Geography - 2012 entry
BA (Hons)
/
BSc (Hons)
- combined (see 'Combine with...' tab for available combinations)
Typical A-level offer: BBC or equivalent
Overview
You will have the opportunity to participate in field trips both locally and abroad (pictured Malta)
You will have the opportunity to participate in field trips both locally and abroad (pictured Malta)
Lab work
Using microscopes
This course is run by the Department of Social Sciences
This popular course will help you to understand and engage with important contemporary world issues, such as globalisation, the environment, and the intimate connections between culture, nature and landscape. It emphasises the relationship between society and its environment, both physical and human-constructed. The course is organised around three areas in which staff have considerable research experience:
- Human Origins and Landscapes Through Time
- Social and Cultural Change
- Environment and Conservation Management.
Central concerns include social and cultural geography, nature and society; conservation and archaeology; environmental management; and physical geography. You will learn how these issues affect everyday lives, be encouraged to discuss them critically, and think about alternative ways of solving problems associated with them.
Geography is studied as a combined honours with another subject - see the Combine with... tab above for the full list of combinations.
Why Brookes?
Oxford Brookes takes pride in offering research-led teaching and learning so that you are taught by staff with research interests that are directly linked to your modules. Our undergraduate Geography course is organised around three areas in which staff have considerable research experience. Not all geography degrees are the same, so consider the topics that particularly interest you and then look carefully at the content of courses offered at different universities.
Our distinctive features:
- a long and proven record of innovative teaching methods
- combined honours degrees with a wide range of other subjects
- research-led teaching
- flexible degree structure and pathways
- choice of field trips both in the UK and abroad
- excellent technical facilities
- opportunities to study abroad at other universities.
Although there are some core compulsory modules, student choice is a feature at each stage of your degree. You'll be able to select from optional modules in your first year, with a greater range on offer in your second and third years. It's possible to focus on both Human Geography and Physical Geography as well as the interrelations between them. Most students however do express a preference for particular ‘disciplinary leanings’ and you can also choose to specialise.
Teaching, learning and assessment
You will be learning in a stimulating, active and friendly atmosphere. The department has a long-standing reputation for innovative development of course content and teaching methods involving student activity and participation. We will positively encourage you to give us feedback on the course, and to play an active part in decision making. A student support co-ordinator provides additional study support for students, especially during the first year.
Year 1 core modules are often assessed through regular coursework submissions, with no formal examinations. Some modules will help you to develop your IT skills. You will have the opportunity to use both conventional presentation and analytical packages, including the component programmes of Microsoft Office, and dedicated software for data analysis, such as Geographical Information Systems (GIS).
The department bases its teaching and learning strategies on a philosophy which insists that you must be an active participant in your own learning, rather than being the passive recipient of communicated information. Some lecturing is used: for example, to demonstrate the character and evolution of particular viewpoints and provide a guide to the writings of external authorities, but your tutor's prime task is to initiate and supply an agenda for you to follow independently.
The teaching methods used include:
- resource-based learning seminars
- formal debates
- public enquiries
- role-playing and simulations
- interactive field trails pioneered in the department
- laboratory analysis
- field investigations.
Group work is used in many modules, helping you to develop a transferable skill which has been identified by both employers and graduates as one of the most valuable: the ability to work as part of a team. Group work is also an essential safeguard for students working in the field.
Assessment of specialist modules is usually by coursework, although some modules do have an examined component. For individual and small-group coursework assignments, you will take part in project investigations and debates, and prepare brief papers and critical essays, posters and simulations.
Across the whole three years you may find your work assessed by staff, your peers and yourself. In fact the role played by self- and peer-assessment may increase in the second and third years, as you acquire more experience and greater awareness of the standards and criteria which are appropriate. Some modules involve group-marked coursework, in which you will be encouraged to use group contracts as the basis for possible moderation of the mark across the group, to reflect any differential contribution.
Learning outcomes
When you have successfully completed your geography course at Oxford Brookes, you will have:
- an ability to think critically and analytically, and to evaluate empirical evidence
- an ability to recognise and employ the appropriate methods and methodologies relevant to geographical analysis and research
- an ability to draw together material from different sources and produce a logical and coherent synthesis, or construct an effective and critical evidence-based argument
- a geographical perspective on issues related to the phenomena of social, cultural and environmental interactions, and their distributions
- an understanding of the ways in which the environment is changing
- an understanding of the values, beliefs and ethical issues that affect geographical issues and enquiries, especially those that affect decision-making in environmental management, and social and environmental policy formulation
- an ability to describe, explain and evaluate a range of specific technical methods of environmental management
- a range of transferable skills including information technology, time management, fluent and effective communication, problem solving and the ability to work both independently and in collaboration with others.
In detail
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Course content
Core modules introduce the geographical perspectives on cultural and environmental problems and different approaches to their causes and solutions.
