GEOGRAPHY

Credit Points

20

Course Coordinator

Dr C Gibbins

Pre-requisites

None

Overview

The course will introduce students to a geographical perspective on key global issues such as sustainable development, climate change natural hazards, poverty and uneven development and geopolitical instability. Emphasis will be placed on the integration of different approaches to the study of problems and areas and will include workshops to enable greater student involvement in the exploration of themes within the course.

Structure

3 one-hour lectures per week, plus a 1 hour workshop per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (67%) and continuous assessment (33%). Resit: Resit exam - 1 two hour written exam (67%) PLUS original continuous assessment carried forward (33%).

Credit Points

20

Course Coordinator

Dr A M D Gemmell

Pre-requisites

None

Overview

The course will give students an introduction to principles and methodologies in Human and Physical Geography, using the theme of ‘Scotland in Transition’ as the focus. Emphasis will be placed on the integration of different approaches to the study of an area, and will include a workshop approach to enable greater student involvement in the exploration of the themes within the course. The course will be delivered in 3 blocks on the themes of ‘The Environment in Transition’, ‘Society in Transition’ and ‘Geography in Transition (alternate views of the Geography of Scotland’).

Structure

3 one-hour lectures per week and 1 one-hour workshop per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (67%) and continuous assessment (33%). Resit: Resit exam - 1 two hour written exam (67%) PLUS original continuous assessment carried forward (33%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Professor C Soulsby

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in programme year 2 or above who have passed GG 1005 or GG 1506.

Overview

Systems theory in relation to the environment and to the concept of energy transfer in the environment. Climatic, geomorphic, hydrological and ecological systems are considered in relations to these underlying themes. Environmental change is considered at the end of the course as an integrating concept.

Structure

2 one-hour lectures per week. 5 two-hour workshops.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour examination (67%) and continuous assessment (33%). Resit: Resit exam - 1 two hour written exam (67%) PLUS original continuous assessment carried forward (33%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr Danny MacKinnon

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in programme year 2 or above who have passed GG 1005 or GG 1506.

Overview

The origins and development of human geography and of changing geographical perspectives; the world space economy; place and identity, and changing landscapes of power.

Structure

2 one-hour lectures per week. 5 two-hour workshops.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour examination (67%) and continuous assessment (33%). Resit: Resit exam - 1 two hour written exam (67%) PLUS original continuous assessment carried forward (33%).

Credit Points

5

Course Coordinator

Mr L McLean

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in programme year 2 or above who have passed GG 2003 and GG 2004.

Co-requisites

At least one from GG 2504 and GG 2505.

Overview

Residential field course at various locations within the UK.

Structure

5 days (residential).

Assessment

1st Attempt: Field projects (100%). Resit: No resit possible.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Professor A S Mather

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in programme year 2 or above who have passed GG 1005 or GG 1506.

Overview

Development of human societies: cultural evolution and environmental perception; the natural resource base for human development and the changing nature of resource use. Contemporary global environmental issues; climate change, pollution, biodiversity, water resource impacts, desertification. Alternative world views on human/environment relationship; aspects and interpretations of sustainable development; policy approaches to environmental management.

Structure

2 one-hour lectures per week. 5 two-hour workshops.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour examination (67%) and continuous assessment (33%). Resit: Resit exam - 1 two hour written exam (67%) PLUS original continuous assessment carried forward (33%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr M Wood

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in programme year 2 or above.

Overview

As much as 80% of the information used in decision-making has a geo-based context. Knowledge and understanding of this basic resource can radically improve the effectiveness of every manager, and especially those concerned with Earth recourses and environment. In support of this need the course covers the following: measurement, recording and manipulation of ground-surveyed and remotely-sensed data; approaches to environmental monitoring based on multi-temporal images and/or maps; the storage, manipulation and timely provision of geographical information; methods of analysing and presenting the results through GIS and Geovisualisation. The technical basis will form the foundations of the course, with greater emphasis placed on applications of GI through continuous reference to case-studies at a range of scales (from local to global) both in lectures and practical projects (including preparation of effective maps using appropriate technologies.

