Geography MGeogSci

Core modules:

Geographical Skills

This module exposes students to key research methods used across the discipline of geography. Tutorials will develop the students' ability to find, analyse, summarise and critically evaluate information and produce written work in an academic style. Lectures will introduce the importance of in-depth interviewing, Geographical Information Systems (GIS), remote sensing, questionnaire design, and statistics. Practicals will provide hands-on, skills-based experience of these methods and in data collection, analysis and presentation. Fieldwork will teach observational skills and provide training in typical field methods.

40 credits

Earth, Wind, Ice and Fire

This course is intended to provide an introduction to the general principles of physical geography for students with diverse backgrounds.Part I will aim to give students an understanding of the origin and history of the Earth. It will include explanations of tectonic, igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic activity, the history of crustal processes as well as reviewing the development over geological time of the evolution of the geosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere.Part II will use a systems-based approach to physical geography to examine several other key environmental systems, including the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, and the cryosphere. It will include explanation of key interactions between physical systems and discussion of the impacts and consequences of system perturbation, such as climate change, over time and space.Part III of the course will introduce concepts of geomorphology as a means to investigate the landforms of the earth; mountains, valleys, slopes, river beds and dunes. It will include explanation of fundamental principles of landscape and landform development considering issues such as temporal and spatial scale, equilibrium and interaction between different landscape processes and components.

20 credits

Environmental Change and Society

This module will introduce students to a wide range of critical environmental issues facing the world today from physical science and social science perspectives. Using a range of environmental problems evident in the Global North and Global South (such as climate change, water resources, land-use change, agriculture), the physical and social processes implicated will be examined. Drawing on a range of examples, students will critically explore the causes, consequences, management and solutions to environmental issues and learn how to question assumptions about environmental processes.

20 credits

Exploring New Horizons in Geography

Academic Geography is a wide and vibrant field. Geographers contribute actively to new intellectual debates in the sciences, social sciences, and humanities, and their work addresses some of the most pressing issues facing the modern world, from climate change to food security, informing policy and practice. The module provides level 1 Geography students with a challenging but accessible insight into the cutting edge of contemporary geographical research and how it helps us understand our changing world. It therefore serves as bridge between the general introductory modules of the level 1 BA and BSc courses in Geography, and the more specialist modules taught at levels 2 and 3. Furthermore, it provides an opportunity to see the difference that a geographical perspective can make to our understanding of some of the largest challenges facing the world. Each year, a selection of topical issues in contemporary human and physical geography will be explored by academics actively engaged in cutting edge research on those subjects. The course will be taught via lectures and guided reading.

20 credits

Optional modules:

Exploring Human Geographies

The module provides an introduction to human geography including key principles and processes in economic, social and cultural geography. It describes the main elements and issues involved in the global economic system including the process of uneven development and how local economic activities are moulded by global forces. It also provides an introduction to social and cultural geography focusing on a range of concepts, current debates and contemporary issues. Drawing examples from around the world and at a variety of geographical scales, the module highlights the value of a geographical perspective on current economic, social and cultural issues.

20 credits

Cities

The main aim of Cities is to introduce you to our urban condition in a global context. Within this broad aim we will connect you to a range of key issues in contemporary urban studies and help you to understand more about the roots of urban problems and questions of social inequality and social justice within that context. This a general course that aims to develop an understanding of urban social life, economies, political systems, disorder and a range of other themes in an international context.

10 credits

Housing, Home and Neighbourhood

Housing and the homes and neighbourhoods that we live in are in the news every day. Whether this is over concerns about housing shortages, affordability, housing bubbles, `generation rent¿, social housing, housing evictions, city-centre housing, DIY and `grand designs¿, or debates about the domestic sphere, `home as a haven¿, `benefit streets¿, flooding and shack settlements, housing is often at the centre of social science research. This module aims to introduce students to this broad and diverse subject by drawing on the expertise of staff who research across these multiple themes. The module focuses on contemporary concerns, while maintaining an appreciation of the impact of historical trends (e.g. the Global Financial Crisis of 2007/8). The module will make use of cases from the UK and abroad to illustrate trends, arguments and challenges.

