Undergraduate Geography 2025-2026

This course reflects upon the role humans have played in creating the Anthropocene (the epoch we are now living in), a time period during which human actions have become more significant than natural processes in shaping our world. Drawing primarily upon perspectives from physical and human geography, the nature of the changes, “how did we get here?”, are considered, laying the foundations for GG1512, in which “what comes after?” – how contemporary society is attempting to tackle Anthropocene challenges – is debated.

This course interrogates the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals.  These encompass contemporary global challenges such as responsible consumption and production, no poverty, clean water and climate action (challenges whose emergence is introduced in GG1010 Creating the Anthropocene).  Drawing upon Human and Physical Geography perspectives, a ‘strong’ interpretation of sustainability, one where social and economic dimensions fundamentally rely on ecological foundations, underpins the course. 

This course provides an understanding of environmental processes and landscape change through time and space. The course places Physical Geography as an integral component of Earth System Science. The first half of the course explores physical environmental processes, whilst the second focuses on evidence of environmental change across a range of temporal and spatial scales. Three themes of glaciology, hydrology and palaeoecology will be explored to illustrate the linkages and interactions between process and form over a range of temporal and spatial scales. The course is team-taught by staff with an emphasis on using examples from recent research projects.

GG2014 examines political, economic, social and cultural change from a geographical perspective. The course consists of five distinct blocks, each of which introduces a specific sub-field of human geography – economic, urban, tourism, cultural and social geography. As a team-taught course, it makes use of a range of concepts and uses case studies drawn from the staff’s own fields of research. As well as geography, the course is designed to be accessible and relevant to students from other arts and social science disciplines such as anthropology, business, economics, history, international relations and sociology.

This course explores the complex and dynamic relationship between the environment and human societies. It examines how social, economic, and political factors influence environmental policies and practices, and how environmental changes, in turn, affect human societies. Through case studies such as using environmental ethics to think about tuna fishing and whale conservation, or engaging with the idea of putting a price on nature through natural capital approaches, students will gain a comprehensive understanding of key concepts, theories, and case studies on socio-environmental issues.

This course introduces students to a range of scientific and social scientific approaches to data collection, interpretation and presentation for students on Geography and Geoscience degree programmes. The course builds towards a residential fieldtrip that takes place within Scotland during the Spring break. Recent venues for the fieldtrip include Aviemore and Stirling. This course is only available to students registered on Programme Year 2 with a Geography or Geoscience study aim.

This core course is designed to introduce Honours students to key debates on the nature and scope of academic geography.  Geographers past and present have studied a huge variety of phenomena using a variety of tools for investigating their subject.  This course will help you understand this diversity.  Example topics include: the changing meaning of the 'environment'; the use and abuse of statistical analysis; the influence of left-wing and post-modern perspectives, and the role of technology.  Students may specialise in particular aspects, or mix-and-match across the breadth of the discipline, as you wish.

This course covers the practical aspects of remote sensing and GIS. It is entirely hands on, and students learn through a series of exercises that becomes progressively more challenging and more specific to different geographical disciplines. By the end of the course students will be familiar with key remote sensing and GIS software and will have learned their fundamental tools. These are highly demanded skills in the job market at present, so this course is strategic for those students potentially interested in a job where these types of tools are employed.

This core course is designed to introduce Honours students to key debates on the nature and scope of academic geography.  Geographers past and present have studied a huge variety of phenomena using a variety of tools to investigate their subject.  This course will help you understand this diversity.  Topics include: the changing meaning of the 'environment'; the use and abuse of statistical analysis; the influence of left-wing and post-modern perspectives, and the role of technology.  Students may specialise in particular aspects, or mix-and-match across the breadth of the discipline, as you wish.

This interdisciplinary course explores how natural and cultural resources are managed and conserved across land and marine environments. Drawing on scientific, legal, economic, and ethical perspectives, the course examines key issues such as biodiversity loss, protected area management, environmental justice, and stakeholder conflicts about wildlife and landscape conservation. Potential examples include large carnivore conservation, Antarctica, the deep sea, fisheries and protected areas.

This course is a mix of 1 hour lectures and 1 hour practical sessions using statistical analysis software (SPSS). It is very much a 'hands-on' course and a wide range of datasets are employed to give you confidence in the application of statistical techniques. The course is designed to give you the skills to undertake exploratory data analysis, test for relationships (using correlation and regression), and test for differences between sample data (from the Sciences and Social Sciences). Classical statistical analysis techniques are introduced and the value of multivariate statistics to detect patterns in complex data sets is also explored.

This core course builds on GG2508 to provide an introduction to the conduct of research in the Geosciences at an advanced level.  It is intended to familiarise students with the skills necessary to design, implement and write up effective research.  These skills will support work on undergraduate dissertations and other project work.  The course also introduces careers research skills, and explores how you can best make use of your degree in the 'real world' after graduation: workshops run in partnership with the University's Career Service provide practical advice and training on how best to develop your career.

