Geography STUDENT HANDBOOK - NUI Galway
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Geography
STUDENT HANDBOOK
Final Year Undergraduate Programme
2018 – 2019
1TABLE OF CONTENTS
DESCRIPTION Page
3/4BA Staff Contact Details…………………………………………………………………………… 3
Academic Calendar 2018/2019………………………………………………………………………. 4
Lecture Schedule and Venues……………………………………………………………………….. 5
Syllabus File 2018/19………………………………………………………………………………….. 6
Module Grade Descriptors…………………………………………………………………………….. 6
Summary Module Descriptions…………………………………………………………………….
TI 303: Coastal Dynamics…………………………………………………………………………….. 7
TI 324: Urban Geography; Planning the Modern City…………………………………………….. 8
TI 326: War and Representation…………………………………………………………………….. 9
TI 335: Research Project Design and Development……………………………………………….. 1
TI 338: Palaeoecology………………………………………………………………………………… 11
TI 370 Elements in Human Geography …………………………………………………………….. 12
TI 3113 Long-term Environmental Change …………………………………………………………. 13
TI 3116 Geographies of Development ………………………………………………………………. 14
Lectures and Other Classes………………………………………………………………………. 15
Attendance………………………………………………………………………………………….. 15
Absence from lectures and course activities due to illness/other reasons…………………… 15
Absence from scheduled examinations………………………………………………............... 15
Course Work…………………………………………………………………………………………… 16
Submission of printed coursework………………………………………………………………... 17
Late submission of coursework…………………………………………………………………… 17
Plagiarism…………………………………………………………………………………………… 17
Code of practice for dealing with plagiarism…………………………………………………….. 17
Course grades………………………………………………………………………………………. 18
Communicating with staff members……………………………………………………………… 19
Assessment by external examiners……………………………………………………………… 19
Student Welfare………………………………………………………………………………………. 18
Student Code of Conduct…………………………………………………………………………… 18
Requesting Academic References………………………………………………………………… 19
Cover Sheet…………………………………………………………………………………………… 20
23-4 BA CONTACT STAFF
3BA Year Co-ordinator: Dr. Audrey Morley
Room 109
E-mail: TI3BA@nuigalway.ie
Tel: 091 49 4104
Geography Administrator: Ms. Christina Costello
Room 118
E-mail: christina.costello@nuigalway.ie
Tel: 091 49 5908
Geography Staff-Student Liaison
and Senior Technician: Dr. Siubhan Comer
Room: 107
E-mail: siubhan.comer@nuigalway.ie
Tel: 091 49 2643
3ACADEMIC CALENDAR 2018-2019
4LECTURE SCHEDULE AND VENUES
Please note that the schedules and venues may change at short notice. These changes will be
notified in various ways, e.g. posted on Blackboard and on the internal Geography noticeboards
and through announcements at lectures. It is your responsibility to remain informed and up to
date on any announced changes.
Time management and study plans
It is very important that you are realistic about time management, and that you devise a schedule
that allows you to devote sufficient time to study and to preparing for assignment deadlines. The
academic calendar above outlines the key dates for the year. Deadlines for continuous
assessment are normally communicated to you at the start of the semester; in other words, you
should usually receive several weeks advance notice from module co-ordinators about the due
dates for assignments. One of the most frequent requests for extensions to submission dates
relates to other assignments being due around the same date. We do not grant extensions for
these reasons. This situation is easily avoided through planning your time in a professional
manner from the start of the term, and not leaving preparation of assignments until the last few
days.
The current schedules and list of venues are outlined below. Please make sure you double-check
times and venues during the first week of lectures in case of any changes.