10 credits

Core modules:

Research Design and Fieldwork for Physical Geography

The ability to design, conduct, analyse and present meaningful findings from fieldwork is an essential part of degree-level Physical Geography and Environmental Science, and enhances employability. This module addresses the philosophical background to, and the process of designing and conducting fieldwork. The module introduces the principles of research design and provides practical experience of international fieldwork to facilitate immersive learning and engagement with earth surface processes. The module is delivered through lectures, small-group teaching, and a residential fieldclass. Assessments provide ongoing feedback linked to the experience of designing, conducting and reflecting upon the research journey, culminating in dissertation proposal.

20 credits

Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing

This unit introduces both Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS) both important tools to aid in our understanding of the earth system. GIS are computer systems for the storage, display and manipulation of geographical data. Remote Sensing (RS) refers to the science of identification of earth surface features and estimation of their geo-biophysical properties through the detection of electromagnetic radiation. The module will cover the main concepts related to handling RS/GIS data on a computer and introduce a range of practical applications of RS/GIS in research, industry and commerce.

10 credits

Geographical Data in the World

Understanding data collection, analysis and presentation is an integral part of being a well-rounded geographer. Indeed, many problems in physical and human geography, demand the interpretation and interrogation of large datasets, which often necessitates the use of statistical techniques.The module is designed to provide students with a solid grounding in handling large datasets and the proper application of statistical methods in geographical analysis, and an appreciation of their role in the study of contemporary social and environmental processes. This is achieved through a combination of lectures, practicals and seminars which cover the underlying ideas, provide hands-on experience and give examples of the methods' application in the literature. The module covers hypothesis testing, bivariate inferential methods, and multivariate inferential methods.

10 credits

Optional modules:

Atmospheres and Oceans

This module will give students an understanding of the global climate, focusing on the atmospheres, the oceans, and their interaction. The first part of the module will consider the main characteristics of, and processes behind, climate from the global to the local scale. The second part of the module will examine the physical characteristics of the oceans and their geographical variation, and the role of the oceans in the climate system.

20 credits

Cities and Modernities

The links between social conflict and cultural production in the history of modern cities have long fascinated scholars exploring the cultural history of the capitalist urban imagination. They have sought to understand the way artists, intellectuals, political activists, ordinary people and other thinkers sought to understand and explain the varied experiences of, and relationships between, sensory perceptions, aesthetic judgments and power relations in their own place and time. This module will draw from historical, cultural, social, and political geographies as well as other disciplines to engage with the shifting nature and spatiality of these relationships through case studies of selected cities, the particular changes in capitalist urban culture they occasioned, contemporary responses to those changes, and the theoretical debates they inspired. Key topics will include urban form and architecture, cultural difference and social inequality, representational practices and bodily experiences, and the overall consciousness of change in modern capitalist cities.

20 credits

Earth Surface Processes

This course on the earth surface processes looks at the relationship between processes and landforms at a variety of scales in space and time. It examines endogenic processes originating within the earth, exogenic processes occurring at the earth/atmosphere/ocean interface and the way they interact to create landforms. The course discusses geomorphological concepts, frameworks and monitoring techniques and will elucidate a range of quantitative modelling approaches, where numerical expressions are introduced. Case studies drawn from staff research (e.g. aeolian/fluvial/volcanic) alongside practical classes and an appreciation of the importance of new measurement techniques to process understanding, will directly support learning. The course is delivered through 20 one-hour lectures, and 3 three-hour practical classes.

20 credits

Environment, Society and Politics

Environmental issues continue to be a key area of contemporary public concern and current political debate. They raise fundamental questions about the relationship between society and environment, and the politics of that relationship. This module provides a geographical introduction to these issues and debates with examples from a range of scales from the global to the local. After a review of key concepts, the module is developed through inter-related sections covering debates through different empirical themes.

