennessy (co-ordinator)
Personnel

Learning
Outcomes





Demonstrate awareness of the standards, expectations and praxis of Geography at
a university level
Knowledgably and critically discuss selected key concepts and ideas in Geography
Identify appropriate data sources and resources for Geography, including books,
journals and websites, and show an appreciation of the issues involved in their use
Produce written work of an acceptable style and standard
Undertake appropriate independent preparatory work for classes, including reading
and research
Work productively as part of a group, and present their work orally to a small group
of their peers.
This module aims to develop skills in information gathering, critical thinking, writing and oral
Module Learning presentation. Students will learn how to address a research topic in a group setting, carry out
Aims research, including bibliographic searches, and make written and oral presentations
regarding that topic. Students will learn how to improve their work through taking advantage
of group and one-to-one feedback on work-in-progress. Seminar groups will be led by
members of the academic staff, research staff and research postgraduate students.
This module aims to develop skills in information gathering, critical thinking, writing and oral
Module Content/ presentation.
Description* 1. Skills preparation;
2. Presentations and discussions;
3. Essay writing;
4. Essay feedback and revision.
Montello, D. R. and Sutton, P.C. (2006) An Introduction to Scientific Research Methods in
Recommended
Geography
Reading List
Module Pre
Requisite
Module Co
Requisite
Assessment Course work (100%)
Details*
2
Module Code*
Module Name*
ECTS Weighting*
GG2024
Physical Geography: Changing Environments
10 Credits
Semester/term Semester 1
taught*
Contact Hours*
42 hours (Lectures)
Module Professor Mary Bourke
Personnel
Learning
Outcomes




Identify important topics and themes in contemporary physical geography
Appraise some of the major current debates in physical geography
Illustrate how records of past change can be developed from a range of different
environments
Explain how an understanding of modern processes is fundamental to our ability to
reconstruct the past and predict the future.
This module represents a foundation in modern physical geography and is designed to
Module Learning explain and analyse environmental change during the last 2.6 million years (the Quaternary
Aims period). The module will take a number of key elements of contemporary environmental
change and analyse modern process, past records and archives of environmental change.
Elements of the course are designed to prepare students for Sophister physical geography
modules.
Fluvial Geomorphology
Module Content/ Mass-movements.
Description* Drylands
Tropics
Oceans
Biogeography and Conservation
Charlton, R. (2008). Fundamentals of Fluvial Geomorphology. Routledge
Recommended Goudie , A. and Viles, H. (2011) Landscapes and Geomorphology; A very short introduction.
Reading List Oxford University Press.
Holden, J. (2012). An Introduction to Physical Geography. Pearson.
Huggett, R. (2004). Fundamentals of Biogeography. Routledge
Huggett, R. (2011). Fundamentals of Geomorphology. Routledge
Huggett, R. (2007). The Natural History of Earth. Routledge
Pinet, P.R. (2013) Invitation to Oceanography 6th Edition. Jones & Bartlett
Module Pre
Requisite
Module Co
Requisite
Assessment 2 hour examination (60%); course work (40%)
Details*
3
Module Code*
Module Name*
ECTS Weighting*
GG2025
Human Geography: Changing Worlds
10 Credits
Semester/term Semester 2
taught*
Contact Hours*
33 hours (Lectures and seminars)
Module Professor Martin Sokol (co-ordinator)
Personnel
Learning
Outcomes



Identify important topics and themes in contemporary human geography
Appraise some of the major current debates in human geography
Outline and contrast a range of research methods in human geography
This module introduces students to a number of key issues within contemporary human
Module Learning geography and exposes them to a range of methodological approaches and research
Aims techniques. The overarching theme of the module is the way in which historical, cultural,
environmental, political and economic geographies are changing under the force of
globalisation. Specific areas covered include an examination of globalisation from a historical
perspective; approaches, methods and sources in historical geography; emergence of global
environmentalism in a changing world; the creation of ‘third world’ and the impact of
globalisation on the developing world; and political and economic aspects of globalisation.
Section 1 - Approaches and methods in historical geography
Module Content/ Section 2 - Emerging Environmental Movements
Description* Section 3 - Geographies of development
Section 4 - Economic geographies of globalisation
Section 5 - Collection & analysis of geographical data
Recommended
Reading List
Module Pre
Requisite
Module Co
Requisite
Assessment Examination (60%); course work (40%)
Details*
4
Module Code*
Module Name*
ECTS Weighting*
GG3012
History and Philosophy of Geography
5 credits
Semester/term Semester 1
taught*
Contact Hours*
22 hours (lectures)
Module Professor Mark Hennessy
Personnel

