Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 1 Credit Value: | 10 |
| Semester 2 Credit Value: | 10 |
| ECTS Credits: | 10.0 |
| European Credit Transfer System | |
Module outline:
Geography is characterised by a breadth of subject matter that examines the relationships between physical and human aspects of spaces, environments and landscapes. Human geography focuses on the spatial relationships of human activities, and particularly on how social, economic, political and cultural processes and relationships are formed and expressed geographically. Physical geography is the study of the Earth’s surface and near-surface environment and focusses on explaining the processes and spatial patterns in the Earth’s hydrosphere, biosphere, atmosphere and lithosphere. This module offers an introduction to some of the methods and philosophies that are used in geographical research. The module is wide-ranging and will cover a diverse set of methods appropriate for the collection, analysis and presentation of human and physical geographical data.
Module aims:
• To consider the nature of geographical data and the methods for their collection, analysis, presentation and mapping
• To describe quantitative and qualitative methods and approaches to geographical analysis using real-world examples and project work
• To introduce a range of descriptive and inferential statistical methods for analyzing quantitative geographical data
• To introduce methods for visualizing and mapping quantitative and qualitative geographic data using graphical and GIS (Geographical Information System) software
• To provide students the experience of working in teams through project design, data collection, analysis and mapping
• What is geography and what are geographical data?
• Quantitative and qualitative data in physical and human geography from primary and secondary sources
• Interviews, participant observation and ethnographic approaches, interpreting textual analysis
• Summarising and visualizing quantitative data: trends, relationships and differences
• Mapping geographical data
• The role of statistics in geographical research: finding patterns, quantifying uncertainty and testing hypotheses
• Geographical Information Systems (GIS): mapping and analysis of spatially referenced data
Interpreting geographical data: case studies and group project work
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 8 | 1:00 | 8:00 | in person lectures (semester 2) |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 8 | 1:00 | 8:00 | in person lectures (semester 1) |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 36:00 | 36:00 | N/A |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Practical | 11 | 1:00 | 11:00 | in-person content |
| Structured Guided Learning | Structured research and reading activities | 22 | 1:00 | 22:00 | Reflections and learning from practicals and seminars (sem 1 and 2) |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 5 | 1:00 | 5:00 | in-person (semester 2) |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Drop-in/surgery | 4 | 1:00 | 4:00 | Drop-in/ Surgery semester 1 (in-person) |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Drop-in/surgery | 4 | 1:00 | 4:00 | in-person (semester 2). Optional |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 1 | 98:00 | 98:00 | N/A |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Scheduled on-line contact time | 4 | 1:00 | 4:00 | Asynchronous online fortnightly multiple choice tests (semester 1) |
| Total | 200:00 |
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| GEO1103 |
Lectures, fieldtrip and practical classes complement each other in providing both a theoretical background and practical training in the collection and analysis of geographical data.
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer assessment | 1 | M | 40 | fortnightly online multiple choice test (10 questions each time) on understanding of statistical methods and GIS |
| Portfolio | 2 | M | 60 | In-class exercises and project write-up (2000 words) |
Online multiple choice tests will ensure the students have grasped the concepts and are able to interpret statistics
Portfolios consisting of in-class exercises and project write-up test knowledge of the subject and ability to collect field data and analyse, interpret and report geographical data from world-world case studies.