Second Year Modules – 2014-15
GEOGRAPHY AT KCL: 2nd YEAR COURSES FOR SOAS STUDENTS 2014-15
Timetabling:
Last year's timetable (1314) is a good guide to likely timing but not guaranteed. Some of these courses are
new. KCL timetables are only set definitely in August.
KCL timetables can be found at
http://www.soas.ac.uk/departments/joint/programmes/babscgeogand/geog/
All courses in options list below are 15 credits; see rest of document for course descriptions and term
taught.
General 2nd year Geography Options
5SSG2011
Economic and Social Change in Post War Europe
5SSG2017
Historical Geographies of Urbanism
5SSG2023
Physical Geography: Earth Surface Processes and Landforms
5SSG2040
Territory, State & Nation
5SSG2042
Natural Hazards
5SSG2043
Environmental Remote Sensing
5SSG2044
Development Geographies: Livelihood and Policy Contexts [not available to students
taking Development Studies due to overlap]
5SSG2051
Climate Variabilty, Change & Society
5SSG2052
Society, Environment and Geography: The Nature of the Environment
5SSG2054
Water & Development
5SSG2055
Institutions, Governance & Development [rural development course]
5SSG2056
Urban & Cultural Geography: Space, Society & Culture
5SSG2057
Landscapes: Ecology, Biogeography & Management
5SSG2058
Urban Geography: Exploring the City
The following courses are available only to 2 subject degree students studying Geography.
METHODS COURSES (2nd year):
5SSG2053 Principles of Geographical Inquiry (30 credits);
5SSG2048 Methods in Human Geography (15 credits)
5SSG2049 Methods in Physical Geography (15 credits)
FIELDWORK COURSES (2nd year):
5SSG2047 Fieldwork in Human & Development Geography (15 credits)*
5SSG2046 Fieldwork in Physical Geography (15 credits) *
*The fieldwork courses have pre-requisite Methods courses. 5SSG2047 must be taken with 5SSG2048;
5SSG2046 with 5SSG2049
For queries contact Dr Deborah Potts debby.potts@kcl.ac.uk 0207 848 1572
Second Year Modules available in the 2014-15 academic year
SHORT DESCRIPTIONS OF GEOGRAPHY OPTIONS AT KCL 2014-15
5SSG2011
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL CHANGE IN POST WAR EUROPE
Lecturer: Professor Chris Hamnett
Teaching arrangement: 20 lectures, first term
Assessment: examination (100%)
Specific aims of the module:
To enable students to understand the shift from rural agrarian to urban industrial and service economies in
post-war Europe and the associated social changes in terms of industrial and occupational structures, class
composition, earnings and incomes, migration, ethnicity, consumption and the like. To examine the nature
and impact of different ‘welfare state regimes’ in Europe and look briefly at the problems created by the
transition from state socialism to market economies in Eastern Europe. Introduce students to some of the
main dimensions of contemporary Economic and Social Change in Post War Europe and the similarities
and differences between European countries in terms of these dimensions.
Learning Outcomes:
At the completion of the module students should be able to understand some of key processes and
dimensions of economic and social change in post war Europe. Appreciate both the key similarities and
differences between different European countries post war. Understand some of the major policy debates
regarding unemployment, economic growth, migration and other issues such as demographic change.
Module structure
The topics covered include the economic transformation of Europe in the C20th from agriculture to
manufacturing industry and services, the changing nature of the labour markets, the role of the welfare
state, income, wealth and poverty, migration and ethnic change, demographic change, social exclusion and
the transition from state socialism to post socialism.
5SSG2017
HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHIES OF URBANISM: MAKING THE MODERN CITY
Lecturer: Professor David Green and Dr Ruth Craggs
Teaching arrangement: 18 lectures; 1 field visit, second term
Assessment: coursework (50%) examination (50%)
Specific aims of the module:
The module aims to enable students to develop an understanding of the comparative dimensions of
urbanisation from the eighteenth to the mi- twentieth century and to enable students to explore the
relationships between urbanisation and the broader currents of economic, socia, political and cultural
change. Sections cover particular sets of issues which are explored through the lens of class, gender,
ethnicity and race in different cultural contexts – both in western cities but also in relation to imperial and
non-imperial cities beyond Europe and North America.
Learning Outcomes:
At the completion of the module students will be able to
 compare and contrast patterns of urbanisation at different places and times
 to explain the relationships between social, cultural, political processes and the production of urban
spaces and urban forms.