Learning
Outcomes


Have gained a knowledge of how the discipline of Geography has changed from
Classical times to the present
Have a critical awareness of how intellectual and disciplinary change is related to
broader patterns of historical change in Geography
Know how praxis is related to social, cultural and political contexts.
This module presents an overview of the development of the discipline of Geography from
Module Learning classical Greece through to contemporary developments. Throughout the focus is on how
Aims changes in the practice of geography are related to broader social, cultural and political
contexts. A number of key topics are examined in detail.
Module Content/
Description*
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
The classical world
Geography in the age of Victorian exploration
French Geography in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century
IV. The “Quantitative Revolution”
V. Feminism and Geography
VI. Postmodernism and Geography.
Peet, Richard, Modern Geographical Thought, (Oxford, 1998), Stoddart, D. R. On
Recommended
Geography, (Oxford, 1987).
Reading List
Module Pre
Requisite
Module Co
Requisite
Assessment 2 hour examination (100%)
Details*
5
Module Code*
Module Name*
ECTS Weighting*
GG3015
Globalisation
5 credits
Semester/term Semester 2
taught*
Contact Hours*
21 hours (Lectures = 18hrs; Tutorials = 3hrs)
Module Professor Padraig Carmody
Personnel

Learning
Outcomes





Analyse the relationships between economic forces, spatial development and the
role of the state at different scales of analysis in the developed and developing
worlds
Judge and critique different perspectives on the nature of the globalisation
Comprehend and critique the influence of organizations such as the International
Monetary Fund, World Bank and International Non-Governmental Organisations
Apprehend the construction and interaction between ethnicity, conflict and
terrorism; regionalisation and globalisation
Discuss critically the relationship between different types of globalization “from
above” and “below”
Critically evaluate alternatives to globalization.
Module Learning
Aims
This module examines the impacts of globalization in the developing world. Particular
Module Content/ emphasis is placed the role of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, the
Description* implications of the rise of China and its international relations in the developing world,
“shadow globalization” – human, arms and drug trafficking and resistance to the process
through social movements. The module will be taught through a combination of lectures, and
tutorial discussions. Attendance at the tutorials is an integral part of the module. Rather than
being a revision exercise, the aim of the tutorials is to elicit a broader understanding of the
issues involved by drawing out the social and policy implications of the content of the
lectures. Students taking this module will be expected to have undertaken reading in depth
prior to each tutorial.
David Harvey (2011), The Enigma of Capital, London, Profile Books.
Recommended Michael Lewis (2011) Boomerang: The Meltdown Tour. London: Penguin Books.
Reading List Carolyn Nordstrom (2007) Global Outlaws: Crime, Money, and Power in the Contemporary
World. London, University of California Press.
Module Pre
Requisite
Module Co
Requisite
Assessment
1.5 hour examination (50%) Essay (50%)
Details*
6
Module Code*
Module Name*
ECTS Weighting*
GG3020
Coastal Processes & Management I
5 credits
Semester/term Semester 2
taught*
Contact Hours*
32 hours (Lectures = 24hrs; field trip = 8hrs)
Module Professor Michael Quigley
Personnel

