Welcome to Dual Honours Human Geography

Lau_Lisa Hello Human Geographers!

We are very pleased to welcome you to Keele, and look forward to your joining our academic community, and to 3 happy years of working together. Below are a few pieces of information you will need for your first week of the first semester. As far as Human Geography is concerned, there are 3 important dates and appointments you need to make a note of and ensure you attend in Week 1:

  1. Monday 30th September 12-1pm: Human Geography Induction Lecture 2013, in WSB 0.05. Please do ensure you are present for this welcome and introductory lecture as much vital information will be conveyed at this lecture which you will not want to miss out on. I will explain your programme in detail then. Bring along a pen and notebook of course, to jot things down.

    (The William Smith Building (WSB) is easy to find in the heart of campus just up the hill from the shops and the University Library.)
  2. Tuesday 1st October 1.30-3.30: The Human Geography one-to-one interview with the program director – information on exact times will be confirmed in the Monday Induction Lecture. Venue: WSB 1.29 We will make all the arrangements for your classes in Human Geography at that time.

    On entering WSB, go up the steps directly in front of the entrance, turn right, follow the corridor to the next set of stairs, go up the stairs and my office is on the long corridor to your right.)
  3. Friday 28th September 10am-1pm: Becoming a Human Geographer in WSB 1.44. This interactive session will contain a combination of social and formal academic activities. Please do ensure you attend so as not to miss key pieces of information that will set you up for your entire degree.

For additional information, you will find useful documents and links that tell you a little more about being a student at Keele on the University Welcome Web, a very useful resource providing insights into most aspects of Keele University. Do also have a look at the rest of our website. (You may even want to look up the Human Geography Year 1 Handbook.)

I hope that you will find Human Geography at Keele enjoyable and rewarding. The staff are always be on hand to help, so if you have any questions or want any help at any time, please just ask. If you have any questions in the meanwhile, you could begin by getting in touch with me directly (l.lau@keele.ac.uk, 01782-733613) or contacting Mrs Stef Everill, the course administrator, in the Geography Office (s.everill@ keele.ac.uk, 01782- 734307).

Have a good summer, and I look forward to meeting you in September.

Regards,

Dr. Lisa Lau

Many students like to prepare in advance for their degrees by pulling together some useful items which they will use throughout the course. These include items ranging from simple stationary to core textbooks referred to in the lecture modules. Although the library will stock these texts you may wish to buy your own. Amazon or Abebooks (for 2nd hand copies) are probably the best places to find these.

These are the most important items:

  • A diary for noting appointments, essay deadlines, etc. You should carry your diary with you to all lectures, classes and meetings with tutors.
  • The core Human Geography textbooks. These will be useful in both 1st and 2nd years.
    • Cloke, P. et al (Eds) (2005) “Introducing Human Geographies (2nd edition)”  Arnold, London.
    • Daniels, P. et al (Eds) (2005) “Human Geography Issues for 21st Century (2nd edition)”  Prentice Hall.
    • P. Knox and S. Marston, (2007) Human geography. Places and Regions in Global Context.(4th Edition). Longman.
  • An encyclopaedic dictionary of Human Geography. These prove invaluable when searching for definitions, wider reading etc:
    • Johnston , R.J. (Ed.) (2000) “The Dictionary of Human Geography (4th Edition)” (Blackwell)
  • The recommended essay-writing / study skills textbook, useful throughout all years of your degree course:
    • Knight, P.G. and Parsons, T. (2003) "How to do your essays, exams and coursework in geography and related disciplines" (Routledge)  ISBN: 0748766766
  • An Atlas. There are plenty of good (and inexpensive) Atlases available, such as:
    • “Philip’s World Atlas”(2005) (Philip’s)  ISBN: 0540087416
  • An electronic calculator (with basic scientific functions).
  • Basic stationery including a stapler, a hole-punch, paper, ring-binders, etc.

These are some useful documents and links that tell you a little more about being a student at Keele

  1. DHons Human Geog Course Handbook 13-14‌
  2. University Welcome Web – a very useful resource providing insights into most aspects of Keele University