Structure

2 one-hour lecture per week and 6 two-hour practicals.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (67%) and continuous assessment (33%). Resit: Resit exam - 1 two hour written exam (67%) PLUS original continuous assessment carried forward (33%).

Credit Points

5

Course Coordinator

To be arranged

Pre-requisites

GG 1005, GG 1506

Co-requisites

GG 2003, GG 2004, GG 2502, GG 2504, GG 2505

Notes

This course is not available in 2004/05.

Overview

This course provides an introduction to fieldwork issues and to a number of basic field techniques. These relate to safety and ethical issues, to landscape analysis and interpretation, and to the following: position-fixing and profiling, river-flow gauging, questionnaire design, and use of archival material and databases. The course id mainly web-based: students work through a number of mini-modules on-line.

Structure

Regular timetabled hours not required: one (weekend) day for demonstration/practice in Seaton Park.

Assessment

Continuous assessment (100%). Resit: No resit possible.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Professor D Adams

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in programme year 3 or above who have passed GG 2004.

Notes

This course will not be available in session 2004/05.

Overview

This course explores critical dimensions of the changing social composition of urban areas and considers the policy implications of the new social geography. Detailed attention is given to such topics as housing choice and policy, social polarisation and exclusion, ethnicity and racial segregation, the geography of urban crime, urban governance and politics and urban regeneration.

Structure

1 two-hour lecture per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour examination (67%) and continuous assessment (33%). Resit: Resit exam - 1 two hour written exam (67%) PLUS original continuous assessment carried forward (33%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Professor C Soulsby

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in programme year 3 or above who have passed GG 2003.

Notes

This course will not be available in session 2004/05.

Overview

Hydrological processes operating in the natural environment will be examined, monitoring techniques will be considered and basic approaches to the analysis and modelling of hydrological data will be described. An introduction to the various types of river and wetland environments will also be given and the ways in which hydrological, geomorphological and ecological processes interact to sustain these environments will be examined. After this general introduction, the course will examine and highlight the importance of hydrology in understanding and responding to a range of problems in environmental management. These will include issues of water supply, flood management, water pollution and wetland conservation.

Structure

10 two-hour lectures and 2 two-hour seminar/tutorials.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour examination (67%) and continuous assessment (33%). Resit: Resit exam - 1 two hour written exam (67%) PLUS original continuous assessment carried forward (33%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr C Gibbins

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in programme year 3 or above who have passed GG 2003.

Notes

This course will not be available in 2004/05.

Overview

Following an overview of the historical development of biogeography and its relationship to ecology and geography, students will be introduced to the key scientific principles underpinning the discipline. Subsequent lectures address major biogeographical concepts and their application to environmental conservation and management. Issues such as species distribution patterns and global biodiversity receive particular attention.

Structure

1 two-hour lecture per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour examination (67%) and continuous assessment (33%). Resit: Resit exam - 1 two hour written exam (67%) PLUS original continuous assessment carried forward (33%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Mr D Green

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in programme year 3 or above who have passed GG 2505.

Notes

This course will not be available in 2004/05.

Overview

This course aims to provide an introduction to the theory, practice and applications of Geographical Information Systems (GIS). Topics covered include: what is a GIS?; GIS education, training and short courses; an historical overview of the development and evolution of GIS; what is spatial data?; GIS as a toolbox; GIS hardware requirements; small, medium and large GIS software systems; data sources, capture, input and storage; output from a GIS; the Human Computer Interface (HCI); the integrated image-based GIS; multimedia GIS; Digital Terrain Models (DTMs) and Digital Elevation Models (DEMs);important new areas of development in GIS Technology e.g. cartography, expert systems, and Global Positioning Systems (GPS); and coverage of a wide range of GIS applications. Theoretical concepts of GIS are reinforced with the aid of a GIS tutor and demonstrations of GIS software. Limited ‘hands-on’ experience is provided with the IDRISI software package.

Structure

1 two-hour lecture per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour examination (67%) and continuous assessment: project (33%). Resit: Resit exam - 1 two hour written exam (67%) PLUS original continuous assessment carried forward (33%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr Danny Mackinnon

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in programme year 3 who have passed GG 2502 and at least three from GG 2003, GG 2004, GG 2504, GG 2505.

