Geography BA (Hons)

Liverpool has been described as ‘the world in one city’, and in this module we utilise this unique geographical location to introduce key concepts and practices of human geography. Through a combination of field excursions, lectures and practical exercises, we develop skills of data collection, interpretation and analysis through considering the history, politics and socio-demographic characteristics of the city. The module helps students understand the connection between geographical concepts and real-world examples and is assessed through data analysis practicals and a field-based portfolio exercise.

This module examines a number of global ‘grand challenges’ facing humans on the planet earth related to climate and environmental change. It will introduce students to core concepts of sustainability and human impacts upon the environment, as well as exploring the range of proposed solutions and mitigation strategies which are available to understand climate and environmental change. The module thus provides a core knowledge base for social and natural scientists who wish to understand environmental change.

This module introduces new aspects of geographical thought to the First-Year students which are unlikely to have been encountered via an A level geography syllabus. It also aims to enhance students’ understanding and awareness of complex global issues, focusing on two sub-disciplinary themes in human geography. Exact content will vary each year to reflect changes in the discipline, but broadly, one area will focus on understanding human population changes and geographical data (e.g. health or population geographies), whilst another will explore social, cultural and political approaches to geography (e.g. geopolitics, borders and nation states).

Contemporary Human Geography is a diverse discipline which offers unique insights into many of the most pressing challenges facing the world in the 21st Century. Many of the issues that reach the headlines on a daily basis are inherently geographical and research within human geography makes important contributions to knowledge of a broad range of social, cultural, political, economic, environmental and development challenges. This module provides an introduction to cutting edge debates within contemporary human geography, highlighting the ways in which the discipline contributes to interdisciplinary knowledge production across the humanities and social sciences. Each week, module lectures will provide an introduction to a different sub-disciplinary field, which will be explored with the aid of specific worked examples which encourage students to apply the theoretical issues discussed to ‘real world’ issues. Assessment is by coursework (mid-term essay) and a written exam (end-of-term).

This 30-credit module will provide the bedrock for your degree, and comprises five main elements. Firstly, pastoral and study support, provided via a series of regular one-to-one and small-group tutorials with an allocated academic tutor/adviser; secondly, development of core study skills, including essay writing, lecture-note taking, critical thinking, presentation skills, and bibliographic searching and referencing; thirdly, a hands-on introduction to the fundamentals of Geographical Information Systems, helping you learn how to combine spatial data from different sources to create maps that address real-world problems; fourthly, a fieldwork experience designed to help you develop data collection and analysis skills, to enhance your academic understanding and to provide you with an opportunity to get to know the other members of your degree cohort better; fifthly, employability training designed to help you better understand what graduate employers are looking for, how to apply for summer work and/or volunteering opportunities, and how best to use your time at University to maximise your employability upon graduation.

This project-based module focuses on real-world planning projects set within a local context. It asks students to map out their subjective experiences of the urban realm, and to couple these with the kinds of thematic maps used in normative planning practice. Students then focus their attention on a specific site within these maps. By critically engaging with existing development proposals they will produce new insights and proposals.

The zone of life on earth, or the ‘biosphere’, is a highly dynamic system responding to external pressures including changing human activities. The biosphere obeys a numbers of simple natural principles, but these often interact to create complex and sometimes unexpected responses. Using a wide range of examples we will explore these interactions between organisms and the environment. We will examine how species organise into communities, and how energy and other resources flow through ecosystems. We will explore how ecosystems respond to change, including gradual environmental shifts, sudden disturbance events and the effects of human activities. We will also learn how the key principles of ecology can be applied to conservation. We will assess the current state of the biosphere, and evaluate the major current threats. We will also look towards the future of ecosystems, including whether we can restore degraded habitats, and recreate “natural” landscapes.

The module uses laboratory experiments to allow students to gain first-hand experience of some fundamental physical, biological and chemical processes underlying physical geography, aimed primarily at interactions between people and their physical environment. It is designed to provide a foundation for environmental modules in the second and third years. This module comprises multiple whole-day practical sessions, each designed to give students first-hand experience of a topic important in understanding our changing environment. Dedicated computer practicals are also run to provide training in use of EXCEL, MINITAB, and basic inferential statistics. Students get formal feedback in each assessed week (one poster per group). However, perhaps most valuable is the feedback obtained informally via discussions during the sessions.

