Module GEOG3501: URBAN CHANGE IN EUROPE

Department: Geography

GEOG3501: URBAN CHANGE IN EUROPE

Prerequisites

• GEOG2472 SOCIAL RESEARCH IN GEOGRAPHY

Corequisites

• NONE

Excluded Combination of Modules

• GEOG3691 FIELD RESEARCH IN GLACIAL ENVIRONMENTS: ICELAND CASE STUDY, GEOG3491 ENVIRONMENTAL PROCESSES & CHANGE, GEOG3701 MOUNTAIN HAZARDS, GEOG3731 DYNAMIC MOUNTAIN ENVIROMENTS, GEOG3581 TERRITORY AND GEOPOLITICS, GEOG3971 GEOGRAPHIES OF ENERGY TRANSITION, GEOG3521 THE ARCTIC

Aims

• To undertake critical analysis of the ways in which economic, cultural, social and environmental transformations in Europe are shaping, and being shaped by, urban places
• To apply key concepts in urban geography through field-based research in a leading European metropolis in order to develop a specialist understanding of these processes

Content

• The lectures and seminars will address the following themes:
• Urban Europe: the 'urban' in European history and policy; European cities
• Economic regeneration and renaissance
• Political transitions and governing cities
• Urban cultures, identities and representation
• Urban environments, sustainability and justice
• The field course will consist of a week in a European city and will involve:
• 1 day of introduction to the city, covering themes developed in lectures
• 4.5 days student-led project work on one of the themes
• 0.5 day of summative group presentations

Learning Outcomes

• To critically assess urban change in Europe
• To demonstrate and deploy a range of fieldwork skills

• To analyse and understand the role of a range of actors and institutions in these processes
• To demonstrate and deploy a range of fieldwork skills

• At the end of this module, students are expected to be able to:
• Demonstrate a variety of communication skills including: evaluating and synthesising information from a range of sources including film, academic texts and various other forms of urban writing; present their findings and analysis both individually and as part of a group in a series of seminars; researching, structuring and writing an academic essay; responding, engaging and commenting on each others’ work in the context of the seminars; researching, structuring and writing a longer field report that critically reflects on their experiences of the field
• Demonstrate a capacity to reflect critically on the themes introduced in the course: to engage in depth with academic texts and other texts presented as part of the course; to identify key arguments in a text and be able to analyse the claims; to evaluate the evidence that different texts offer; to make a judgement about whether the evidence is convincing and persuasive; to make judgements about the strengths and weaknesses of an argument in relation to the questions put forward as part of the course
• Demonstrate a capacity to evaluate and build on academic performance: through the formative and summative assessments; responding to feedback; managing time effectively – in the field and in reading
• Demonstrate a capacity to carry out field research: by keeping notes of the findings; learning to make sense of those notes through an engagement with academic texts; learning to prepare for and structure a diary of fieldwork; to engage critically with what it means to do fieldwork and with the spatial and temporal limits of that research work
• To work effectively as part of a team both in preparing for the field and in the field

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Lectures will impart part basic facts and information and will help students understand key theoretical approaches and get to grips with the recommended reading
• Reading lists, handouts, and abbreviated versions of powerpoint lectures will be posted on duo to assist student learning
• Concepts introduced in lectures will be explored in more depth in seminars and field-based project work. Seminars will be used to develop independent research design skills to be applied in a field-based project.
• The residential fieldtrip will reinforce student understanding of theoretical approaches and show how they can be applied. It will also provide training and experience in project design, research and analysis, while developing student individual and group working skills
• Students will be required to submit a report on one project (their choice) for summative assessment
• Students will receive formative feedback on presentations in seminars to be held before the fieldtrip. Their ability to interpret and apply theoretical concepts to empirical examples and their ability to explain things clearly and support their argument with appropriate reference to the general literature will be tested through an examination and the field-based project report. The report also assesses skills of research design, implementation and analysis

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

Verbal and written feedback will be given on the pre-fieldtrip formative group presentation and associated group wiki. Verbal and written feedback will be given on the summative group presentation (and associated slides) delivered during the fieldtrip in preparation for the writing of the project report and the seen examination paper.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University