Overview

The course provides essential background to the study of Geography at an advanced level, irrespective of intended specialisation. It provides critical insight into the nature of the subject at an appropriate time in the undergraduate curriculum. It analyses closely related themes such as (1) changing ideas as to exactly how we undertake science and social science, and (2) the changing social and political context which has shaped scientific thought. Private study, through directed reading and workshops, plays a key part in supplementing the lecture content. Students should finish the course equipped to evaluate the merits and limitations of different ways of doing geography, and be able to apply these perspectives to wider issues within their chosen specialisms.

Structure

1 one-hour lecture per week

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour examination (100%). Resit: Resit arrangements are identical to 1st Attempt.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Professor A S Mather

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in programme year 3 or above who have passed GG 2504.

Notes

This course will not be available in 2004/05.

Overview

This course focuses on the nature, condition and perception of natural resources at the beginning of the 21st century. Trends in major resource sectors (such as forests, agricultural land, energy and minerals) are considered against the background of the debate on adequacy and scarcity and of the evolution of the concept of sustainable development. The significance of the structural and institutional framework of resource management is examined, and recent trends and tendencies in it are reviewed. This course is set at the global level, with examples and case studies drawn as appropriate from national scales.

Structure

1 two-hour lecture/seminar/workshop per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour examination (67%) and continuous assessment (33%). Resit: Resit exam - 1 two hour written exam (67%) PLUS original continuous assessment carried forward (33%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr C Hunter

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in programme year 3 or above who have passed GG 2004 or GG 2504.

Notes

This course will not be available in 2004/05.

Overview

The nature and magnitude of global tourism activity; tourism’s impacts on the natural, built and cultural environments; the need for principles and policies of sustainable tourism; theoretical requirements of sustainable tourism in the context of competing interpretations of sustainable development; barriers to the implementation of sustainable tourism policy; a critique of new forms of ‘alternative’ tourism; management approaches and techniques for the implementation of sustainable tourism; case studies (e.g. ecotourism in Scotland).

Structure

Self-directed learning and 3 one-hour supporting seminars.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (67%) and continuous assessment (33%). Resit: Resit exam - 1 two hour written exam (67%) PLUS original continuous assessment carried forward (33%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr D MacKinnon

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in programme year 3 or above and who have passed GG 2004.

Overview

The course is concerned with the changing political geographies of Europe since the 1960s. It begins by reviewing the recent history of political geography before focusing on global geopolitics and the political geography of European integration. The focus then moves to the national scale with material on nations and nationalism followed by an extended discussion of the ‘crisis’ of the nation state, and state responses to this through the devolution of functions to regional institutions. The course then discusses the politics of local economic development before concluding by identifying some important issues for future research.

Structure

1 two-hour lecture/seminar per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (67%) and continuous assessment (33%). Resit: Resit exam - 1 two hour written exam (67%) PLUS original continuous assessment carried forward (33%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr J S Smith

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in programme year 3 or above who have passed GG 2003.

Overview

The course establishes the nature of the main coastal, nearshore and estuarine processes and enables an appreciation of the characteristics and the evolution of most types of coastlines. Geomorphological knowledge is applied to a range of coastal-zone management problems, including coast protection works, nature conservation, beach and dune recreational pressures, and the establishment of sediment budgets. By the end of the course, students will have gained an understanding of the synergies of the main process factors in operation, including anthropic intervention. The main aim of the course is to increase appreciation of the physical and biological factors involved in the rational management of coastal environments. Students will achieve an awareness of the journal literature pertinent to the subject matter, and an appreciation of current gaps in our knowledge. By the end of the course they should be able to generate ideas for research strategies that could help to fill them.

Structure

2 one-hour lectures/seminars per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour examination (67%) and continuous assessment: review paper (33%). Resit: Resit exam - 1 two hour written exam (67%) PLUS original continuous assessment carried forward (33%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr Ian Lawson

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in programme year 3 or above who have passed GG 2003.

Overview

The course will cover a series of themes which will be taught as principles and as integrated topics. Areas to be covered will include the chronological and climatic framework of the Quaternay, glacial and interglacial cycles, landforms and soils.