The module uses a lecture and laboratory-based problem-solving approach to explore some of the fundamental physical and chemical processes underlying physical geography. It is designed to provide a foundation for environmental and physical geography modules in the second and third year. This module comprises multiple whole-day practical sessions, each designed to give students first-hand experience of a topic important in understanding our changing environment. Students get formal feedback in each assessed week (one poster per group). However, perhaps most valuable is the feedback obtained informally via discussions during the sessions.

Town and Country Planning: An Introduction is desgined to provide a gentle introduction into the world of urban planning. To achieve this the module covers three distinct elements. The first covers the history of the town planning movement in Britain from the Victorians through to the modern day. The second provides an overview of the workings of the current planning system. The third explores the practical applications of planning thinking, and provides some early ideas about the kinds of jobs a planner might do. The module is assessment through coursework and exam.

​Economics affects every part of our daily lives. Using contemporary planning issues as our guide, we explore how urban and environmental economics shapes our world, for positive and negative. To do so we will explore the basic economic functions which govern urban thinking, and how economics is used to focus on some of the world’s grand challenges. The module is assessed by coursework and examination.

This module is designed to appeal to students who would like to live in a better world and are interested in exploring and discussing critical approaches to inequality. Students on the module will gain understanding of the multiple and contested ways in which global challenges and international development are defined and studied. This will include critical attention to uneven processes of development over time and space, particularly related to global environmental change, inequality, and health. Similarly, the module provides a solid foundation and analysis of the historical, political, and economic forces related to globalisation. Students will therefore be critically informed about what globalisation produces for differing communities, cultures, and ecosystems. Students will also gain insight into how varying communities in different places are responding to development, globalisation, environmental injustices, and inequality through both resistance and building alternatives.

This module provides an introduction to the main schools of thought and key issues in the field of International Relations (IR). It starts by offering an outline of these schools of thought and introduces students to important thinkers and theories within them. It then moves on to applying and comparing and contrasting different theories to a range of important contemporary issues, from the persistence of war to the environment. It concludes with a discussion of possible futures.

How does politics function in a globalised world? What explains cross-country and cross-time differences in political institutions, behaviour, and outcomes? This module provides an introduction to Comparative Politics by focusing on key concepts and contemporary issues affecting democracies and authoritarian regimes across the world. It introduces students to basic debates around regime types, their causes and consequences, institutional configurations and their effects, political parties and party systems, and political behavior. The module also introduces the idea of the comparative method and how to apply it to the study of different countries. Teaching is based on a combination of theoretical and empirical perspectives, using case studies as illustrations throughout the module.

The module aims to introduce students to current and historical debates about the nature, purpose and practice of geography. It compliments Research Skills (ENVS203) and provides a background for all modules in Geography. Particular emphasis will be placed upon the philosophical and conceptual developments within Geography as a discipline and the role of ‘spatial thinking’ in the production of geographical knowledge. The module is delivered using a combination of lectures and seminars and is assessed with a comprehensive single piece of coursework.

The module will develop students’ knowledge of careers and employability with a focus on enhancing employability through tutorial-based exercises. In addition, the module provides a range of research skills required for the planning, implementation, analysis and reporting (written and oral) of independent research projects. Practical training will be provided in a range of qualitative and quantitative techniques across a broad range of geographical and environmental science themes. From this, students should develop a critical awareness as to the advantages and disadvantages of research methodologies in particular contexts.

This module aims to introduce students to the key methodological debates, and the main qualitative and quantitative methodological techniques that are used in the Social Sciences. In doing so, the module aims to deliver the research skills training that will enable students to successfully complete their field classes and dissertations. Students will be introduced through lecture and lab sessions to core research methods to understand and interpret the world we live in. The module is split into two sections – one qualitative and one quantitative, each with a different assessment. The qualitative section will cover core techniques such as interviews, focus groups and visual analysis, and is assessed through an extended bibliography of current research. The quantitative section will continue the core statistical training for Geographers begun in first year, and is assessed by a report produced through the analysis of a quantitative dataset.

