Unit name | Study and Field Skills B |
---|---|
Unit code | GEOG25070 |
Credit points | 20 |
Level of study | I/5 |
Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
Unit director | Professor. Tranter |
Open unit status | Not open |
Pre-requisites |
All units in Single Honours Geography Year 1 |
Co-requisites |
Research Methods in Physical Geography and at least two physical Geography units from Year 2. |
School/department | School of Geographical Sciences |
Faculty | Faculty of Science |
The unit comprises of a 7 day residential field course in Arolla (Valais, Switzerland).
Field Class
The field class will be five or six days duration, and include preliminary introductory lectures, group field teaching and discussion, directed group research and an independent research project session.
A combination of staff-guided and self-directed group projects will enable students to learn about the varied physical environments of Arolla, in the Valais region of Switzerland. Staff-guided projects on each of the first two full working days will focus on the geomorphology, snow cover, glaciology and hydrology of the Arolla valley, and take advantage of the current weather and snow conditions. They are likely to include: snow processes in the Arolla valley, fluvial processes and sediment transport, and glacier and groundwater biogeochemistry. Students will undertake self-directed projects, initially in liaison and with the approval of staff, on the final two full working days. These projects usually extend on aspects of the field work during the first three days that capture the imagination of particular cohorts of students. These projects provide invaluable experience for those undertaking field work when conducting their Dissertations. Full briefing on health and safety aspects of the projects are given by the staff.
On completion of this Unit students should be able to:
The following transferable skills are developed in this Unit:
Briefing lectures, seminars, tutorials, fieldwork.
Percentage of the unit that is coursework: 100
Fieldwork report (100%).
Recommended reading: