Description
Programme Specification for the 2019/0 academic year
BA (Hons) Geography with European Study
1. Programme Details
| Programme name | BA (Hons) Geography with European Study | Programme code | UFA4GOAGOA04 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Study mode(s) | Full Time |
Academic year | 2019/0 |
| Campus(es) | Streatham (Exeter) |
NQF Level of the Final Award | 6 (Honours) |
2. Description of the Programme
This version of our popular undergraduate programme on the Streatham campus will provide you with a broad understanding of geographical aspects of human society and the physical environment, and their complex interrelationships and provide you with the chance to live and study in a different culture. It provides you with the opportunity to develop your interests in the discipline and gain a more detailed appreciation of a variety of specific aspects of geography in which the discipline specialises. Through field work and other forms of experiential learning, the programme aims to promote your curiosity about social, cultural and natural environments and to enable you to develop a range of skills specific to the geographer as well as a series of cognitive, generic and transferable skills.
The BA programmes offer the opportunity for you to undertake human geography research methods, participate in a human geography field trip, and carry out a human geography dissertation. These are the key features that distinguish them from the BSc Geography programmes.
This programme also offers you the possibility to apply for a place to study Geography for one academic year at one of our European Erasmus partner Universities, through the University's Erasmus Student Exchange Programme. Subject to a competitive application process, you may opt to take GEO3000 European Year Abroad option worth 120 credits. If you are accepted onto the programme, you will spend one academic year studying at a partner university in either France, Spain, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Finland, the Netherlands or Ireland, usually the third year of a four-year programme. If you are not successful in the competitive application process, you will remain on the three year programme.
See http://www.exeter.ac.uk/international/abroad/erasmus/studyplacements for a current list of institutions.
Studying abroad offers you a fantastic opportunity to expand your educational and cultural experiences. Moreover, research indicates that 64% of employers consider an international experience important for recruitment and report that graduates with an international background are given greater responsibility more frequently. 92% of employers involved in a study conducted in 2014* indicated that they look for skills such as openness to and curiosity about new challenges, problem-solving and decision-making skills, confidence, and tolerance towards other personal values and behaviours. The study revealed that studying abroad had a positive impact on the development of these skills and concluded that the employability and competences of students greatly benefit from mobility.
*European Commission (2014) The Erasmus Impact Study, Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2014
3. Educational Aims of the Programme
The BA (Hons) Geography with European Study programme is intended to show Geography as a dynamic discipline concerned with processes and patterns in human and natural environments. It aims to provide you with a broad understanding of geographical aspects of human society and the physical environment and their complex interrelationships before offering you an opportunity to develop your own interests in the discipline and gain a more detailed and nuanced appreciation of a variety of specific aspects of human geography in which the discipline has specialised. Through fieldwork in human geography and other forms of experiential learning, this programme particularly aims to promote curiosity about social and cultural environments and, through a variety of pedagogies, to enable you to develop a range of skills specific to the human geographer as well as a series of cognitive, generic and transferable skills.
The European Year Abroad module will provide you with the opportunity to study some aspects of Geography in a university abroad and to give you an insight into the culture of the host country.
4. Programme Structure
5. Programme Modules
The following tables describe the programme and constituent modules. Constituent modules may be updated, deleted or replaced as a consequence of the annual programme review of this programme.
http://geography.exeter.ac.uk/currentstudents/
You may take optional modules as long as any necessary prerequisites have been satisfied, where the timetable allows and if you have not already taken the module in question or an equivalent module.
You may take elective modules up to 30 credits outside of the programme in each stage of the programme with permission as long as any necessary prerequisites have been satisfied, where the timetable allows and if you have not already taken the module in question or an equivalent module.
You are also permitted to take the five-credit module GEO3910 Professional Development Experience in Stages 2 and 4. Registration on this module is subject to a competitive application process. If taken, this module will not count towards progression or award calculation.
Stage 1
90 credits of compulsory modules, 30 credits of optional modules.
If you are intending to spend your third year in a country where English is not the language of tuition, you would normally take these 30 credits in the language of the European country in which you will study. Exceptionally, the language requirement may be waived, in which case you may either select to take up to 30 credits as approved modules from other disciplines (timetable permitting) or select to take the optional Geography modules listed.
