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The modules offered are incredibly diverse, interesting and relevant to the real world.
Louise Howarth,BA Geography
School of Geography
BA Geography
Overview
What is human geography?
Human geographers explore how people interact with the world around them, how globalization is shaping the world, and the impact this is having on our world in terms of urban development, population growth, sustainability, ethnicity, class and gender.
Human geography graduates are in demand for both their specialist (subject-specific) and transferable skills and find jobs across a range of sectors including retail, finance, governmental, NGOs, transport and the environment.
Why study human geography?
Studying human geography really allows you to think about the kind of world you would like to live in, and provides you with the skills to have a say in how future society develops.
As a human geographer, you will become proficient in presenting your ideas in reports and orally, in data collection, presentation, and analysis, and in the use of specialist mapping software. Apart from the excitement of understanding how human society functions, your broad expertise and knowledge as a human geographer will equip you to tackle important real-world problems in a range of organisations from the public sector (such as working for local government), to private industry (as a retail analyst or location planner) and for NGOs (such as Amnesty International as a policy and campaigns officer).
Why not enhance your university experience and build your career by considering a Study Year Abroad or a Year in Industry?
How you study
Contact time
At Level 1 you will have approximately 12-16 hours per week 'contact time', i.e., participation in a session which is taught, led or facilitated by a member of staff (lectures, seminars, tutorials, or lab classes), in addition to several sessions where you will work in a group without staff supervision. The amount of contact time reduces a little at levels 2 and 3, having developed the skills and confidence for more autonomous and self-directed learning.
Independent learning
Part of studying at university is that you will take increasing responsibility for your own learning as you progress through your degree. Developing the skills to think and work independently is crucial to your success both at university and in your future career. Independent study involves a lot of reading around the subject, and although this may seem daunting at first, we will guide and support you to ensure you are able to:
- use the Library resources and find information
- read critically and develop a balanced argument
- plan and prepare academic assignments
- take and make good notes
- develop strategies for dealing with the volume of reading required for your course
- effectively manage your time to meet deadlines
Teaching
Lectures are a student’s staple diet - the main source of information and knowledge - but probably quite different to anything you have encountered at school. Lectures are usually 50 minutes long and may be attended by over 150 students at Level 1, but are smaller at Level 2 and smaller still at Level 3.
Lectures are a great way to introduce you to a topic, but you are never really sure whether you have understood a subject area until you have had the chance to discuss it in more detail in smaller groups. For this reason we also deliver teaching through tutorials (groups of six); seminars (groups of approximately 30); computer classes; lab practical classes; group-work; online exercises and fieldwork. Opportunities for extra help, including 'drop-in' workshops, one-to-one assistance, and an extensive programme of generic skills training offered by Skills@Library, are also readily available.
Workload
The style of learning and teaching at university is quite different to what you will have been used to at school or college. At university, you are expected to read widely for each module you study. A twenty-credit module equates to 200 hours study time, which includes contact time (lectures, classes), independent reading and study time, preparation of assignments and exam revision. A full workload is 120 credits at each level of study, so you are expected to spend about 40 hours per week during term-time on your studies.
Feedback
We appreciate how important it is that you receive prompt and constructive feedback on all your work so that you know how well you are progressing with your studies. Feedback also provides us with an opportunity to advise you on any particular areas where we feel you may benefit from further reading or additional study skills support. Different styles of feedback that you are most likely to encounter in your studies include:
- One-to-one, group or whole class verbal feedback
- Peer review feedback
- Electronic feedback via email or posted on the VLE (Blackboard)
- Written feedback – on a feedback sheet, and as annotations on your work
- Example or model answers made available to the whole group
Attendance
We monitor attendance to ensure that we can identify and help you if you are experiencing any personal or academic difficulties which are impacting on your ability to study. Attendance is compulsory and registers are taken at some sessions. We ask you to notify the School if you are unable to attend for any reason.
