Module Aims
The module aims to provide a robust philosophical and conceptual framework of the common heritage of the discipline of Geography together with a specialist appreciation of the knowledge, skills and understanding necessary to contextualise geographical research in either physical or human geography.

Module objectives / Learning outcomes
On completion of this module students will be able to:

a) describe the historical, philosophical and methodological development of the discipline of Geography from a number of key perspectives

b) evaluate the appropriateness of different conceptual and methodological approaches for undertaking research in Geography.

Module description
This module reviews the key methodological and philosophical developments in geography and explores the ways in which these have been used in geographical research. It is divided into three sections:

Section 1
Lectures 1-4, discuss the intellectual heritage of Geography as a discipline prior to 1950 and is followed by all students.

Section 2
Lectures 5-10, develop two parallel streams of intellectual development in the subject - as a natural science and as a social science. B.Sc students follow a series of laboratory-based case studies which examine themes such as 'position fixing', the 'analysis of extreme events' and methodologiesfor field enquiries in physical geography: while B.A. students undertake a lecture and seminar programme examining the theoretical and methodological development of human geography from positivist spatial science to recent post-positivist perspectives.

Section 3
Lectures 11-12, unite the year group in an exploration of the continuing engagement of geographers with the themes of sustainability and policy relevant research.