GEG-30014 - Module Specification
School of Geography, Geology and the Environment
Faculty of Natural Sciences

Programme/Approved Electives for 2024/25

Available as a Free Standing Elective

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites for this module.

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2024/25

This module was described by Geographical Magazine as one of "the most unique modules available to undergraduate geography students", and was awarded funding from the Royal Geographical Society for the dissemination of new ideas from University Geography into A-level course development. The module is appropriate for students from all areas of Geography including the Physical, Human and Integrated Geography degree routes, but should appeal particularly to students who want to broaden their outlook on Geography to incorporate new topics and new ideas in the final stages of their degree programme. Many of our case studies come from cultural media such as poetry, music and cinema, and we use those to set geographical ideas of "landscape" into a broader cultural context.
The idea of landscape is at the heart of Geography. This module explores landscape from a variety of different perspectives to see how core concepts in Geography tie together in the context of this overarching theme. Marcel Proust, in his novel "In Search of Lost Time", wrote that the true voyage of discovery involves not seeing new lands but seeing through new eyes and seeing through the eyes of different people. In this module we look at landscape both through geographers' eyes and through the eyes of artists, poets, explorers, novelists and composers. The assessment is partly project-based, and students can submit work either as a conventional written report or in a multimedia format. Students are free to tie the project directly to their own interests in areas such as music, film or literature or to adopt a more traditional geomorphological, historical, cultural or applied approach to landscape. The module encourages students to explore the boundaries of the discipline of Geography, both internal (for example between scientific and aesthetic geographical writing and between physical and human geography) and external (for example where geography meets the creative arts).

To explore relationships between the geographical environment and human creativity in both academic geography and popular culture, examining the ways in which landscape can be inspirational through the analysis of contrasting representations of specific landscapes in academic sources and in cultural media such as literature, film and music.
To provide a cross-disciplinary module that enables students to explore the boundaries of the discipline of Geography and showcases Keele's innovative and engaging approach to the subject, offering students the opportunity to combine weekly session-based learning with a substantial piece of independent project work.

Intended Learning Outcomes

compare and critically evaluate a range of different approaches to the analysis and appreciation of landscape based on representations of landscape in both academic sources and popular cultural media such as music, poetry, cinema and fine art: 2
initiate and carry out a project that explores in depth, and communicates in an appropriate geographical style with reference to geographical concepts, the inspirational significance of landscape in geography and/or popular cultural media: recognize and comment upon important themes, connections and characters in the history of the study and appreciation of landscape: 2

Study hours

24 hours live-class contact (interactive lectures and group discussion)
48 hours structured engagement with tutor-provided resources
24 hours independent reading and reflection
44 hours researching and producing coursework project (Ass 1)
10 hours researching and completing workbook exercise (Ass 2)

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment