| Unit name | Geographies of Nature and Environment |
|---|---|
| Unit code | GEOG20015 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Morgan |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | School of Geographical Sciences |
| Faculty | Faculty of Science |
‘Geographies of Nature and Environment’ will introduce second-year undergraduate students to key aspects in the human geographical study of global environments and nature. The unit aims to address the epistemology and semantic production of ‘nature’ and ‘the environment’, as well as analyse key factors underlying how geographical drivers of natural and environmental change are differently understood. Emphasis will be given to the historical, cultural, political, and economic study of environments and nature from the early-modern period to the present. The focus will be on the Global North and the Global South, with geographical emphases on early modern Europe and historical and contemporary nature/environment issues in the Americas; historical and contemporary environmental change and its human responses in polar regions, South Asia and the Pacific; and, different approaches to understanding and relating to nature and environment from around the globe. Specific geographical contexts of study may include analysing indigenous and non-western approaches to nature and environment, change in historical and contemporary wetlands and riverine environments, plant and forest ecologies, animal geographies, island and coastal geographies, carbon, energy and extractive landscapes, polar and cold climate geographies, and urban geographies.
Upon successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
1. Assess contemporary theoretical and empirical debates in the human
geographical analysis of global environments.
2. Communicate the geographical complexities of defining and describing
global environmental issues.
3. Integrate historical, cultural, political, and economic analyses of global
environments to understand its varied geographical significance and
implications.
4. Critically evaluate historical and contemporary societal responses to
environmental change, as well as geographical debates in environmental
history, environmental humanities, political ecology, and decolonial
studies.
5. Communicate the significance of key factors underlying geographical
drivers of environmental issues.
6. Demonstrate the inter-disciplinary nature of studying human geographies
of nature and environment, in their historical and contemporary aspects,
and so further an awareness of relevant conceptual and empirical
research in cognate disciplines.
7. Demonstrate analytical and conceptual skills in written work.
The following transferable skills are developed in this Unit:
•Written and oral communication
•Discursive analysis of multiple and interdependent textual forms
•Lateral, critical and analytical reasoning
•Planning and implementing applied research projects
Links between learning outcomes and methods of assessment:
The unit will be taught through a combination of:
Summative assessment will be at two points: one piece of coursework due in TB1 and one examination in the summer examination period.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. GEOG20015).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