Structure

2 one-hour lecture/practicals per week; a field trip replaces classes in each of 2 weeks.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (67%) and continuous assessment (33%). Resit: Resit exam - 1 two hour written exam (67%) PLUS original continuous assessment carried forward (33%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Mr R Wright

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in programme year 3 or above who have passed GG 2505.

Notes

This course will not be available in 2004/05.

Overview

Need for control surveys; high accuracy methods of traversing and triangulation; use of electronic distance measurement (EDM); basics of survey adjustment procedures; global positioning systems (GPS); field course to carry out a project based on techniques covered in first half of course.

Structure

2 one-hour lectures per week and one field course.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour examination (50%) and continuous assessment: 1 project and 1 practical exercise (50%). Resit: Resit exam - 1 two hour written exam (67%) PLUS original continuous assessment carried forward (33%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Professor K Chapman

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in programme year 3 or above who have passed GG 2004.

Notes

This course will not be available in 2004/05.

Overview

Major changes are taking place in the distribution of industry at the global scale as reflected in, for example, the rise of the ‘tiger economies’ of South East Asia. This course describes these changes and evaluates the factors shaping patterns of international production. These factors include; advances in transport and communications technology; the liberalisation of world trade; political and economic integration; the role of Trans-National Corporations. Efforts to incorporate these and other explanatory variables in theories of international production are described. These ideas are applied, in the project work, to the problem of choosing a location within the European Union for case-study manufacturing plants.

Structure

1 two-hour lecture/seminar per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour examination (67%) and continuous assessment: project (33%). Resit: Resit exam - 1 two hour written exam (67%) PLUS original continuous assessment carried forward (33%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr A Gemmell

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in programme year 3 or above who have passed GG 2003.

Notes

This course will not be available in 2004/05.

Overview

The nature of geomorphological hazards; identification of areas at risk; strategies for coping with or countering geomorphological hazards; modelling of risk; managing response to hazard; characteristics of hillslope hazards; floods; volcanic activity; glacial hazards; earthquakes; weathering; soil erosion.

Structure

2 one-hour lectures per week, a field day and a seminar.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour examination (67%) and continuous assessment (33%). Resit: Resit exam - 1 two hour written exam (67%) PLUS original continuous assessment carried forward (33%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr J Shaw

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in programme year 3 or above who have passed either GG 2004 or GG 2504.

Notes

This course will not be available in 2004/05.

Overview

The course begins by attempting to define the American West, both in cultural and geographic senses. The role of history in shaping present-day ‘Western’ (in the American sense) identity is then explored and key historical legacies, arguably responsible for numerous inter-related conflicts confronting Western society today, are identified. Several case studies highlight these and other conflicts from a geographical perspective and they include: land-use law and resource extraction, wilderness and the management of public lands, changing demographic patterns, Native American issues and the economies of the ‘old and ‘new’ West. The course concludes by reviewing various scenarios for future Western development and draws key lessons from the material presented.

Structure

1 two-hour lecture/seminar per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (67%) and in-course assessment (33%). Resit: Resit exam - 1 two hour written exam (67%) PLUS original continuous assessment carried forward (33%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Professor J Farrington

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in programme year 3 or above who have passed GG 3020.

Overview

This course provides a bridge between the general geographical-philosophical issues introduced in GG 3020 Critical Approaches in Geography and the more specific issues relating to current geographical thought and practice. The course is provided with extensive web support: initial orientation is provided by an introductory lecture and an intensive seminar programme, based on guided reading, then follows.

Structure

1 two-hour lecture plus 4 two-hour seminars.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Continuous assessment: 3 essays (60%) and 1 seminar presentation (40%). Resit: No resit possible.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr A M D Gemmell

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in programme year 3 who have passed GG 2003.

Co-requisites

GG 3528

Overview

This course centres on a field trip to a foreign alpine area. General material covers climate, ecology (spatial and temporal influences on floral and faunal habitats), geomorphology (including tectonics, glaciers and slope failure), hydrology (runoff processes, sediment transport and channel stability) and resource and engineering issues. The interaction of these to create the unique character of the alpine landscape. This project accounts for the majority of time spent in the field (three full days). The subsequent report forms a major part of the course assessment.