This module explores the course of human history, examining the interaction of people with the environment, moving through the different stages of human development, from early agrarian based developments in the Neolithic 9000 years ago, through to modern agricultural practices and landscape management. The module uses wide ranging literature and case studies to explore a range of human-environment interactions (fuel, food, water, culture and space), exploring how human activities have modified, and been modified, by their environments, and how sudden changes whether natural or human induced have changed this relationship. This module is of relevance and interest to both social and physical science-based students.

The study of catchment hydrology is concerned with water above and below the land surface, its various forms, and its circulation and distribution in time and space within drainage catchments; it is based on fundamental knowledge of the hydrological cycle and its governing factors. Understanding the hydrological cycle is fundamental to physical geography. All life is supported by water and all earth systems incorporate fluxes of water to some extent. The module covers the main hydrological processes operating in drainage catchments in terms of their measurement, operation and controlling factors. The module provide ‘hands-on’ experience of both observing hydrology and modelling hydrological systems, with an emphasis on applied learning, which might be useful in a vocational sense in the future. The module will aim to deliver excellent training in the knowledge required to work in a wide variety of environmentally-facing careers, including those with the EA, Natural England or DEFRA, as well as Environmental Consultancies.

The Earth is subject to a myriad of threats and stresses, ranging from a changing global climate to  unprecedented scales of human impacts on ecosystems, so that a new geological time period, the Anthropocene was created. Placing future change in freshwater and coastal wetlands and lakes into a long-term context is a critical science, and without it, society cannot constrain the ‘natural’ baseline against which future changes could be judged. ​ This module will provide a critical insight into the global changes currently impacting the Earth over decades to millennial timescales. We will introduce a series of contemporary environmental concerns, and teach how we can reconstruct climatic and environmental conditions, the landscapes and vegetation of the past. We will explore a wide variety of archives (lakes, freshwater and coastal wetlands, oceans) and develop an understanding of the key techniques used to trace environmental conditions (physical properties, biogeochemistry, biological indicators). We will assess how the drivers behind these changes will affect future landscapes and ecosystems.

Cities and regions have undergone tremendous changes over the past decades. In this module students will explore the process of urban restructuring from a social, economic and environmental perspective and its spatial manifestations, looking at the drivers, consequences and policy implications of urban and regional change. The module teaches students the concepts and methods to analyse change and current policy responses. This module will be delivered through lectures, each highlighting a specific theme of urban and regional change and through self-directed learning. The module is assessed through a seminar paper and a written exam.

Understanding global climate systems is a key challenge for the coming century. However, these are complex systems which we continue to learn more about as research develops. This module covers a variety of topics which will develop students’ ability to understand these systems. Topics include energy balance and transfer processes at the surface, clouds, rain formation, weather forecasting, monsoons, tropical cyclones, weather in the mid latitudes, and the regional climates. The module has a balance between theory, processes, impacts, and hands-on experimentation and data analysis.

Environmental concerns have become increasingly pressing over the last few decades, covering pollution, resource depletion, loss of biodiversity and poor quality of life. Overarching all these concerns is the global challenge of climate change. We need to find new approaches to our way of life. This module explores the notion of environmental sustainability particularly from the point of view of urban planning. It is taught through lectures and assessed through an exam focusing on the principles and practices of environmental sustainability, and an individual project in which students develop their own imaginative idea for tackling a particular sustainability problem.

The module explores the basic processes that have helped shape landforms across the world. Module is predominantly focused on glacial, aeolian, and coastal landforms. The module is divided into four components, each composed of four sessions. The module starts with an introduction to how geomorphic processes operate and forces that influence geomorphic change. This includes the magnitude and frequency of events, as well as the time and space scales over which the processes operate, covering glacial, aeolian and coastal geomorphology. The module is delivered through weekly in-person lectures, two days of fieldwork and a formative GIS practical. It is assessed through two pieces of coursework based on the field work and a written exam.

The module introduces the principles of geographical information systems and science with a focus on human geography. Examples will be drawn from population geography with components linked to data sources, analysis and visualisation. Students will learn how to use GIS to map population data, to explore social deprivation, geographic inequalities, and commuting patterns, amongst other themes.

This module introduces students to the study of globalisation in the early 21st century. In the 19th and 20th centuries there were big debates between those who think things work best when people are left to decide how they want to live and get what they need by trading with each other, and those who wanted a communist society where people get what they need and contribute what they can to the common good. Of course it did not work out that way, and now for many people free markets, or neoliberalism is the only serious game in town. The course examines those debates before moving on to examine case studies of how they have worked out in practice.

