What is geography? What do geographers do? Are questions that you are bound to be asked at some point in the next few years, whether by an elderly relative or a prospective employer. But what would your answer be? It is important because these are key questions for our discipline. Contemporary human geography is highly diverse, with human geographers studying many topics using a wide variety of approaches. Consequently, some geographers have found themselves asking: what does it still mean to be a geographer?

This module starts with the assumption that there are some particular ways that geographers ask questions about, and contribute to understandings of, the world. There are also key ideas that geographers often use. These create a way of looking at the world which we might call the geographical imagination. In this module we will explore this geographical imagination. Understandings developed here, will underpin your work in later modules. And by the end of the module you will be able to provide your own answers to the questions: What is geography? What do geographers do?

1. Identify and summarise key geographical concepts, making links between these
2. Apply key concepts to empirical examples
3. Synthesise learning to produce a position statement on your perceived and ideal characteristics of contemporary human geography 

This module will use a combination of lecturing, class-discussion and tasks and to explore the syllabus. Videos and other material will be used to support this, where appropriate. Tasks include class essays and a field study visit and are designed to help you identify and summarise key geographical concepts, and apply these to empirical examples. It is expected that all students will complete all tasks. Formative assessment will in the form of class-level feedback on tasks, in order to help you develop your understanding and work towards the final piece of assessment. The final piece of summative assessment will allow you to build on work in the module, as well as formative feedback in order to you to discuss key concepts and examples form the module, to argue your own position on what contemporary geography is and should be.       

Essential background reading, lecture notes and other material will be made available via Learning Central. Students will be expected to make systematic use of weekly and monthly periodicals, monographs and suitable websites to develop their general knowledge of geographical issues.

The ability to search out key material and references within the discipline

2.         The ability to make connections between geographical theory and empirical data

3.         Development of library, reading and critical skills

4.         Oral and written communication skills

5.         Group work skills

6.         Development of an appreciation of the need for a reflective awareness, and a constructively critical attitude to empirical and theoretical claims

Type of assessment

%

Contribution

Title

Duration
(if applicable)

Approx. date of Assessment

Group work

50

Reflections on our changing understandings of geography   

2000 words

November 2015

Written coursework

50

My Geographical Manifesto

2000 words

January 2016

Formative assessment

Class-level formative assessment on class tasks in order to help develop understanding and build towards your final piece of summative assessment

Ongoing throughout the module

As explained in the section on module delivery, ongoing class-level formative assessment will help you develop your understanding as you build towards the final piece of assessment which allows you to bring together your learning over the module in order to argue a position statement on the characteristics of contemporary human geography.     

The opportunity for reassessment in this module

Students are permitted to be reassessed in a module which they have failed, in line with the course regulations. The reassessment will usually take place during the summer.

This module begins by asking the questions what is human geography and what do geographers do. It explores these questions looking at the following themes: mappings; scale and place; identity; politics and power; globalisation; time; sustainability; and fairness and justice. We will see how these topics are interrelated. We also spend time discussing the assessment for the module and how the expectations might be different to the types of assessment you have been used to.  

The following is a key text for this course

Cloke, P., Crang, P. and Goodwin, M. (2013) Introducing Human Geographies,3rd Edition Hodder Arnold: London  

The following books are a few general, key readings which may be useful for the whole course. Remember, these readings are just some suggested titles that are worth looking at. Don’t restrict yourself to just these readings: make the most of your time at Cardiff University and read around your subject.

Agnew, J. and Duncan, J.S. (Eds) (2011) The Wiley-Blackwell companion to Human Geography, Wiley: Blackwell: Oxford pp.146-160  

Agnew, J., Livingstone, D.N. and Rogers, A. (1996) Human geography: an essential anthology, Blackwell: Oxford

Gregory, D., Johnston, R., Pratt, G., Watts, M. and Whatmore, S. (eds). (2009) The Dictionary of Human Geography, 5th Edition Wiley-Blackwell: Chichester

Journals are a key part of the academic literature. It is in journals that current research is published and many contemporary debates are played out. You should include journal articles in your reading. As well as targeting them for specific topics or articles, it is worth regularly looking at the latest volumes in order to get a sense of what is going on in the discipline. Many of these can be accessed on-line via the Cardiff University Library service. Key geography journals that you have access to as a member of Cardiff University include:

•           Annals of the Association of American Geographers

•           Antipode

•           Applied Geography

•           Area

•           Economic Geography

•           Environment and Planning A

•           Environment and Planning D – Society and Space

•           Geoforum

•           Geografiska Annaler. Series B. Human Geography

•           Geographical Analysis

•           International Journal of Urban and Regional Research

•           Journal of Economic Geography

•           Landscape and Urban Planning

•           Political Geography

•           Professional Geographer

•           Progress in Human Geography

•           Regional Studies

•           Social and cultural geography

•           Transactions of the institute of British Geographers