This core course builds on GG2508 to provide an introduction to the conduct of research in the Geosciences at an advanced level.  It is intended to familiarise students with the skills necessary to design, implement and write up effective research.  These skills will support work on undergraduate dissertations and other project work.  The course also introduces careers research skills, and explores how you can best make use of your degree in the 'real world' after graduation: workshops run in partnership with the University's Career Service provide practical advice and training on how best to develop your career.

This course provides an introduction to and training in multiple techniques which are used in physical geography. These are directly related to our research strengths in glaciology, hydrology and palaeoecology. This develops skills across a range of techniques which can be subsequently applied to dissertation projects, for advanced 4th year courses and for higher level education. These techniques all represent transferable skills which may be applied in the workplace. There are three field days where data are collected with subsequent lab classes providing instruction on how to analyse and interpret such data.

Although ‘globalisation’ is a commonly used term nowadays, its exact meaning is still subject to academic debate. By means of examining key economic, social and political aspects of globalisation, this course provides an advanced introduction to our globalising world. It enables students to develop a theoretically and historically informed understanding of globalisation and the processes of international integration and interdependence which globalisation encompasses. Specific topics include theoretical perspectives on globalisation, history of globalisation, global economic governance, global transport, transnational mobility, the globalisation of food production and consumption and the global debate on climate change. The course is taught by staff from various disciplines.

This course combines rigorous academic inquiry with immersive field research through a one-week field course, supported by taught and student-led sessions on campus. Students conduct sophisticated independent research projects in small groups on self-selected topics, working closely with academic supervisors. Previous student research has examined transport, cultural tourism, immigration dynamics, housing strategies, urban regeneration, flooding, and inclusive green spaces.

The course offers flexible field study options: Students can attend the international residential field course, exploring different cultures and geographies of their field sites through research; previous international sites include Gdansk, Boston, and Amsterdam. Alternatively, students undertake a local field project exploring Scottish urban and rural challenges in cities like Aberdeen or Glasgow, or rural areas accessible by public transport (e.g. Aberdeenshire).

Human mobility defines our contemporary world. With 281 million international migrants globally, approximately 1 in 30 people live beyond their country of origin—a threefold increase since 1970. These movements, spanning international borders and internal relocations, fundamentally transform our societies. The course explores how these processes shape societal issues from local to global scales, examining both the drivers of contemporary displacement and how communities respond to crisis and change.

People are on the move. There are around 281 million international migrants in the world. That’s 1 in 30 people globally who are living outside the country of their birth, three times as many now than the best estimates from 1970. Migration and mobilities, internationally, as well as within countries and regions, shapes our societies. The course explores how these processes play a role in societal issues from the local to global, as well as how society responds to crisis.

This course provides an introduction to, and training in, multiple techniques which are used in physical geography. These are directly related to our research strengths in glaciology, hydrology and palaeoecology. The course helps students to develop skills and knowledge which can subsequently be applied to dissertations, projects, advanced 4th year courses, higher level education, and the workplace. The course involves field, lab and classroom-based teaching.

This course delves into the environmental changes that have occurred since the end of the last ice age 14,000 years ago (the Lateglacial and the Holocene). We will explore the evidence used to reconstruct past environments from proxy records preserved in archives such as peat bogs and the ice cores that suggest that climate and environmental conditions have been far from stable. Our discussion of the evidence will show that the Lateglacial and Holocene are characterised by a series of major but short-lived climatic oscillations as well as permanent transformations as a result of increasing pressure as human population has developed.

This course delves into the environmental changes that have occurred since the end of the last ice age 14,000 years ago (the Lateglacial and the Holocene). We will explore the evidence used to reconstruct past environments from proxy records preserved in archives such as peat bogs and the ice cores that suggest that climate and environmental conditions have been far from stable. Our discussion of the evidence will show that the Lateglacial and Holocene are characterised by a series of major but short-lived climatic oscillations as well as permanent transformations as a result of increasing pressure as human population has developed.

The fieldtrip explores the physical geography of a montane area, at present the Italian Alps. The course is based around a one week residential field-course located in the shadow of the Mont Blanc massif, supported by taught and student-led sessions on campus.  Students have the opportunity to study the processes, forms and management issues characteristic of alpine landscapes: e.g., glacier dynamics and geomorphology, alpine hazards such as avalanches, mountain ecology and the dynamics of alpine rivers. Students complete independent projects, conducted in small groups, on topics they select themselves and which are developed with support from an academic supervisor.  This provides the opportunity to develop important research and wider transferable skills.

This course explores the behaviour of glacier ice, its role as an integral part of the climate system and in shaping the environment.  It investigates how glaciers form and flow, the effect this has on their surroundings (erosion, transport and deposition) , and the response and contribution of the cyrosphere to climate change.

Students will learn to: explain the mechanisms of glacial mass balance, dynamics, hydrology, erosion and deposition; evaluate the contribution of glacial fieldwork, remote sensing and modelling to our understanding of the cyrosphere; and assess the impact and response of glaciers and ice sheets on/to climate change.

