Unit information: Key Concepts in Physical Geography in 2024/25

Unit name	Key Concepts in Physical Geography
Unit code	GEOG10009
Credit points	20
Level of study	C/4
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24)
Unit director	Dr. Monteiro
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

Unit Information

The primary objective of the unit is to provide students with an integrated and comprehensive introduction to a diverse range of Physical Geography concepts and processes. The aim is to equip students with the skills and knowledge required to select and carry out Geography units in their subsequent academic years. The Unit is structured to teach various aspects of Physical Geography in different ways, encouraging students to explore and establish links between different physical geography components. The students also participate in the Physical Geography fieldtrip, in which the students will gain hands-on experience of measuring and analysing physical geography data, and planning fieldwork.

The unit will cover a range of key aspects of Physical Geography related to the themes of Earth's Climate, Cryosphere, Water and Environment, and Oceans and Life, and may include, for example, atmosphere, biosphere, cryosphere, freshwater, geosphere and oceans.

Your learning on this unit

On completion of this Unit, students should be able to:

1. Identify and understand physical processes that occur across a range of environments and varying time and space scales;
2. Identify and understand the different stores and fluxes within these environments;
3. Describe the mechanisms by which these environmental processes take place;
4. Perform simple calculations of fluxes, conduct simple laboratory and computing experiments, write scientific reports, manipulate data and plot appropriate graphs;
5. Mobilise a set of case studies that relate to environmental geography.
6. Carry out fieldwork in a physical geography setting.

The following transferable skills are developed in this Unit:

• Numerical and analytical abilities
• Field research skills like observation, measurement and analysis
• Problem-solving
• Critical reading and reasoning
• Written and oral communication

How you will learn

The unit will be taught through a combination of:

• Lectures
• Group practicals, seminars, tutorials and/or office hours
• Individual activities and guided reading for students to work through at their own pace
• Field work
• Online resources

How you will be assessed

Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):

• Practicals on one or more areas of Physical Geography. [ILOs 1-5]

Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):

• A scientific report (25%). [ILOs 2-5]
• A physical geography online, multiple choice exam (50%). [ILOs 1-3]
• A physical geography fieldtrip (25%) [ILO 6]

When assessment does not go to plan

Students will be offered alternative assessments for completion as follows:

• Scientific report: a similar format report but with a different question.
• Multiple choice exam: a similar format exam but with different questions.
• Fieldtrip: a report making use of field data from previous trips.

Resources

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. GEOG10009).

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.