Assessment
Assessment methods vary from module to module, and this gives you the flexibility to choose modules based on the assessment criteria that suits your particular strengths. Types of assessment include:
- examinations
- individual or group reports
- practical exercises
- individual or group presentations
- essays
- posters
- projects (such as the dissertation)
- reflective logs
Course structure
Each year of the BA programme is designed around a combination of compulsory core modules, as well as opportunities to take optional modules and/or electives so you can choose additional subjects of interest. The balance of compulsory to core modules depends upon the year and programme of study and is explained fully in the programme catalogue.
If you opt to study abroad or to join our year in industry scheme you will pursue this at the end of Year 2, returning to your final year of study once completed.
Level 1
You will study the following compulsory modules:
GEOG1025: Leeds: from the Local to the Global
- How has the economy of Leeds changed over time? What do these changes tell us about broader transformation in national and global economies?
- Do different neighbourhoods in Leeds have different health characteristics? Can we observe any general links between place and health?
- How has Leeds been reshaped by different migrant populations? Have different migrant groups followed different paths into and around the city?
- What does ‘culture’ mean in Leeds? How do cities promote themselves using culture, and what forms of culture are not included in this process?
- How is Leeds responding to climate change? What does this response tell us about urban resilience?
- What different ways of imagining the future of cities are thinkable? What future can we imagine for Leeds?
GEOG1310: People, Place and Politics
- In what ways does globalization frame our everyday experiences of the places that we live in?
- After decades of so-called ‘development progress’, why is our world still characterised by huge gaps between the rich and the poor?
- How do experiences of belonging and exclusion shape people’s identities?
- How do urban economies and changing cities relate to urban politics and ideas of sustainable living?
- What are as the role of ideologies in shaping world views and geopolitics in the 21st century?
- .....What kind of world would YOU like to live in?
GEOG1065: Nature, Society and Environment
- What’s the value of nature and what does it mean to different people?
- Are we part of nature or separate to it?
- Can we take what we want from the environment or do we need management strategies to ensure sustainability?
- How successful have previous environmental management strategies been? For instance, are we really dealing successfully with climate change?
- What will environmental management be like in the future and will we try to work with natural processes more?
In addition you will study 20 credits of electives.
Level 2
You will study the following compulsory modules:
GEOG2035: Geographies of Economies
- What are the main contours of changing geographical thought since about 1950?
- How have geographers sought to understand social and economic change through the use of quantitative methods?
- How have Marxist interpretations influenced the way geographers think about economic life?
- When and how did geographers inject ideas of identity, gender and culture into their understandings of everyday economic patterns?
- How have geographers’ understandings of concepts such as value, commodities, labour and consumption changed over the last fifty years?
GEOG2065: Research Methods with Career Skills
- What are the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to conducting research in human geography and the social sciences?
- What are the key principles of GIS, social data analysis, and qualitative research?
- How can new data be collected in diverse fieldwork sites, in the UK and abroad? What data sources already exist for our use?
- How can geographical research be written up most effectively, and how can this writing be varied for different audiences (e.g. academics, policy makers, the private and voluntary sectors)?
- What are the wide range of employment opportunities open to geographers, and how can the diverse skills possessed by geographers be most effectively presented to employers?
Optional modules include:
GEOG2020: Political and Development Geographies
- How can the perspectives of political and development geographies help us understand the shaping of the world around us?
- What have the terms ‘enlightenment’, ‘colonialism’ and ‘state-making’ got to do with current geopolitics and the very idea of development?
- Why is it important to explore different spatial scales of political jurisdiction and the relationships between national and supra-national systems?
- How can 'resistance and alternatives' be understood to be contributing to movements against the market-led, neo-liberal orthodoxy of today's globalized world?
GEOG2025: Service Analysis and Planning
- How do providers of public services (health, education, social services) continue to provide access to high quality delivery in an era of economic austerity?
- What are the impacts of an increasingly elderly population in the UK on the provision of health services?
- How can the use of geographical information help the prevention and detection of crime in UK cities?
- How can central and local government initiatives help preserve traditional high street retailing in the face of a shift towards out of town retailing?
- How and why has geography been so important in understanding the growth of a small group of very powerful retailers, both in the UK and globally?
GEOG 2030: Population and Health Geographies
- What are the implications of population ageing for modern Western societies?
- What factors affect female reproduction?
- What are the implications of migration on modern societies?
- How do factors affect health well-being in different communities?
