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ESC-20084 - Module Specification
School of Geography, Geology and the Environment
Faculty of Natural Sciences

For academic year: 2021/22 Last Updated: 16 February 2022

ESC-20084 - Geology and Society
Coordinator: Jamie K Pringle Room: WSF13 Tel: +44 1782 7 33163
Lecture Time: See Timetable...
Level: Level 5
Credits: 30
Study Hours: 300
School Office: 01782 733615

Programme/Approved Electives for 2021/22

None

Available as a Free Standing Elective

No

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2021/22

In this module you will learn about the essential contributions of geology to the economic, sustainable, environmental and cultural needs of society. It includes the use of applied geophysics in forensic and police searches and the influence of geology in major historical events. It also covers the benefits to society of geodiversity and geoconservation, the sustainability of geological resources and the causes and impacts of geological hazards on an increasing global population. The module includes practical applications of geoscience and a field course examining aspects of geoconservation and communicating geological issues to the general public.

Aims
This module aims to develop an awareness of the essential contributions of geology to the economic, environmental and cultural needs of society. It provides advanced knowledge & understanding of aspects of applied geoscience in forensic, historical, geodiversity, resource and geohazard contexts.

Talis Aspire Reading List
Any reading lists will be provided by the start of the course.
http://lists.lib.keele.ac.uk/modules/esc-20084/lists

Intended Learning Outcomes

demonstrate applied geoscience techniques that are utilised in the area of forensic investigations and evaluate their limitations, as well as describe the relevance of geology to a variety of historical applications: 1
work effectively as part of a student-led team to solve a geoscientific problem within a limited time frame: 2
use oral presentation, technical writing, numeracy, graphical and computing skills in the context of critically describing forensic and historical geology, geodiversity features and geological resources: 3
demonstrate, critically evaluate and apply awareness and informed concern of Earth science challenges in the exploration for, and the development and exploitation of, Earth resources; geohazards and their impacts on human societies; and the importance of geoscience in meeting the UN Sustainable Development Goals: 4,5

Study hours

Lectures 20 hours
Workshops 40 hours
Practicals 36 hours
Fieldwork 9 hours
Independent study 195 hours

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment

1: Report weighted 25%
Historical Geology Report
Development of 2,500-word individual technical report on selected historical case study.

2: Group Project weighted 25%
Applied Geoforensics Group Project
Student-led, small-group problem-solving outdoor practical technical report.

3: Assignment weighted 10%
Geology Resources Presentation
Submission of a Swaylink and a five-minute audio file on geological resources.

4: Portfolio weighted 20%
Geoconservation Portfolio
Geoconservation site condition monitoring form and site display board poster from field site (2,000 words equivalent).

5: Report weighted 20%
Geoscience & Society
2,000 word report on the importance of geoscience in one of more of the UN SDG's.

Please note that for the 2021/22 Academic Year all programmes will be adapted to operate in accordance with a flexible, digital approach. This means that there will be some changes made to how modules are delivered and assessed. The latest information will be provided to you by your School in module handbooks. We endeavour to give you as much notice as possible of any changes and details about the circumstance in which changes are made to programmes can be found in the Student Agreement, available at: https://www.keele.ac.uk/student-terms-and-conditions/

Last Updated: 16 February 2022