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Engineering, Mathematics and Science
149
Geography
Students who wish to study Geography apply to the
Science degree (TR071) and may select Geography as
their specialist area for the 3rd and 4th years.
Junior Freshman (first) year prerequisite: Geography 1021
and/or Geography 1022
Senior Freshman (second year) prerequisite: Geography
GG2021 and GG2022.
For details of the first two years of the Science course,
including entry requirements, see page 140.
Alternatively, Geography may be combined with one other
subject from an arts or social science discipline within the
two-subject moderatorship (TSM) programme. TSM is a
joint honor programme. An honors degree is awarded in
both subjects. For subjects that combine with Geography,
see page 36.
See also:
TR029: Political science and geography, page 102
TR077: Earth sciences, page 161
Why study Geography?
Geography is truly interdisciplinary as it spans a broad spectrum
of the social, biological, informational and physical sciences. As
the world becomes interconnected geographers are well placed
to bring their understanding and skills to bear on social and
environmental issues. An important attribute of geographers,
and one that is highly regarded in the workplace, is their ability
to combine multidisciplinary knowledge with a wide range of
transferable skills, including critical thinking, report-writing,
numeracy and IT-literacy. These can be applied to careers
which directly incorporate a geographic dimension, such as
environmental consultancy or urban planning, and to wider areas
such as business and public service.
Course content
The Junior Freshman (first year) Geography course aims to
provide a solid grounding in physical geography, focusing on
materials that are dealt with in greater depth in later years.
All students take ‘Geography 1021’ which considers the following
themes:
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Climate change
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Global atmospheric and ocean systems
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Global geoecology
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Global geosystems
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Surface processes and landscape development
In addition, students may select to take ‘Geography 1022’ which
introduces key concepts relating to the interactions between
humans and their environment by examining case studies
from the fields of conservation, environmental degradation and
environmental hazards.
In the first year, as students study geography in combination
with other subjects, they attend an average of four lectures
per module per week. The Senior Freshman (second year)
geography modules cover issues relating to cultural, economic
and historical geography, and to natural and human-modified
environmental processes and systems. Research skills are
developed further through a course on collection and analysis
of geographical data which includes a fieldwork component.
The Sophister years
There are four compulsory modules (5 credits each) in Junior
Sophister (third) year:
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Advanced research methods in geography I
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Advanced research methods in geography II (which includes
an overseas fieldtrip)
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Geographic information: data & tools
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History and philosophy of geography
There are also additional optional modules (5 credits each)
covering a wide range of subjects that include:
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Coastal processes and management I and II
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Globalisation
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Hydrology
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Quaternary environmental change and climate
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Environmental governance 1
For their Senior Sophister (fourth) year, students undertake a
research dissertation and choose from optional modules that
include:
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Climate change
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Human origins
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Globalisation and development
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Historical geography I and II
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Hydrology
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Property development, urban planning and the state
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Glacial geomorphology
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Reconstructing environmental change
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Understanding environmental change
Several of the Sophister year options require field and laboratory
work. Students may also opt to take a number of courses
outside geography in their Sophister years.
Assessment
A combination of continuous assessment and end-of-year
examination is used.
Study abroad
There are opportunities for students to spend all or part of the
third year studying abroad at Exeter, Bordeaux, Paris, Utrecht or
Stockholm universities.
Did you know?
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Trinity College Dublin is ranked 40th in the world in
Geography (by the QS World University Rankings 2011).