Undergraduate study: Geographical Tripos

Second Year

In the second year you begin to specialize (if you want to), but we expect you to maintain an interest in the discipline as a whole.

This means that you choose four papers, but these must include at least one paper from each corresponding human and physical geography group. You also write an essay on Geographical Ideas, presented in the form of an open book examination, which builds on the foundations laid in the first year. In addition, you will start to prepare for your dissertation.

The papers currently on offer are:

Group A: Human Geography

Cities
Understanding the Economy: Contemporary Geographies of Capitalism
Development
Geography and Public Policy
Culture and Society

Group B: Physical and Environmental Geography

Processes in the Climate System
Glacial Processes Landforms and Sediment
Environmental Hazards
Rivers and Coasts
Biogeography

Geographical Ideas Assessed by open book examination

Explores the philosophies of the natural sciences, social sciences and humanities, and a wide range of Geographical theories

Practical Classes

Assessed by practical exercises

Field and laboratory methods in Physical Geography.
Surveys, interviews and qualitative methods in Human Geography.
Geographical analysis of historical sources.
Quantitative techniques in Geography.

Fieldwork

All students are currently expected to participate in a week’s field class. Recent venues have included: Mallorca, Berlin, Dublin, the Algarve, Morocco and the Swiss Alps.

A piece of submitted work produced on the field class forms part of the assessment in the second year.

Please note that the structure above is correct for the academic year 2011-12. The structure of 1B teaching is under revision and will be different from October 2012. For further details, please contact the Department.