Compulsory Modules
| Code | Module | Credits | Non-condonable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| GEO1105 | Geographies of Place, Identity and Culture | 15 | No |
| GEO1106 | Geographies of Global Change | 15 | No |
| GEO1309 | Study Skills for Human Geographers | 15 | Yes |
| GEO1310 | Geographies of Environment and Sustainability | 15 | No |
| GEO1313 | Learning through Place: Doing Human Geography | 15 | No |
| GEO1316 | Concepts in Geography | 15 | No |
Optional Modules
| Code | Module | Credits | Non-condonable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| GeoS S1 Physical opt for BA Geog 2019-0 | |||
| GEO1211 | Earth System Science: The History of Our Planet | 15 | No |
| GEO1213 | Earth System Science: Our Changing Planet | 15 | No |
Stage 2
a It is compulsory to take a field course in the second year. You must select one field course module from GEO2308A, GEO2308C, GEO2308D, GEO2308E, GEO2308F and GEO2314A.
b You must choose 30-60 credits from the Human Geography and interdisciplinary Geography modules listed. Depending on how much language is deemed appropriate for you, you must:
- Take 30 credits of language modules and 30 credits from the Human Geography and interdisciplinary Geography modules;
- Take 15 credits of language modules and 45 credits from the Human Geography and interdisciplinary Geography modules;
- Take all 60 credits from the Human Geography and interdisciplinary Geography modules.
c You may then choose 0-30 credits from other level 5 Geography modules listed.
Compulsory Modules
| Code | Module | Credits | Non-condonable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| GeoS S2 BA Geog field courses 2019-0 [See note a above] | |||
| GEO2308A | Human Geography Berlin Field Trip | 15 | No |
| GEO2308C | Human Geography Seville Field Trip | 15 | No |
| GEO2308D | Human Geography New York Field Trip | 15 | No |
| GEO2308E | Human Geography Virtual Field Trip | 15 | No |
| GEO2314A | Human and Physical Geography Bay of Naples Field Trip | 15 | No |
| GEO2308F | Human Geography Antwerp Field Trip | 15 | No |
| GEO2311 | Ideas in Geography | 15 | No |
| GEO2327 | Geographies of Justice: Research Methodologies in Action | 15 | No |
| GEO2328 | Geographies of Consumption: Doing Human Geography Research | 15 | No |
Optional Modules
| Code | Module | Credits | Non-condonable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| GeoS S2 Human-Inter Geog opt for BA Geog 2019-0 [See note b above] | |||
| GEO2120 | Political Geographies | 15 | No |
| GEO2131 | Nature, Development and Justice | 15 | No |
| GEO2132 | Global Urban Futures | 15 | No |
| GEO2133 | Global Lives: Multicultural Geographies | 15 | No |
| GEO2134 | Everyday Lives | 15 | No |
| GEO2316 | Volatile Planet | 15 | No |
| GEO2317 | Climate Change: Science and Society | 15 | No |
| GEO2318 | Workplace Learning for Geographers | 15 | No |
| GeoS S2 Physical opt for BA Geog 2019-0 [See note c above] | |||
| GEO2221 | Catchment Hydrology and Geomorphology | 15 | No |
| GEO2230 | Reconstructing Past Environments | 15 | No |
| GEO2231 | Landscape Dynamics | 15 | No |
| GEO2232 | The Cryosphere | 15 | No |
Stage 3
120 credits of compulsory modules.
For your year abroad you will agree a suite of modules in your host institution with the College Erasmus Coordinator. Details of individual modules that may be taken whilst abroad can be found by accessing the partner institution’s website at http://www.exeter.ac.uk/international/abroad/erasmus/studyplacements.
Compulsory Modules
| Code | Module | Credits | Non-condonable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| GEO3000 | European Year Abroad | 120 | Yes |
Stage 4
30-45 credits of compulsory modules, 75-90 credits of optional modules.
d You must choose either GEO3311 or GEO3312.