Module structure
Section 1: New languages of space: cities in the 19th and 20th centuries
This section explores the new kinds of spaces that were being created in cities during the 19 th and 20th
centuries. How did the concentration of people and activities affect the nature of social, political and
cultural relations in urban places? What kinds of issues were raised when homes were connected to
infrastructures such as water, sewerage, electricity and gas? What kinds of questions were raised in
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Second Year Modules available in the 2014-15 academic year
relation to the use of public space? How did these issues differ in varying cultural contexts? What kinds
of imaginative and representational spaces were created in order to understand the modern city?
Section 2: Cities and the environment
This section examines the impact that cities had on their surrounding environments and the environmental
issues that arose as a result of urbanisation. The concentration of people in large cities required networks
of supply – of wood, energy, food and water. How did demands for these goods affect the environment,
both in the immediate locality but also much further afield? What kinds of issues were raised by dense
urban living in relation to environmental conditions in cities and how were these tackled?
Section 3: Cities of Strangers
With rapid urbanisation came diversity. What were the implications of large scale urban growth in relation
to acquiring personal knowledge about individuals when most people remained strangers? How significant
was dress and fashion in helping identify urban ‘types’; what was the role of institutions and regulation in
modern urban society?
Section 4: Protest, cooperation and urban theatre
This section explores the theatricality of urban spaces focussing on the symbolic nature of cities. Cities
are places in which cultural and political activities are played out. Streets and public places became spaces
for performance – from carnivals to world exhibitions, and from executions to strikes What opportunities
does urban living create for different forms of protest and cooperation and how were these expressed in
cities?
Section 5: Cities of homes
Cities are homes for people but these take very different forms – from street living to luxury villas. What
was the symbolic as as well as the functional nature of ‘home’ and what kinds of concerns were raised in
relation to housing urban populations? What issues arose when homes became networked with utilities –
with water, sewerage, electricity and gas? Were these alien and dangerous intrusions into private worlds
of the home or welcome additions to modern urban life?
5SSG2023 PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY: EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS
Lecturer: Dr Andreas Baas
Teaching arrangement: 10 double lectures and one laboratory practical, first term.
Assessment: examination (100%)
Specific aims of the module
To provide an overview of the basic concepts that underpin geomorphic process and landform
investigations. The module presents detailed case studies of a variety of environments to develop an
understanding of relationships between processes and forms in landscapes around the globe.
Learning Outcomes
At the completion of the module students should have a thorough understanding of the key
geomorphological processes operating at the Earth’s surface, the significance of time and space scales for
recognizing process-form linkages in different environments and the interactions between fluids and
sediment transport that result in the formation and development of a variety of landforms.
Module structure
This module discusses the basic concepts and principles that underpin geomorphic landforms and
processes operating at the Earth's surface in a great variety of landscapes around the globe. It presents the
significance of time and space scales for recognizing process-form linkages in different environments and
the interactions between fluids and sediment transport that result in the formation and development of a
variety of landforms. Topics covered include: history of geomorphology, fluvial geomorphology, chaos,
fractals, self-organisation, coastal environments, aeolian systems, glacial landscapes, weathering & mass
wasting, soils & vegetation. The module includes a sand-pile experiment exercise.
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Second Year Modules available in the 2014-15 academic year
5SSG2040
TERRITORY, STATE & NATION
Lecturer: Richard Schofield
Teaching arrangements: 14 hrs lectures; 6 hrs seminars, second term
Assessment: examination (75%); report (15%); oral exam (10%)
Specific aims of the module:
To have an effective overview of political geography’s historical and contemporary treatment of the
questions of territoriality, state and nation. The module will give a critical introduction to evolving theory,
models and typologies developed to explain patterns at the state-, regional and global levels and will
explore frameworks for viewing these issues (and testing some of the ideas encountered) on a more
applied regional basis in the third year of the degree
Learning Outcomes:
At the completion of the module students should be able to develop skills of verbal presentation and
argument through assessed seminar presentations. They should also understand how questions of
territoriality, nation and sovereignty are viewed in developing regions of the world, and gain an insight
into the historical determinants of the establishment of political geography.
Module structure:
1.
Introduction to territory within political geography/viewing of Christopher Hitchens’ classic
1989 BBC Frontiers programme on the Cyprus conflict (RNS)
2.
Traditional territorial geopolitics: Ratzel, Curzon and the boundaries and spatial characteristics
of the state (RNS)
3.
An introduction to the territorial state and sovereignty (EGHJ)
4.
Nations and nationalism (EGHJ)
5.Territoriality, state and nation: contemporary Somalia (SK)
6.
Boundaries and territorial disputes: a contemporary tour d’horizon (RNS)
7.
