Module Identifier GG25410  
Module Title THE RISE AND FALL OF DISTANCE  
Academic Year 2003/2004  
Co-ordinator Dr Robert J Mayhew  
Semester Semester 1  
Other staff Dr Rhys A Jones  
Course delivery Lecture   20 Hours 10 x 2 hour  
  Practical   Practicals / Field Days. Two local field visits  
Assessment
Assessment TypeAssessment Length/DetailsProportion
Semester Exam2 Hours A two-hour unseen examination. Answer two from four questions.100%
Supplementary Exam2 Hours Same format i.e. answer two from four questions.100%

Learning outcomes

On completion of this module students will be able to:

a) describe the emergence, development and key contemporary research agendas in historical geography.
b) discuss in an informed manner the diverse and changing meaning of distance.
c) outline and critically evaluate the diversity of methodological approaches available for the study of historical geography.
d) show evidence of the depth of their reading and their ability to marshall an argument in written form.

Brief description

The module introduces students to the sub-discipline of historical geography through an exploration of the changing meanings of geographical distance. A world where self-sufficient societies predominated and distance had limited meaning, was gradually supplanted by or incorporated into a world where rank or status was linked to command over distance. In more recent times, revolutions in transport and communication have been associated with the uneven democratisation of distance. The module considers the consequences of this for human sentiments of identity and otherness, which are seen as reciprocal, multi-layered and contingent. Current attempts to conserve vernacular cultures and material objects are examined. The scope of the module is global but many of the examples and the case studies will be drawn from Britain and continental Europe. Students will be introduced to themes and sources of evidence which have potential for dissertation research.

Aims

To provide an overview of the changing meanings of geographical distance across the span of human history, and through that, to introduce current research themes in historical geography.

Reading Lists

Books
** Recommended Text
Butlin, R.A. and Dodgshon, R.A. (eds) (1998) An Historical Geography of Europe. Oxford
Graham, B. and Nash, C. (2000) Modern Historical Geographies Pearson Education ISBN 0-582-35779-9
Hugill, P. (1993) World Trade since 1431: Geography, Technology and Capitalism. Baltimore
Langton, J. (1984) The industrial revolution and the regional geography of England. 9th. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers NS
Vance, J.E. (1986) Capturing the Horizon: the Historical Geography of Transportation since the Transportation Revolution in the Sixteenth Century. New York.

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 5