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GEOG10100

Academic Year 2026/2027

People, Places, Regions (GEOG10100)

Subject:
Geography
College:
Social Sciences & Law
School:
Geography
Level:
1 (Introductory)
Credits:
5
Module Coordinator:
Ms Rachel Bayer
Trimester:
Spring
Mode of Delivery:
On Campus
Internship Module:
No
How will I be graded?
Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

People, Places, Regions introduces students to the field of Human Geography, which is the study of the dynamic relations between people and places. In this module, our aim is to gain an understanding of such complex processes as globalization and development, and the regional disparities in prosperity and inequality that result from these. The discussion will evolve around the three main themes of economic, political, and social actions, all of which significantly shape the spatial organization of human activities. The module will present a general overview of the discipline, provide the opportunity to develop independent critical thinking skills, and offer insight into practical skills and tools that can be applied to a wide range of research settings. Overall, People, Places, Regions supplies the foundation for further, more topic specific, modules that focus on the spatial analysis of political and socio-economic phenomena at later stages.

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

By the end of this module, students will:
1. Be familiar with major concepts and approaches in contemporary human geography;
2. Understand the aspects that shape the spatial organization of economic, political, and social processes in an increasingly globalized world; and
3. Have developed critical reading and writing skills.

Indicative Module Content:

Issues relating to:

Population Growth and Distribution
Food Security
Urbanisation
Place Creation
Political Discourse
Interpreting Landscape

UNESCO highlights a set of key competencies that support individuals in their development and support society in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UCD has adapted these competencies and is combining them with others to form a general framework of learning competencies. This module will help you develop the competencies below to the levels specified. 
Learning Competency Additional Information Level

Collaboration

 The ability to learn from others; to understand and respect the needs, perspectives and actions of others (empathy); to understand, relate to and be sensitive to others (empathic leadership); to deal with conflicts in a group; and to facilitate collaborative and participatory problem solving. Advanced Beginner

Critical Thinking

 The ability to question norms, practices and opinions; to reflect on one’s own values, perceptions and actions. Advanced Beginner

Systems Thinking

 The ability to recognize and understand relationships; to analyse complex systems; to think of how systems are embedded within different domains and different scales; and to deal with uncertainty. Advanced Beginner

Strategic

 The ability to collectively develop and implement innovative actions that further sustainability at the local level and further afield. Novice

Integrated Problem Solving

 The overarching ability to apply different problem-solving frameworks to complex sustainability problems and develop viable, inclusive and equitable solution options that promote sustainable development, integrating the competencies in this list. Novice

Self-awareness

 The ability to reflect on one’s own role in the local community and (global) society; to continually evaluate and further motivate one’s actions; and to deal with one’s feelings and desires. Advanced Beginner

Normative

 The ability to understand and reflect on the norms and values that underlie one’s actions; and to negotiate values, principles, goals, and targets, in a context of conflicts of interest and trade-offs, uncertain knowledge and contradictions. Advanced Beginner

Anticipatory

 The ability to understand and evaluate multiple scenarios for the future – possible, probable and desirable; to create one’s own visions for the future; to apply the precautionary principle; to assess the consequences of actions; and to deal with risks and changes. Advanced Beginner

Wellbeing

 Wellbeing is having the resources and skills to meet life's challenges, including attributes such as personal development skills, resilience, stress management, strengths, lifestyle skills, nutrition, physical activity, sleep, alcohol/substance use, academic skills, time management, goal setting, interpersonal skills, group work, communication. Novice

The United Nations identified seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as core to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and UCD contributes in general to SDG 4 Quality Education. Further SDGs explored within this module if relevant are listed below. A scale of 1 - 5 indicates the extent to which the SDG is covered.


