BA & BSc Geography fieldwork

Fieldwork in years 1 and 2 is included within your tuition fees and includes an international residential trip

Year 1	BA Geography - Sheffield Your first year introduces qualitative methods in human geography focusing on interviewing, observation and visual methodologies. This is done through independent fieldwork tasks that help you get to know Sheffield and to think about it in ways that most students at the University never would. BSc Geography - Peak District National Park and Bradfield Environment Centre Through out your fist year you will be able to take advantage of Sheffield’s’ location and our own field centre. You will gain core training in key laboratory and field methods for physical geography, including landscape interpretation, hill slope surveying, river flow monitoring and soil analysis.
Year 2	BA Geography - Morocco, Berlin or Greece Each of these international field classes provides opportunities to gain first-hand experience of geographical settings, and issues and themes that are introduced in lectures and seminars. You will be able to choose the location based on your research interests and career aspirations. The Morocco field class examines a range of development issues, opportunities and challenges in urban and rural settings. These include historical and contemporary issues surrounding tourism, economic diversification and development. The Berlin field class focuses upon urban, political, historical and environmental issues. Themes range from landscapes of memorialisation to urban allotments and environmentalist politics. The Greece field class provides students with opportunities to explore social and spatial inequalities and issues such as social movements, EU regional policy, and European identity. BSc Geography - Spain All BSc Geography students take this module which includes a week-long fieldclass in Spain. You will be taught research skills in fluvial geomorphology, climatology, slopes, soils and vegetation analysis before undertaking (in small teams) independent research that utilises all these skills. This module also comprises a number of non-residential field projects in topics such as geomorphology, meteorology and glaciology.
Year 3	The department offers a selection of optional international field class modules at year 3. California During this field class you will be investigating the fundamental geomorphology of arid environments and the pressures placed on the environment by human activity. You will also get the opportunity to explore Death Valley and the wider Mojave Desert environment. New York Our New York field class has always proved popular allowing students to explore themes such as: architecture, space and power, the city and artistic practice, and social identities and practices in one of the world’s most famous cities. New Zealand The unique landscape and environment lets students explore process interpretation in an unfamiliar setting, focusing on the physical processes that have shaped the environment and will influence future changes. Global South This fieldclass is about understanding the geographies of the global south. You will explore grass-roots development issues, and the interactions between local development challenges and international discourses and practices of development.

Year 1

BA Geography - Sheffield
Your first year introduces qualitative methods in human geography focusing on interviewing, observation and visual methodologies. This is done through independent fieldwork tasks that help you get to know Sheffield and to think about it in ways that most students at the University never would.

BSc Geography - Peak District National Park and Bradfield Environment Centre
Through out your fist year you will be able to take advantage of Sheffield’s’ location and our own field centre. You will gain core training in key laboratory and field methods for physical geography, including landscape interpretation, hill slope surveying, river flow monitoring and soil analysis.

Year 2

BA Geography - Morocco, Berlin or Greece
Each of these international field classes provides opportunities to gain first-hand experience of geographical settings, and issues and themes that are introduced in lectures and seminars. You will be able to choose the location based on your research interests and career aspirations.

The Morocco field class examines a range of development issues, opportunities and challenges in urban and rural settings. These include historical and contemporary issues surrounding tourism, economic diversification and development.
The Berlin field class focuses upon urban, political, historical and environmental issues. Themes range from landscapes of memorialisation to urban allotments and environmentalist politics.
The Greece field class provides students with opportunities to explore social and spatial inequalities and issues such as social movements, EU regional policy, and European identity.

BSc Geography - Spain
All BSc Geography students take this module which includes a week-long fieldclass in Spain. You will be taught research skills in fluvial geomorphology, climatology, slopes, soils and vegetation analysis before undertaking (in small teams) independent research that utilises all these skills. This module also comprises a number of non-residential field projects in topics such as geomorphology, meteorology and glaciology.

Year 3

The department offers a selection of optional international field class modules at year 3.

California
During this field class you will be investigating the fundamental geomorphology of arid environments and the pressures placed on the environment by human activity. You will also get the opportunity to explore Death Valley and the wider Mojave Desert environment.

New York
Our New York field class has always proved popular allowing students to explore themes such as: architecture, space and power, the city and artistic practice, and social identities and practices in one of the world’s most famous cities.

New Zealand
The unique landscape and environment lets students explore process interpretation in an unfamiliar setting, focusing on the physical processes that have shaped the environment and will influence future changes.

Global South
This fieldclass is about understanding the geographies of the global south. You will explore grass-roots development issues, and the interactions between local development challenges and international discourses and practices of development.

Fieldwork is embedded into our teaching from the very start of the course.

Year 1 modules provide core training in essential field skills such as qualitative techniques, and environmental sampling and laboratory analyses.
Year 2 modules introduce more advanced techniques and develop your research skills, taking advantage of our dedicated field study centre and one of our compulsory international field classes.
Year 3 offers a choice of optional international courses which provide advanced, in-depth experiences.

You will also have the opportunity to conduct independent fieldwork as part of your dissertation project.

Further Information

The costs of all compulsory fieldwork and classes are covered by the department. Students will only be required to pay for food, spending money etc.

Costs for optional field classes vary depending on a number of factors, including but not limited to destination and number of students participating. Current estimated costs for 2016/17 vary between £1500 - £2000 per student. Some factors which may impact on the cost of field trips are beyond our control such as airline fare increases. We try to keep the costs as low as possible, and to inform students as early as possible of the cost of any optional field trips that they have planned to take.