BA Geography with International Study / Course details

The course unit seeks to introduce the history and legacy of the Ice Ages in the shaping of the British landscape, flora and fauna. The course will provide students with a robust understanding of the timescales, processes and impacts of the Ice Ages. The legacy of the Ice Ages in terms of geomorphology, biogeography and archaeology will be explored. The course will provide an introduction to the research techinques and approaches used in the scientific study of the Ice Ages, including dating techniques and environmental and climatic records (proxies).

• understand the context of past and current climate change in the British Isles with reference to the last 2 million years
• appreciate how the Ice Ages have shaped the British landscape
• know the techniques available for dating the sediment, landform and fossil record of the Ice Ages in the British Isles
• understand the legacy of the Ice Ages on the current flora and fauna of the British Isles
• understand the impacts of past climate change on human occupation of the British Isles and on past lifeways and subsistence strategies

Introduction to Ice Ages in Britain

Glaciers and ice sheets

Dating the ice ages

The last glaciation of Britain

Shaping the mountains

Shaping the coast

Ice Age flora and fauna

Reforesting Britain

Ice Age Britain and the human past

The course will be delivered via a series of 10 lectures. The lectures will include time for interaction via class discussion, consolidation sessions and revision exercises. Students are expected to read widely to support the classes and undertake the support activities as instructed for each class. Learning will be supported via the course Blackboard site, which will provide access to course materials and wider resources on classic examples of Ice Age environments from around the British Isles.

• explain how climate change affected Britain in the Pleistocene and use this knowledge to appreciate how climate conditions are transient through time
• explain and evaluate key techniques for dating sediment and landforms of the Ice Ages in the British Isles
• describe and explain how glacial processes during the Ice Ages have shaped the British Isles
• describe and explain the changing biogeography of plants and animals in the British Isles during the Ice Ages
• evaluate diverse Quaternary records that enable the reconstruction of past environmental changes in the British Isles
• describe and explain how human distributions and activity changed during the Ice Ages

Assessment task :  Open book exam

Length :  2 hours

Feedback:   Written feedback and through discussion with Academic

Weighting :  100% 

There is no single core text, but the following are highly relevant for key concepts and themes: 

Ehlers, J., Hughes, P.L., Gibbard, P.L. 2016. The Ice Age. Wiley. This book is an electronic book available in the library. 

Ballantyne, C.K., Harris, C., 1994. The Periglaciation of Great Britain. Cambridge University Press. 

Sparks, B.W., West, R.G., 1972. The Ice Age in Britain. London: Methuen. Rather dated now, but a classic with lots of useful information. 

Students will be expected to read articles from the primary research literature, including journals such as: 

Journal of Quaternary Science 

Quaternary Science Reviews 

Boreas 

Quaternary Research