Semester 1
Code Module Name Day Time Venue
TI 3116 Geographies of Monday 10-11am AC 201 Arts Concourse
Development 2-3pm AC 003 Darcy Thompson Lecture Theatre
TI 3113 Long Term Environmental Monday 10-11am IT 250 Theatre First Floor
Change 2-3pm AM150 Mairtin O Tnuathail Theatre
TI 303 Coastal Dynamics Tuesday 4-5pm IT 125G Theatre
Wednesday 1-2pm IT 125G Theatre
TI 326 War & Representation Tuesday 4-5pm IT 250 Theatre First Floor
Wednesday 1-2pm AM200 Fottrell Theatre
TI 335 Research Project Design Thursday 9-10am IT 250 Theatre First Floor
& Development
Semester 2
Code Module Name Day Time Venue
TI 324 Urban Geography; Planning Monday 10-11am TBC
the Modern City 2-3pm
TI 370 Elements in Human Monday 10-11am TBC
Geography Thursday 9-10am
TI338 Palaeoecology Monday 10-11am TBC
2-3pm
52018-2019 SYLLABUS
ECTS 30 Semester Optional/Core Module
5 1 Core TI335 Research Development and Design
5 1 Optional TI303 Coastal Dynamics
1 TI326 War & Representation
5 1 Optional TI3116 Geographies of Development
1 TI3113 Long-term Environmental Change
10 2 Core Dissertation Module
2 TI370 Elements in Human Geography
5 2 Optional TI338 Palaeoecology
2 TI324 Planning the Modern City
Please note that you cannot register directly for a Research Seminar we will arrange this
internally, and assign a dissertation research supervisor to you at the beginning of the
semester.
MODULE GRADE DESCRIPTORS
The link below brings you to the Exams Office Module Grade Descriptors document for
undergraduate degree programmes. This document provides an outline of the different grade
bands and the level of academic performance required to meet each one.
http://www.nuigalway.ie/exams/gradedescriptors.html
SUMMARY MODULE DESCRIPTIONS
Below are draft summary descriptions of the available modules for this academic year. Please
note that these are subject to revision. The full details of all modules will be provided by the
module co-ordinator via Blackboard. As soon as you complete registration, you should have full
access to the relevant Blackboard sites.
6TI 303 Coastal Dynamics
Co-ordinator: Dr Karen Taylor
E-mail: karen.taylor@nuigalway.ie
Office: Room 117, Discipline of Geography
Telephone: 091 492171
Module Outline:
The coastal zone exists at the interface of land, sea and atmosphere, making it a highly complex
environment. Only through improved understanding of the processes operating in this zone can we
hope to understand and manage this valuable resource in a sustainable manner. This course
introduces the basic concepts of coastal science. The role of waves, wind and sea-level in shaping
the coast are explored. Conversely, the shape of coastal landforms affects these processes; this
interaction between process and form is considered within a morphodynamic framework. Topics
include: Coastal systems, Wave processes, Sediments, Shoreface, Nearshore-Zone, Aeolian
processes, Beaches, Coastal Dunes, Tidal processes, Beach dune ecology and Beach dune
management.
Key Learning Outcomes:
• Demonstrate an understanding of using the systems approach to coastal environments.
• Demonstrate an understanding of contemporary coastal processes and landforms.
• Through fieldwork appreciate and develop skills that are used in the investigation of coastal
environments.
• Be able to identify complex constraints on, and opportunities for, human exploitation of coastal
resources.
• Comprehend and evaluate the patterns and processes controlling long-term coastal evolution
and relative sea-level change.
Method of Assessment:
Continuous assessment
Key Readings:
• Haslett, S. K. (2000). Coastal Systems. London, Routledge. Library location (551.457 HAS)
• Davis Jr., R. and Fitzgerald D. (2004) Beaches and Coasts. Oxford, Blackwell. (551.457
DAV )
• Carter, R. W. G. (1988).Coastal Environments. London, Academic Press. (577.51 CAR)
• Masselink, G. and Hughes, M. G. (2003). Coastal Processes and Geomorphology.
London, Hodder Arnold. (551.457 MAS)
• Woodroffe, C. D. (2002). Coasts: Form, process and evolution. Cambridge, Cambridge
University Press. (551.457 WOO )
7TI 324 Urban Geography: Planning the Modern City
Co-ordinator: Professor Ulf Strohmayer
E-mail: ulf.strohmayer@nuigalway.ie
Office: Room 112, Geography
Telephone; 091 492373
Module Outline:
The principal aims of this course are
• to recognize the city as a historically changing and complex environment;
• to analyse the history and contemporary practice of planning as a multi-facetted and ongoing
process; and
• to study the changing structures of a host of different planned and unplanned public spaces.
Central to the course is the idea of the modern city as a planned environment that is created and
continuously amended by humans for a host of reasons and to serve an array of diverse ends.
‘Modern’ here serves to differentiate older forms of urban development from our contemporary
cities, which started to emerge in Western Europe about 500 years ago. Arguably, ‘planning’ is
one of the key novelties in this move away from “merely building” to “consciously constructing” a
city.
Key Learning Outcomes
The course aims to promote a differentiated understanding of key processes that characterize the
modernization of urban environments and thus contribute to the historical emergence of ‘civil’
societies. Students will learn to engage with historical texts and practices, will synthesize these and
apply them to historical and contemporary materials of their own choosing.
Method of Assessment
The course will be assessed through a course journal consisting of a number of journal entries to
be completed throughout the term. There is thus no examination in conjuncture with this course.
Key Readings:
• Ballon, Hillary, 1991, The Paris of Henri IV. Architecture and Urbanism, Cambridge, MIT Press
Corbin, Alain, 1994, The Foul and the Fragrant. Odour and the Social Imagination, London,
Picador
• Etlin, Richard, 1994, Symbolic Space. French Enlightenment Architecture and its Legacy,
Chicago, University of Chicago Press
• Harvey, David, 2003, Paris, Capital of Modernity, London, Routledge
• Hetherington, Kevin, 1997, The Badlands of Modernity. Heterotopia and Social Ordering,
London, Routledge
• Papayanis, Nicholas, 2004, Planning Paris before Haussmann, Baltimore, Johns Hopkins
University Press
• Rearick, Charles, 2011, Paris Dreams, Paris Memories. The City and its Mystique, Stanford,
Stanford University Press
• Sennett, Richard, 1976, The Fall of Public Man, New York, Norton
• Sennett, Richard, 1994, Flesh and Stone. The Body and the City in Western Civilization,
London, Faber and Faber
• Toulmin, Stephen, 1990, Cosmopolis. The Hidden Agenda of Modernity, New York, Macmillan
• Wilson, Elizabeth, 1991, The Sphinx in the City. Urban Life, the Control of Disorder, and
Women, Berkeley, CA, University of California Press
8TI 326 War and Representation
Co-ordinator: Dr John Morrissey
E-mail: john.morrissey@nuigalway.ie
Office: Room 111, Geography
Telephone: 091 492267
Module Outline:
Representation is a key concept in political and cultural geography, given that so much of our
human geographical knowledge is dependent upon its multiple forms. In the West, very few of us
have ever seen war, for example; it is typically waged externally in foreign fields. Therefore, how it
is discursively (re)presented to us from afar is paramount. Our geographical imaginings of
difference and conflict legitimise and frame both our waging and subsequent representations of
war. Images and narratives of war serve to translate, prioritise and frequently distort and destroy
knowledge. They not only help us to sanitise and forget the wounds of history, but also play pivotal
roles in legitimising and contesting the geopolitics of new wars in the multimedia context of the
modern world. Drawing on recent work in critical geopolitics, this module is centred on interrogating
the enduring significance of the scripting of imaginative geographies of war in the twentieth and
early twenty-first centuries. It explores the production of, and resistance to, multiple material,
textual and audio-visual discourses of war as the products and producers of geopolitical
power. Focusing in particular on World War 1, the Vietnam War and the global war on terror, the
module aims to cultivate students’ capacities to recognise Focault’s ‘power/knowledge couplet’
within all forms of discourse, and prompts a systematic deconstructing of the subtle but purposeful
connections between discourse and practice in contemporary geopolitics.
Key Learning Outcomes:
• To learn to interrogate diverse accounts of war from different and conflicting media and to
deconstruct the various geopolitical, ideological and cultural logics of their creation.
• To recognise the selectivity, politics and power relations of all forms of discourse and to
appreciate how prioritised geographical knowledge is scripted, disseminated and contested.
• More broadly, to see the critical significance of representation in the modern world and to
decipher the integral connections between geopolitical discourse and geopolitical practice.
Method of Assessment:
Continuous assessment – 40%
End of term examination – 60%
Key Readings:
• M. Evans and K. Lunn (eds) (1997) War and Memory in the Twentieth Century, Berg, Oxford
• D. Gregory (2004) The Colonial Present: Afghanistan, Palestine, Iraq, Blackwell, Oxford
• N. Johnson (2003) Ireland, the Great War and the Geography of Remembrance, Cambridge
University Press, Cambridge
• D. Kishan Thussu and D. Freedman (eds) (2003) War and the Media: Reporting Conflict 24/7,
Sage, London
• J. Lembcke (1998) The Spitting Image: Myth, Memory and the Legacy of Vietnam, New York
University Press, New York
• E. Said (1994) Culture and Imperialism, Vintage, London
9TI 335: Research project design & development
Co-ordinator: Dr Audrey Morley
E-mail: TI3BA@nuigalway.ie
Office: Room 109, Geography
Telephone: 091 494104
Module Outline:
This course builds upon TI251 Theory and Practice in Geography I and TI252 Theory and Practice
in Geography II in second year, and is designed to prepare you for undertaking your dissertation in
Semester 2 of 3/4 BA. This includes guidance in literature searching, academic writing, and the
design of a research proposal. You will also be introduced to some of the principal analytical
methodologies used by geographers, learning highly relevant and transferable skills in the process.
Key Learning Outcomes:
Upon completion of this course students will:
• understand what constitutes a geographical research problem;
• have developed an awareness of the fundamental steps involved in the design and execution
of an ethical research project;
• feel confident in their own ability to complete a research project
Method of Assessment:
You are expected to fully engage in designing and developing your research project by attending
lectures, tutorials and completing assignments in a timely manner. All written work should be
submitted to Christina Costello (Room 118, Geography) no later than 12:30pm on the due date.
• Participation (5%) - Students are required to sign up for tutorials in Week 1 and a research
theme in Week 2
• Assignment 1 (10%) - Getting Started. Assignment due Friday September 25th
• Assignment 2 (10%) – Literature and Evidence. Assignment due Monday October 19th
• Assignment 3 (25%) - Dissertation research proposal. Assignment due Friday November 27th
• Examination (50%) – Students will answer 3 questions during a two hour exam
Repeat Information (NEW):
• The repeat examination for TI335 consists of a 2h written exam worth 100%. No pieces of
continuous assessment will be accepted from repeat students. During the exam, you will be
asked to write a research proposal on a set topic. You will have 4 topics to choose from (2
Human and 2 Physical Geography topics). A reading list will be provided prior to the exam.
10TI 338 Palaeoecology - Reconstructing Past Environments
Co-ordinator: Dr Karen Molloy
E-mail: karen.molloy@nuigalway.ie
Office: 12 Distillery Road
Telephone: 091 493255
Module Outline:
The Irish landscape as we know it today is governed by what has happened in the past. Both
climate change and anthropogenic factors have played significant roles in shaping the
development of the landscape. The objectives of this module are to introduce the student to
palaeoenvironmental methods, in particular pollen analysis, as a means of interpreting the past 15,
000 years of vegetation and environmental change in Ireland. The course will consist of a series of
lectures, a field excursion and 3 laboratory sessions where students will use microscope
techniques to identify and count fossil pollen grains.
Key Learning Outcomes:
On completion of this course the students will be able to:
• Evaluate the main methods both direct and indirect of reconstructing past environments
• understand the main principles of pollen analysis
• understand the key vegetation changes that have occurred in Ireland since the end of the Ice
Age
• have an appreciation of the role people have played in shaping the Irish landscape from the
arrival of the first farmers in Neolithic times
• have a greater understanding of the natural world
• use a microscope and identify the pollen of the most common Irish trees
• interpret and evaluate a pollen diagram
Method of Assessment :
Continuous assessment
End of term examination
Key Readings:
• Moore, P.D., Webb, J.A. and Collinson, M.E. (1991). Pollen Analysis (2nd ed). Blackwell
Scientific Publications, Oxford.
• Hall, V. 2011. The Making of Ireland’s Landscape Since the Ice Age. Collins Press, Cork.
554.15
• Mitchell, F. and Ryan, M. 1997. Reading the Irish Landscape (3rd ed.) Country House, Dublin.
551.4109415
11TI 370 Elements in Human Geography
Co-ordinator: Dr Valerie Ledwith
E-mail: valerie.ledwith@nuigalway.ie
Office: Room 110, Geography
Telephone: 091 492372
Module Outline:
Human migration involves the movement of people from one place to another. It is an intrinsically
geographical process. While short distance mobility is more frequent than long distance mobility,
migration research in geography is increasingly interested in international migrations and their
effects. This course begins with a consideration of the relationship between globalisation and
international migration, considering the role that economic forces play in the decision to move.
