- UCAS course code
- LF78
- UCAS institution code
- M20
Bachelor of Arts (BA)
BA Geography with International Study
Join one of the top ten Geography departments in the UK (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024).
Duration: 4 years
Year of entry: 2025
UCAS course code: LF78 / Institution code: M20
- Key features:
Study abroad
Scholarships available
Field trips
- Typical A-level offer: AAA
- Typical contextual A-level offer: ABB
- Refugee/care-experienced offer: BBB
- Typical International Baccalaureate offer: 36 points overall with 6,6,6 at HL
Fees and funding
Fees
Tuition fees for home students commencing their studies in September 2025 will be £9,535 per annum (subject to Parliamentary approval). Tuition fees for international students will be £31,000 per annum. For general information please see the undergraduate finance pages.
Additional expenses
Policy on additional costs
All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).
Scholarships/sponsorships
We are committed to attracting and supporting the very best students from all backgrounds to study this course.
You could be eligible for cash bursaries of up to £2,500 to support your studies.
Find out about our funding opportunities
Course unit details:
Glaciers
| Unit code | GEOG20351 |
|---|---|
| Credit rating | 20 |
| Unit level | Level 2 |
| Teaching period(s) | Semester 1 |
| Available as a free choice unit? | Yes |
Overview
Glacial and periglacial environments are of major importance for understanding and reconstructing modern and past climatic and environmental change. This course will examine glacial and periglacial processes in modern-day settings and show how this knowledge can be used to reconstruct past glacial and periglacial environments. Examples will be referenced from the British Isles and around the world.
Aims
The unit aims to: -
- Examine the role of glacial and periglacial processes in wider environmental change
- Evaluate processes leading to the development of glacial and periglacial landforms
- Explore approaches used to reconstruct past climate and environmental conditions from glacial and periglacial geomorphology
- Consider the glacial history of the British Isles and beyond (including international examples) as a means of understanding present-day landscapes and resources.
Syllabus
- Introduction
- Glaciers and Climate
- Glacial erosion, transport and deposition
- Glacial geomorphological mapping
- Glacial reconstruction
- Fieldtrip
- Lowland glaciation
- Upland glaciation
- Periglaciation
- Conclusions
Teaching and learning methods
Total: 30 hours
3 : 2 Lecture : Non-lecture ratio
Lectures (18 hours)
Seminars (6 hours)
Field teaching (6 hours)
Knowledge and understanding
- Explain the significance of glacial and periglacial processes in global environmental change
- Evaluate the processes leading to the development of glacial and periglacial sediments and landforms
- Evaluate current understanding of the glacial history of the British Isles and elsewhere around the world
Intellectual skills
- Summarise the place of specialised glaciological knowledge within the wider context of global change
- Critically evaluate debates and arguments from academic literature
- Source and review examples and case studies from published work
Practical skills
- Show how a range of methodological techniques can be used to reconstruct changes in past environmental conditions from glacial and periglacial evidence
- Demonstrate an ability to reconstruct glaciers from the glacial geomorphological record
- Use glacial reconstruction techniques to determine changes in temperature and / or precipitation through time
Transferable skills and personal qualities
- Demonstrate an ability to compile a clear and concise report on a practical exercise
- Develop written and visual presentation skills
- Employ basic spreadsheet datasets and formulae to manipulate numerical data
Assessment methods
SUMMATIVE ASSESSEMENT
Assessment Type Coursework
Open Book Unseen Exam | Length 2000 words
1.5 hours | Feedback Within 15 working days
Feedback on exam scripts following the exam period
| Weighting 67%
33% |
| Formative Assessment Task | Length (word count/time) | How and when feedback is provided | |
| Reconstruct a glacier and the climate conditions required to sustain that glacier | 2 hours | In-person during seminar |
|
Recommended reading
Introductory texts (further reading provided each week of the course):
Benn & Evans (2010) Glaciers and glaciation. Arnold: London.
Bennett & Glasser (2009) Glacial geology: ice sheets and landforms. Chichester: Wiley.
Study hours
| Scheduled activity hours | |
|---|---|
| Fieldwork | 6 |
| Lectures | 18 |
| Seminars | 6 |
| Independent study hours | |
|---|---|
| Independent study | 170 |
Teaching staff
| Staff member | Role |
|---|---|
| Christopher Darvill | Unit coordinator |