Learning
Outcomes



Explain the dynamics of waves, tides and currents that have a bearing on nearshore processes
Interpret the dynamics of sediment transfers in the near-shore zone
Describe the morphodynamics of soft coast systems
Discuss the importance of biological inputs into the physical landforms of the coast.
This module views coasts as integrated spatial systems by analysing the inter-relationships
Module Learning between physical and biological inputs, drawing on literature in the areas of coastal
Aims geomorphology and ecology. Coasts can be seen as highly complex systems that are very
sensitive to changes in any input, be it physical, biological or human-induced. In the light of
this, the module examines the morphodynamics of coasts on different temporal and spatial
scales.
It begins with an examination of the dynamics of inshore waters, including the origins and
Module Content/ characteristics of waves, tides and currents before dealing with the sedimentological
Description* responses to these phenomena at the land/sea interface. The morphology and dynamics of
various types of coastal features, especially those found in 'soft coast areas', will be
considered in detail. The analysis of soft coasts as physico-biological systems, with a
particular focus on the development of sand-dune, machair and salt-marshes will form a
major part of this module.
Carter, W.R.G. (1990). Coastal Environments: an Introduction to the Physical, Ecological
Recommended and Cultural Systems of Coastlines. Academic Press, London.
Reading List Haslett, S.K. (2008) Coastal Systems. Routledge, London.
Quigley, M.B. (ed.). (1991). A Guide to Sand Dunes of Ireland. Report compiled for the 3rd
Congress for the European Union for Dune Conservation and Coastal Management,
Galway, 1991.
Ranwell, D.S. (1972). Ecology of Salt Marshes and Sand Dunes. Chapman and Hall,
London.
Woodroffe, C.D. (2002). Coasts: Form, Process and Evolution. CUP, Cambridge.
Wright, J., Colling, A. and Park, D. (1999). Waves, Tides and Shallow-water Processes.
Open University/Butterworth Heinemann. Milton Keynes
Module Pre
Requisite
Module Co
Requisite
Assessment 3 hour examination (100%)
Details*
7
Module Code*
Module Name*
ECTS Weighting*
GG3021
Costal Processes & Management II
5 credits
Semester/term Semester 2
taught*
Contact Hours*
32 hours (Lectures = 20hrs; field trips = 12hrs)
Module Professor Michael Quigley
Personnel

Learning
Outcomes



Discuss the history and significance of the concept of integrated coastal zone
management
Diagnose the specific problems of coastal erosion
Develop practical strategies for dealing with problems in the coastal zone
Evaluate the policies and strategies that have been applied to coastal problems in
different areas.
Module Learning
Aims
This module focuses on questions of management strategies and policy-making in coastal
Module Content/ areas and an attempt will be made to outline and evaluate the various strategies and
Description* techniques that may be adopted, drawing on specific case studies, both in Ireland and in
other parts of the world. The concept of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) will be
examined critically. The more general issues of coastal conservation and preservation and
how they can be achieved will be considered. There will be a field-based element to this
module, with visits to specific areas where coastal erosion problems are being experienced.
Cork County Council et al. (2002). Bantry Bay Coastal Charter
Recommended Department of the Marine et al. (1996). Environmentally Friendly Coastal Protection - Code
Reading List of Practice. Stationary Office, Dublin.
French, P.W. (1997). Coastal and Estuarine Management. Routledge, London.
Nordstrom, K. (2008). Beach and Dune Restoration. Cambridge
Hill, M. (2004). Coasts and Coastal Management. Hodder and Stoughton, London.
Module Pre GG3020 Coastal Processes & Management I (contact coordinator)
Requisite
Module Co
Requisite
Assessment 3 hour examination (100%)
Details*
8
Module Code*
Module Name*
ECTS Weighting*
GG3030
Environmental Governance I
10 credits
Semester/term Semester 2
taught*
Contact Hours*
20 hours (Lectures)
Module Professor Anna Davies
Personnel

Learning
Outcomes




Identify and articulate theoretical aspects of governance and environmental
governance
Discuss the roles of governance actors (public, private and civil society) in the
environmental field
Critically debate the nature and impact of governing tools and technologies that
operate at a range of scales (and across scales) from the local to the global
Outline the nature of governing with respect to select areas of the environment
Critically analyse and reflect on information provided by variety of sources including
academic papers, print and TV media and internet material covered during the
module.
Module Learning
Aims
This module focuses on the way in which environmental issues are governed by the state,
Module Content/ the private sector, publics and civil society. The module will build on work developed in the
Description* previous three years of the Geography programme regarding human-environment
interactions. In particular it will expand student’s knowledge of fundamental concepts of
nature, culture and environment, and the politics of environmental valuation and protection.
Ayre, G., Callway, R., (2005) Governance for Sustainable Development: a foundation for the
Recommended future, Earthscan, London.
Reading List Connelly, J. and Smith, G. (2003) Politics and the Environment: from theory to practice,
Routledge, London.
Okereke, C. (2007) The Politics of the Environment: a survey, Routledge, London.
Module Pre
Requisite
Module Co
Requisite
Assessment 2 hour examination (50%) coursework (50%)
Details*
9
Module Code*
Module Name*
ECTS Weighting*
GG3034
Practical Physical Geography (ask pete!!!)
5 credits
Semester/term Semester 2
taught*
Contact Hours*
Module Professor Peter Coxon
Personnel
Learning
Outcomes



