Geography STUDENT HANDBOOK - NUI Galway
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Geography
STUDENT HANDBOOK
Final Year Undergraduate Programme
2015 – 2016
1
TABLE OF CONTENTS
DESCRIPTION Page
3/4BA Staff Contact Details…………………………………………………………………………… 3
Academic Calendar 2015/2016………………………………………………………………………. 4
Lecture Schedule and Venues……………………………………………………………………….. 5
Syllabus File 2015/16………………………………………………………………………………….. 6
Module Grade Descriptors…………………………………………………………………………….. 7
Summary Module Descriptions……………………………………………………………………. 7
TI 303: Coastal Dynamics…………………………………………………………………………….. 8
TI 308: Quaternary Environments……………………………………………………………………. 9
TI 311: Advanced GIS…………………………………………………………………………………. 10
TI 324: Urban Geography; Planning the Modern City……………………………………………... 12
TI 326: War and Representation……………………………………………………………………... 13
TI 332: Local Development Theory and Practice........................................................................ 14
TI 335: Research Project Design and Development……………………………………………….. 15
TI 338: Palaeoecology………………………………………………………………………………… 16
TI 369: Geographical Perspectives on Rural Change……………………………………………… 17
Lectures and Other Classes………………………………………………………………………. 18
Attendance………………………………………………………………………………………….. 18
Absence from lectures and course activities due to illness/other reasons…………………… 18
Absence from scheduled examinations………………………………………………............... 18
Course Work…………………………………………………………………………………………… 18
Submission of printed coursework………………………………………………………………... 18
Late submission of coursework…………………………………………………………………… 18
Plagiarism…………………………………………………………………………………………… 19
Code of practice for dealing with plagiarism…………………………………………………….. 19
Course grades………………………………………………………………………………………. 20
Communicating with staff members……………………………………………………………… 20
Student Welfare………………………………………………………………………………………. 20
Student Code of Conduct…………………………………………………………………………… 20
Requesting Academic References………………………………………………………………… 20
Cover Sheet…………………………………………………………………………………………… 22
23-4 BA CONTACT STAFF
3BA Year Co-ordinator: Dr. Valerie Ledwith
Room 110
E-mail: valerie.ledwith@nuigalway.ie
Tel: 091 49 2372
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: siobhan.comer@nuigalway.ie
Tel: 091 49 2643
3ACADEMIC CALENDAR 2015-2016
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
TI308 Quaternary Environments Monday 10-11am AC201
2-3pm UC102 Aras Ui Chathail Theatre
TI369 Geographical Perspectives Monday 10-11am MRA201 MRI Theatre
on Rural Change 2-3pm AM150 M O’Tnuathail Theatre
TI303 Coastal Dynamics Tuesday 4-5pm UC102 Aras Ui Chathail Theatre
Wednesday 1-2pm UC102 – Aras Ui Chathail Theatre
TI311 Advanced GIS Tuesday 4-5pm IT125 First Floor Theatre
Wednesday 1-2pm AC 201
TI326 War and Representation Tuesday 4-5pm IT 250 First Floor
Wednesday 1-2pm Tyndall Lecture Theatre
TI335 Research Project Design and Thursday 9-10am SC001 – Richard Kirwan Theatre
Development
Semester 2
Code Module Name Day Time Venue
TI324 Urban Geography; Planning Monday 10-11am D’Arcy Thompson Theatre
the Modern City 2-3pm D’Arcy Thompson Theatre
TI332 Local Development Theory Monday 10-11am IT125 Ground Floor Theatre
and Practice 2-3pm IT125 Ground Floor Theatre
TI338 Palaeoecology Monday 10-11am IT125 Ground Floor Theatre
2-3pm Dillon Theatre
52015-2016 SYLLABUS
Module Module Description Semester ECTS Examination
Code Arrangements
TI311 Advanced GIS 1 5 Continuous Assessment
OR
TI303 Coastal Dynamics 1 5 Continuous Assessment
OR
TI326 War & Representation 1 5 2 hour exam/CA
TI308 Quaternary Environments 2 5 2 hour exam/CA
OR
TI369 Geographical Perspectives on Rural Change 1 5 2 hour exam/CA
TI335 Research Development and Design (compulsory) 1 5 2 hour exam/CA
TI338 Palaeoecology 1 5 2 hour exam/CA
OR
TI332 Local Development Theory and Practice 2 5 2 hour exam/CA
OR
TI324 Urban Geography; Planning the Modern City 2 5 CA
Research Seminars – all staff (modules to be allocated 2 10 CA/Dissertation
internally) (compulsory)
6Please note that you cannot register directly for a Research Seminar; we will arrange this
internally, and assign a dissertation research supervisor to you towards the end of Semester 1.
