Geography - Undergraduate course

Geography 1

GEOG I 1000 

Geography I is a self-contained unit aimed at both those students intending to major in the discipline, and at those taking it only as a single credit. The first year programme offers new perspectives on the importance of geography to a wide range of contemporary issues. The fields of study covered relate to aspects of both physical and human geography and a strong emphasis is placed on teaching geographical skills through practical classes and fieldtrips. The course involves four lectures per week; a weekly, three-hour, practical session in the afternoon and a weekly, group tutorial. Postgraduate students assist with tutorials and practicals.

Your course co-ordinator is Cheryl Chamberlain - her office is Room BP 012.

You can contact Cheryl via email cheryl.chamberlain@wits.ac.za or phone (011) 717 6514 . It's the course co-ordinator s responsibility to assist you with any questions you may have related to the course.

Course code: GEOG1000 (Geography 1000 is a full year course and is not semesterised)

There are four compulsory courses offered in Geography I (GEOG 1000):

Landscapes of Southern Africa (Jasper Knight)

This is an introductory course to physical geography and the processes that shape and modify the Earth's surface. It adopts a multi-disciplinary approach which looks at the interactions between the hydrosphere and geosphere and explains, in terms of systems theory, how the landscape is modified and the role that humans have on the geomorphic environment.

Environmental Change (Chris Curtis) 

This course seeks to develop an understanding of the history and nature of the human-environment relations sub-discipline of geography. It further develops an understanding of key environmental challenges, their human dimensions and prospects for a sustainable future. The course includes a focus on global air pollution, tropical deforestation, water resources (inland water quality, oceans and big dams) and natural hazards.

Space and Society (Gijsbert Hoogendoorn) 

The aim of this course is to provide you with an understanding of some of the concepts, definitions and debates in urban geography. This course focuses on the different processes and developments that shape cities on a global and local scale. The course includes the origins and growth of cities , regional perspectives on urbanisation and urban change, residential mobility and neighbourhood change, the economy of cities and the future of the city. There is a research component attached to this course.

Atmospheric Science (Cheryl Chamberlain)

The aim of this course is to provide you with an understanding of the concepts of climatology. This course focuses on the causes, processes and consequences of weather on both a local and global scale. The course includes the earth’s energy budget, atmospheric moisture and motion, South African weather and climate change issues.

Prescribed Book

There is no prescribed book. Each of the four courses has its own reading list

Venues and Lectures

Geography I is on the E timetable slot. There are four, 45 minute Geography I lectures, each week, at the following times:

- Mondays at 10h15 and 11h15

- Fridays at 08h00 and 09h00

Venue: CB38

Practicals

Geography I practicals take place every Wednesday afternoon, between 14h15 and 17h00 in CB228. Check the Geography I noticeboard for a list of equipment you should bring with you to the practicals.

Noticeboard

The most important source of information for students is the Geography I noticeboard which is situated on the ground floor of the Bernard Price Building. It is crucial that you consult this noticeboard as often as possible as all important announcements and notices pertaining to the Geography I course are posted here and, once up, are considered read by all students!!

Academic Development Tutorials

Students who have: no school geography

or who have English as an additional language

or who are on an extended degree

or a BSc (URP) or 5-year BA(Ed)

are required to join the Academic Development Programme (AD)

Tutorials in AD begin in the second week of the semester and you will be advised of the available times. Please choose your AD tutorial time according to the free slots on your timetable. Register for this programme by printing your full name clearly on the lists on the AD noticeboard outside Room BP 009. You are required to attend ONE tutorial per week. (This is in addition to your Geography I tutorial on Tuesdays at 12h30).

Academic Development Programme (AD)

Academic Development tutorials are offered to Geography I students who either have English as their second language or who have not studied Geography until Grade 12. All students on an extended curriculum and Urban and Regional Planning students are also requested to attend. Although the programme is voluntary, except for students on the extended curriculum and planning students, students are strongly urged to join BEFORE their problems become unmanageable. AD tutors run weekly tutorials (which supplement mainstream tutorials) and consultations on an individual and/ or group basis can be arranged. Tutorial times are displayed on the ADP noticeboard outside Room 009. The AD co-ordinator is Jonathan Linde (Room BP 011A.)

Geography II

The second year course in Geography consists of four topics.

GEOG2010 Earth and Atmospheric Processes
GEOG2011 Climate Change and Society
GEOG2012 Environmental Governance: From Local to GlobalGEOG2013 Methods, Models and GIS

NB. There is no overarching course code for Geography II. ALL students (BSc and/or BA) are required to register for all four of these topics if they would like to proceed to GEOGRAPHY III.

Students are required to attend a compulsory weekend fieldtrip during the year. The Geography II course coordinator is Devlyn Hardwick.

GEOG2010 Earth and Atmospheric Processes (Climate Change Research Group, Prof Stefan Grab and TBA)

In the first instance, this course unit examines the fundamentals of General Circulation Patterns and climate dynamics (including the thermodynamic structure of the atmosphere, motion under balanced forces, convergence and divergence), with particular reference to biomes of the world. The role of climate as a control to both geomorphic and ecosystem processes is then explored. The importance of climate as an environmental factor driving various geomorphic processes such as rock weathering, mass movement and erosion, is critically assessed. The development of micro- and meso-scale landforms (or landscapes) further influences micro-climates, all of which dictate the distribution of biomes, habitats and species. In turn, these components of the earth?s biosphere collectively influence climatic systems. The unit ultimately explores the theory around these ?climate and geo-ecosystem? processes, particularly relationships at the global and local scale, and uses case studies from around the world to illustrate the interactions of climate and ecosystem processes.

GEOG2011 Climate Change and Society (Jasper Knight)

Climate Change and Climate Variability have become matters of urgent concern globally and regionally. In this course unit, various elements of the biophysical environment are interrogated (e.g. factors driving climate change and variability). The social impacts and factors shaping vulnerability to such biophysical factors are then tracked. The role of ‘multiple stresses’ (e.g. development failures/successes) in configuring societal response and adaptation to climate stresses is explored.

GEOG2012 Environmental Governance: From Local to Global (TBA)

This course unit is premised on the argument that unsustainable environmental outcomes are a direct result of an unequal access to resources (including natural resources, knowledge, decision making processes, the law, etc). These patterns of inequality occur at both the local and the global level, providing structural barriers that result in the marginalisation of both the poor and the natural environment in decision making processes governing access and use of resources.

The course has three parts: In Part one, environmental problems and protests emerging in third world cities will be presented. Part two introduces the notion of Global Environmental Governance, demonstrating inequalities at the global level result in the disproportionate ability of nation states to address global environmental issues. Part three focuses on changing patterns in governance away from the nation state towards a stronger role for sub-national (local) governments and non-state actors to influence and shape global environmental agreements. The increasing role played by cities and citizens in addressing global environmental challenges demonstrates how the global and the local must be constructed in relation to one another

GEOG2013 Methods, Models and GIS (Devlyn Hardwick and Prof T Dirsuweit)

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are the latest tools available for spatial modelling and represent a new development in the history of cartography. This course unit aims to introduce you to spatial thinking by detailing the history of map-making and GIS technology, describing some of the conceptual foundations of GIS science and critically analysing the way that maps and GIS are used to inform people. This course serves as an introduction to GIS software and will teach you how to navigate through basic mapping techniques.

Prescribed Book

There is no prescribed book . Each of the four courses has its own reading list

Venues and Lectures

Geography II is on the D timetable slot. There are four, 45 minute Geography II lectures, each week, at the following times:

- Thursdays at 08h00 to 9h00

- Fridays at 10h15 and 11h15

All lectures take place in Bernard Price Building, Room BP 016, unless otherwise stated.

Practicals

Geography II practicals take place every Tuesday afternoon, between 14h15 and 17h00 in Room BP 016, unless otherwise mentioned. Please check the Geography II noticeboard for instructions for each course topic regarding the use of practical sessions.

Geography III

Several third year topics are offered each year of which students must select six. Information about the topics on offer is outlined in the course handout, available from the course supervisor. Subject to the approval of the Head of School, a maximum of two equally-weighted topics may be selected from other Schools (normally this option applies only to Science Faculty Schools).