Have gained practical experience in the use of OS maps
Have gained a knowledge of simple surveying techniques
Have gained a knowledge of laboratory methods in physical geography
Module Learning
Aims
Basic mapwork using OS 1:50,000 series maps and GSI geological maps. Fluvial
Module Content/ geomorphology from maps, simple drainage basin analysis, analysing geological and
Description* climatic controls on fluvial landscapes. Orientation and altitude of corrie basins. Basic field
and laboratory methods including sediment descriptions, clast fabric, particle size analysis
and loss of ignition measurements. Simple data handling using spreadsheets and graphics
packages.
Recommended
Reading List
Module Pre Geography students only
Requisite
Module Co
Requisite
Assessment 100% coursework
Details*
10
Module Code*
Module Name*
ECTS Weighting*
GG3037
Urban Economic Structure & Regeneration
5 credits
Semester/term Semester 1
taught*
Contact Hours*
20 hours (Lectures = 18hrs; Tutorials = 2hrs)
Module Professor Andrew MacLaran
Personnel

Learning
Outcomes




Describe the nature of economic globalisation and its impacts on urban areas in the
developed world
Recognise the factors underlying the shifting pattern of urban economic activities
and identify the consequences of such changes in terms of the intra-urban location
of types of function and employment
Identify the reasons underlying state intervention in the urban space economy to
effect regeneration
Appraise with the varied goals, form and content of urban regeneration
Assess the ways in which urban regeneration policies might appropriately be
evaluated.
Module Learning
Aims
This module reviews the changing space-economy of urban areas in the developed world,
Module Content/ notably the shifting intra-urban location of retailing, industrial and office functions. Case
Description* studies (Glasgow, London docklands, Minneapolis and Dublin) are then used to investigate
urban-regeneration policies. The concept of the ‘creative class’ and its role in regeneration is
then explored and the ‘creative city thesis’ reviewed critically.
Knox, P.L. & Pinch, S. (2006) Urban Social Geography (Pearson, Harlow)
Recommended MacLaran, A. & Kelly, S. (eds.) (2014) Neoliberal Urban Policy and the Transformation of the
Reading List City: Reshaping Dublin. (Palgrave Macmillan, Basignstoke)
Pacione, M. (2009) Urban Geography: a global perspective. (Routledge, London)
Short, J.R. (1984) An Introduction to Urban Geography. (RKP, London)
Module Pre
Requisite
Module Co
Requisite
Assessment Essay (35%), 2 hour Examination (65%)
Details*
11
Module Code*
Module Name*
ECTS Weighting*
GG3054
Tropical Environments
5 credits
Semester/term Semester 2
taught*
Contact Hours*
24 hours (Lectures and Laboratory classes)
Module Professor Gayle McGlynn
Personnel
Learning
Outcomes




Identify and explain the unique challenges facing tropical environments;
Understand the role of long-term processes in determining current environmental
patterns in the tropics
Analyse the role of human-environment interactions in shaping modern
environments in the tropics
Critically assess the policies and management practices that have been applied in
tropical environments.
Module Learning
Aims
This module examines the host of environmental challenges facing tropical regions, with a
Module Content/ focus on understanding environmental change drivers and processes. Particular attention
Description* will be paid to several case study areas in the humid tropics. Topics covered include: tropical
climates and ecosystems; long-term drivers of environmental change; the role of humanenvironment interactions; climate change predictions and impacts; current environmental
management challenges.
Bruijnzeel, L.A., Scatena, F.N. and Hamilton, L.S. (2010) Tropical Montane Cloud Forests.
Recommended Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.
Reading List Gupta, A. and Asher, M.G. (1998) Environment and the Developing World: Principles,
Policies and Management. Chichester, Wiley.
Kellman, M. and Tackaberry, R. (1997) Tropical Environments: The Functioning and
Management of Tropical Ecosystems. London, Routledge.
Russo, M. (2008) Environmental Management: Readings and Cases. London,Sage.
Module Pre
Requisite
Module Co
Requisite
Assessment 1.5 hour examination (50%); coursework (50%).
Details*
12
Module Code*
Module Name*
ECTS Weighting*
GG3476
Periglacial Geomorphology (scheduled for the year 2014-2015)
5 credits
Semester/term Semester 1
taught*
Contact Hours*
Module Professor Peter Coxon
Personnel
Learning
Outcomes