20 credits

Environmental Pollution and Quality

This module aims to introduce the students to the origins, pathways and consequences of pollutants in the environment, their control and remediation. Pollutants are released into the environment through anthropogenic activities that include domestic, leisure and industrial practices. These pollutants are potentially harmful to the ecosystem and human health. Therefore, an understanding of the physical, chemical and biological processes involved during the contamination of water and soil is essential to protect the environment. This module provides an introduction on how to assess and quantify pollutants by using laboratory techniques for the determination of contamination in water and soil.

20 credits

Geographies of Development

Development in the Global South is a major issue of international concern in the 21st century. This module explores contemporary development issues and examines the contribution that geographers, and geographical thought, can make towards understanding inequality, poverty and socio-economic change. Definitions of `development¿, `poverty¿ and `the poor¿ shift and are invested with political meaning which reflect specific geographies and ways of seeing the world: students develop critical understandings of such terminology and the power dynamics implicit within them. This module addresses diverse theories, paradigms and contemporary critiques of development, and explores some of the central issues affecting processes of development. Case examples are drawn from Latin America, Africa and South-East Asia.

20 credits

Glaciers and Ice Sheets

This module examines glaciers and ice sheets of the World focussing on how they are believed to function and with some consideration of their historic and future changes.We examine how glaciers and ice sheets come into existence through an understanding of climate and the concept of glacier mass balance. We then consider how glaciers work including on topics such as ice flow, hydrological drainage, ice streams, ice shelves, glacial lakes, and icebergs. Hazards to humankind are also explored. How glaciers modify the underlying landscape is dealt with via a section on glacial geomorphological processes and landforms, and we consider how landscapes evolve under the influence of ice.

20 credits

Past Environmental Change

The landscape we live in is a dynamic place and has been in the past as well. Huge changes at a global, regional and local scale have occurred in the last 2.6 million years of the earth's history (Quaternary period). These changes are ongoing with implications for both present and future environments. Methods and techniques to investigate past environmental changes from proxy data are outlined and illustrated. The module also looks at how palaeoenvironments have responded to past climate changes thereby putting a context for present day climate changes and predicting future changes.

20 credits

Political Geographies

The module introduces students to contemporary debates within political geography. Political processes are discussed at a variety of spatial scales, from international politics, through national politics, local and community politics and individual political behaviour. Questions of power, efficacy and conflict are examined at all these scales. Particular emphasis is given to spatial and place-specific aspects of politics. Among the issues normally discussed in the module are: geopolitics and international relations; the state and territoriality; the politics of nationalism and citizenship; welfare regimes and the geography of public policy; civic activism; and individual political participation.

20 credits

Social and Cultural Geographies

This module builds on the Level 1 module Introduction to Human Geography. It illustrates the diversity and vitality of contemporary social and cultural geography including some of the philosophical concepts and theoretical debates that have shaped the subject. As well as demonstrating the value of a geographical perspective on a range of social and cultural issues, the module will enhance the understanding, critical awareness and interdisciplinary capacities of students. The module aims to deepen and enrich the ways in which students are able to think about geographical issues, through a critical understanding of concepts and approaches that underpin the substance and methods of contemporary human geography. The module is delivered through lectures and engagement with a variety of media.

20 credits

Core modules:

Dissertation for Geography & Environmental Science

This module requires the student to prepare, organise, research and report a piece of original work on a geographical topic under guidance by a staff mentor. The student will decide on the topic and will either be expected to collect original material in order to investigate it, or to perform secondary analysis on information drawn from existing sources. The finished product is presented in the style, and at the length, associated with academic journal articles.

40 credits

Optional modules:

Advanced Geospatial Analysis

This module will gives students the opportunity to extend their knowledge of geospatial systems and software through detailed instruction and targeted case studies. The course will be taught in three parts, and will involve a mixture of lab-work, lectures and fieldwork. The three key themes are: (a) Digital Terrain Models (DTM) from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) and Structure from Motion (SfM) Photogrammetry, (b) Ice velocity from cross-correlation of optical satellite images in the MATLAB software environment (c) Mapping of glacial bedforms. Lab sessions will enhance software, coding and quantitative skills. Where possible, lab-work sessions will include student-led components and formative peer-peer assessment elements which will provide the opportunity to develop a range of generic analytical skills.