The topics offered in the Geography 3 themes covered such as GIS and Remote Sensing; Advanced Atmospheric Science; City Cultures; Fundamentals of conservation Biogeography; Climate and Environmental Change and Economic Geography.

GEOG3017 Geographic Information System and Remote Sensing (Devlyn Hardwick and TBA)

This unit is designed to introduce students to the operations of Geographical Information (GIS) and remote sensing.

The lectures introduce and describe operations independently, as far as possible, of a specific software package. Three different types of software operations will be introduced to investigate their applicability in different disciplines such as environmental changes detection and hydrology. The raster based software IDRISI Kilimanjaro, with integrated modules for image processing operations, to develop basic practical skills in GIS and remote sensing that can provide the basis for more advanced study and work. The vector based software ArcGIS for handling vector based operation including specific modules for spatial analysis will be covered. Lastly open source personal customization of all software. Useful and popular add ons to the software package will be introduced and discussed. The idea is to broaden the knowledge base of the GIS software within the discipline including interaction within the upcoming broad GIS discipline

GEOG3018 Fundamental s of Conservation Biogeography (Chris Curtis)

Fundamentals of Conservation Biogeography focuses on the rapidly growing field of biodiversity conversation. The course begins by racing conversation from the early motivations for environmental protection to more recent global initiatives, including international agreements and widely accepted conservation categories and guidelines. Then by focusing on both local and global scale assessments, the course will look at shifts in biodiversity distribution, abundance and range, in relation to human impacts such as the over harvesting of species, habitat destruction and climate change. The second half of this course will review some of the tools and terminology used in conservation practice, drawing on bio geographical and ecological theory. It is important that students have a basic understanding of biogeography and ecology. The class will then work in groups to explore different conservation approaches used in Southern Africa.

GEOG3019 Economic Geography (TBA)

This unit will focus on select issues in the field of economic geography. Issues of concern will include theoretical and policy debates around spatial inequality and regional development, the informal economy and small business development. Contemporary debates in economic geography in South Africa are a further foci of interest.

GEOG3020 Climate and Environmental Change (Stefan Grab)

Climate and Environmental change is currently one of the most concerning of global issues. This unit examines patterns of climate change through the Quaternary, and most particularly during historical and recent times. Causes of climate change (such as Milankovitch, volcanic forcing mechanism etc) are addressed. The use of various proxies in climate reconstruction, such as pollen, dendrochronology, varves, geomorphology and historical documentary sources are highlighted. In addition, brief consideration is given to the impact that climate change has on the environmental and throughout the unit. Students are equipped with methods in climate and environmental change detection.

GEOG3021 Advanced Atmospheric Science (Stuart Piketh)

Atmospheric science is the study of the atmosphere, it’s processes and interactions with other earth systems. This course builds on Atmospheric process in second year. The course deals with heat and energy exchange in the atmosphere, physical oceanography, ocean-atmosphere interactions and lastly mesoscale atmospheric processes like thunderstorms and air pollution. Energy transfer processes in the atmosphere and underlying ocean play a central role in field like remote sensing, climatology, meteorology, climate change, air pollution, micro climates and environmental science in general.

GEOG3022 City Cultures (Teresa Dirsuweit)

Culture is a central component of everyday life in cities. It is the thread binding the politics and practice of the city with local and global institutions. Culture is also implicated in levels and models of urban citizenship. In this course we explore the concept of culture as a feature of urban life beginning with Lefebvre’s discussion of the citadin and de Certeau’s influential work on the politics of everyday life. We then move to a more detailed discussion of identify and the politics of inclusion and exclusion. Drawing on the work of Hannah Arendt, Iris Young, Nancy Fraser and Chantal Mouffe. We critically analyse different theoretical approaches to the issue of urban citizenship. In addition, methodological techniques introduced at second year level will be expanded with an exploration of urban ethnographies and rhythmanalysis. These tools enable learners to develop an appreciation of the poetic complexity of urban life.

Please note that the stand alone codes apply only to those students registered with the Science Faculty who are taking a selection of Geography 3 topics and the full Geography III year. External registerees must email Dr Knight (jasper.knight@wits.ac.za) as there are pre-requisites and limits on external registree numbers.

Fieldwork trips for a number of the topics will be organised. You will be advised of the arrangements closer to the time.