- How do different countries’ economic and development profiles affect their population and health outcomes?
- What factors affect people’s access to health services?
GEOG2040: Inside European Cities (Belgrade, Helsinki or Montpellier)
- How are urban landscapes in today’s European cities changing?
- What role do planners and politicians play in shaping European cities?
- How have cities expanded into surrounding areas in recent decades?
- What are the principal environmental and social issues in European cities?
- How do migrants and marginal groups sustain their livelihoods?
- How do contemporary retail and transport systems impact on daily life in European cities?
GEOG2045: Modern Urban Journeys
- What did modern thinking and technology bring to the development of our cities?
- When and how were living conditions in European cities gradually improved?
- How did planners re-shape our cities and re-fashion the way we live?
- Which thinkers inspired and directed the nature of urban change?
- How and why did European ideas of city planning spread to many parts of the world?
- How have modern cities developed and changed in Latin America and East Asia?
GEOG2055: Citizenship & Identity: Comparative Perspectives
- Is the concept of ‘citizenship’ exclusionary? Who belongs? Who has rights?
- How do we experience citizenship - in our local communities or through global connections?
- Should the state be using citizenship education to mould young people?
- How does the UK deal with new citizens in an era of increasing movement across borders?
- How do experiences of citizenship in the UK compare with other countries around the world?
GEOG2060: Living within limits: natural resource management for sustainable development
- What is the nature of natural resources?
- How have supply of and demand for natural resources - especially energy, water and food - changed over the long term?
- What do variations of resources across the globe mean for supply, demand and impacts of resource exploitation?
- Are there limits to growth or can we rely on technological progress to ensure that supply and demand are matched?
- Is sustainable development a viable solution to resource management issues?
- How are decisions about resource management made by countries, local authorities, companies, communities?
TRAN2020: Transport Land Use and Development
- What relationships exist between transport, the landscape & the organisation of human activities?
- How has transport contributed over time to the growth and urban structures of Leeds?
- What range of definitions exist for the concept of ‘accessibility’ and how might they affect land use development decisions and the implications of particular urban structures for society (including the need for personal mobility)?
- What role does transport and mobility play in the various conceptual models of urban structures that have been developed over time and how might we use these ideas to develop visions for the future?
- What evidence can we find in the real world for major transport schemes and large land use developments affecting development decisions and how people travel?
- Based on all we have learned, how might we go about developing our own model of the relationships between transport, land use and development?
TRAN2040: Transport and the Environment
- How does transport affect our surroundings and quality of life?
- Can transport ever be sustainable?
- Are you interested in what we can do to reduce transport pollution?
- As transport continues to grow, does the environment have to suffer?
You may also choose to study 20 credits of electives.
Level 3 (AY 2013-14)
You will study the following compulsory module:
GEOG3600: Dissertation
In this module you will undertake a large, independent research project – the dissertation – with specialist guidance from an academic mentor and support from a peer group. The dissertation is your chance to tackle geographical research questions of your choice, to put into practice the skills and subject knowledge you have acquired in the first two years, and to make an original contribution to knowledge. Your final dissertation will be a highly professional piece of work that you are proud to name as your own.
Optional modules include:
GIS, Geocomputation and Geoplanning
- Why are quantitative methods important in human geography?
- How is GIS used in different planning contexts?
- It is likely that the 2011 Census was the last traditional census in the UK? What data should Government collect in its place?
- What is geocomputation and what sort of modelling techniques does it involve?
- How can methods from artificial intelligence help our understanding of the world around us?
Advanced Population & Health Geographies
- How do population and health processes contribute to inequalities in different contexts?
- What evidence is there for area variations in health and population change?
- How do technology, fertility, work and the household impact on labour markets and economic development?
- How can we develop key measures of fertility, mortality, migration and population change?
- What useful insights can we get from sources such as the Health Survey for England?
The Geographies of Childhood and Youth
- How are children and young people being affected by processes of globalisation and economic transformation?
- What forces serve to both marginalise and empower young people in contemporary societies in Britain and beyond?
- How do children and young people use public spaces, and how is their use of these spaces regulated and policed?
- How can we best understand contemporary youth cultures and subcultures?
