Module manager: Dr. Desy Pirmasari
Email: D.A.Pirmasari@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable
Year running 2026/27
This module is not approved as a discovery module
This module focuses on issues of population and changing population patterns and trends, culture, place, geographies of identity, difference, inequality, discrimination and social justice. Geography is all about connections, and in this module we link up places, populations and social processes. Using local, regional and global examples, the module considers social issues such as around ethnicity, age, class, gender, sexuality, disability, and (bio)politics. This module will also introduce students to the social, cultural and population traditions of the human geography discipline and group-based fieldwork.
- To introduce students to key human geography concepts, approaches, knowledge and skills through focused study of places, identities and changing populations
- To give students experience of human geography fieldwork
- To explore social, population and cultural geography through different learning activities
- To develop key skills in reading, analysis, writing, presentation and critique of a range of academic material
- To encourage students to develop as independent learners through structured activities
- To introduce students to key human geography concepts, approaches, knowledge and skills through focused study of changing populations and places
- To give students experience of human geography fieldwork
- To explore social, population and cultural geography through different learning activities
- To develop key skills in reading, analysis, writing, presentation and critique of a range of academic material
- To encourage students to develop as independent learners through structured activities
Students successfully completing the module will have an understanding of:
1. the social, cultural and population traditions of the human geography discipline
2. key concepts and themes: changing population patterns and trends; issues of culture and landscape/place; geographies of difference, inequality,. Discrimination and justice; ethnicity, age, class, gender, disability, and (bio)politics.
3. how to collect and analyse data alongside other secondary materials
4. foundational skills including the ability to access, read and critically reflect upon a range of academic and non-academic sources, interpret these secondary sources, and communicate understanding through their writing.
The module is built upon the learning and teaching of explicit core QAA geographical skills:
- abstraction and synthesis of information
- developing a reasoned argument
- assessing the merits of contrasting theories and explanations
- critically evaluating, interpreting and combining different types of geographical evidence (for example texts, imagery, archival data, maps, digitised and laboratory data)
- planning, designing and executing a piece of rigorous research or enquiry, both independently and in groups, including the production of a final report
- taking responsibility for learning and reflection upon that learning
- conducting fieldwork and field data collection
- primary data generation, collection and recording, and the use of secondary data sets (both quantitative and qualitative)
- employing a variety of interpretative methods (for example, participant observation, ethnographic interviews, and auto-ethnography)
- the concept of spatial variation
- an appreciation of temporal change
- a critical awareness of the significance of spatial and temporal scale
- distinctiveness of place
- knowledge of the main dimensions and scales of economic, social, political and environmental inequality and difference
- geographical knowledge and understanding
- field skills
The module syllabus is drawn from the following themes and topics:
- Geographies of inequalities
- Gender and sexuality: questioning norms
- Class stereotypes and inequality
- Race and ethnicity: power and prejudice
- Disability and design
- Changing population structure and drivers
- Global variations in population and health
- Subnational and local variations in health and inequality
- Migration and residential movement
- A city and its welcome
- A tale of two communities
- Experiencing multiculture
- Everyday multiculture
- Brexit, race and migration
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Workshop | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Fieldwork | 1 | 6 | 6 |
| Lecture | 13 | 1 | 13 |
| Seminar | 7 | 1 | 7 |
| Private study hours | 170 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 30 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 200 | ||
Preparing for and completing seminar/ workshop tasks 40hrs
Module Reading 50hrs
Preparing coursework 72hrs
Workshops and associated formative tasks will monitor students’ understanding of the core material introduced in lectures and the assessment tasks; these small-group sessions will also provide opportunities for students to ask questions and receive formative feedback in return.
Students will receive formative feedback from their assessed essay and project report.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Group Project | Coursework | 50 |
| Assignment | Coursework | 50 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
The group project resit will be an individual project of 1500 words.
Check the module area in Minerva for your reading list
Last updated: 30/04/2026
Errors, omissions, failed links etc should be notified to the Catalogue Team