GEOG30300 Social/Population Geography

Academic Year 2021/2022

Social and population geographies offer different but complementary explorations of core issues affecting our present and past worlds. Taking as the focus societies and populations, this module offers students the opportunity to explore how where we are matters to how we are born, the life we lead and our death. Bringing ideas to life through both scholarly engagements with concepts and practical activities, students will have the opportunity to focus on their areas of interest. Engaging with key contemporary and historical issues in social and population geographies, students will be encouraged to work in groups and develop research skills that help us to understand the world around us. Engaging key scholars, students will investigate local, national, development and world population issues. Overall, students will use a spatial lens to critically interrogate population and social geographies, developing an understanding of populations and societies as created through statistics and power relations.

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Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

On successful completion of this module, students will:
-have an understanding of ideas and issues in social and population geographies.
-have a broad awareness of methods in these areas.
- be able apply this conceptual knowledge and practical tools to analyse their choice of a current social and/or population issue.
- work effectively within a group.

Indicative Module Content:

BLOCK 1: INTRODUCTION AND KEY CONCEPTS
BLOCK 2: MIGRATION/RACE
BLOCK 3: FERTILITY/GENDER & SEXUALITY
BLOCK 4: DATA AND POLICIES
BLOCK 5: PROJECT REPORT TUTORIALS AND HAND IN

Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Small Group

4

Autonomous Student Learning

78

Online Learning

18

Total

100

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Please note that delivery will change in relation to public health guidelines. T All updates will be located on Brightspace and students will be kept up to date.


Where possible a blended module will be offered. For the first 3 weeks, the module will run online, after this, students will be asked for their preferences as to lecture delivery and group tutorials.
Lectures: Lectures will delivered online during timetabled slots. These will include discussions and a Q&A feature. Students will be able to engage in online class discussions. Only the taught elements of these lectures will be recorded and located on Brightspace to download. The exercises undertaken in class will also be put on Brightspace to enable those who cannot attend to participate in them. Students are expected to attend/watch all lectures and engage with all materials put online.
Assessed Activities will be supported by online videos and they are fully detailed under the assessment tab and in the module guide document.
Engagement: Each block – students will be offered the opportunity to directly engage with the lecturers via the lectures and Brightspace. This will include in-class discussions, lecture Q&A's, discussion boards, options of office hours and discussion group options within your groups.
Project report tutorials: in the final two weeks, students will be offered the opportunity to meet with Prof. Kath Browne in groups to discuss their project reports.
Groups: Students are actively encouraged to work in groups, within and beyond the group assignment. Groups will be assigned in week 2, and communications should be on Brightspace to allow the module co-ordinator to check if there are any issues with regards to the distribution and undertaking of the work assigned.
Peer review- it is advised that you read assignments between your group and offer each other comments on improvements, in line with the guidance given for each assignment.
It is recommended, but not compulsory, that groups work together on all activities, and then each individual completes the activity independently. You will be in a better position to deliver on all assignments, not just the group one, if you work collaboratively in a group. For example, the group could all choose a different reading around the same area for activity 2. Then each member of the group could discuss how they are going to undertake the reading. Once the reading has been done, the group could then meet to discuss each reading and what they can learn from it to support their project report writing.
It is expected that groups will work remotely and communications on Brightspace show me who has engaged or not. Brightspace communications will be used to evidence group involvement and may mean that members of groups get different marks.
 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Open Book Exam Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade
Group Project: Group work 1,000-1,500 words plus appendix documents and evidence of group work Week 9 n/a Graded No

25

Project: 2000 word social or population geography research project, with assessed appendices Week 12 n/a Graded No

50

Portfolio: Activity 2: All assignments will be detailed in the module handbook and on Brightspace Week 5 n/a Graded No

20

Portfolio: Activity 1. All activities outlined in week by week guide with full details on Brightspace Week 3 n/a Pass/Fail Grade Scale No

5


Carry forward of passed components
No
 
Resit In Terminal Exam
Spring 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

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

- Group feedback on common issues arising from the written assignments will be provided on brightspace. - Timely individualised feedback will be provided on written assignments. - Students are welcome to meet with the module coordinator during office hours (virutally) if more detailed feedback / further clarification is required. Please note: The UCD standard for feedback is within 20 working days, i.e. 5 weeks. We will endeavour to return assignments that are completed on time within 2-3 weeks, and where possible before the next assignment is due. Assignments handed in late will be subject to University timescales. This may mean that if you hand in your assignment late, another assignment will need to be completed, before the original one is marked. This will also be the case with the final project report, i.e. if you complete the assignments late, you may not have feedback in time to use it for your final project report.

Name Role
Professor Kath Browne Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Mr William Durkan Lecturer / Co-Lecturer