- How is the transition to adulthood changing for children and young people in both the Global North and Global South?
Globalisation from Above and Below
- Does globalisation have a history?
- Does globalisation today equal ‘Americanisation’?
- How should we understand the globalisation of conflict and justice?
- Where are the strengths of anti-globalisation movements?
- Where is the local and the face-to-face in a globalised world?
- Where are the borders in a global world?
Alternative Urban Futures
- What does the triple crunch of financial, environmental and social crises mean for city living today?
- What future scenarios exist for the way cities will develop in the future?
- What practical examples are trying to establish new ways of living in cities right now?
- What skills and tools would you need to learn to be part of this move for a greener and more just city during your degree and afterwards?
- Which alternative urban futures do YOU think will work and why?
Geographies of Identities and Encounter
- What is cosmopolitanism and is the UK really a cosmopolitan society?
- How do ideas of cosmopolitanism and encounters with difference influence our sense of self and others?
- How, as a society, do we create the capacity to live with difference (e.g. age, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, religion/faith and disability)?
- Why are we witnessing increasing support for far right politics in the UK, and what can we do to tackle such political extremism?
- What role do ideas like tolerance and respect have in challenging prejudice and discrimination?
Advanced Retail planning
- What are the key factors influencing store location today?
- How will these key factors change in the light of population dynamics and the expansion of distribution systems?
- What role can GIS play in store location research?
- How do geodemographics help in identifying consumer demand in different markets?
- How will retailers manage the development of e-commerce and is there a geography to e-commerce?
- How has public sector retail planning changed and how do planners measure the impact of new retail developments?
Geographies of Migration
- What are the diverse reasons for people moving across the world?
- What is the role of national governments in facilitating or obstructing migration?
- How does migration shape feelings of belonging, identity and citizenship among those who move?
- How do people make home(s) and livelihoods in different places that they move to?
- What are the social, cultural and emotional consequences of migration on individuals and their families?
- How do people resist and/or campaign against the ways that their migratory routes are controlled by international treaties and national immigration policies?
Contested Cities
- How do we critically evaluate urban policies?
- What is the role of citizens, community groups and social movements in shaping their city?
- Are cities and urban development at the root of the global financial crisis since 2008 and can they be part of the solution?
- Are our cities becoming more or less unjust?
- Many cities across the world aspire to host international events, attract famous architects or shopping centres, but who does this benefit?
- Who are cities for and who should decide?
Fieldwork Modules (Miami, Mumbai or Athens)
- What are the key characteristics of the urban environments of Miami, Mumbai and Athens?
- How can we understand and explore the geographical processes of change which underlie these characteristics?
- For Miami; how do processes of rapid urban and social transformation unfold within a context of globalisation?
- For Mumbai; how has the city’s development shaped spaces of cosmopolitanism, multiculturalism and inclusion/exclusion in the city?
- For Athens; how has urban and regional development shaped service growth, infrastructure growth, population and housing change?
Fieldwork
Ask any of our students and they will tell you that taking part in field trips is one of the most enjoyable and memorable aspects of the geography programmes at Leeds.
We offer BA field trips at each level of study and they provide a great opportunity to study a fascinating subject in contrasting environments away from the University. During the field trips you will learn essential fieldwork and team working skills, transferable skills that will prove invaluable to your future career. Field trips are also a fantastic way to travel and see new places and to get to know your tutors and other students better.
All students are allocated £500 to use towards optional fieldtrips at levels 2 and 3.
Level 1
Leeds
Summary
In addition to fieldwork undertaken around the city of Leeds for the semester 1 module, Leeds: Local to Global, we run a complementary field day. The main objectives of the day are to consider some important issues discussed in lectures, seminar classes and group work, and to provide further opportunity at the start of your first year to interact and socialise with BA teaching staff and other students in a very informal way. The field day involves: exploring whether Leeds is a clone city in terms of retail outlets; a survival guide to living in Leeds (with reference to particular social groups); and a visit to the Leeds Thackeray Museum to see a reconstruction of city living in the 19th century to understand the reasons for the high mortality at that time.