20 credits

Advances in Cryosphere Science

This research-led module will examine glacial environments in their broadest sense including both their contemporary and former states. Typically the module will contain four sections including:1)Glaciology (processes and phenomena of current glaciers)2)Palaeoglaciology (reconstructions of former glaciers)3)Periglacial environments (cold region processes often close to glacierised regions)4)Specialist guest research contributions (lectures/seminars on topical cryospheric research).

20 credits

Applied Volcanology

Volcanoes are an enigmatic force of nature. Understanding the way they behave and how they are monitored is a key aspect in hazard assessment. The module will cover a range of topics related to volcano monitoring, underpinned by an overview of the current state-of-the-art in volcanic science. In particular, the module will combine a theoretical basis of understanding for ground-based and satellite-based volcano monitoring capabilities with practical applications. Via lectures, lab practicals, and field-based activities, students will benefit from hands-on operation of monitoring equipment through to processing and interpretation.

20 credits

Coastal Systems: Processes and Management

This module will explore the processes occuring within coastal environments, covering a range of oceanographic, meteorological, geological, geomorphological, biogeochemical and biological topics, including aspects of societal interaction with these environments. The topics covered will vary depending on the teaching team; the environments studied may include estuaries, dunes, cliffs, near-shore environments and fjords, among others. The aim of the module is to give students an appreciation of the variety and multi-disciplinarity of the physical geography of the coastal margins. An integral element of this module will be a weekend field component.

20 credits

Critical Ecologies

This module explores the critical, contested and controversial debates about environmental and ecological issues. Using a range of examples of research undertaken by staff in the department from the Global North and Global South this module develops a critical geographical approach to understanding environmental controversies. Examples will be drawn from a range of issues including agriculture, water, energy, food, climate change and housing.

20 credits

Decolonising Geographies

This module examines Indigenous geographies through Indigenous storytelling and film as a way to understand the need to decolonise geography. It examines how race, racism, Indigenous rights, settler colonialism, settler responsibility, white supremacy, land rights, dispossession and genocide shape geographies of place, space and landscape. Topics covered include geographies of identity, emotions, memory, racism, colonialism, gender, landscape, and visual representation. The aim of this module is to centre Indigenous narratives, voices and knowledges to understand geography differently while simultaneously critiquing the current whiteness of academic geographical discourse. Trigger warning – this module engages with potentially distressing and challenging themes of rape, murder, abuse, loss and violence.

20 credits

Development and Global Change

The aim of this module is to critically examine the development process within a global context, drawing on examples from developed and developing nations. Attention is given to the different ways in which we in the West understand 'development', and how we can reflect more critically on our position, and the power relations within this process. Drawing on debates within development geography, and other disciplines, the course is structured around three themes: the development industry, the poverty agenda and the local-global nexus. Topics covered may include: neoliberalism and state governance, humanitarian intervention, gender and empowerment, protests and social movements, corporate social responsibility, participation and empowerment, local forms of resistance, environmental action and change.

20 credits

Geographies of Consumption

The ways in which we buy and use stuff and services are inextricable from the shaping of both our everyday lives and of contemporary societies. From constructions of identity and models of human well-being to issues of social equality and environmental sustainability, debates around consumption illuminate critical perspectives on contemporary societies and cultures. This module explores key contemporary geographical perspectives on consumption, linking critical insights and theoretical perspectives to our own practices and experiences.

20 credits

Geographies of Democracy and Citizenship

This module explores the grounding of political geography in our everyday lives, through actions such as the outcomes of social policy interventions, experiences of inequality and injustice, and claims-making through activism and for various forms of citizenship. The module explores key debates and theories to draw out the links between geography, policy and society, and the ways in which these are manifested geographically as well as responses to these by citizens, communities, civil society and political parties. Particular attention is paid to the ways in which these interactions are played out across multiple scales and in and through particular spaces and places.

20 credits

Independent Extended Essay (L3)

This module requires the student to prepare, research and write up a piece of work based on previous studies on a geographical topic. The student will choose a topic and will be required to produce an extended essay (4,000-words) on that topic, synthesising and developing a critique on the existing literature available in the Sheffield libraries.