The new geopolitics: sovereignty and hegemony in the post-Cold War world (RNS)
8. – 10. Students seminar presentations (moderated and assessed by RNS)
5SSG2042
NATURAL HAZARDS
Lecturer: Professor Bruce Malamud
Teaching arrangements: 12 lectures; 8 seminars/tutorials, first term
Assessment: examination (100%)
Specific aims of the module:
To introduce students to the basic theory for the creation and/or existence of different kinds of natural
hazards. To facilitate an understanding of the primary and secondary effects (both negative and positive)
of different natural hazards on the natural environment and society, using specific examples from
localities around the world. To discuss the politics and science surrounding hazard predictions and
probabilistic forecasting. To consider anthropogenic effects on mitigating or worsening the effects of the
hazard.
Learning Outcomes:
At the completion of the module students should be able to understand fundamental causes and effects of
several different kinds of natural hazards to access pertinent information on different aspects of natural
hazards using books, journal articles and the internet, and to explore in depth over the module of the term,
a specific aspect or aspects of natural hazards, as outlined in the seen examination question(s).
Module structure
Both the causes and results of natural hazards provide a dramatic intersection between physical and social
geography. Many disasters that occur are a complex mix of natural events and human processes, including
political, social and economic. This module provides an overview of natural hazards, including
earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis, mass wasting, floods, climate (severe storms, strong winds, droughts),
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Second Year Modules available in the 2014-15 academic year
and wildfire, and the complex relationship that exists between each natural hazard and society. This
module is aimed at both physical and human geography students.
5SSG2043
ENVIRONMENTAL REMOTE SENSING
Lecturer: Professor Nick Drake
Teaching arrangement: 20 lectures, first term
Assessment: examination (100%)
Specific aims of the module:
To provide a comprehensive understanding of environmental remote sensing. To achieve this students will
learn the fundamental characteristics of electromagnetic radiation and how it interacts with earth surface
materials. How this radiation is recorded using a wide variety of instruments (e.g. cameras, scanners,
RADAR) on a wide range of platforms (e.g. aeroplanes, satellites). How we can extract information on the
environment from these data and images and the advantages and limitations of this information. The
diverse array of applications of remote sensing in geography.
Learning Outcomes:
At the completion of the module students should be able to provide a general overview of how
environmental remote sensing is used to provide spatial and temporal information on the environment.
Provide students with an appreciation of the strengths and weaknesses of methods used to derive
information about the Earth.Illustrate the diverse array of applications of remote sensing is physical and
human geography
Module structure
Topics taught on this module include an introduction to and the history of remote sensing;
Electromagnetic Radiation; Platforms, Sensors(active and passive), and Orbits; Visible and Near Infrared
Remote Sensing and Applications; Using AVHRR for monitoring the Mozambique floods of 2000;
Microwave, Thermal; and Ultraviolet Remote Sensing and Mapping, Monitoring and Modelling.
5SSG2044
DEVELOPMENT GEOGRAPHIES: Livelihood and Policy Contexts [nb NOT to be
taken by SOAS students studying Development Studies]
Coordinator: Dr Debby Potts
Lecturers: Dr Debby Potts & Dr Andrew Brooks
Teaching arrangements: 20 lectures; first term
Assessments: examination (50%); essay (50%)
Specific aims of the module:
To apprise students of the debates about the meaning of the term ‘development’ and the different ways of
measuring ‘development’. Apprise students of theoretical developments in development geography,
including postmodern and postcolonial theories. Develop an awareness of how patterns of wealth and
welfare vary both between and within developing countries. Develop a critical understanding of
contemporary development policy approaches. Develop an awareness of selected processes operating
within developing countries which affect their rural, urban and population geography. Develop an
appreciation of the links between regional expertise and development practice.
Learning outcomes:
At the completion of the module students should be able to understand and engage with the debates about
the 'impasse in development' and contestation over the meaning of 'development' for stakeholders and
practitioners. Evaluate the various ways of measuring poverty and development. Discuss contemporary
policy approaches to development, such as community-based participatory approaches. Understand and
explain contemporary patterns of wealth and welfare indices in the poorer countries of the world. Assess
critically how some Asian countries enjoyed rapid economic development in the post war-era. Provide an
overview of selected, contemporary processes in demographic change and rural and urban areas in
developing countries. Understand the significance of 'ground-truthing' development theories in specific,
regional contexts.
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Second Year Modules available in the 2014-15 academic year
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Module structure (provisional outline)
1. Introduction to the Course/Geographies from the South/Debating ‘development’
2. Theories and strategies of development
3. The Global North, Trade and development: theory and practice
4. Poverty: indices, measurement, geography, scale
5. Gapminder (knowledge-based development geography tool)/discussion about coursework
6. The development strategies of the NICs
7. China : development or growth?
8. Rural development
9. Urbanization and development in the Global South
10. Development Alternatives
5SSG2051
CLIMATE VARIABILITY, CHANGE & SOCIETY
Lecturer: Dr George Adamson
Teaching arrangements: 20 lectures, second term
Assessment: examination (100%)
Specific aims of the module:
This module will explore the physical processes and patterns of natural climate variability and
palaeoclimatic change, how anthropogenic influence result in climate change, and how these aspects of
climate can impact ecosystems and society.