Structure

12 hours of preparatory lectures/project planning sessions, plus one week field trip.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Project report (60%), field notebook (20%), field presentation (10%) and exam (10%). Resit: No resit possible.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr J Shaw

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in programme year 3 who have passed GG 3020.

Co-requisites

GG 3525

Overview

The course prepares students for undertaking research projects (including dissertations) by providing engagement with issues of research philosophy and design, literature searching, and the selection and the competent and critical use of appropriate observational and analytical techniques and tools. It is organised in three main sections:
Part A Philosophy of research techniques
Part B Literature search and review
Part C Geographical research techniques

• Quantitative methods


• Qualitative methods


• Social survey and interviewing


• Field and laboratory techniques


• Preparation and planning of a research project.

Structure

12 one-hour lectures and 12 two-hour workshops.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Continuous assessment (100%). Resit: No resit possible.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr J F Loder

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in programme year 3 who have passed GG 2003 or GG 2004 or GG 2504.

Co-requisites

GG 3528

Overview

Mediterranean environment, peasant societies and agrarian structure; effects of mass tourism, demography and migration; insularity and peripherality; historical geography and landscape evolution.

Structure

1 one-hour lecture per fortnight and fieldwork.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Continuous assessment: on site presentations and field report (100%). Resit: No resit possible.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr D W F Mair

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in programme year 3 or above who have passed GG 2003.

Notes

This course will not be available in session 2004/05.

Overview

1. Glacial processes and landforms. Topics include glacier mass balance, motion,
   hydrology, erosion and deposition processes, erosional and depositional landforms.


2. Glaciers and climate. Topics include measuring and modelling glacial processes,
   climatic interpretation of landform assemblages and ice cores, ice-climate
   interactions, case studies of contemporary ice sheets.

   Structure

   2 one-hour lectures per week.

   Assessment

   1st Attempt: 1 two-hour examination (67%) and course work (33%): two data response exercises. Resit: Resit exam - 1 two hour written exam (67%) PLUS original continuous assessment carried forward (33%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr J Shaw

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in programme year 3 who have passed GG 2003 or GG 2004 or GG 2504.

Co-requisites

GG 3528

Overview

Students will gain first-hand experience of a range of issues in the American West via lectures, guided site visits and group project work, and students will receive lectures from academics and practitioners on relevant topics whilst in the United States. Issues covered by guided tour include water use and regulation, rangeland and forest management issues, American Indian affairs and urban and rural planning. Students will be expected to formulat and execute their own project ideas based on work undertaken in the preparatory sessions and direct field experience.

Structure

4 preparatory sessions in the UK before departure; guided lectures and site visits in the United States; self-guided study (reading, project planning and execution).

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 field notebook (20%); oral presentation of group project plans (10%) and outcomes (30%); and 1,000 word individual essay (40%). Resit: No resit possible.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Professor C Soulsby

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in programme year 3 or above who have passed either GG 2003 or GG 2504.

Overview

After examining the hydrological framework of water resources, the major issues of water supply, water quality, flood control, hydro-electric power and conservation will be examined. The role of the river basin in integrating these issues will be stressed throughout. The main techniques in each of the aspects of water resource management will be identified and critically evaluated. The substantial problems associated with integrating water resource management with other activities in river basins will be stressed.

Structure

2 one-hour lectures per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour examination (67%) and continuous assessment (33%). Resit: Resit exam - 1 two hour written exam (67%) PLUS original continuous assessment carried forward (33%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr J H Farrington

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in programme year 3 or above who have passed GG 2004.

Overview

Economic and physical characteristics of transport systems. Development of Britain’s transport systems. Transport Policy: control and deregulation. Rural and urban transport problems. The Channel Tunnel: implications for regional development. Transport and environmental impacts.

Structure

2 one-hour lectures per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour examination (67%) and continuous assessment: group-work and project (33%). Resit: Resit exam - 1 two hour written exam (67%) PLUS original continuous assessment carried forward (33%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Mr R Wright

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in programme year 3 or above who have passed GG 2505.