20 credits

Lake District Fieldclass

The ability to apply knowledge of physical processes and research approaches to understand a particular environment is a key geographical skill. This module will provide experience in process interpretation, focussing on the physical processes that have shaped the environment. The module will comprise a 5-day UK residential field class to the Lake District National Park and will cover a range of topics that complement and extend knowledge acquired on the BSc Physical Geography programme, including glaciology, climatology, landscape dynamics and environmental science. Evening lectures during the fieldtrip will provide relevant background. Small group follow-up sessions will be used to support the presentation of research findings in a science blog.

20 credits

Landscape Evolution

Geomorphological processes and rates are influenced by interactions between these factors, as are the geological and geomorphological hazards in different regions. Informed by on-going research by department staff, this module will deepen understanding of (i) the nature and geomorphological implications of global physical processes that has been developed at levels 1 to 2, (ii) the chronological and processes used to constrain contemporary and past landscape evolution, and (iii) the landscape development over a range of timescales and hazard implications of these processes. The module will involve consideration of a range of landscapes and the key controls on their evolution and development.

20 credits

MATLAB Coding for Geoscience

This module enables students to study in depth a specialised geographical or environmental topic chosen from and informed by the wide research expertise of staff in the department. Students will be able to choose from a range of topic choices that reflect current issues and developments within their discipline. Emphasis is placed on personal development of understanding of the topic through independent exploration of published academic literature. Delivery and assessment methods vary for each topic and range from structured topics delivered by staff and assessed by exam to a free choice of topic on which, following approval by staff, students conduct their own literature search and prepare an assessed critical review of the topic without supervision. Students will initally enroll on GEO385 then add/drop to the relevant topic module.

20 credits

Philosophy, Aesthetics and Place

Place, in all its forms, has long inspired radically new thought and perception. This module will explore the work of several historical and contemporary philosophers and artists in situ -why did their work arise where it did? What difference does that place (or places) make to their thought and expression? This module will guide students through the intricate relationship between philosophy, art (across various media) and geography with emphasis on specific types of place as sites of intellectual thought and creative practice. These may range from the large scale such as nation and heimat, to the urban scale, to the intimate such as the village and even the body. Core themes will include identity, place and displacement, historical imaginary and the built environment, and creativity and social/spatial transformation.

20 credits

Planetary Geoscience

This module introduces the student to the fascinating discipline of planetary geoscience and exploration. By using the principles of Physical Geography to study unfamiliar environments, we will explore problems that touch upon themes from climate, tectonics, geomorphology, hydrology, and life. The module begins with the Solar System but soon focuses on planetary-scale matters, using the terrestrial planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars) as main examples because of an explosion of knowledge gathered from their observation. We will consider the new perspectives which such knowledge offers on the Earth's dynamic systems.

20 credits

Professional Skills for Environmental Science

Environmental science graduates require an appreciation of the needs of professional statutory and regulatory bodies (PSRBs). Employers appreciate the study and research skills developed at university but want graduates that understand the tools in use by environmental science practitioners. This course describes those tools and guides students through the production of their own environmental consultancy report. The module uses lectures, seminars, problem solving sessions, and independent learning to provide professional skills/knowledge. These skills are applied to field visits and laboratory analyses with particular emphasis is given to risk assessment, environmental impact assessment, environmental management and field skills.

20 credits

Urban Exploration

This module offers students a chance to explore urban geographies from new angles, which emphasise creative, experimental and subversive ways of seeing and doing geography. Through readings and seminars, students will be exposed to experimental fieldwork such as: Bradley Garrett's Explore Everything (Verson, 2012); George Perec's Attempt to Exhaust a Place in Paris (1975, English Translation 2012); place and psycho-geographical writing by authors such as Iain Sinclair, Karl Whitney and Joanna Walsh; playful fieldwork associated with the Geography Collective and Keri Smith (e.g. Mission:Explore, 2010) and curiosity-led fieldwork (by Richard Phillips and others). This module will include 5-6 days' fieldwork in Liverpool, during which time students will conduct individual fieldwork projects, whilst also engaging with fieldwork collectively

