Postgraduate Programme and Module Handbook 2026-2027
Module GEOG41915: Climate and Environmental Change Past and Present
Department: Geography
GEOG41915: Climate and Environmental Change Past and Present
| Type | Open | Level | 4 | Credits | 15 | Availability | Available in 2026/2027 | Module Cap |
|---|
Prerequisites
- None
Corequisites
- None
Excluded Combination of Modules
- None
Aims
- Equip students with understanding of how environmental processes have changed in the past in response to climate change and continue to do so at present
- Outline and evaluate different methods used to investigate past environments and how they have responded to climate change
- Consider how an understanding of past environments can be used to understand the present
Content
- Understanding how environmental processes have responded to previous climates (e.g. past warm periods) is key for assessing current conditions, and for predicting how future climate change might alter environmental processes and thus environmental hazards. This module will demonstrate how historical, and palaeo-records provide critical archives of environmental processes and their response to climate variations. This module will assess how a range of different records are produced and analysed, and how they can be interpreted to understand current processes.
- Indicative content
- The module starts with an introduction to how climate has evolved over Earth’s history, and is then centred around a set of case studies that may include:
- ice-sheet dynamics and sea-level change during past warm periods
- ocean currents and circulation
- sea level and coastal evolution
- earthquakes
- landslides and mass movements
- extreme events (e.g. flooding, heat, drought)
- terrestrial and marine ecosystem changes
Learning Outcomes
Subject-specific Knowledge:
- Links between climate change and environmental processes.
- Techniques and methods used to reconstruct past environmental processes.
- How understanding of past processes can be used to interpret current processes
Subject-specific Skills:
- Critical evaluation of different types of past environmental data and data collection methods.
- Analysis of past environmental data.
- Interpretation of past environmental data and its implications for understanding the present.
Key Skills:
- Critical thinking and problem solving
- Written and other communication
- Ability to analyse, synthesis and evaluate different sources of data
Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module
- This module will be delivered by the Department of Geography
Teaching Methods and Learning Hours
| Activity | Number | Frequency | Duration | Total/Hours | Attendance Monitored |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lectures | 8 | Weekly | 1 hour | 8 | |
| Practicals | 8 | Weekly | 1 hour | 8 | Yes ■ |
| Fieldwork | 1 | Once | 8 hours | 8 | Yes ■ |
| Preparation and Reading | 1 | 126 | |||
| Total | 150 |
Summative Assessment
| Component: Report | Component Weighting: 100% | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Element | Length / duration | Element Weighting | Resit Opportunity |
| Report | 6 x A4 pages | 100% | |
Formative Assessment:
Formative feedback will be provided through practical sessions and could include comments on a report plan and/or draft report.
■ Students who do not attend monitored activities shown under Teaching Methods and Learning Hours, or who fail to complete the summative or formative assessment(s) specified above, may be subject to the Academic Progress procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University.