Programme/Approved Electives for 2021/22
None
Available as a Free Standing Elective
Yes
Covering topics such as climate change, landscapes, ecosystems, sea level, glaciers and coastal environments, this module offers a self-contained introduction to physical geography for students from a variety of backgrounds (including students with no previous experience in the subject), and a foundation in the subject for those students who wish to pursue it to a higher level. The main learning outcomes for the successful student will be: knowledge and understanding of core material in Physical Geography; appreciation of the dynamic and research-based nature of the discipline; the ability to use geographical evidence to explain features of the physical environment.
Aims
The module aims to provide a self-contained introduction to physical geography for students from a variety of backgrounds, including those with no previous experience in the subject, and to provide a foundation in the subject for those students who wish to pursue it at a higher level.
Talis Aspire Reading ListAny reading lists will be provided by the start of the course.http://lists.lib.keele.ac.uk/modules/esc-10039/lists
Intended Learning Outcomes
define important terms and briefly explain important concepts in Physical Geography, recognising the importance of clear, concise writing in science: 1,2identify and describe major components of the Earth's physical-geographic systems, including patterns of variation in the global environment and connections between global systems and local landscapes: 1,2combine different types of geographical evidence in order to describe and explain phenomena of the physical environment in a variety of written styles appropriate to the discipline: 1,2describe the dynamic, plural and contested nature of the discipline, and the contribution of research to the development of knowledge in Physical Geography: 1,2
22 hours scheduled class meetings (interactive large-group "flipped-classroom" sessions with Q&A and reinforcement exercises).66 hours guided online study (3 hours per lecture-equivalent resource) including some assessment-related research31 hours essay completion31 hours patchwork text completion
Description of Module Assessment
1: Short Paper weighted 50%1,000 word short essay1,000 word short essay, plus reference list, to be prepared in accordance with the Geography House Style on a title chosen from a list provided in the module handbook at the start of the module. The short-length format is a deliberate challenge to help students learn about the important skill of concise writing in a scientific context, so the wordcount for this item will be a fixed limit. The short length does not reflect any reduced expectation in workload compared with a longer essay. As Oscar Wilde famously explained, it can actually take longer to write a short piece than to write a longer piece!
2: Reflective Analysis weighted 50%Patchwork activities plus a summative reflective analysis.In a patchwork assessment, students compile exercises, reflections and other study activities through out the module, and present these as illustrations or evidence to support a (summative) guided reflective analysis at the end of the module. The summative report will have a suggested word count of 2000-2500 words, but this is likely to be broken down into a series of much shorter items in many students' submissions. The longer wordcount does not therefore reflect a greater workload for this item compared with the other assessment item in this module. Students will be guided through the process throughout the module.