20 credits

Urban Transformations

From the industrial-era modern cities of the Global North such as Manchester and Chicago to the fragmented, sprawling mega-cities of the contemporary Global South such as Lagos and Delhi, urban theorists have sought to understand the interplay of power, everyday practice, and social, political, economic, and cultural processes that both transform and are transformed by urban space. This module draws from interdisciplinary theory and research to engage with urban transformations in both the Global North and the Global South. The module may address themes such as urbanization, infrastructure, inequality and social stratification, value, difference, and embodiment.

20 credits

Core modules:

Research Project

Students will undertake an original piece of research on a topic of their choice. The aims of the module are to (i) provide students with an insight into current scientific issues within their subject area through the medium of research presentations and discussion, (ii) foster and develop research skills including the acquisition, processing and presentation of information, (iii) expose students to a range of presentational techniques of current research material, (iv) develop students ability to synthesise oral information and, (v) to develop skills in written and oral communication.

60 credits

Research Design in Physical Geography and Environmental Science

This module aims to provide an introduction to conducting research in physical geography and environmental science. The objectives are: (a) to provide an understanding of the sources of research problems and how specific student research topics fit into broader agendas; (b) to provide an understanding of scientific method and its different components, including the roles of fieldwork, laboratory experiments and modelling; (c) to provide an introduction to planning a research project, including literature search, fieldwork, laboratory work, data analysis, error analysis and written and graphical presentation; (d) to prepare students for writing a research proposal. These aims will be realised through a mix of lectures, student investigation and presentation of academic staff research, and preparation of a draft proposal.

15 credits

Optional modules:

Current Issues in Geography and Environmental Science

This module provides students with an insight into current issues in either Geography or Environmental Science. This is achieved through the medium of attendance at research presentations by experts in appropriate fields and discussion of cutting edge research topics and papers.

15 credits

Independent Extended Essay (L4)

This module enables students to study in depth a specialised geographical or environmental topic chosen from and informed by the wide research expertise of staff in the department. Students will be able to choose from a range of topic choices that reflect current issues and developments within their discipline. Emphasis is placed on personal development of understanding of the topic through independent exploration of published academic literature. Delivery and assessment methods vary for each topic and range from structured topics delivered by staff and assessed by exam to a free choice of topic on which, following approval by staff, students conduct their own literature search and prepare an assessed critical review of the topic without supervision.

15 credits

Key Issues in Environment and Development

This unit engages critically with the key theoretical debates that shape the environment, society and international development. By looking at current questions in development theory and their relationship to development practice in the context of environmental change, it encourages students to think critically about the ways in which interdisciplinary approaches define issues and problems, and the theoretical viewpoints that inform their actions. The unit is taught primarily through seminars: these structure students' learning, and provide an environment in which they can develop their skills in researching, presenting and debating arguments drawn from the academic literature on international development.

15 credits

Managing Climate Change

This module aims to engender a detailed understanding of the development of ideas and theories of climate change, integrating the core science behind our understandings of climate change with a critical analysis of how this is interpreted and communicated. This understanding is then applied to consider the challenge of living with climate change in the Global South. The unit is taught through seminars and lectures. Lectures introduce and impart factual knowledge while seminars allow discussion and an emphasis on applying key concepts to practical situations. Together these structure students' learning, and provide an environment in which they can develop their skills in researching, presenting and debating arguments drawn from the wide ranging literature on climatic change.

15 credits

The Science of Environmental Change

This unit gives students a critical understanding of recent historical and contemporary environmental change in the Global South. The module draws on an interdisciplinary approach, informed by political ecology, to explore the human dimensions of global environmental change from a range of different perspectives. Students are encouraged to think critically about disciplinary perspectives that inform particular viewpoints and the ways in which they impact upon development practice. The unit is taught primarily through seminars: these structure students' learning, and provide an environment in which they can develop their skills in researching, presenting and debating arguments drawn from the academic literature on international development.

15 credits