This will be organised as part of the activities for TI335 (Research Design and Development) in
Semester 1. You are strongly encouraged to engage with TI335 if you have a particular wish to
work with a specific supervisor because these decisions will be made based on the content of your
dissertation research proposal which you will be preparing as part of TI335 assessment.
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.
7TI 303 Coastal Dynamics
Co-ordinator: Dr Kevin Lynch
E-mail: kevin.lynch@nuigalway.ie
Office: Room 125, Geography
Telephone: 091 495779
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 s ustainable 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 m orphodynamic 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:
• Identify the short- and long-term drivers shaping coastal systems
• Predict the behaviour of a coastal landforms over short and long time scales
• Critically evaluate the different field and laboratory methods used in analysing and
interpreting the behaviour of coastal environments
• Conduct a case study on a particular coastal process-response system; write a report of
their research to international standards; and present their findings (in print and orally) to a
professional standard
• Communicate and interpret human impacts on coastal environments and conceptualise
the problems of managing coastal and marine natural systems
• Have more effective problem-solving skills through the ability to merge multiple
disciplinary approaches in a field research capacity in coastal and marine environments
Method of Assessment:
Continuous assessment
Key Readings:
Wolman, M.G. and Miller, W.P. (1960). Magnitude and frequency of forces in geomorphic
processes. Journal of Geology, 68: 54-74.
Bruun, P. (1962). Sea level rise as a cause of shore erosion. J. Waterways Harbors Division
88: 117-130.
Schumm, S.A. and Lichty, R.W. (1965). Time, space and causality in geomorphology. Am. J.
Sci., 263, 110-119.
Inman, D.L. and Nordstrom, C.E. (1971). On the tectonic and morphologic classification of
coasts. Journal of Geology 79: 1-21.
Wright, L.D., and Short, A. D. (1984). Morphodynamic variability of surf zones and beaches: A
Synthesis. Marine Geology 56: 93-118.
Schumm, S.A. (1985). To interpret the Earth. Ten ways to be wrong. Cambridge University
Press. 144pp.
Stive et al. (2002). Variability of shore and shoreline evolution. Coastal Engineering 47: 211-
235.
8TI 308 QUATERNARY ENVIRONMENTS
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
9TI 311 Advanced GIS
Co-ordinator: Dr Chaosheng Zhang
E-mail: chaosheng.Zhang@nuigalway.ie
Office: Room 108, Geography
Telephone: 091 492375
Module Outline:
Based on the basic concepts and simple applications of GIS that were covered in the course
“Introduction to GIS”, this course focuses on the advanced topics and advanced functions of GIS,
which are more practical and problem-solving. The concepts of advanced analysis functions of
network analysis and spatial interpolation are explained, and the topic Google Earth is discussed.
Actual applications in geography are demonstrated. Students will understand the latest
development of these advanced GIS topics, and obtain the practical skills of a GIS project design.
The extensions of ArcGIS are selected as the software package for this course. Students will
acquire these useful techniques of making more practical maps and performing advanced analyses
through computer practical classes.
Key Learning Outcomes:
• Introduction and Review of GIS Basics
• Advanced Analyses (Network Analysis, Spatial Interpolation)
• Advanced Topics (Google Earth, Applications in GIS projects)
• ArcGIS Extensions (Network Analyst, Geostatistical Analyst)
• Practical skills of Google Earth and GIS project
Method of Assessment:
Two continuous assignments. There is no final exam for this course.
Key Readings:
• Ian Heywood, Sarah Cornelius, and Steve Carver: An Introduction to Geographical Information
Systems. Longman: New York.1998/2002/2006/2011.
• Tor Bernhardsen: Geographic Information Systems: An Introduction. 2nd Edition. John Wiley:
New York. 1999/2002.
• Yue-Hong Chou, Exploring Spatial Analysis in Geographic Information System. OnWord
Press: Santa Fe, NM. 1997. 474pp.