​This module aims to provide a general introduction to the field of population geography, in which a basic demographic understanding of population change is placed within a spatial framework, allowing exploration of the nature and causes of national, societal and cultural differences in these changes. This module is also designed to serve as the foundation block for those interested in pursuing a population geography or GIS/Spatial Analysis ‘pathway’.

Human Geography extends beyond the city, and this module seeks to develop a critical awareness of the changes taking place in contemporary rural areas. Through a combination of interactive lectures and class discussions, the module draws attention to how geographers and social scientists have approached the study of rural areas and rural issues. The coursework and examination encourage students to engage in informed discussion around the nature of rural change, how such change is understood and interpreted, and to reflect upon geographical difference and inequalities in rural areas.

Social and Cultural Geographies are two diverse, interlinked fields within contemporary human geography. Social geography is, broadly, interested in the relationships between social identities, power and space, and cultural geography examines the ways in which meaning is produced through ‘culture’ – social ideas, discourse, performances, objects, art, entertainment, images, music etc. This module will introduce you to these broad themes through a focus on the interrelations between identity, space and power and the ways in which these are produced through cultural forms. This includes exploring a range of social differences and identities such as gender, class, disability, sexuality, body size, race and ethnicity, and exploring representations and modes of engaging with the world including online/virtual space, mobilities, music, TV, and material culture.

This module, focuses around a field class in Scotland, provides practical experience and training in designing, executing, analysing, writing-up and presenting a field research project. Edinburgh provides an interesting urban area where students can study a variety of political, social and cultural geographical topics. Students choose a topic to research as a short project, and develop their hands-on research experience utilising various methods to explore it. For much of the module you will work as part of a group, providing you in addition with the opportunity to develop team-working and communication skills.

This module, focused around a field class in Ireland, provides practical experience and training in designing, executing, analysing, writing-up and presenting a field research project. Belfast provides an interesting urban area where students can study a variety of political, social and cultural geographical topics. Students choose a topic to research as a short project, and develop their hands-on research experience utilising various methods to explore it. For much of the module you will work as part of a group, providing you in addition with the opportunity to develop team-working and communication skills.

This module, focused around a field class in Scotland’s largest city, provides practical experience and training in designing, executing, analysing, writing-up and presenting a field research project. Glasgow provides an interesting urban area where students can study a variety of political, social and cultural geographical topics. Students choose a topic to research as a short project, and develop their hands-on research experience utilising various methods to explore it. For much of the module you will work as part of a group, providing you in addition with the opportunity to develop team-working and communication skills.

​This module provides students with the opportunity to undertake an independent research project into a topic of the choosing, under the supervision of an allocated member of staff.

This module examines climate change impacts on humans and ecosystems. The module is designed to give the student a good overview of the strength and weaknesses of climate modelling approaches. Elements of the global carbon cycle are discussed.

This module considers the evolution and response of coastal environments to marine and riverine processes and their variations in relation to past, present and future climate change. Attention is given to physical processes and inter-relationships acting along coastlines and coastal changes in response to sea level rise, variations in storms activity, wave climate and sediment supply. Consideration is also given to coastal management and climate change adaptation and mitigation measures. Topics will be investigated through a combination of lectures, field trips and development of a project aimed at identifying optimum coastal protection schemes for real case studies.

This module aims to give students a sustained and critical understanding of the relationship between bodies, space and power, with a particular focus on critical approaches to public health. Building on ENVS275 Social and Cultural Geographies, the module will provide students with an in-depth engagement with critical theory (particularly feminist and poststructural theory) as applied to contemporary and historical examples surrounding public health.

Fluvial processes are found all over the world and are some of the most important in sculpting the Earth’s surface and producing landforms. This module examines fundamental concepts and recent ideas relating to fluvial geomorphology, building on study throughout your educational career. A key point about studying fluvial environments is to understand how the system functions, its links and interactions. It is important to look at all the main components of the system, to understand the dynamics and controls on water and sediment flux and how these produce different types of landforms. The amounts of water and sediment can vary with the environmental conditions and thus study of the drivers of these systems such as climate and human activities and how they have changed over time is essential for being able to interpret the current landscape. Understanding of the present functioning of fluvial systems is essential for any environmental management since rain and runoff are ubiquitous and floods are a major natural hazard.