Level 2
Belgrade
Summary
This week-long field trip takes you to Belgrade, capital of Serbia and one of the most varied and dynamic cities in Eastern Europe. With its mix of the traditional, the modern, and the ultra-contemporary, Belgrade provides an unparalleled mirror to recent European history and a fascinating terrain on which to study processes of urban change. During the week, you will seep up the city’s exotic atmosphere at the crossroads of east and west, and meet and work with local Serbian students. Your accommodation will be next door to Belgrade’s ancient Ottoman castle on the banks of the Danube and Sava rivers. A day trip will take you to Novi Sad, home of the celebrated Exit music festival.
Montpellier
Summary
This field trip lets you experience what life is like in a city that has grown like no other in the whole of Western Europe in the last 20 years. Montpellier, once a sleepy Mediterranean town with an ancient university and a tradition of viticulture and textiles is now a vibrant regional capital with architecturally striking new buildings and infrastructure and a remarkable series of high technology parks. It is renowned as the city where most people in France would like to live! The Montpellier field class is extremely popular and our staff has a wealth of experience and knowledge of the city and its surrounding area.
Structure and content
You will have the chance to visit some of the new tourist, educational and industrial developments using the new transport infrastructure (the tramway) and assess the success of urban planning projects, before being asked to evaluate the importance of the city's retail structure and to consider the opportunities for expansion to Montpellier for a number of selected British companies. You will play the role of retail consultant for the day and must advise on whether your company should switch its capital to the south of France!
Other areas of study and exploration include coastal tourism in Languedoc-Roussillon, the supply of water (including a visit to the Pont du Gard to see how the Romans dealt with water supply), rural environment and economy (including project work in a vineyard), and a visit to Marseille, France’s second biggest city.
Level 3
Athens
Summary
Athens is a fascinating city being a mix between a classic developing world city (containing areas of high population density, in-migration and urban poverty) and one that strives to be a major global City of the 21st century (containing areas of high affluence and major urban regeneration). This makes it a city of great dynamics. It is also a famous historical City with the centre showing signs of human life as it was in 500 BC. The City hosted the Olympic Games in 2004 and thus offers an insight into the advantages and disadvantages of sport as a major regeneration strategy. On the final day of the field trip we explore the local island of Aegina and discuss the prospects of economic development within island economies.
Structure and content
The field class is introduced by a series of lectures in semester two. The trip is built around the major theme of urban economic regeneration. Whilst in Athens we explore the following major sub-themes including the social geography of the City (geodemographics), city centre regeneration and the role of tourism (regeneration strategies), economic growth of the city and its fight to be a global city, sport and retailing and their potential for urban regeneration and the regeneration of island economies.
Miami
Summary
This week-long residential field trip provides students with the opportunity to explore and conduct independent research on the human geographies of one of the most dynamic urban areas in the US.
Located on Florida’s Atlantic coast, Miami is the southernmost major metropolitan area in the US, with a subtropical climate, multi-ethnic population (including a substantial Cuban influence), distinctive Art Deco architectural traditions, and thriving tourist industry. The city is also considered a global leader in finance, culture, media, entertainment, and international trade, especially serving as a gateway between the US and Latin America. The South Beach (SoBe) area, located on a series of barrier islands, has undergone rapid processes of gentrification in the past several decades, transforming into a major international attraction with a diverse demographic makeup, including one of the US’s largest gay and lesbian populations.
While ranked as one of the world’s richest cities, Miami at the same time confronts high levels of racial segregation (particularly amongst its African American and Haitian populations) and faces significant challenges related to social exclusion. Through a series of guided activities and independent research, students will come to understand processes of rapid urban and social transformation as they unfold within the context of globalisation.
Mumbai
Summary
This week long fieldtrip allows you to explore one of the most multicultural and diverse cities in South Asia. Currently, one of the largest and most populous cities of India, Mumbai’s proximity to the sea has historically seen the migration of people from different parts of Asia, Africa and Middle-East and more recently from rural and tribal areas in the region. This has produced Mumbai as a melting pot of people of all backgrounds, cultures and beliefs. During the fieldtrip you will have the opportunity to develop an understanding of Mumbai’s geographies of migration and transnationalism and the ways that this has shaped the spaces of cosmopolitanism, multiculturalism and inclusion/exclusion in the city. You will do this through visits to minority/ethnic neighbourhoods, elite housing developments, slum redevelopment projects and informal workers’ settlements in the city and its fringes.