This course aims to introduce students to key concepts and approaches used to understand, monitor and model rivers and river basins. It focuses on understanding the movement of water through river basins and the links between river flow regimes, habitats and ecosystems. Students are introduced to a number of important approaches used in modern day hydrology and the insights that these provide into how river basins are structured and function, both hydrologically and ecologically.  The course involves a mixture of traditional lectures, dealing with state-of-the-art knowledge, and hands-on computer based exercises.

Through lectures, student-led seminars and presentations by external experts, this course enables students to engage at an advanced level with social, demographic, economic and policy issues associated with the contemporary countryside at local, regional, national and international scales. Course topics include: conceptualising rurality and the commodification of the countryside; rural socio-economic restructuring; accessibility and services provision; rural policy and governance; and selected contemporary rural issues.

Through lectures, student-led seminars and presentations by external experts, this course enables students to engage at an advanced level with social, demographic, economic and policy issues associated with the contemporary countryside at local, regional, national and international scales. Course topics include: conceptualising rurality and the commodification of the countryside; rural socio-economic restructuring; accessibility and services provision; rural policy and governance; and selected contemporary rural issues.

This course aims to introduce students to key concepts and approaches used to understand, monitor and model rivers and river basins. It focuses on understanding the movement of water through river basins and the links between river flow regimes, habitats and ecosystems. Students are introduced to a number of important approaches used in modern day hydrology and the insights that these provide into how river basins are structured and function, both hydrologically and ecologically. The course involves a mixture of traditional lectures, dealing with state-of-the-art knowledge, and hands-on computer based exercises.

This course explores the behaviour of glacier ice, its role as an integral part of the climate system and in shaping the environment. It investigates how glaciers form and flow, the effect this has on their surroundings (erosion, transport and deposition) , and the response and contribution of the cyrosphere to climate change.

Students will learn to: explain the mechanisms of glacial mass balance, dynamics, hydrology, erosion and deposition; evaluate the contribution of glacial fieldwork, remote sensing and modelling to our understanding of the cyrosphere; and assess the impact and response of glaciers and ice sheets on/to climate change.

This interdisciplinary course explores how natural and cultural resources are managed and conserved across land and marine environments. Drawing on scientific, legal, economic, and ethical perspectives, the course examines key issues such as biodiversity loss, protected area management, environmental justice, and stakeholder conflicts about wildlife and landscape conservation. Potential examples include large carnivore conservation, Antarctica, the deep sea, fisheries and protected areas.

This course delves into the environmental changes that have occurred since the end of the last ice age 14,000 years ago (the Lateglacial and the Holocene). We will explore the evidence used to reconstruct past environments from proxy records preserved in archives such as peat bogs and the ice cores that suggest that climate and environmental conditions have been far from stable. Our discussion of the evidence will show that the Lateglacial and Holocene are characterised by a series of major but short-lived climatic oscillations as well as permanent transformations as a result of increasing pressure as human population has developed.

People are on the move. There are around 281 million international migrants in the world. That’s 1 in 30 people globally who are living outside the country of their birth, three times as many now than the best estimates from 1970. Migration and mobilities, internationally, as well as within countries and regions, shapes our societies. The course explores how these processes play a role in societal issues from the local to global, as well as how society responds to crisis.

Human mobility defines our contemporary world. With 281 million international migrants globally, approximately 1 in 30 people live beyond their country of origin—a threefold increase since 1970. These movements, spanning international borders and internal relocations, fundamentally transform our societies. The course explores how these processes shape societal issues from local to global scales, examining both the drivers of contemporary displacement and how communities respond to crisis and change.

Although ‘globalisation’ is a commonly used term nowadays, its exact meaning is still subject to academic debate. By means of examining key economic, social and political aspects of globalisation, this course provides an advanced introduction to our globalising world. It enables students to develop a theoretically and historically informed understanding of globalisation and the processes of international integration and interdependence which globalisation encompasses. Specific topics include theoretical perspectives on globalisation, history of globalisation, global economic governance, global transport, transnational mobility, the globalisation of food production and consumption and the global debate on climate change. The course is taught by staff from various disciplines.

Although ‘globalisation’ is a commonly used term nowadays, its exact meaning is still subject to academic debate. By means of examining key economic, social and political aspects of globalisation, this course provides an advanced introduction to our globalising world. It enables students to develop a theoretically and historically informed understanding of globalisation and the processes of international integration and interdependence which globalisation encompasses. Specific topics include theoretical perspectives on globalisation, history of globalisation, global economic governance, global transport, transnational mobility, the globalisation of food production and consumption and the global debate on climate change. The course is taught by staff from various disciplines.

This course delves into the environmental changes that have occurred since the end of the last ice age 14,000 years ago (the Lateglacial and the Holocene). We will explore the evidence used to reconstruct past environments from proxy records preserved in archives such as peat bogs and the ice cores that suggest that climate and environmental conditions have been far from stable. Our discussion of the evidence will show that the Lateglacial and Holocene are characterised by a series of major but short-lived climatic oscillations as well as permanent transformations as a result of increasing pressure as human population has developed.