Goal Name Description Coverage

End poverty in all its forms everywhere 2

End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture 2

Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages 2

Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all 2

Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls 2

Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all 1

Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all 1

Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all 2

Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation 1

Reduce inequality within and among countries 2

Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable 2

Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns 1

Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts 2

Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development 1

Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss 1

Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels 2

Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development 1
 

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

24
Tutorial

3
Autonomous Student Learning

73
Total

100

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Key learning & teaching approaches: formal lectures, tutorial activities, class discussion, critical writing

Academic Integrity is one of the core values in academic activity. You are expected to be familiar with UCD’s policies governing student affairs and conduct, including plagiarism. Plagiarism is a serious violation of university codes on academic integrity, this includes plagiarising material from the web, printed sources, other students’ work, or any other source.

Use of Artificial Intelligence: This module operates under the RED LIGHT approach for use of AI, meaning that AI tools are prohibited for generating paragraphs of text submitted as the student's own, producing citations, uploading identifiable or restricted data to any AI system, or generating substantive concepts, designs or assignment structures.

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 

Assessment Strategy
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade In Module Component Repeat Offered
Assignment(Including Essay): Assessment / Essay Week 12 Graded No
45
 No
Participation in Learning Activities: Participation in tutorial activities - 3 Tutorials will take place Week 4, Week 6, Week 11 Graded No
15
 No
Exam (In-person): Two MCQ exams Week 6, Week 12 Standard conversion grade scale 40% No
40
 No

Carry forward of passed components
No
 

Resit In Terminal Exam
Autumn No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment
• Online automated feedback

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Group feedback on MCQs, Feedback in Tutorials, One-on-one feedback available with (a) tutor and (b) module co-ordinator

Name Role
Dr Jeremy Auerbach Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Dr Geoff Boyce Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Dr Silvia Loi Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Professor Rosana Pinheiro-Machado Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Dr Jonathan Turner Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Rachel Bayer Tutor
Ms Sarah Foudy Tutor
Dr Hannah Gould Tutor
Xiaolin Lao Tutor
Ozgur Oguz Tutor

Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
Spring Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 20, 21, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 31, 32, 33 Mon 10:00 - 10:50
Spring Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Tues 15:00 - 15:50
Spring Tutorial Offering 1 Week(s) - 23, 25, 32 Mon 11:00 - 11:50
Spring Tutorial Offering 2 Week(s) - 23, 25, 32 Mon 13:00 - 13:50
Spring Tutorial Offering 3 Week(s) - 23, 25, 32 Mon 14:00 - 14:50
Spring Tutorial Offering 4 Week(s) - 23, 25, 32 Mon 15:00 - 15:50
Spring Tutorial Offering 5 Week(s) - 23, 25, 32 Tues 10:00 - 10:50
Spring Tutorial Offering 6 Week(s) - 23, 25, 32 Tues 11:00 - 11:50
Spring Tutorial Offering 7 Week(s) - 23, 25, 32 Tues 12:00 - 12:50
Spring Tutorial Offering 8 Week(s) - 23, 25, 32 Tues 13:00 - 13:50
Spring Tutorial Offering 9 Week(s) - 23, 25, 32 Wed 12:00 - 12:50
Spring Tutorial Offering 10 Week(s) - 23, 25, 32 Wed 10:00 - 10:50
Spring Tutorial Offering 11 Week(s) - 23, 25, 32 Tues 14:00 - 14:50
Spring Tutorial Offering 12 Week(s) - 23, 25, 32 Wed 13:00 - 13:50
Spring Tutorial Offering 13 Week(s) - 23, 25, 32 Wed 14:00 - 14:50
Spring Tutorial Offering 15 Week(s) - 23, 25, 32 Thurs 10:00 - 10:50
Spring Tutorial Offering 16 Week(s) - 23, 25, 32 Thurs 11:00 - 11:50
Spring Tutorial Offering 17 Week(s) - 23, 25, 32 Thurs 12:00 - 12:50
Spring Tutorial Offering 18 Week(s) - 23, 25, 32 Thurs 13:00 - 13:50
Spring Tutorial Offering 20 Week(s) - 23, 25, 32 Thurs 14:00 - 14:50
Spring Tutorial Offering 21 Week(s) - 23, 25, 32 Wed 11:00 - 11:50
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