GEO1023 : Environment and Society
- Offered for Year: 2024/25
- Module Leader(s): Dr Christopher Hackney
- Lecturer: Dr Nick Cutler, Dr Seb Pitman, Dr Kathryn Manzo, Professor Andrew Henderson, Professor Alastair Bonnett
- Owning School: Geography, Politics & Sociology
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
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 | |
Aims
This module will introduce students to a range of environmental issues within geography through both a human and physical geography lens. The main aim of the new module is to emphasize that an interdisciplinary approach is required to address the grand environmental challenges facing contemporary societies.
Outline Of Syllabus
The module content will be developed through detailed case studies embedded within the overarching conceptual framework of "The Anthropocene". Lecture content will be frammed around four main themes that will provide the broad content:
1) Climate
2) Biodiversity
3) Pollution
4) Sustainability
The syllabus is developed in such a way that these four themes are broad enough to involve a large pool of colleagues, to make the long-term delivery of the module sustainable. Each of the four themes will be co-taught by human and physical geography colleagues, exposing students to varying perspectives and lenses on the issues taught.
The start of the module will focus on setting the scope of the module and introducing concepts of the Anthropocene from a Human and Physical Geography perspective. Having set out the scope of the module, the remainder of the content would then be broken into the four overlapping themes, each corresponding to a contemporary ‘crisis’ in the environment. Each theme will consist of a block of lectures split evenly between a Human and Physical Geography lens. Examples of what may be included within each block include (but are not limited to):
1) Climate - The politics of CoP, the scientific basis for the IPCC reports, climate change and development, mediating climate change, climate change and civilisation, etc.
2) Biodiversity - The biodiversity crisis, biological conservation (theory & practice), activism, valuing nature, re-wilding, etc.
3) Pollution - Racialisation of pollution, UK rivers (sewage discharge), microplastics, mine waste and exotic pollutants, 'acid rain', etc.
4) Sustainability - Food and soils, aggregates (sand, gravel), renewable energy, production, the build environment, etc.
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 30:00 | 30:00 | N/A |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 22 | 1:00 | 22:00 | 22 hours PiP lectures |
| Guided Independent Study | Directed research and reading | 1 | 137:00 | 137:00 | N/A |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Drop-in/surgery | 3 | 1:00 | 3:00 | 3 x 1 hour drop in surgeries targetted to assessments. One linked to the Semester 1 MCQ exam, and two one hour session (one each for Human and Physical Geography) tied to the second exam assessment in Semester 2. |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Scheduled on-line contact time | 4 | 2:00 | 8:00 | 4 x 2 hours scheduled online Q&A session at the end of each block of themed lecture delivery with one hour delivered each by a Human and Physical Geographer. |
| Total | 200:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
Lectures will provide an overview and introduction to the environmental issues being discussed from a human and physical geography perspective.
Guided independent activities will allow students to enhance their learning by engaging through critically assessing academic and grey literature, media reports and popular science material around key themes discussed in the lectures.
Timetabled Q & A sessions will allow the students to discuss the content of each theme of teaching thereby consolidating their learning and strengthening interdisciplinary knowledge.
Drop in sessions will be arranged around the assessments, with one prior to the MCQ exam, and two (one Human and one Physical) around the final examination.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Exams
| Description | Length | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Digital Examination | 60 | 1 | A | 20 | 60 mins online multiple choice question examination |
| Digital Examination | 120 | 2 | A | 80 | Open book examination |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
The computer assessed multiple choice exam tests students understanding of key concepts and framings from the first half of the course. The open book exam will ask students to select from a range of questions focus with each question based on an issue discussed in the lectures.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- GEO1023's Timetable