In Year 1 you will take core modules which prepare you for more specialised study. The two introductory modules are Introduction to Human Geography and Introduction to Environmental Geography. Both courses involve individual and group work.
In Year 2 the compulsory Geographical Enquiry and Field Research module emphasises the importance of fieldwork as part of your research methods training. You will undertake fieldwork as part of a residential course that gives you the opportunity to design and carry out your own research.
In both Years 2 and 3, you will be able to specialise in the areas of geography that interest you most. See below for the current options.
Study is undertaken at three levels which broadly correspond to the first, second and third year of full-time academic study. Full-time students are required to pass a minimum of 24 modules over the three-year period in order to qualify for an honours degree. Each module has a credit rating of 15 points. Each level comprises 120 credits and students must receive 360 credits in total to graduate with a BA/BSc (Hons) degree.
You can view a detailed description of some of the modules here.
As courses are reviewed regularly, the module list you choose from may vary from that shown here.
Year 1
The Geography field offers two compulsory single modules:
- Introduction to Human Geography (Semester 1)
- Introduction to Environmental Geography (Semester 2)
Optional modules include:
- Introduction to Prehistoric Archaeology
- Introduction to Biological Anthropology
- Introduction to Social Anthropology
- Contemporary Issues in World Politics
- Environmental Sustainability
Years 2 and 3
Year 2 has one compulsory core double module which runs across both semesters:
- Geographical Enquiry and Field Research
You will also have a range of advanced optional modules from which to choose. They emphasise the practice of enquiry and research in context with specialist areas of staff expertise in the discipline. These modules are:
- Environmental Hazard Management (every year)
- Sex, Drugs, and Rock 'n’ Roll: Geographies of the Recent Past (every year)
- Culture and Global Change (every year)
- Cultural Geographies of Nature in Britain and North America (every year)
- Geoarchaeology (alternate years)
- Development and Social Change (alternate years)
- Conservation and Heritage Management (alternate years)
- Gaia: the Earth as a Living System (alternate years)
In your final year, you will choose from five advanced honours modules which deal with the material of geography at a higher level of abstraction, require greater independent research, provide opportunities for reflective practice and prepare you for the world of work:
- Geography: Research and Practice
- The Ethical Geographer
- Dawn of Civilisation in the Fertile Crescent
- Geography Dissertation (double)
- Independent Study
These modules enable you to specialise and also draw upon your knowledge of the three central themes of social and cultural change, environmental management and human origins.
Field trips
Field work is viewed as one of the cornerstones of Geography at Oxford Brookes and we provide several opportunities for field studies in the Oxford region, other parts of Britain and abroad.
During the first two years of your degree, you are introduced to geographical research techniques through practical and field courses. These courses provide training in research design, use of IT and quantitative and qualitative methods that form the basis of geographical investigations.
You will participate in a number of local field trips in your first year providing an introduction to aspects of human and environmental geography. In your second year, residential field courses usually last for between 5-8 days and give you the opportunity to apply your research skills.
Where will I go?
Destinations vary from year to year, but in recent years physical geographers have visited Scotland, the United Arab Emirates and the Czech Republic; whilst human geographers have gone to Malta, Ireland, New York and other parts of the USA.
How much will it cost?
You will need to contribute to the cost of your field trips. In the second year, we offer a choice of three locations and your ultimate destination will depend on the combination of modules taken in your degree. Depending on location, costs are likely to be between £350 and £600.
Study abroad
A compulsory field course is normally offered during the second year of study; locations vary but are likely to include the Arabian Gulf, Europe or the Mediterranean.
We also encourage our geography students to go on academic exchange as part of their degree course, both to broaden horizons and to increase understanding of the discipline. You can study for one or two semesters at an approved institution in Europe, the USA, Canada or Australia. The credits you earn while studying abroad will be transferred to your Oxford Brookes degree course.
More information about exchanges, European work placements and other study abroad programmes, is available here.
Undergraduate research
It’s not true that research is just for postgraduates. From your second year onwards we encourage you to become actively involved in research design through both your field work and project work.
In your final year, you may work on a dissertation - an extended piece of original research that offers the opportunity to specialise in one of your two subjects, or to combine them both in an interdisciplinary project. There is also an excellent opportunity to write and publish original research in Geoverse, our in-house journal of undergraduate research.
Many of our students take part in the university’s Undergraduate Research Scholarship Scheme (URSS) which enables you to become directly involved in the research work of the university, experience what it's like to be a member of a research team and take part in cutting-edge research. As a research scholar, you will have the opportunity not only to carry out research into areas that interest you, but also enhance your future job prospects by developing your own valuable research skills and transferable skills.
Free language courses for students - the Open Module
Free language courses are available to all full-time undergraduate and postgraduate students who are studying any course on our Headington (including Marston Road), Harcourt Hill or Wheatley Campuses, and can be taken as a credit on some courses.
