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GEG-10023 - Module Specification
School of Life Sciences
Faculty of Natural Sciences

For academic year: 2026/27 Last Updated: 16 September 2026

GEG-10023 - Roots and Future: exploring sustainable places
Coordinator: Clare Holdsworth Tel: +44 1782 7 33167
Lecture Time:
Level: Level 4
Credits: 15
Study Hours: 150
School Office: 01782 734414

Programme/Approved Electives for 2026/27

None

Available as a Free Standing Elective

No

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2026/27

In this module, you will explore sustainability through the geographical concept of place. Using Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire as a living laboratory, you will take part in fieldwork, collect and analyse real-world data, and investigate how local histories, environments, economics and communities shape sustainability challenges and opportunities. You will also explore how geographers use frameworks such as Doughnut Economics to understand sustainability and evaluate whether initiatives can be transferred between different places.

Aims
This module introduces students to geographical understandings of place and sustainability. Using Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire as a living laboratory, students will explore how local histories, environments, economics and communities shape sustainability challenges and opportunities. Through fieldwork, data analysis and case studies, students will examine how sustainability is experienced and enacted in place and why effective sustainability action requires place-based approaches.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Explain why place-based approaches are important for understanding and addressing sustainability challenges: 1,2
Describe how historical, environmental, social and economic characteristics shape sustainability challenges and opportunities in different places: 1,2
Explain key concepts and frameworks used to understand sustainability in geographical contexts: 1
Collect, interpret and communicate geographical information using field observations and secondary data sources: 1
Work collaboratively to develop and communicate place-based sustainability proposals using appropriate presentation formats: 2

Study hours

Active learning:
7 x 2hour teaching sessions = 14 hours
Self guided field excursion in Stoke-on-Trent = 4 hours
Secondary data analysis workshop: 2 hours
Powerpoint training and groupwork preparation workshops = 4 hours
Engagement with online materials relating to case studies, one per teaching session = 7 hours
Independent study hours:
Group project work = 30 hours
Individual project research and write-up = 60 hours
Reading and general preparation for assessments = 29 hours

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment

1: Report weighted 60%
Field report
Students will produce an individual report based on field observations from Stoke-upon-Trent and relevant secondary data sources. The report will examine economic, environmental, social and cultural dimensions of sustainability and consider how place-based characteristics shape sustainability challenges and opportunities. Word count: 2,000 word

2: Group Assessment weighted 40%
Group project on transferable sustainability project
Students will work in groups to produce a recorded presentation exploring the transferability of a sustainability initiative between places. Presentations will either examine how a sustainability initiative from Staffordshire or Stoke-on-Trent could be applied elsewhere, or how an initiative from another location could be adapted to Staffordshire or Stoke-on-Trent. Students should demonstrate understanding of place-based approaches to sustainability and consider how local characteristics influence the implementation of sustainability solutions. Alternative arrangements will be available where group work forms part of an agreed reasonable adjustment. Recorded presentations will be maximum 10 minutes.

The University undertakes a continuous review of its teaching and research provision to ensure programmes are of a high quality and changes may be made to modules where it is necessary and reasonable to do so. Please be aware that minor changes to modules, such as a change to an individual assessment, can occur up until enrolment, although we endeavour to give you as much notice as possible of any changes. 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/legalgovernancecompliance/governance/actcharterstatutesordinancesandregulations/studenttermsconditions/

Last Updated: 16 September 2026