The course also examines the role of the nation‐state in regulating migration and migrants, and in
managing and policing borders. Following this, the course focuses on migrant identities the
relationship between mobility and belonging. The final part of the course examines contemporary
backlash towards international mobility, evident in anti-immigrant populism and nativism.
Key Learning Outcomes:
• An understanding of the international migration process within globalization
• Ability to critically assess the role of the nation-state in regulating international migration
and migrants
• Informed consideration of the relationship between migration, mobility and belonging
• Capacity to critique the contemporary backlash towards international mobility, expressed as
anti-immigrant populism and nativism.
Method of Assessment:
Continuous assessment (40%)
End of term examination (60%)
Key Readings:
• Barcus, H.R. and Halfacree, K., 2017. An introduction to population geographies: Lives
across space. Routledge.
• Castles, S., De Haas, H. and Miller, M.J., 2013. The age of migration: International
population movements in the modern world. Macmillan International Higher Education.
• Gilmartin, M., 2015. The politics of migration. Political Geography, 48, pp.143-145.
• Smith, D.P., 2018. Population geography II: The r/age of migration. Progress in Human
Geography,
• Wright, R. and Ellis, M., 2016. Perspectives on migration theory: geography. In International
Handbook of Migration and Population Distribution. Springer, Dordrecht. pp. 11-30.
12TI 3113 Long Term Environmental Change
Co-ordinator: Dr Aaron Potito
E-mail: aaron.potito@nuigalway.ie
Office: Room 117, Geography
Telephone: 091 493936
Module Outline:
Climate change is not a modern phenomenon, as Earth’s systems are dynamic and rarely stable
over extended periods of time. Climate variability occurs across multiple spatial and temporal
scales, but we generally lack long enough scientific or historical records to directly measure most
long-term patterns of climate change. Quaternary Studies fills this void by offering evidence of
environmental conditions during the last ~2 million years (the most recent geologic period),
providing a broader context for studying modern environmental phenomena.
This course offers an overview of the Quaternary in three phases. The first section of the course
situates the Quaternary within a broad history of Earth’s climate, discussing Quaternary glaciations
and conditions during and since the last Ice Age in detail. The second section of this course
reviews methodologies that are utilized to reconstruct past conditions, focusing on how these
methods are used as windows into the past. Finally, as climate variability has impacted past and
present human societies (and vice-versa), we will assess human/environment relationships during
the Quaternary and explore modern environmental change using a palaeo-perspective.
Key Learning Outcomes:
• Contextualise global patterns of long-term environmental change, and situate Quaternary
environments within this broader perspective.
• Examine and critique methodologies used in reconstructing past environments with an aim to
better understand the advantages and limitations of various proxy evidence.
• Consider the role of climate in human history and pre-history, and explore modern
anthropogenic climate change through a palaeoenvironmental lens.
• Apply class concepts in real-world situations through field observation and field-based
engagement.
Method of Assessment:
Continuous Assessment (Field Trip Essay)
End of term examination
Key Readings:
• Lowe, J.J. and M.J.C. Walker. (2014) Reconstructing Quaternary Environments, Third Edition.
Prentice Hall, Harlow, England: 538 pp
• Roberts, N. (2014) The Holocene: An Environmental History, Third Edition. Blackwell
Publishers, Oxford: 376 pp
13TI 3116 Geographies of Development
Co-ordinator: Dr Mary Greene
E-mail: mary.greene@nuigalway.ie
Office: Room 111, Block T, Distillery Road
Telephone: 091 493391
Course description
The course takes a geographic approach to exploring multi-faceted processes of social, cultural,
political-economic and environmental change commonly known as “development.” Focusing on the
changing geography of development in the developed and the developing worlds, it considers an
array of concepts, approaches and case studies that refle ct the impact of development on people,
places and environments. Key to the module is an exploration of how development and change is
experienced in socially differentiated and unequal ways as it plays out in diverse contexts and
spaces. Structured in two key parts, the course covers development theory and practice in relation
to themes concerning globalisation, urbanisation, uneven development, gender, environmental
change and social justice. Theories and concepts of development are examined through case
studies of specific places and people’s everyday lives, locating these within broader national,
regional and international contexts. Part One, ‘Theorising Development’, focuses on changing
approaches to defining, conceptualising, theorising and measuring development. In developing an
understanding of the meaning and nature of development from a geographic context, this part of
the course focuses on critically interrogating discourses of development and related
representations of the “developed” and developing” world . Part Two, ‘Practicing Development:
Spaces and perspectives’, examines key features and patterns of contemporary development
through a geographic lens, considering key trends in movements and flows, urbanisation and rural
spaces. It furthermore considers key perspectives of development in relation to gender,
environment and forms of resistance to predatory forms of global governance.
Key Learning Outcomes:
• Discuss and evaluate with theories, concepts and processes of development;
• Appreciate and critically interrogate a range of approaches to measuring development;
• Analyse the complexity of development as it encompasses intersecting social, economic,
political, cultural and environmental dimensions;
• Analyse issues of social and environmental justice across local and global contexts;
• Develop an ability to analyse development through a geographic lens as it plays out in
different local and global spaces;
• Critique and relate concepts to practice through explorations of topical case studies and
examples that consider the impact of development on people, places and environments.
Method of Assessment
Continuous Assessment
This module is based on continuous assessment, involving the submission of series of problem-
based learning journal reflections (3 x 1000 word) and in-class participation, weighted as follows:
Reflective learning assignments 3 x 1000 words = 90%
In class participation = 10%
Key Readings: Please see blackboard for full listing
14LECTURES AND OTHER CLASSES
Attendance
It is your duty under University regulations to attend every lecture and to undertake other academic
activities (such as laboratory classes, project work, seminars, tutorials, completion of course work,
etc.) as required in each of the modules, unless prevented by some unavoidable cause of
absence.
Most Geography lectures and other classes are held on the main campus, and details of the
venues are to be found in the 2BA timetable on pages x and y above. For anyone not familiar with
the venues, you should consult a member of staff, or the NUIG Campus Map:
http://nuigalway.ie/campus-map/
Absence from lectures and course activities due to illness or other circumstances
If your absence is due to illness, a medical certificate should be obtained and submitted to Ms.
Deirdre Finan, College of Arts, Social Sciences and Celtic Studies, Office 217A, First Floor, Arts
Millennium Building. If your absence relates to other circumstances, it is your responsibility to
communicate in a timely way with your module co-ordinator, and/or with the relevant year co-
ordinator. You may also communicate with Dr. Siubhan Comer, Geography’s Student Liaison
Officer. If you are experiencing difficulties in keeping up with course work during the year for
whatever reason, you are strongly encouraged to let us know about this while there is time to offer
constructive advice and assistance. If we are not aware of issues until towards the end of a
module, it is usually very difficult at that stage to provide practical support. You will find that we are
very approachable and willing to be accommodating, and in making your situation known to us, we
will regard you as having acted in a mature and responsible way. It is our wish to see you perform
to the best of your ability and enjoy Geography as a subject.
Absence from scheduled examinations
In exceptional circumstances where you may be unable to sit an examination on the scheduled
date, you must bring your request to defer the examination until the second sitting date to the Dean
of Arts, Social Sciences and Celtic Studies. These arrangements cannot be made by Geography.
The first point of contact in this regard is Ms. Deirdre Finan.
Ms. Deirdre Finan (e-mail: deirdre.finan@nuigalway.ie)
COURSE WORK
Submission of printed coursework
Please make sure that you include the cover sheet (copy at end of document) with each individual
piece of coursework so that your work can be identified and accounted for. We cannot accept
materials submitted by e-mail for reasons of authenticity except in cases where an e-mail
submission has been agreed with a member of staff. In such cases, an exact hard copy must also
be submitted.
Late Submission of Coursework
Per College guidelines, students have up to two weeks past the deadline to hand in
assessments, after which the student will receive a mark of zero with no exceptions.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism means presenting the words of another writer as if they were your own. This amounts to
straight copying from other author’s texts, including fellow students’ work. Copying another
student’s essay or assignment is as reprehensible as plagiarising an academic text. It is a serious
matter, and if it is detected in your continuous assessment it may result in an automatic failure
15mark. The way to avoid plagiarism is very simple: always put quotation marks around someone
else’s words, credit them to their source, and discuss their content and ideas in your own words.