Overview

Environmental Remote Sensing covers a range of techniques for acquiring Images of the Earth’s surface, from aircraft and satellites, and the application to environmental issues and problems. The main themes of the course are:

1. The physical basis: electromagnetic energy and spectral regions; the role
   of the atmosphere; aspects of energy/surface interactions; spectral response
   of Earth surface features.


2. Acquisition and processing (converting data into information): airborne
   and satellite platforms for sensors; methods of image processing and analysis
   (visual and digital).


3. Application to study of the Earth’s environment: the value of information
   derived from remote sensing is considered at a range of scales, form local
   to global (including map making, land-use/cover change, deforestation, drought
   early warning, crop yield forecasting, natural hazards and environmental management).
   

Structure

2 one-hour lectures per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour examination (67%) and continuous assessment: essay (33%). Resit: Resit exam - 1 two hour written exam (67%) PLUS original continuous assessment carried forward (33%).

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr J F Loder

Pre-requisites

Available only to Honours students in Geography who are in programme year 4 and who have passed GG 3528.

Overview

Students design, execute and report on a research project on an approved topic.

Structure

Each student receives approximately 6 hours supervisory guidance.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Continuous assessment (100%) (dissertation). Resit: No resit possible.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Mr W Walton

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in programme year 3 or above who have passed GG 2504.

Overview

This course analyses the comparative use and effectiveness of three different means by which Governments, corporations and individuals can seek to remedy and prevent the problems of environmental pollution in western society. A recurring consideration throughout the course will be the financial benefits and costs of environmental regulation. Specifically, the course covers:

Economic regulation - the expression of environmental and pollution 'problems' in economic terms; the monetary evaluation of the environment (e.g. the use of contingent valuation methodology); free market solutions to pollution 'problems' (e.g. green consumerism); and the use of economic instruments (e.g. the use of tradable permits) in the resolution of pollution problems.

Legal regulation - the role of international 'law' in combating pollution and environmental problems (e.g. the Kyoto Protocol); the role of European Union lae (e.g. through directives covering topics such as abandoned vehicles); the role of the European Convention on Human Rights (e.g. regulating aircraft noise); and the role of UK administrative, criminal and civil law (e.g. in water quality protection).

Self-regulation - the growing role of Corporate Social Responsibility in environmental control(e.g. through environmental certification/management systems).

Structure

1 two-hour lecture per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 three-hour written examination (100%). Resit: Resit arrangements are identical to 1st Attempt.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr J S Smith

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in programme year 3 or above who have passed either GG 2004 or GG 2504.

Overview

Course begins with discussion of the evidence which may be recovered by the application of the techniques available to the prehistoric geographer for assessing modus vivendi. The main corpus is an outline of Scottish prehistory and early historic archaeology, in which emphasis is placed on geographical phenomena - settlement, environmental impact, trade and the nature of society. Where necessary, material will be introduced from furth of Scotland e.g. the Irish connection.

Structure

2 one-hour lectures per week and field work.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour examination (67%) and continuous assessment: project (33%). Resit: Resit exam - 1 two hour written exam (67%) PLUS original continuous assessment carried forward (33%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Professor K Chapman

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in programme year 3 or above who have passed GG 2004.

Overview

The location of industry influences, and is influenced by, various strands of public policy. This reciprocal influence is examined with reference to policies affecting, for example, small firms, innovation and regional development. Technical change is an important theme addressed in analyses of ‘new industrial spaces’ such as Silicon Valley and in assessments of the impact of ‘flexible manufacturing systems’ upon the organisation and location of production. Emphasis is placed upon experience within the developed economies and the course aims to demonstrate the contribution of a geographical perspective to the formulation and evaluation of public policies affecting the manufacturing sector.

Structure

1 two-hour lecture/seminar per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour examination (100%). Resit: Resit arrangements are identical to 1st Attempt.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Professor A S Mather

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in programme year 3 or above who have passed GG 3525.

Overview

The course will consist of four lecture-discussion meetings (of two-hours) followed by four two-hour seminars. It will focus on current debates at the frontiers of disciplinary advance, and in particular on the nature, significance and applications of current concepts. Students select one of four themes - environmental, human, physical and general - on the basis of their intended degree programmes. The seminars are linked to an intensive programme of guided reading.