- Click to download brochure
Study abroad
Leeds offers a fantastic study abroad scheme to a wide range of destinations. Those who are accepted onto the scheme will transfer from the standard three-year BSc Programme to a four-year ‘international’ programme and will study abroad between levels 2 and 3.
Where can I go?
We have long-established partnerships with a number of overseas universities who reserve places each year specifically for Leeds geographers.
European (Erasmus) destinations
Students applying for either Spain or France are required to have competence in the language, but at the University of Utrecht teaching takes place in English.
Worldwide destinations
- The University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
- The University of McMaster, Ontario, Canada
- The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
- The University of Adelaide, Australia
- The National University of Singapore
- The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Teaching takes place in English at all the above universities.
Further worldwide destinations through the Study Abroad Office
In addition to the above options, Geography students can enter the university-wide competition for a place at a university partnered by Leeds through the Study Abroad Office.
What costs are involved?
Benefits of the Erasmus programme include a full fee waiver at both Leeds and the partner university in Europe, and receipt of a non-repayable Erasmus maintenance grant. Students going to worldwide destinations pay a reduced fee to Leeds, but no fee to the overseas university
How is study abroad assessed?
To qualify for the scheme you need a minimum 2:1 average in your second year. The study abroad year is assessed on a ‘pass/fail’ basis. Grades achieved overseas do not contribute numerically towards the Leeds degree classification.
Why study abroad?
Studying abroad brings many benefits, academically, socially and personally:
- International experience to enhance your CV and increase your employability
- A chance to step outside your comfort zone, develop your skills, maturity and confidence – you will definitely reap the benefits in your final year of study
- An ideal way to further your studies in a new context and learning environment
- A fantastic opportunity to travel and make new friends which might not be possible in the future
Year in industry
‘Many employers will only consider applicants who have already done some form of placement or internship with them – getting that experience before graduation is invaluable.’
(The Graduate Market in 2011, High fliers Research)
At Leeds our aim is to ensure our students thrive in their academic studies and leave us as highly employable graduates with a wide range of skills and attributes sought after in today’s job market.
Leeds is one of the few geography departments in the UK to offer a year in industry scheme which allows you to extend your three-year programme to a four-year industrial degree. This is a fantastic opportunity to add value to your CV, experience the ‘real world’ first-hand and, in many cases, be offered a permanent job with the placement company upon graduating. With staff dedicated to helping you to secure a placement that is right for you, and by keeping in close contact with you throughout your placement year, we ensure you get the most out of your time with your chosen company.
To see what our students think and to find out more about the benefits of the year in industry programme read our brochure and watch the video below:
Careers
Investing in your future
We take your future very seriously and know that employability is uppermost in many students’ minds. If you choose to study geography at Leeds, you can be confident that you are not only joining a university whose graduates are targeted by top employers, but that as geography graduates, your employment opportunities couldn’t be more exciting and wide-ranging.
We structure the BA programme to ensure you develop the key transferable skills sought after by graduate recruiters, skills such as: team-working, commercial awareness, report-writing, fluency in oral communication and presentation, numerical analysis, IT expertise and investigative skills.
Read our employability leaflet to find out about all the opportunities available to you, both at School and University level, to enhance your employment prospects.
Graduate destinations
Up to 80% of our undergraduates secure appropriate graduate employment within six months of graduating; others go on to do further study. Here is a snapshot of the kinds of careers our graduates pursue or for more detailed information click here.
Environmental management
- Conservation
- Land and water management
- Public utilities
Management and consultancy
- Transport planning and consultancy
- Graduate training schemes in multinational companies
- IT and business consultancy
Using GIS
- Retail planning
- Direct marketing
- GIS companies
Government and NGOs
- Local government administration
- Civil service (police, armed forces)
- Regional and overseas development
Financial
- Banking
- Insurance
- Financial services
Further study and training
- Vocational Masters
- PhD study
- Teacher training/conversion courses