This module will introduce students to the nascent field of Geographic Data Science (GDS), a discipline established at the intersection between Geographic Information Science (GIS) and Data Science. The course covers how the modern GIS toolkit can be integrated with Data Science tools to solve practical real-world problems. Core to the set of employable skills to be taught in this course is an introduction to programming tools for GDS in R and Python. The programme of lectures, guided practical classes and independent study illustrate how and why GDS is useful for social science applications.

This module introduces students to specific geographical developments in Poland since 1939. The course will be structured around the control and use of space in three key time periods: second world war, socialism, post-socialism. The second world war theme considers the impact of war on population and territory in Poland, and the subsequent contestations surrounding wartime memory within the country, focusing on museums and memorial sites as contested sites of memory. The second section of the course considers the spatial dimensions of everyday life under socialism, including: uses of public and private space, queuing and the shortage economy, imagined geographies of the west, and resistances. The final section investigates changes in Poland since 1989: to what extent the country has ‘returned to Europe’, the impact of shock therapy on social geographies, and how Poland is still working through socialist legacies. Special attention will also be given to Polish migration, before and after EU accession. Ultimately this module enables students to develop an in-depth empirical knowledge of a key site of change in contemporary Europe, while encouraging deep engagement with a range of historical, political, social, cultural and post-socialist geographical readings.

This module is designed for students seeking nuanced understandings of the drivers of various struggles for social change and environmental justice, as well as ways in which resistance, contestation, and alternatives are practised. Readings will provide a critical overview of the historical and sociopolitical forces that continue to generate inequality, damage the environment, escalate the climate crisis, and impact the world. Students will examine the complex dynamics and contentious politics that emerge across differing environmental, political, and economic conflicts, as well as evaluate the role of social movements, mutual aid, and collective action in advancing transformative change. Content will also cover various activist strategies, tactics, and forms of protest, revolt, and rebellion.

The module aims to demonstrate and explore how both human and physical geographers can combine expertise to work at the intersections of human-environment interactions and environmental humanities. Emphasising the importance of interdisciplinarity, students are introduced to a variety of research areas, such as health studies, data sciences, and climatology to examine the variety of cross-disciplinary and collective approaches to studying environmental science. Through group tutorials, students develop a group project based on their shared interests, culminating in a group presentation and individual essay as part of their assessment.

This module aims to provide an integrated perspective on a range of natural hazards, the different levels of impact on human societies, and the mitigation and adaptation strategies adopted before, during and after extreme events. At the end of this module students will have an understanding of the physical processes and societal impacts associated with a range of geophysical and meteorological hazards. The course is delivered in a series of lectures supported by tutorial sessions and is assessed by an exam and coursework assignment.

Increasingly recognition of the environmental threats that we all face means that responding to this crisis affects the decisions we all make at a variety of different scales. This module explores the extent to which environmental concerns are taken into account in various decision-making processes involving the public (government), private and third sectors at a variety of different scales, global, European, national and local. The module is assessed by an essay and an open-book exam, which provides students with significant choice to explore those parts of the module they find most interesting.

Whilst for many people, colonialism has ended, we live in a world where the effects of colonialism are still visible. Many academics have taken a critical perspective on these continued legacies, and this field of thought is now broadly known as ‘postcolonialism’. This module explores the social, political and cultural effects and legacies of colonialism as they occur in particular contexts. The module is divided into two sections, one exploring the theoretical ideas of postcolonialism, the other looking at how thinking ‘postcolonially’ helps us to understand the world. Students are assessed through two pieces of coursework, one a theoretically-driven essay on a student-chosen topic, and one, focused on authentic assessment, which analyses the postcolonial aspects of contemporary culture (e.g. a film, book or museum).

This module provides insight into social and spatial inequalities, and their inter-relations. The module will consider how and why inequalities might have persisted over time, how social inequalities have specific geographies, and the implications of this unevenness for those who are marginalised. The module is structured through four major themes: for example, inequalities and the labour market; ethnicity and inequalities; spatial understandings of poverty; and theories about inequality. The difficulties in defining and measuring social and spatial inequalities, and how such definitions may relate to broader theories, perspectives or frameworks of relevance are issues covered in the module, as well as how these terms are interpreted and (mis-)represented. The module draws on empirical evidence, theoretical approaches and policy responses. The module provides insight into government responses that aim to combat social and spatial inequalities and related issues in the UK, at the regional and sub-regional level.