Have gained a basic knowledge of cold climate regions and processes
Have gained a knowledge of Ireland’s periglacial history
Have gained a knowledge of modern periglacial geomorphology
Recognise the importance of the study of periglacial geomorphology
Module Learning
Aims
This course covers the regions of the world that experience at present (or have experienced
Module Content/ in the past) permanently frozen ground or processes associated with frost action. The
Description* processes producing a variety of landforms of all scales are looked at in detail and a
pervading theme in the course is the identification and significance of fossil periglacial
features in the landscape. Topics covered include: climatic zones, freeze-thaw cycles,
permafrost, ground-ice, frost action, patterned ground, hardware modelling of processes,
ice-mounds, thermokarst, man and periglacial regions, slopes, fluvial processes, fossil
periglacial features in Europe, USA, Britain and Ireland.
Recommended
Reading List
Module Pre
Requisite
Module Co
Requisite
Assessment 2 Hour Examination (100%)
Details*
13
Module Code*
Module Name*
ECTS Weighting*
GG3475
Glacial Geomorphology (scheduled for the year 2015-2016)
10 credits
Semester/term Semester 1
taught*
Contact Hours*
Module Professor Peter Coxon
Personnel
Learning
Outcomes




Have gained a basic knowledge of the main elements of glaciology
Have gained a knowledge Ireland’s glacial history
Have gained a knowledge of modern glacial geomorphology
Recognise the importance of the study of glacial geomorphology
Module Learning
Aims
The course is an introduction to the landforms and processes of glaciation. It covers past
Module Content/ and recent work on glacial geomorphology and concentrates on landforms and sediments
Description* and their production by glaciers. The topics covered include: history of glacial studies,
physical properties of ice, ice motion, glacier systems, thermal regime, erosional processes
and landforms, glacial deposition, mineral exploration in glacial terrain, engineering geology
in glaciated areas, moraines and drumlins, meltwater deposition and erosion (process and
form). Examples are taken from Ireland where relevant and the course outlines the need for
further work in many regions of the country.
The module includes a compulsory weekend field course (this will be kept reasonably priced
but is in addition to College fees etc), laboratory work and possibly an additional day trip.
Recommended
Reading List
Module Pre
Requisite
Module Co
Requisite
Assessment 2 Hour Examination (50%) field course and laboratory reports (50%).
Details*
14
Module Code*
Module Name*
ECTS Weighting*
GG4026
Environmental Governance II
10 credits
Semester/term Semester 2
taught*
Contact Hours*
20 hours (Lectures = 10hrs; Seminars = 10hrs)
Module Professor Anna Davies
Personnel

Learning
Outcomes


Articulate theoretical and practical issues related to the governing of environmental
conflicts
Identify and evaluate different mechanisms for environmental conflict resolution and
prevention
Critically analyse and reflect on information provided by variety of sources including
academic papers, print and TV media and internet material covered during the
module.
Module Learning
Aims
This module considers why conflicts arise through the process of environmental governance.
Module Content/ The focus of the module will be on developing analytical frameworks for analysing conflicts,
Description* such as political ecology, and potential mechanisms for conflict resolution. It will introduce
students to the concept of governing environmental conflict through lectures, multimedia
presentations, set readings and research activities, using examples from Ireland and
overseas.
Bingham, N., Blowers, A., & Belshaw, C. (2003) Contested Environments, Wiley & OUP
Recommended Robbins, P. (2004) Political Ecology: a critical introduction, Oxford, Blackwell. OUP
Reading List Sidaway, R. (2005) Resolving Environmental Disputes: from conflict to
consensus,Earthscan, London.
Sloep, P and Blowers, A. (1996) Environmental Policy in an International Context: Conflicts,
Arnold, London
Module Pre GG3030 Environmental Governance I (contact coordinator)
Requisite
Module Co
Requisite
Assessment Course work (100%)
Details*
15
Module Code*
Module Name*
ECTS Weighting*
GG4033
Historical Geography I
5 credits
Semester/term Semester 1
taught*
Contact Hours*
22 hours (Lectures)
Module Professor Mark Hennessy
Personnel