Learning outcomes:
At the completion of the module students should be able to demonstrate a conceptual understanding of
the physical processes that govern the climate system. This includes knowledge of the role of the longterm and short-term carbon cycle; climate oscillations and teleconnections as well as the mechanisms
underlying climatic variability; an understanding of the nature of direct and indirect impacts of climate
change on ecosystems and society; the science of climate change and the basics of climate modelling and
climate projections; a conceptual knowledge of adaptation and mitigation strategies to achieve a
sustainable development.
Module structure (may be slightly amended)
1. The Framework of Climate Science
3. Orbital-scale Climate Change
5. Oscillations and Teleconnections
7. Climate Modelling
9. Human Response to a Changing Climate
5SSG2052
SOCIETY,
ENVIRONMENT
2. Tectonic scale Climate Change
4. Deglacial and Historic Climate Change
6. Greenhouse Effect and Greenhouse Gases
8. Climate Change and Climate Projections
10. Adaptation and Mitigation
ENVIRONMENT
AND
GEOGRAPHY:
THE
NATURE
Lecturer: Dr Alex Loftus
Teaching Arrangements: 10 x 2 hours lectures/seminars, first term
Assessment: coursework; poster & group presentation
Specific aims of the module:
Environmental questions have been at the heart of Geography’s disciplinary identity for the last century
or more. This course will introduce some of the questions that geographers have sought to tackle, at the
same time as drawing out some of the key issues for environmental politics and policy. How we make
sense of nature matters not only for the kind of environment we want to be a part of, but also for our
sense of the political possibilities within the world. Articulating a position within such debates has been
the central tasks of society-environment geographers for much of the discipline’s existence and will be
our focus in this series of lectures.
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Second Year Modules available in the 2014-15 academic year
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the course, you will be able to analyse and evaluate a range of different perspectives on the
environment. You will be able to use David Harvey’s dialectical and co-evolutionary perspective on
socio-environmental change as a way of analysing the influence of different processes on the
environment. In addition, you will be able to challenge one-dimensional readings that place emphasis on
single determinants.
5SSG2054 WATER & DEVELOPMENT
Lecturer: Dr Naho Mirumachi
Teaching arrangement: 10 lectures 10 seminars, first term
Assessment: essay (85%) group poster (15%).
Specific aims of the module
This module aims to explore the linkage between water resources management and sustainable
development; to explore the various scales of politics of water resources management and governance in
developing country contexts; to introduce contemporary policy discussions on water resources
management and governance in developing country contexts; and to practise applying theory to policy
problems of water resources management and governance with specific reference to developing country
contexts.
Learning outcomes
On completing this module, students should be able to understand the role and implications of water
resources management in sustainable development; to understand the relevance of environmental, socioeconomic and political dimensions of water use and allocation at various spatial scales ranging from the
local community level to the international transboundary river basin level; to identify and critically
assess the role of actors and institutions involved in water resources management and governance; to
critically analyse the strengths and weaknesses of existing water policy; to demonstrate critical thinking
through both structured essay responses and seminar excercises; to identify and critically assess data and
information through academic literature, newspapers, policy papers (and other grey literature), and
websites.
Module structure
The module explores the interface of water resources management and sustainable development through
the perspective of politics of water use and allocation. The module first examines different types of
water and their uses and relevance to sustainable development. Secondly, the module examines politics
of water use and allocation at the local, national and international levels through issues of community
irrigation, Integrated Water Resources Management and international transboundary river basin
agreements. Particular focus is on the actors and institutions involved in water governance at these
spatial scales. Thirdly, through discussions, group work and poster presentations, the module will assess
the policy responses to the problems of water resources management in developing country contexts.
5SSG2055
INSTITUTIONS, GOVERNANCE & DEVELOPMENT
Lecturer: Professor Frances Cleaver
Teaching arrangements: 20hrs lectures; second term
Assessment: coursework (100%)
Specific aims of the module:
This module focuses on understanding agrarian change, natural resource management and rural
development from the perspective of rural dwellers themselves.
The module will develop students’ understanding of key trends in agrarian change and rural
development in the Global South and further their ability to use cases and examples to critically debate
topical policy concerns.
The module will focus on the micro-level dynamics of rural livelihoods, citizenship and governance in
the context of broader structural patterns of inequality and processes of change.
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Second Year Modules available in the 2014-15 academic year
The module brings socio-anthropological approaches into conversation with political economy and
political ecology perspectives.