Structure

4 two-hour lectures and 4 two-hour seminars.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Continuous assessment: 3 essays (60%) and 1 seminar presentation (oral) (40%). Resit: No resit possible.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr D Adams

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in programme year 3 or above who have passed GG 2004.

Overview

This course explores how and why decentralisation pressures have became so powerful in post war urban Britain and evaluates the relative impact of such pressures on space and place. Detailed attention is given to such topics as housing decentralisation, retail decentralisation, employment decentralisation, arguments for and against the compact city and the effectiveness of the planning system.

Structure

1 two-hour lecture per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour examination (67%) and continuous assessment: project (33%). Resit: Resit exam - 1 two hour written exam (67%) PLUS original continuous assessment carried forward (33%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Professor K Edwards

Pre-requisites

Available only to Honours students who have passed GG 3026.

Overview

Introduction: principles of palaeoecology.
Late-and postglacial palaecological patterns.
Fieldwork: coring and collection of samples.
Laboratory pretreatment of samples.
Keys and modern material.
Fossil materials.
Collation and presentation of data.

Structure

2 one-hour lecture/practicals per week (11 weeks) and 1 day fieldwork.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Laboratory/field book (30%); project based on group data and analysis, but written up independently by individual (70%). Resit: No resit possible.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Professor A S Mather

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in programme year 3 or above who have passed either GG 2004 or GG 2504.

Notes

This course will not be available in session 2004/05.

Overview

This course focuses on rural land use policy and governance in Britain, within the broad theme of environment-society interaction and the spatial impact of public policy. State influence and intervention in matters relating to rural land use are examined in general terms and more especially in relation to individual sectors such as countryside recreation, forestry, agriculture and nature conservation. The changing role of the countryside and the evolution of rural land-use planning are reviewed, and issues such as national parks and afforestation are considered.

Structure

2 hours of lectures/seminars/workshops per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour examination (67%) and continuous assessment: comprising either one project or one essay (33%). Resit: Resit exam - 1 two hour written exam (67%) PLUS original continuous assessment carried forward (33%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr M Wood

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in programme year 3 or above who have passed GG 2505.

Notes

This course will not be available in 2004/05.

Overview

The evolution of cartography as a core concept, and its importance within human interaction and new Geographic Information (GI) Science. The utilisation of cartography for the visualisation, exploration, analysis and communication of data and information. The influence on cartography of changing technologies, including GISystems, animation, multimedia, the Internet and virtual worlds Cartography and cognitive science: perceptual/cognitive development in children and adults, map use strategies. Development of special cartographic tools and systems in education and decision-making. Application of cartography; in mountain/wilderness utilisation/navigation, for blind and visually-impaired users, and in indigenous communities.

Structure

1 two-hour lecture per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour examination (67%) and continuous assessment (33%). Resit: Resit exam - 1 two hour written exam (67%) PLUS original continuous assessment carried forward (33%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr A Gemmell

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in programme year 3 or above who have passed GG 2003.

Overview

Roles of geomorphology in planning and development; data collection, analysis and presentation of geomorphological information for non-specialist end-users; geomorphological techniques for resource evaluation, planning, construction and maintenance of communication routes; geomorphology and environmental protection; techniques for the evaluation and management of natural geomorphological phenomena; strategies for coping with geomorphological impacts of environmental change.

Structure

2 one-hour lectures or seminars [depending on numbers] per week, plus two field days.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour examination (67%) and continuous assessment (33%). Resit: Resit exam - 1 two hour written exam (67%) PLUS original continuous assessment carried forward (33%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr J Loder

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in programme year 3 or above who have passed GG 2003, GG 2004 or GG 2504.

Overview

Current issues/events in the tropical world will be examined in a global context to explore their geographical basis and their relationship to long-term and recent human activity and/or physical processes. The examples will be developed from across the tropical world and will involve physical (e.g. El Niño) economic (e.g. innovation & globalisation, political impact of imperialisms, geostrategic issues), and social geography (issues of land tenure and reform).

Structure

12 two-hour lectures/seminars.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (67%) and continuous assessment – one report (33%). Resit: Resit exam - 1 two hour written exam (67%) PLUS original continuous assessment carried forward (33%).