Key facts
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Department
Course length
Full-time: 3 years
Part-time: up to 6 years
Teaching location
Headington Campus, Gipsy Lane
Start date
September 2012
Combine with...
RELATED COURSES:
This course can be combined with one of the following subjects:
Anthropology
LL67 Mod/GGAN
Business Management
NF28 Mod/GGDP
XF38 Mod/GGWD
Environmental Sciences
FL97 Mod/GGEV
History
LV71 Mod/GGHI
International Relations
LLF7 Mod/GGRL
Politics
LL72 Mod/GGPO
Psychology
CL87 Mod/GGPS
Sociology
LL37 Mod/GGSO
Sport, Coaching and Physical Education
CF68 Mod/GGSU
Fees / funding
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Tuition fees
UK/EU students
Full-time: £9,000
Part-time: £750 per module. You can take up to five modules per academic year.
International students
Full-time: £11,000
Questions about fees?
Contact Student Finance on:
+44 (0)1865 483088
finance-fees@brookes.ac.uk
Funding and scholarships
For general sources of financial support, see:
Apply / Entry reqs
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Typical offers
A-level: BBC or equivalent
IB Diploma: 31 points
Advanced Diploma: grade B, including A-level at grade B
Other typical offers include:
- BB at A-level and CC at AS-level
- Vocational A-levels at equivalent grade
For combined honours, normally the offer will lie between the offers quoted for each subject.
Other academic qualifications that fulfil the entry requirements include:
- a recognised foundation or access course
- European Baccalaureate.
Further EU qualifications are also accepted; for more details please contact us (see the Key Facts tab for contact details).
Specific entry requirements
Please also see the university's general entry requirements.
English language requirements
Please see the university's standard English language requirements.
English language requirements for visas
If you need a student visa to enter the UK you will need to meet the UK Border Agency's minimum language requirements as well as the university's requirements. Find out more about English language requirements.
Full-time students should apply for this course through UCAS.
Part-time students should apply directly to the university.
Conditions of acceptance
When you accept our offer you agree to the conditions of acceptance. You should therefore read those conditions before accepting the offer.
Credit transfer
Oxford Brookes operates the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS). All undergraduate single modules are equivalent to 7.5 ECTS credits and double modules to 15 ECTS credits. More about ECTS credits.
Student experience
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Why Oxford is a great place to study Geography
Oxford attracts students and staff from an exceptionally wide range of social and cultural backgrounds - you’ll be joining a diverse national and international community.
For the last two years, Oxford has been voted the top UK city for culture and is recognised internationally as an educational, scientific and technological centre of excellence. With more science parks than any other county in the UK, Oxfordshire also has one of the highest concentrations of non-government organisations outside London, including People and Planet, Oxfam, YWCA and Habitat for Humanity.
Vibrant, cosmopolitan and surrounded by fantastic countryside, Oxford is a truly student city - one in five of the population is a student. Geography is taught mainly on the Headington campus, spacious and currently the focus for several new developments and an ongoing expansion of facilities.
The department's location on the London Road has outstanding transport links within the UK and beyond, with buses leaving for central London and international airports every 20 minutes. We are also just a mile from the excellent facilities for geographers offered in the city of Oxford including museums, libraries, cultural exhibitions and events.
Specialist facilities
As a geography student, you will have access to a range of written, audio and visual materials to enrich and help with your learning. There is a dedicated Resources Room which provides an informal and helpful environment for study. Geographers embarking on field trips can also take advantage of our lending service, offering both essential and specialist pieces of equipment from compasses to soil testing kits.
The geography laboratory has the facilities to enable you to perform a number of scientific tests ranging from detailed soil analysis of core samples gathered on field trips, to experimental modelling and rainfall simulation. Work in the lab is supported by a dedicated technician.
Geography students needing advice on sourcing information for a particular assignment have the support of a dedicated subject librarian. These librarians offer in-depth knowledge of the wide range of electronic and paper resources available to geographers and are able to give subject-focused help, offer searching tips and will help you learn how to use the information effectively.
General support services
Supporting your learning
From academic advisers and support co-ordinators to specialist subject librarians and other learning support staff, we want to ensure that you get the best out of your studies.
Personal support services
We want your time at Brookes to be as enjoyable and successful as possible. That's why we provide all the facilities you need to be relaxed, happy and healthy throughout your studies.
Accommodation
At Brookes we understand that when you live away from home it's important to be somewhere that you feel comfortable and safe.
After graduation
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Career prospects
A degree in Geography from Oxford Brookes will equip you with a very wide range of skills with which to enter further study or future employment.
Many of our graduates have followed vocational interests and have established careers in cartography, environmental management, conservation, leisure and tourism or geography teaching both at secondary level and above. However, most of our geography graduates find that their broad skills base makes them attractive candidates for posts in various professions such as advertising, banking, the Civil Service, the arts and media and services management.