• Keith C. Clarke: Getting Started with Geographic Information Systems. 3rd Edition. Prentice
Hall. 1999/2001/2003.
• Paul A. Longley, Michael F. Goodchild, David J. Maguire, and David W. Rhind. Geographic
Information systems and Science. Wiley, 2001/2005/2011. 539pp.
• Zhang, C.S. and McGrath, D., 2004. Geostatistical and GIS analyses on soil organic carbon
concentrations in grassland of southeastern Ireland from two different periods. Geoderma
119(3-4): 261-275.
• Zhang, C.S., Jordan, C., and Higgins, A., 2007. Using neighbourhood statistics and GIS to
quantify and visualize spatial variation in geochemical variables: An example using Ni
concentrations in the topsoils of Northern Ireland. Geoderma 137(3-4):466-476.
• Zhang, C.S., Fay, D., McGrath, D., Grennan, E., Carton, O.T., 2008. Use of trans-Gaussian
kriging for national soil geochemical mapping in Ireland. Geochemistry: Exploration,
Environment, Analysis 8:255–265.
10• Zhang, C.S., Fay, D., McGrath, D., Grennan, E., Carton, O.T., 2008. Statistical analyses of
geochemical variables in soils of Ireland. Geoderma 146(1-2): 378-390.
• Zhang, C.S., Luo, L., Xu, W.L., and Ledwith, V., 2008. Use of local Moran's I and GIS to
identify pollution hotspots of Pb in urban soils of Galway, Ireland. The Science of The Total
Environment 398 (1-3): 212-221.
• Carr, R., Zhang, C.S., Moles, N., and Harder, M., 2008. Identification and mapping of heavy
metal pollution in soils of a sports ground in Galway City, Ireland, using a portable XRF
analyser and GIS. Environmental Geochemistry and Health 30(1):45-52.
• Zhang, CS,Tang, Y,Xu, XL,Kiely, G. 2011. Towards spatial geochemical modelling: Use of
geographically weighted regression for mapping soil organic carbon contents in Ireland.
Applied Geochemistry, 26 :1239-1248
Due to the rapid development of GIS, the contents for this course will also be selected from the
Internet. Specific website addresses on each topic will be provided during the lectures.
Meanwhile, some materials are also provided on campus intranet: Q-
Drive\Geography\Zhang\Advanced_GIS.
11TI324 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
12TI 326 War and Representation
Co-ordinator: Dr John Morrissey
E-mail: john.morrissey@nuigalway.ie
Office: Room 111, Geography
Telephone: 091 492267
Module Outline:
Discourse 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 ongoing 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 discourses of war from different and conflicting media and to
deconstruct the specific geopolitical, ideological and institutional 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 action.
Method of Assessment:
Continuous assessment
End of term examination
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.C. 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.
13TI 332 Local Development: Theory and Practice
__________________________________________________________
Co-ordinator: Dr. Marie Mahon
E-mail: marie.mahon@nuigalway.ie
Office: Room 121 Geography
Telephone: 091 492376
Module Outline:
Local development is understood as a territorial-based approach to meeting development
challenges. Contemporary challenges for local development include the globalized and
competitive nature of economies, climate change, food and energy shortages, an ageing
population and heightened forms of social and spatial inequality. Attention is increasingly
focused on the inclusivity and sustainability of local development, and in accounting
qualitatively for its ‘added value’ in diverse spatial and socio-economic contexts; however, its
success is also strongly dependent on supportive and enabling governance frameworks and
partnership arrangements. Local, regional and national governments, as well as key
development institutions such as the EU and OECD are increasingly preoccupied with the
challenges of national and international economic growth trajectories, and see local
development as an essential component of wider territorial development and convergence
strategies.
Module aims: a) provide knowledge and develop understanding of policies and models of
local development; b) develop critical understanding of theoretical perspectives on local
development; c) illustrate the strategic importance of governance arrangements at varying
spatial scales for successful local development outcomes.
Key Learning Outcomes:
Ability to: a) critique and apply key theoretical constructs informing local development; b)
competently engage with the complexity of contemporary approaches to local development
policy and practice via case study examples; c) recognize and differentiate between the
range of governance arrangements that underpin local development and their implications
for the development process and its outcomes; d) assess the importance of the specific
place-based local contexts for determining appropriate and sustainable local development
strategies.