Learning outcomes:
On successful completion of this module students will be able to:
Understand a range of different ideas about the dynamics of rural livelihoods, development and agrarian
change.
Critically analyse both ‘mainstream’ and ‘alternative’ ideas.
Identify the conceptual underpinnings, and the strengths and weaknesses of current policy approaches to
rural development.
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Second Year Modules available in the 2014-15 academic year
5SSG2056
URBAN & CULTURAL GEOGRAPHY: SPACE, SOCIETY & CULTURE
Coordinator: Dr Johan Andersson
Teaching arragements: 10 x 2 hours lectures/seminars, first term
Assessments: coursework (50%); examination (50%)
Specific aims of the module
This module takes a predominantly cultural approach to the study of cities and draws on a range of
artistic sources (cinema, literature, art and music for example) to analyse recent urban change in the
context of globalisation and post-industrial restructuring. Specific emphasis is placed on how identity
categories such as class, gender, race and sexuality inform cultural and urban landscapes and students
will be introduced to perspectives such as Marxism, feminism, queer and post-colonial theories.
The objectives of the module are:
• To familiarise students with the key work and recent developments in cultural and urban
geography
• To reflect critically on how identity categories such as class, gender, race and sexuality
inform cultural aesthetics and urban landscapes
• To enable students to think about their everyday life/environment (space, society and culture)
through the lens of social and cultural geographical theory
• To enable students to ‘read’ different ‘cultural texts’ through a spatial perspective
Learning Outcomes:
At the completion of this module, students should be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of
the key theoretical, empirical and methodological debates in human geography, particularly from an urban
geography perspective. Students should be able to critically analyse and explore key human geography
concepts, for example, space, place, scale and culture, and work to apply them in a number of different
emprical contexts
5SSG2057
LANDSCAPES: ECOLOGY, BIOGEOGRAPHY AND MANAGEMENT
Lecturer: Dr Robert Francis and Dr James Millington
Teaching arrangement: Lectures/seminars and a computer practical sesssion, second term
Assessment: 1 x formative essay (0%) and 1 x summative essay (100%)
Specific aims of the module
The aim of the module is introduce students to the different elements of studying landscapes as a
geographical element, including the history, concepts, tools and application of landscape ecology as a
unique combination of spatial ecological and geographical sciences, alongside key biogeographical theory
and elements of landscape management. In particular the module will focus on the most dominant model
for explaining landscape structure and pattern, the patch-corridor-matrix concept. The nature and
importance of interactions and feedbacks between ecological process and spatial pattern will also be
evaluated and discussed, particularly in the context of succession-disturbance dynamics. The module also
aims to facilitate a critical understanding of the computational tools used to investigate spatial patterns
and processes at the landscape scale, and to highlight the ways in which the principles and measures of
landscape ecology feed into landscape planning and conservation management and policy.
Learning Outcomes:
At the completion of the module, students should have a critical understanding of key elements of spatial
biogeography and landscape ecology theory and application across a range of examples and contexts, in
particular the differences between structural and functional interpretations of landscape pattern and
process. This will be accompanied by a familiarity with the main landscape metrics used to quantify
landscape patterns, including the software tools used to characterise them (e.g., GIS), and an
understanding of the modelling approaches used to investigate processes (e.g., markov and cellular
automata approaches). The module should also cultivate an appreciation of the importance of landscapescale understanding in driving both planning and management for environmental sustainability and
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Second Year Modules available in the 2014-15 academic year
conservation. Finally, students should develop the ability to describe and assess different landscape 10
structures based around central patch-corridor-matrix concepts and principles of fragmentation and
connectivity.
Module structure
It is now accepted that any ecological management or conservation effort must be conducted at the
landscape scale or they will almost certainly fail. This makes an understanding of landscape ecology,
biogeography and management useful for land planners and managers, policy makers, landscape
architects, ecologists and conservation biologists, amongst other professions. The module is a series of
eight, two-hour lectures, and one two-hour computer practical. Lectures will begin by defining landscapes
and landscape ecology and establishing the latter’s status as an ecological and geographical discipline, and
defining its theoretical and practicle roles in developing our understanding and management of
landscapes. This includes the way in which we can group the landscape spatially and temporally into
patches, corridors and matrices, all of which may function in different ways and affect how biota and
abiota flow around the landscape.
The discussion will then go into greater depth, looking at landscape patterns that may be observed in both
natural and human-modified environments, and the explanations and implications of these arrangements in
terms of ecological processes. This will be supported by considering spatial models used in landscape
ecology and their application to land management and conservation of biodiversity. Computer practicals
will connect theory of pattern metrics and process models to their application by providing hands-on
experience of their use. A practical land management exercise in one of the lecture sessions will evaluate
landscape management techniques for a species of conservation importance. The lecture series will end
with an examination of new directions and future trends to be expected in landscape ecology and
management.