This module is designed to give students experience teaching geography to secondary school pupils, via the mentoring of A-level students Birkenhead Sixth Form College, St. Edward’s College and St. Hilda’s CE High School and via the delivery of a field and/or class-based learning activity. To support these activities training is provided on campus in Semester 1 in Geography at key stages 3-5, learning and teaching strategies, assessment for learning, fieldwork activities, lesson planning and delivery. Mentoring is undertaken in partner schools and colleges in Semester 2. Students taking this module will need to obtain a DBS Certificate – this will be done through the respective partner School/College.

This course explores contemporary population dynamics across Europe. Students will explore fertility, mortality and migration dynamics across selected countries in Europe; review explanations for population change; and examine the policy challenges posed by such population change. Students will also explore these debates in a local context through a digital field walk in Liverpool, blending traditional approaches with expanded potentials via technology.

This module looks at the cycling of carbon and greenhouse gases, and how their emissions drive climatic warming, via a range of different topics. These include ecosystems (e.g. peatlands, freshwaters), societal change (e.g. how did Covid 19 affect carbon emissions?), greenhouse gas accounting and policy (e.g. Net Zero, Representative Concentration Pathways), and Negative Emissions Technologies (e.g. enhanced weathering, direct air capture). By drawing together this diverse range of topics the module will equip students with a broad knowledge of why the climate is warming, and how this warming might be reversed. The module will involve both individual and group work, workshops, group presentations/debates, and engagement with the most current scientific literature and social media and science communication. Students taking this module must be willing to engage in quantitative analyses of carbon and nutrient cycling and its importance to climate mitigation strategies.

This module provides students with the opportunity to undertake an independent research project into a topic of the choosing, under the supervision of an allocated member of staff. The work-based dissertation additionally involves students working collaboratively with an external organisation on a mutually agreed research topic, thereby providing students with valuable work-related experience.

Barcelona is today seen as an important European tourist and business destination. However, before the 1992 Olympics it was seen as a declining industrial city. The changes in the city have had huge consequences, and the long-term sustainability of its tourist based economy is often questioned. As a result, Barcelona’s experience is often seen as something for other cities to learn from, not least because of the much vaunted ‘Barcelona-model’ of cultural led urban development. This module is a fieldwork-based comparative study of Liverpool and Barcelona, based around a 5 day period of field work in Barcelona, alongside research activity in Liverpool throughout the semester. Students will be introduced to the ideas of urban comparative research and will undertake a group fieldwork project on a project that is feasible in both cities. They will explore what Liverpool can learn from Barcelona, and what Barcelona could potentially learn from Liverpool. Group-project work is supplemented by individual components including an extended essay and a piece of ethnographic writing.

This module gives students experience of designing, collecting and analysing field data in the North West of England. It will develop students understanding of application of geographic theory to fieldwork whilst focusing on an issue that interests them. The module develops and enhances students research skills developed previously in their degree, whilst also encourages the development of authentic assessment-related skills through the writing of policy briefs or alternatives and the presentation of research findings in a format of the student’s choice. The module has been designed to allow students who may not wish to travel or undertake residential fieldwork to continue to develop their fieldwork skills.

We live in a youthful world: 41% of the world’s population are under 25. Young people’s experiences of growing up are deeply shaped by dynamics that span the globe and have particular local effects: economic restructuring, environmental change, political conflict, cultural currents. Yet young people are not just passive subjects, rather, their actions are on the frontline of how societies and places are remade for good or ill. This module explores young lives in a variety of global settings. It considers how geographers and others have theorised childhood and youth, and explores the real-world challenges young people face in particular contexts. In doing so, the module aims to enable students to engage with a range of conceptual debates in the social sciences, and to ‘think from’ youth in order to critically examine how power relations are being reproduced or contested around the world. The module will be taught primarily through lectures (broken up with in-class discussions), and one interactive workshop. Assessment will consist of two pieces of coursework: one academic essay, and one web article or podcast script written for a non-academic audience. The module builds on foundations from ‘Social and Cultural Geography’.