Learning
Outcomes



Understand the development of landscapes and regional patterns in Ireland from
prehistory to the early medieval period
Place developments in Ireland in appropriate comparative contexts
Critically evaluate alternative explanations/interpretations of the pattern of
landscape and regional change in Ireland
Critically evaluate archaeological, field and documentary evidence relating to this
topic.
Module Learning
Aims
This module presents an overview of the historical geography of Ireland from the earliest
Module Content/ human settlement in the Mesolithic through to c.1000 A.D. Throughout the module
Description* developments in Ireland are set within appropriate comparative and theoretical contexts. The
principal topics explored are settlement, land use and agriculture, the changing environment
(including human impacts), patterns of cultural variation and interaction and how these have
come together to forge changing landscapes and regions.
H. B. Clarke, M. Hennessy and J. Prunty (Eds.), Surveying Ireland’s Past, (Dublin, 2004).
Recommended F. H. A. Aalen, K. Whelan and M. Stout (Eds.), Atlas of the Irish Rural Landscape, (Cork,
Reading List 1997).
Module Pre
Requisite
Module Co
Requisite
Assessment 2 hour examination (100%)
Details*
16
Module Code*
Module Name*
ECTS Weighting*
GG4034
Historical Geography II
5 credits
Semester/term Semester 1
taught*
Contact Hours*
22 hours (Lectures)
Module Professor Mark Hennessy
Personnel

Learning
Outcomes



Understand the development of landscapes and regional patterns in Ireland from
the early medieval period to c.1900 A.D;
Place developments in Ireland in appropriate comparative contexts;
Critically evaluate alternative explanations/interpretations of the pattern of
landscape and regional change in Ireland;
Critically evaluate archaeological, field and documentary evidence relating to this
topic.
Module Learning
Aims
This module presents an overview of the historical geography of Ireland from c.1000 A.D.
Module Content/ through to c.1900 A.D. Throughout the module developments in Ireland are set within
Description* appropriate comparative and theoretical contexts. The principal topics explored are
settlement, land use and agriculture, the changing environment (including human impacts),
patterns of cultural variation and interaction and how these have come together to forge
changing landscapes and regions.
H. B. Clarke, M. Hennessy and J. Prunty (Eds.), Surveying Ireland’s Past, (Dublin, 2004).
Recommended F. H. A. Aalen, K. Whelan and M. Stout (Eds.), Atlas of the Irish Rural Landscape, (Cork,
Reading List 1997).
Module Pre
Requisite
Module Co
Requisite
Assessment 2 hour examination (100%)
Details*
17
Module Code*
Module Name*
ECTS Weighting*
GG4036
Globalisation & African Development
5 credits
Semester/term Semester 2
taught*
Contact Hours*
18 hours (Lectures)
Module Professor Padraig Carmody
Personnel

Learning
Outcomes





Discuss critically the historical evolution of Africa’s incorporation into the global
political economy
Judge and critique different perspectives on the nature of the globalization in Africa;
Critically evaluate the influence of organizations such as the International Monetary
Fund, World Bank and International Non-Governmental Organisations in Africa
Apprehend the construction and interaction between issues such ethnicity, conflict
and terrorism; regionalisation and globalization and gender and development
Interrogate the geography and evolution of HIV/AIDS in Africa and its causal factors
Independently evaluate broader literatures on development in Africa.
Module Learning
Aims
This module explores the nature and impacts of globalisation in Africa. Particular attention is
Module Content/ paid to the geography of HIV/AIDS, gender and development, China’s rising role in the
Description* continent, oil politics and the so called “resource curse” or paradox of plenty that Africa is the
most resource rich continent in the world but also the poorest. Other topics covered included
gender and the mobile phone revolution.
The Challenge for Africa by Wangari Maathai (London, Arrow books, 2010)
Recommended Africa Emerges by Robert Rotberg (Cambridge, Polity, 2013)
Reading List The Great African Land Grab by Lorenzo Cotula (London and New York, Zed, 2013)
Module Pre
Requisite
Module Co
Requisite
Assessment 1.5 hour examination (50%) Essay (50%)
Details*
18
Module Code*
Module Name*
ECTS Weighting*
GG4037
Climate Change
5 credits
Semester/term Semester 1
taught*
Contact Hours*
Module Professor Peter Coxon
Personnel

