Fieldwork is compulsory in the second year for single honours students and is encouraged for joint honours students. Additionally it provides students with opportunities to talk informally and work with staff over an extended period. Seminars are student-led and centre on directed reading and discussion. Based on reading, students are required to pre- pare and present their ideas to the seminar for open discussion. This teaching method is normally employed in our third year courses, with seminar groups usually comprising a maximum of 12 participants.
Research projects are an important part of all three years.
Whilst practical research experience is gained on field trips and in the methods and problem-solving courses in the first and second years, students are also encouraged to carry out their own research for tutorials and seminars. Research skills are seen as an essential element of a university degree and all our students are encouraged to undertake their own work, guided by their tutors and course teachers. Many courses involve small-scale research projects as a means of strengthening research skills and deepening student knowledge of particular issues in the course. Computer-based practicals are a means of acquiring and improving important transferable skills, such as word processing, spreadsheet design and database management. Training starts in the first year Methods in Geographical Analysis course with the assumption of no prior knowledge of computers.