It is your responsibility to familiarise yourself with the guidelines relating to plagiarism and the
University’s Code of Practice in this regard.
University’s code conduct: www.nuigalway.ie/current_students/university_code_conduct/index.php#7
University’s plagiarism guidelines: http://www.nuigalway.ie/plagiarism/
Further guidance on recognising and avoiding plagiarism is provided by the James Hardiman
Library. You can access this resource by logging on to Blackboard and self-enrolling in the
‘Learning Centre’. Full details are available at:
http://www.library.nuigalway.ie/media/jameshardimanlibrary/content/documents/support/Skills4Stu
dy%20Student%20Guide.pdf
16Course Grades
Most staff provide detailed explanations of the standard of work that reflects each of the grade
bands outlined below. These would usually be tailored to suit an individual piece of assessment.
Many staff now use Blackboard’s Grade Centre facilities to provide initial direction and subsequent
feedback, using a template or rubric that explains how different criteria were applied to assess the
work.
Percentage Grade
70-100 First Class Honours
60-69 Second Class Grade 1
50-59 Second Class Grade 2
40-49 Third Class Honours
0-39 Fail
Assessment of course work by external examiners
At the end of the academic year, external examiners assess all course work. These examiners will
be visiting the Discipline of Geography in May 2018. They may request meetings with students to
discuss course work or Geography more generally on these dates. Therefore, students should be
available to meet with the external examiners on these dates. These meetings are not related to
the assessment of individual students. Rather, they are to ensure that student feedback is
included in the evaluation of the discipline.
Communicating with staff members
For all communications with staff members, do make sure to consult all materials on the
departmental webpages and Blackboard prior to e-mailing additional questions that you may have.
Also, please make sure to e-mail in advance to arrange any meeting with staff members outside of
their stated consultation hours. When writing an e-mail to staff it is important to be professional and
concise. For example, you should make sure that your opening address conveys a professional
tone; e.g. Dear, etc. If your query is directed at teaching staff, please ensure that your e-mail
includes your name, student ID and the name/code of their class in which you are participating.
Please be aware that due to the large number of e-mails received by academic staff on a daily
basis, you must allow time for them to respond. Finally, please check your NUIG e-mail account
regularly as this is the main way that university staff will contact you.
Student welfare
In the Discipline of Geography, we recognise that students may have particular circumstances that
impact upon their capacity to complete their studies to the best of their ability. Every effort will be
made to accommodate individual circumstances, and we would encourage you in this regard to
communicate your situation to us if you feel we can be of assistance. You should also be aware of
a number of support services available to you on Campus, whose role is also to help students fulfil
their potential both academically and personally. Details are available on the following link:
http://www.nuigalway.ie/student_services/
Student code of conduct
As a student, you also have certain responsibilities in relation to conduct on and off campus. The
University has outlined a comprehensive explanatory statement in this regard, which we would
urge you to read and be familiar with. Once you accept a place as a student at NUIG, you are
automatically bound by its code of conduct:
http://www.nuigalway.ie/current_students/university_code_conduct/index.php#7
17Requesting Academic References
If you require a reference, you must in the first instance approach your dissertation supervisor. He
or she will have had most opportunity of working with you on a one-to-one basis and will be able to
provide more detailed information about you in relation to academic performance, etc.
You must give sufficient time for a member of staff to prepare a reference, therefore, the more
advance notice you can give, the easier it will be to facilitate your request. It will most likely not be
possible for staff to provide you with a reference on the day before your application deadline, so
please do not leave it that late.
Before you request a reference, make sure you have checked the conditions relevant to the
programme or post in question. Is the reference to be submitted by way of a web link sent directly
to the referee? Is the reference letter meant to be submitted confidentially in a sealed envelope?
As a rule, we do not give generic letters of reference – they are composed specifically for the
application in question with the aim of enhancing your chances of success. When you request
your reference, give the full details of the programme or post for which you are applying. Always
make sure you get permission from your referee to use his or her name before you include it on an
application. Provide them with your most recent examination results and an up to date CV once
you know they will be writing a letter for you.
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