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 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 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.