Unit information: Philosophy, Social Theory and Geography in 2028/29

Please note: Programme and unit information may change as the relevant academic field develops. We may also make changes to the structure of programmes and assessments to improve the student experience.

Unit name Philosophy, Social Theory and Geography
Unit code GEOG25110
Credit points 20
Level of study I/5
Teaching block(s) Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24)
Unit director Dr. Jellis
Open unit status Not open
Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units)

None.

Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units)

None.

Units you may not take alongside this one

None.

School/department School of Geographical Sciences
Faculty Faculty of Science

Unit Information

This unit explores topics in the Geohumanities theme introduced in Year 1. The unit situates contemporary debates in human geography within broader traditions of social theory and philosophy. In so doing, the unit addresses critical theorising in the fields of materialism, idealism, politics, ethics, and knowledge-production. The unit also examines the ways in which social scientific and geographical knowledges have been informed by debates in and across Marxism, post-structuralism, pragmatism, and feminism. The unit introduces and interrogates the work of specific philosophers and theorists. This could include, for example, Jane Bennett, Judith Butler, Giles Deleuze, Michel Foucault, Karl Marx, Félix Guattari, Friedrich Nietzsche, Michael Serres, Baruch Spinoza and Isabelle Stengers. In each case, the aim is to explore the implications of each theorist for understanding key concepts in geography, notably; space, society, and subjectivity.

The aims of the unit are:

  • To provide students with a critical awareness and understanding of key philosophers and philosophies that have been influential within Geography
  • To equip students with high-level analytical skills

Your learning on this unit

On completion of this unit students will be able to:

  1. Engage in informed debate on key philosophical and methodological issues in geography and the wider social sciences;
  2. Philosophise, critically, about contemporary concerns in both geography and society more broadly.

The following transferable skills are developed in this Unit:

  • Written and verbal communication
  • Group seminar participation
  • Analytical skills

How you will learn

The unit will be taught through a combination of:

  • Lectures
  • online resources
  • synchronous group workshops, seminars, tutorials and/or office hours
  • asynchronous individual activities and guided reading for students to work through at their own pace

How you will be assessed

Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):

A formative assessment in the form of an essay will be offered. This will allow for feedback on, amongst other things: argument, structure and referencing.

Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):

Essay assignment (100%) [ILOs 1-2]

When assessment does not go to plan

Students will be offered an alternative essay-based assessment for completion in the summer reassessment period.

Resources

If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.

If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. GEOG25110).

How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks, independent learning and assessment activity.

See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.

Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.

The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit. The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.