Compulsory Modules
| Code | Module | Credits | Non-condonable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| GEO3311 | BA Dissertation [See note d above] | 45 | Yes |
| GEO3312 | BA Dissertation [See note d above] | 30 | No |
Optional Modules
| Code | Module | Credits | Non-condonable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| GeoS SF BA-BSc Geog opt 2019-0 | |||
| GEO3101 | Gender and Geography | 15 | No |
| GEO3117 | Geographies of Rurality | 15 | No |
| GEO3121 | Cultural Geographies of Landscape | 15 | No |
| GEO3123 | Geographies of Material Culture | 15 | No |
| GEO3126 | The Geography of Monsters: Science, Society and Environmental Risk | 15 | No |
| GEO3129 | Images of the Earth | 15 | No |
| GEO3131 | Geographies of Creativity, Economy and Society | 15 | No |
| GEO3139 | Geographies of Technology | 15 | No |
| GEO3140 | Geographies of Education and Learning | 15 | No |
| GEO3142 | Geographies of the Body | 15 | No |
| GEO3144 | Geopolitical Cultures | 15 | No |
| GEO3223 | Landscape Systems Management | 15 | No |
| GEO3224 | Tropical Coastal Environments: Geomorphology and Environmental Change | 15 | No |
| GEO3225 | Climate Change and its Impacts | 15 | No |
| GEO3227 | Weather | 15 | No |
| GEO3232 | Peatland Ecosystems | 15 | No |
| GEO3239 | GIS for Professionals | 15 | No |
| GEO3241 | Fire Ecology and Fire Management | 15 | No |
| GEO3242 | Historical, Functional and Conservation Biogeography of Plants | 15 | No |
| GEO3243 | Ice Sheets and Sea Level | 15 | No |
| GEO3244 | Neotropical Environmental Change | 15 | No |
6. Programme Outcomes Linked to Teaching, Learning and Assessment Methods
Intended Learning Outcomes
A: Specialised Subject Skills and Knowledge
| Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) On successfully completing this programme you will be able to: | Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) will be... | |
|---|---|---|
| ...accommodated and facilitated by the following learning and teaching activities (in/out of class): | ...and evidenced by the following assessment methods: | |
1. Illustrate the nature of change within human and physical environments. | In Stage 1, primarily through tutorials, compulsory modules and through subject-based learning in human geography modules. In Stage 2, through fieldtrips, research training and work-based learning experiences. Implicitly through lectures, seminars and directed study in the context of a variety specific topic-based option modules in all Stages. | ILO 1 Explicitly through coursework and examinations in compulsory modules and throughout other module based assessments in Stages 2 and 4 (depending on options taken). ILOs 2-3 Much of Stage 1 is explicitly interdisciplinary, as are a number of option modules in Stages 2 and 4. These modules are assessed against student’s understanding about interconnections through essays and exams. ILO 4 This is assessed in the Stage 2 field course and implicitly through coursework and written examinations associated with topic-based modules. |
Intended Learning Outcomes
B: Academic Discipline Core Skills and Knowledge
| Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) On successfully completing this programme you will be able to: | Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) will be... | |
|---|---|---|
| ...accommodated and facilitated by the following learning and teaching activities (in/out of class): | ...and evidenced by the following assessment methods: | |
5. Evaluate the diversity of approaches to the generation of knowledge and understanding deriving from experience of the epistemologies of the social and natural sciences. | Explicitly introduced as a concept in Stage 1 compulsory modules, and later in Stage 2 research training and fieldwork-based modules. Expanded through subject-based learning in optional modules in Stages 2 and 4. Applied by student in independent dissertation. | ILO 5 Coursework in research training modules and fieldwork based modules in Stages 1 and 2 and in the dissertation. ILO 6 Field class training and through coursework and exams in all modules in all Stages. ILO 7 Explicitly assessed in project work at Stage 1 and applied and assessed in the dissertation. |
Intended Learning Outcomes
C: Personal/Transferable/Employment Skills and Knowledge
| Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) On successfully completing this programme you will be able to: | Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) will be... | |
|---|---|---|
| ...accommodated and facilitated by the following learning and teaching activities (in/out of class): | ...and evidenced by the following assessment methods: | |
8. Evaluate the issues involved in applying research design and execution skills within the specific context of primary research. | Personal transferable employment skills and knowledge are embedded in all modules. Stage 2 modules are strongly focused towards developing skills for use in the dissertation and in real life situations. Explicitly through directed practical exercises in Stages 1 and 2 research training modules; in field courses in Stages 1 and 2 and in dissertation supervisions in Stage 4. Implicitly through lectures, seminars and directed study in specific topic-based option modules in all Stages. Students have the option of a work-based module. Applied in self-directed dissertation. | ILO 8 Coursework in modules focusing on research training and fieldwork and the dissertation. ILO 9 Data analysis methods are explicitly assessed in Stage 1 and 2 research training modules, and implicitly in option modules in all Stages. ILO 10 Through coursework, essays, projects and exams in all modules in all Stages. ILO 11 Through coursework, essays, projects and exams in all modules in all Stages. ILO 12 Through critical writing tasks assessed in a range of modules through Stages 2 and 4 and in the dissertation. ILO 13 Explicitly through coursework in Stages 1 and 2 research training and fieldwork-based modules and the dissertation. ILO 14 Explicitly in coursework for research training modules in Stages 1 and 2. |
7. Programme Regulations
Programme-specific Progression Rules
To progress to Stage 2 you should normally achieve an average mark of at least 60% in Stage 1, otherwise you will be required to transfer to the three year programme. This is to ensure that only those students who are likely to succeed in their Year Abroad are selected.
The Year Abroad counts as a single 120 credit module and is not condonable; you must pass this module to graduate with the degree title of BA Geography with European Study. If you fail the Year Abroad module your degree title will be commuted to BA Geography. You will be assessed by your host university during your academic year abroad with their grades converted back to University of Exeter grades to contribute towards your degree classification. The rules governing failure and referral will be determined by the host institution.