Method of Assessment:
Continuous Assessment
End of term examination
Key Readings:
• Pike, A, Rodriguez-Pose, A, Tomaney, J. (2011) Handbook of local and regional
development (various chapters). Routledge
• Pike, A., Rodríguez-Pose, A., Tomaney, J. (2006) Local and regional development.
Routledge.
• Green Leigh, N., Blakely, E.J. (2013) Planning Local Economic Development: Theory
and Practice. Sage
14TI 335: Research project design & development
Co-ordinator: Dr Valerie Ledwith
E-mail: valerie.ledwith@nuigalway.ie
Office: Room 110, Geography
Telephone: 091 492372
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 take a two hour multiple choice exam
•
15TI 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
16TI 369 GEOGRAPHICAL PERSPECTIVES ON RURAL CHANGE
Co-ordinator: Dr Maura Farrell
E-mail: maura.farrell@nuigalway.ie
Office: Room 125, Geography
Telephone: 091 494118
Module Outline:
This course evolves from the appreciation that Rural Geography has emerged in recent years as a
significant element of the geographical discipline and has been the subject of extensive academic
discussion and publications. Such attention mirrors the changing nature of rurality and rural space,
and highlight attempts to bring a broader theoretical framework and insight into the rural
domain. One of the central themes to emerge from this course will be the multidimensional and
challenging nature of the rural, which has attributed to the richness and breath of contemporary
research in rural geography. Issues such as, imagining the rural; exploiting the rural; developing
the rural and living in the rural are contemporary issues, which this course seeks to
address. Including many examples from Ireland and the broader European Union the course will
investigate different understandings of what rural entails and from a theoretical standpoint, the
conceptualizations that enlighten our perception of the rural and its continued sustainability.
Key Learning Outcomes:
This course seeks to:
• Trace the evolution of rural geography as a sub-discipline of geography.
• Establish what is meant by ’rural’, highlighting the complexities and nuances associated with
the task
• Examine the concept of rural restructuring and how it has been operationalised and expressed
through changes in agriculture, the wider rural economy, rural population and communities
and services
• Study the responses to rural restructuring adopting by the policy environment and rural
inhabitants, paying particular attention to rural development and regeneration.
• Investigate the experiences of contemporary rural change for the diverse population residing in
the countryside
Method of Assessment
Continuous Assessment
End of term examination
Key Readings:
• Cloke, P.; Marsden, T. and Mooney, P.H. (eds.) (2006) Handbook of Rural Studies. Sage.
• McDonagh, J.; Varley T. and Shortall S. (eds.) (2009) A Living Countryside? The Politics of
Sustainable Development in Rural Ireland. Ashgate.
• Woods, M. (2011) Rural. Routledge
• Woods, M. (2005) Rural Geography - Processes, Responses and Experiences in Rural
Restructuring. Sage.
17LECTURES 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
To ensure fairness to those of you who adhere to deadlines and submit your coursework on time,
penalties for late submissions will be applied rigorously.
18Coursework submitted after the set deadline has expired will have the following deductions applied
(out of 100):
Number of days over the Number of marks deducted
deadline
3 days (or one weekend) 5
1 week 10
2 weeks 20
3 weeks 30
4 weeks up to end of 5th week Marked to a maximum of 40
6 weeks No submission accepted after this date in
respect of first sitting.
A mark of zero awarded for the first sitting
Non submission A mark of zero awarded
Example of late penalty being applied
Late work marked and awarded 65%
20 marks deducted from 100 = 80
Therefore, 65% of 80 = 52%
Mark returned after late penalty = 52%
We will regard coursework that is still outstanding 6 weeks after the deadline has passed as not
eligible to be included as part of the first sitting examination unless there are extenuating
circumstances that you have made us aware of within reasonable time. In extenuating
circumstances, you may be in a position to seek an extension to a deadline. You must make this
request directly to the lecturer concerned, outlining the reasons for the request. Unfortunately, we
cannot accommodate requests for extensions which arise out of poor time management on your
part, for example, pressure to meet a similar deadline for another assignment.
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
mark. 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.
Code of Practice for dealing with plagiarism
It is your responsibility to familiarise yourself with the guidelines relating to plagiarism and the
University’s Code of Practice in this regard:
www.nuigalway.ie/current_students/university_code_conduct/index.php#7
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
19Course 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
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
Requesting 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.
20Before 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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