Learning
Outcomes


Have gained a detailed knowledge of some opposing views expressed in climate
change science
integrate various views on climate change and produce a report for a non-scientist
research and present a comprehensive analysis of a climate change topic chosen
by them
Module Learning
Aims
This module has 2 parts:
Module Content/ Exercise 1 (30% of the total marks). Analysing climate change in the media, documentaries
Description* and making summaries for policymakers (40 hours work/research including watching two
documentaries).
Exercise 2 (70% of the total marks). An essay on a self- chosen scientific climate change
topic and presenting a 20 minute seminar. Researching a topic in depth and presenting an
expert summary of that topic to the class.
Recommended
Reading List
Module Pre
Requisite
Module Co
Requisite
Assessment Coursework (100%)
Details*
19
Module Code*
Module Name*
ECTS Weighting*
GG4040
Reconstructing Environmental Change
5 credits
Semester/term Semester 2
taught*
Contact Hours*
48 hours (Lectures and lab classes = 40 hrs; fieldtrip = 8hrs)
Module Professor Robin Edwards
Personnel

Learning
Outcomes





Plan and implement a sampling strategy for the collection of field data required to
address specific research questions;
Produce a precise and accurate field notebook that selects appropriate information
and discriminates between observation and interpretation;
Demonstrate technical proficiency in a range of laboratory analyses used to extract
environmental data from sediments;
Compile and integrate the results arising from individual and group analyses to
produce a coherent dataset for further work;
Analyse and interpret complex, multivariate datasets;
Synthesise the results and interpretations in a concise, written report that presents
clear research objectives, a critical evaluation of methodology and data, and makes
reference to relevant academic literature.
Module Learning
Aims
This module provides hands-on experience in the research techniques that are used in the
Module Content/ Earth Sciences to reconstruct environmental change. It focuses on the analysis of Holocene
Description* sediments and their associated microfossils, and their use as sensitive proxies for changing
environmental variables. It involves a one-day field trip that will be held at the weekend
Recommended
Reading List
Module Pre GG3034 Practical Physical Geography (contact coordinator)
Requisite
Module Co
Requisite
Assessment Course work (100%)
Details*
20
Module Code*
Module Name*
ECTS Weighting*
GG4060
Property Development, Planning & the State
10 credits
Semester/term Semester 1
taught*
Contact Hours*
52 hours (Lectures = 44hrs; Urban walk = 4hrs; Tutorials = 4hrs)
Module Professor Andrew MacLaran
Personnel
Learning
Outcomes







Describe the operations of the property-development sector;
Analyse the role of the state;
Describe its intervention in development through urban planning systems;
Describe the operations of the private-sector property development industry and its
operations with respect to the creation and redevelopment of the built environment;
Describe the relations of production in the property-development sector, the nature
of the returns to each of the participants, the relationship between initial yield, rent
and building price, the causes of the boom-slump cycle in development and
investment and the changing balance of advantage between actors in their
competition for development profits;
Understand the agents and operations of the Irish housing system, the elements
underlying the development, the financing of and access to different forms of
housing tenure;
Identify the historical origins of urban planning, the historical ideological influences
which have infused its operations and the changing character of urban planning
operations under neoliberal entrepreneurial regimes of urban governance since the
1980s.
Module Learning
Aims
This module examines the manner in which the property-development sector operates, the
Module Content/ key actors involved and the nature of the relationships that exist between them. It reviews
Description* the problems that are inherent within the property development sector, notably the tendency
towards cycles of boom and slump in the scale of development activity and the
consequences that these have for relationships within the industry and also for the urban
environment. It directs particular attention to the commercial property development sector
and to the Irish housing system, dealing with the ways in which housing is supplied,
financed, managed and allocated. It aims further to provide students with a greater
understanding of the varied interpretations of the role of the state in society, its rationale for
intervening in the development of urban space, the ways in which such intervention is
effected through urban planning and the manner in which such planning practice has been
transformed under neoliberal political agendas.
Recommended
Reading List
Module Pre
Requisite
Module Co
Requisite
Assessment 3 hour Examination (60%); Essay (20%); Project (20%)
Details*
21
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