5SSG2058
URBAN GEOGRAPHY: EXPLORING THE CITY
Lecturer: Various
Teaching arrangements: 16 hrs lectures; 1 seminar, field visit; second term
Assessment: examination (50%); essay (50%)
Specific aims of the module:
The module explores the relationships between urbanisation and the broader social, economic,
environmental and political processes within which the growth and decline of cities are embedded. It is
organised into four themes that collectively explore some of the key material and ideological contexts
relating to urban growth.
1. Cities as social spaces
2. Cities as real and virtual spaces
3. Cities as economic spaces
4. Cities and the environment
Examples are chosen from a wide range of periods and places.
Cities as Social Spaces: This section explores some of the key social characteristics of cities and the
ways that urban theorists have sought to understand them. It contrasts the city with the countryside, and
asks how urban sprawl alters our understanding of what it means to live in an urban society. This
section also examines some of the problems arising from social and economic inequality in cities.
Cities as Real and Virtual Spaces : This section explores the city both as a material artifact and a
representational space. It seeks to explore the ideological underpinnings of planning and the built urban
form, and some of the ways in which the city has been represented in both visual and literary form.
Cities as economic spaces
This section seeks to understand the economic and financial relationships that underpin contemporary
urbanisation at a national and global level. It examines the flows of information within and between
places, and the ways in which clusters of knowledge and innovation can transform the urban landscape.
Nature and the City
Second Year Modules available in the 2014-15 academic year
This sections explores the relationshisp between cities and the environment, focussing on how climate
change is increasingly important for the urban future and how urban communities can adapt to these
changes.
Learning outcomes:
Students taking this module will be expected to be able to:
Identify the relationships between cities and the economic, social and political processes
within which they are embedded
Explain the relationships between urban growth and decline in the context of these processes
Illustrate these relationships using a variety of examples taken from a range of geographical
and historical contexts
Relate their own experiences of living in London to the wider economic, social and political
processes that structure urban growth in the current day.
Module structure (may change slightly):
Week 1
1. An urbanising world: cities and the growth of the world economy
2. What is the city? The origins of urban sociology
Week 2
3. The country vs the city: a false dichotomy?
4. Unequal cities: de-industrialisation, post industrialism and urban inequality
Week 3: (seminar)
5 and 6: What makes the ‘good’ city? (seminar)
Week 4
7. Building the good city: ideology, urban planning and design (FC)
8. The disappearing city: suburbia, ex-urbia and the effects of urban sprawl (FC)
Week 5
9. Imagining the city I: writing, place and the urban imagination
10. Imagining the city II: image, place and the urban imagination (prior visit to Tate Modern)
Week 6
11. Cities and the global financial system (FC)
12. Economic flows, regional dynamics and urbanisation
Week 7
13. The creative city
14. The smart city
Week 8
15. Regenerating urban spaces: the post-industrial world
16.The urban growth machine
Week 9
17 and 18: Field visit to the South Bank
Week 10
19. Adapting to change: cities and the environment
20. New cities for the future
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Second Year Modules available in the 2014-15 academic year
FIELDWORK AND METHODS COURSES (only available to students doing 2 subject degrees
which include Geography)
5SSG2047
FIELDWORK IN HUMAN AND DEVELOPMENT GEOGRAPHY
Fieldtrip leader: Prof. Mark Pelling (India), Prof. Chris Hamnett (China), Dr. Richard Wiltshire (USA)
Teaching arrangement: pre-departure lectures/seminars/project work; 1 week residential fieldtrip
– Dec 2014 – this module ties with 5SSG2048 Methods in Human Geography and the 2 must be taken
together
Assessment: project (70%) and field trip diary (30%)
Specific aims of the module
To promote experiential learning through field investigations. Promote the ability to identify research
problems and frame research questions in the field. Develop appropriate methodologies to study
geographical issues in the field. Explore the relationships between global and national processes at a local
scale. Learn to work effectively in groups.
Learning outcomes of the module
At the completion of the module students will be able to identify research problems in the field. Frame
research questions in the field. Develop an awareness of the range of methodologies used in the study of
field based geographical research. Apply a range of different methodologies in a fieldwork context.
Develop an awareness of the resources required to undertake geographical research. Develop an awareness
of the ethical issues involved in undertaking field-based research. Evaluate the effectiveness of different
methodologies. Identify how processes that operate at different spatial and temporal scales are manifested
in the geographical environment. Appreciate the general and unique sets of processes that combine in any
particular place to produce a given set of outcomes. Identify the processes promoting effective teamwork.
Identify the strengths and weaknesses of individuals in relation to teamwork and to devise ways of working
together effectively.