Classification
Full details of assessment regulations for all taught programmes can be found in the TQA Manual, specifically in the Credit and Qualifications Framework, and the Assessment, Progression and Awarding: Taught Programmes Handbook. Additional information, including Generic Marking Criteria, can be found in the Learning and Teaching Support Handbook.
8. College Support for Students and Students' Learning
All students in Geography are allocated Personal Tutors who monitor and advise you on your academic progress and performance throughout your degree programme. Each Personal Tutor keeps a record of your performance which culminates in a detailed record of achievement which is used, in addition to formal assessments, to help inform personal references requested by prospective employers. Personal Tutors provide pastoral oversight for non-academic problems (advising students as necessary on the availability of appropriate specialist and professional assistance), and encourage and facilitate Personal Development Planning through use of ePDP.
In addition, you take a compulsory, mainly tutorial-based, 15-credit Level 4 module on ‘Study Skills for Human Geography’ (GEO1309). This module aims to a) raise your awareness of the role you must yourself play in the learning process, b) facilitate your development as independent learners, and c) direct your acquisition of a range of specialist and generic skills.
You attend University and Discipline Induction courses on arrival, and are given University and Discipline Handbooks, providing information on programmes, the structure of the Geography Discipline, general information, contact numbers, etc. This information is updated through the Discipline’s website and ELE, which also provides a point of access to all learning and teaching materials. Student learning is supported by the Discipline’s ‘Advanced Computing Laboratory’, which provides dedicated support for GIS and other Discipline computing needs. This resource is in addition to a variety of university-level facilities, including the University Library and IT Services.
You can apply to the Myrtle Murray Travel Award for financial support of fieldwork. All teaching staff maintain an ‘open door’ policy to facilitate student access. Staff email addresses are also made available to you to further facilitate staff-student contact. There is also student representation at all levels in the Discipline and programme development takes place with explicit consultation, notably through the Student-Staff Liaison Committee and formal representation of students on the Discipline Education Committee and at the termly Discipline meeting.
The College complies with the University’s Code of Practice on Study and Work Experience Abroad. The name of the member of staff acting as the programme’s Co-ordinator for study abroad is made known to you before you leave Exeter, and this person is responsible for liaison and oversight of your progress during the year abroad. Contact will be maintained with you during your year abroad by regular email communication.
9. University Support for Students and Students' Learning
Please refer to the University Academic Policy and Standards guidelines regarding support for students and students' learning.
10. Admissions Criteria
Undergraduate applicants must satisfy the Undergraduate Admissions Policy of the University of Exeter.
Postgraduate applicants must satisfy the Postgraduate Admissions Policy of the University of Exeter.
Specific requirements required to enrol on this programme are available at the respective Undergraduate or Postgraduate Study Site webpages.
11. Regulation of Assessment and Academic Standards
Each academic programme in the University is subject to an agreed College assessment and marking strategy, underpinned by institution-wide assessment procedures.
The security of assessment and academic standards is further supported through the appointment of External Examiners for each programme. External Examiners have access to draft papers, course work and examination scripts. They are required to attend the Board of Examiners and to provide an annual report. Annual External Examiner reports are monitored at both College and University level. Their responsibilities are described in the University's code of practice. See the University's TQA Manual for details.
(http://as.exeter.ac.uk/support/admin/staff/qualityassuranceandmonitoring/tqamanual/fullcontents/)
12. Indicators of Quality and Standards
13. Methods for Evaluating and Improving Quality and Standards
The University and its constituent Colleges draw on a range of data to review the quality of educational provision. The College documents the performance in each of its taught programmes, against a range of criteria on an annual basis through the Annual Programme Monitoring cycle:
- Admissions, progression and completion data
- In Year Analysis data
- Previous monitoring report
- Monitoring of core (and optional) modules
- External examiner's reports and University and College responses (reported to SSLC)
- Any Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Body/accrediting body or other external reports
- Consultation with employers and former students
- Staff evaluation
- Student evaluation
- Programme aims
Subject areas are reviewed every four years through a periodic subject review scheme that includes external contributions. (http://admin.exeter.ac.uk/academic/tls/tqa/Part%209/9JREVISEDPSRSCHEME.pdf)
14. Awarding Institution
University of Exeter
15. Lead College / Teaching Institution
College of Life and Environmental Sciences (CLES)
16. Partner College / Institution
Partner College(s)
Not applicable to this programme
Partner Institution
Not applicable to this programme.
17. Programme Accredited / Validated by
0
18. Final Award
BA (Hons) Geography with European Study
19. UCAS Code
L702
20. NQF Level of Final Award
6 (Honours)
21. Credit
| CATS credits | ECTS credits |
|---|
22. QAA Subject Benchmarking Group
[Honours] Geography
23. Dates
| Origin Date | 22/03/2012 |
Date of last revision | 14/06/2019 |
|---|