Module manager: Dr Asa Roast
Email: a.roast@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) View Timetable
Year running 2025/26
N/A
GEOG1450 Urban Age
This module is not approved as a discovery module
This module explores how cities are shaped by economic, social, and political forces through academic research and fieldwork in Northern England. Key topics include urban growth, regeneration, gentrification, segregation, and uneven development. You’ll engage with concepts like capitalism, governance, and neoliberalism, questioning who benefits from urban change. By the end of the module, you’ll have a deeper understanding of urban dynamics and gain hands-on experience in real-world environments, linking theory to practice.
To introduce students to key human geography concepts, approaches, knowledge, and skills through the focused study of urban geography, cities, and the economic, social, and political processes that shape them.
To explore urban geography through a range of learning activities, including reading academic research, qualitative and quantitative data, policy analysis, and fieldwork.
To develop key skills in reading, analysis, writing, presentation, and critical engagement with human geography thought and frameworks.
To participate in urban fieldwork, collecting data and applying theoretical concepts to real-world urban environments.
To encourage students to become independent learners through structured activities that promote critical thinking about human geography.
Subject specific learning outcomes:
SSLO1: Understand contemporary debates around urbanisation and political economy through the lens of global urban experiences.
SSLO2: Interpret the contested and diverse geographies of cities, urban settlements, and economic processes through time and space at different scales.
SSLO3: Apply geographical perspectives to the political, social and economic issues and processes that are driving urban change.
SSLO4: Gather observational data from urban environments.
SSLO5: Develop foundational study skills including accessing, reading and critically reflecting on a range of sometimes contrasting academic and non-academic sources; to interpreting and synthesising different types of geographical data; developing reasoned arguments; and communicating logically, clearly and concisely.
Skills Learning Outcomes:
SKLO1: Teamwork/Collaboration: contributing positively and building constructive, supportive and co-operative relationships with others, towards the achievement of shared goals and outcomes.
SKLO2: Research skills: accessing and investigating a variety of sources of information on a subject, in order to provide answers or solutions, expand or provide new knowledge of a topic or subject
SKLO3: Academic writing: communicating effectively in written form to articulate an argument, supported by relevant evidence and adhering to academic convention.
SKLO4: Critical thinking: weighing up different arguments and perspectives, using supporting evidence to form opinions, arguments, theories and ideas.
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supervision | 3 | 0.5 | 1.5 |
| Lectures | 17 | 1 | 17 |
| seminars | 4 | 1 | 4 |
| Tutorials | 10 | 1 | 10 |
| Practicals | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Fieldwork | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Fieldwork | 1 | 8 | 8 |
| Private study hours | 155.5 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 44.5 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 200 | ||
155.5
Formative feedback will be provided through a practice essay in semester 1 and regular meetings with the academic personal tutor (both in tutorials and one-to-one pastoral meetings).
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | Coursework | 50 |
| Coursework | Group Work | 50 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
Check the module area in Minerva for your reading list
Last updated: 29/09/2025
Errors, omissions, failed links etc should be notified to the Catalogue Team