Module structure
The fieldtrip aims to encourage an active engagement with the external world through experiential learning
beyond the formal classroom. This provides an opportunity to apply conceptual and methodological skills
learned elsewhere in the curriculum to more complex field environments. The module encourages students
to develop the ability to identify a problem or research question and to design appropriate methodologies in
the field. In doing so it also provides an opportunity to examine ethical aspects of the research process and
to experience and understand the processes involved in team working.
*The majority of this module is taught during a one-week residential fieldtrip, for which attendance and
full participation is essential. Should this be impossible (e.g. due to medical problems) students should
contact the relevant Fieldwork leader and the UG Programme Officer immediately.
Prior to the start of the fieldtrip separate lectures/seminars will focus on:
1.
Ethical, moral and safety issues in the field
2.
Processes of effective group working
3.
Geographical and historical contexts of the specific field site, including cultural, political, social
and economic aspects.
12
Second Year Modules available in the 2014-15 academic year
13
5SSG2046
FIELDWORK IN PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
Fieldtrip leader: Professor Nick Drake (Morocco)
Teaching arrangement*: 3 hours lectures; 3 hours practicals; 1 week residential fieldtrip – Dec 2014
Assessment: project (100%) and non-assessed fieldbook.
* please note the teaching for this module is combined with the teaching of the Methods in Physical
Geography and the data collected on the fieldtrip is used for the assessment of both assignments for the
Fieldwork and Methods modules. It is for this reason that students taking this module as an option are
required to take the 5SSG2049 Methods in Physical Geography module, which complements it.
Specific aims of the module
To promote experiential learning through field investigations; promote the ability to identify research
problems and frame research questions in the field; develop appropriate methodologies to study physical
geography issues in the field, including experimental design, field measurement techniques, and data
analysis and prepare students for undertaking their Independent Geographical Study.
Learning outcomes of the module
At the completion of the module students should be able to identify research problems in the field. Frame
research questions in the field. Identify a range of methodologies used in the study of field-based
geographical research. Apply a range of different methodologies in a fieldwork context. Evaluate the
effectiveness of different methodologies. Understand the resources required to undertake geographical
research. Identify how processes that operate at different spatial and temporal scales are manifested in the
physical geography environment. Identify the general and unique sets of processes that combine in any
particular place to produce a given set of outcomes in physical geography. Identify key techniques and
research methodologies to successfully carry out their Independent Geographical Study.
Module structure
The fieldtrip aims to encourage an active engagement with the external world through experiential learning
beyond the formal classroom. This provides an opportunity to apply conceptual and methodological skills
learned elsewhere in the curriculum to more complex field environments. The module encourages students
to develop the ability to identify a problem or research question and to design appropriate methodologies in
the field. In doing so it also provides an opportunity to examine ethical aspects of the research process and
to experience and understand the processes involved in team working.
*The majority of this module is taught during a one-week residential fieldtrip, for which attendance and
full participation is essential. Should this be impossible (e.g. due to medical problems) students should
contact their the Fieldwork leader and the UG Programme Officer immediately.
Prior to the start of the fieldtrip separate lectures will focus on:
1.
Safety and ethical issues in the field.
2.
Introduction to the field area where the trip will take place.
After the fieldtrip, lectures and lab practical will focus on
3.
Analyzing data collected in the field.
Second Year Modules available in the 2014-15 academic year
5SSG2048
METHODS IN HUMAN GEOGRAPHY
Coordinator: Dr Jon Reades
Teaching arrangement: 5 hours lectures, 7.5 hours practical/training, 10 hours project work; first term
Assessment: Reflective Methodologies essay; Group Research Project Proposal; Attendance (10%)
Specific aims of the module
This module should be seen as essential preparation for the 2 nd year (non physical) geography field trips:
it aims to provide an understanding of the core qualitative methodologies commonly employed by
researchers in human and/or development geography, and of how to access and analyse them. Particular
attention will be given to the methods typically employed by human geographers in the field, but
consideration will also be given to the role of more frequently ‘desk based’ quantitative and humanities
techniques as integral components of well-rounded geographical research.
Building on the general overview and exposure to survey methods provided in PGI 1, students are
expected to develop a more sophisticated understanding of the appropriateness and utility of different
methods, and their relative strengths and weaknesses. Students will also be expected to demonstrate an
understanding of how to use various methods in undertaking research on the Human Geography field trip
and, ultimately, as part of the Independent Geographical Study.
Learning outcomes of the module
At the completion of the module students should:
Have an awareness of the range of available information sources in human and/or development
geography, and know how to access and analyse them.
Understand how the core qualitative research methods are used in human geography practice, and
how they relate to quantitative and humanities methods.
Understand the appropriateness and utility of different methods and their strengths and
weaknesses.
Have some of the necessary methodological tools to carry out their field trip research and
Independent Geographical Study successfully.
Module structure
Section I: Qualitative Research Methods (Weeks 1–5)
The first five weeks of the Methods in Human Geography module will focus on the core qualitative
methodologies commonly employed ‘in the field’ by human geographers; these are: semi-structured and
structure interviews; participative research and focus groups; ethnography, observation & visual
methods; policy documents & textual analysis; and humanities & quantitative methods in context.
1.Semi-Structured & Structured Interviews
2.Participative Research & Focus Groups
3.Ethnography, Observation & Visual Methods
4.Policy Documents & Textual Analysis
5.Integrating Humanities & Quantitative Methods
Section 2: Field Trip Preparation (Weeks 6–10)
Students will work as one more groups with their allocated field trip project supervisor on the
preparation of a detailed research proposal, complete with interview guide and/or other appropriate
supporting material. The objective of the assessment is to demonstrate to the field trip staff that the
students have fully understood the methods that they propose to employ in the field and are prepared to
do so at a high level: in many cases, participants in field trip research are giving up a great deal of their
time (and in some cases, income) to support the students, and so the students are expected to invest a
degree of preparatory effort so as to make this participation worthwhile.
Some modest variation in format for Weeks 6–10 from field trip project group to field trip project group
is to be expected since the nature of the research also varies. Generally speaking, students will be
expected to attend and participate in a 2-hour working group each week: this will include readings
designed to provide students with the relevant background information for their research project, and
such assignments or tasks as the lecturer may require for the students to develop a viable research
proposal.
*Please note that students taking this module MUST take the 5SSG2047 Fieldwork in Human
Geography module.
14
Second Year Modules available in the 2014-15 academic year
5SSG2049
METHODS IN PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
Co-ordinator: Professor Nick Drake
Teaching arrangement: 7 hours lectures; 15 hours practicals; both terms
Assessment: 1 x essay (90%), 5 x practicals (10%)
Specific aims of the module
To provide an understanding of research methodologies in physical geography, including their strengths
and weaknesses. Equip students with a range of skills to undertake field and modelling research. Prepare
students for undertaking the Independent Geographical Study.
Learning outcomes of the module
At the completion of the module students should be able to understand different methodologies that may be
available for physical geography research and the impacts they have on the possible outcomes of that
research. Apply GIS and remote sensing techniques to practical projects. Understand different approaches
to data analysis. Apply simple statistical and/or numerical modelling approaches. Have some of the
necessary research methodology tools to carry out their Independent Geographical Study successfully.
Module structure
The module enables students to understand different methodologies that may be available for physical
geography research and the impacts they have on the possible outcomes of that research. To apply GIS and
remote sensing techniques to practical projects. To understand different approaches to data analysis. To
apply simple statistical and/or numerical modelling approaches. To have some of the necessary research
methodology tools to carry out their IGS successfully.
*Please note that students taking this module MUST take the 5SSG2046 Fieldwork in Physical
Geography module.
5SSG2053
PRINCIPLES OF GEOGRAPHICAL INQUIRY II
Lecturers: various
Teaching arrangements: A mixture of lectures, practicals and tutorials; both terms
Assessment: 2 x 1500 word essays (20% each), GIS Map (20%), 2000 word IGS Proposal (30%), online
Practical test (10%) and in tutorial oral presentation
Specific aims of the module
The module aims to build upon and expand the concepts, skills and methods taught within the module
Principles of Geographical Inquiry I: The London Environment; facilitate a critical understanding of
geographical concepts, skills and methods with a specific emphasis on the skills/methods of Geographic
Information Systems (GIS), quantitative analyses, and current global environmental issues and challenges;
and prepare students for their Independent Geographical Study (IGS).
Learning Outcomes
At the completion of this module students should be able to demonstrate a critical understanding of
geographical concepts, skills and methods and their relevance and application to geography and society
15
Second Year Modules available in the 2014-15 academic year
through the specific lens of GIS and global environmental issues; an appreciation of the links between 16
human and physical geography through an application of geographical knowledge to specific and pressing
global environmental issues; the ability to utilise a greater range of data collection methods and statistical
analysis relevant to geography and to their future studies within the BA and BSc Geography programmes;
an understanding of the role of GIS in geography, and familiarity with the use an application of GIS
software; and a deeper understanding of different research methodologies and project design techniques
which can applied to the development and completion of an Independent Geographical Study.
Module structure
Broad topics relating to global environmental issues and the application of geographical concepts, skills
and methods will be covered during a series of lectures, while specific skills and methods will be
developed in seminar or practical sessions given over blocks of several weeks. Parallel tutorial sessions
will also take place to develop research skills relating to, among other things, the development of the third
year dissertation project.