Geography
Fieldwork
Fieldwork is an integral and important part of the degree programmes within the Department of Geography. All of our students take part in fieldwork at various stages during their degree studies.
Level 1
There are three fieldwork opportunities within the level one programme undertaken during a student's first year of their degree. The first of these takes place during the first week of the course, covers basic fieldwork techniques and offers a good opportunity for students to meet each other and to get to know the department's staff in an informal setting.
The second opportunity for fieldwork during the first year forms part of the human geography course and concerns the changing urban landscape of Portsmouth.
The third fieldwork session takes place in a rural area close to Portsmouth and students are exposed to fieldwork techniques that are applied to the study of various aspects of physical geography.
Level 2
All of the department students take part in a one-week residential field class which is tailored to their option choices. In recent years these field classes have taken place in Arctic Lapland, Berlin, Barcelona and Malta.
Level 3
Various field classes take place which are dependent upon specific option choices. Destinations for these classes in recent years have included Belgium to study soils, Cairngorms to study mountain climates, Colorado also to study mountain climates and Indonesia to study environmental sustainability.
Optional Field Classes
Students have the opportunity to attend optional field classes to gather data for their independent research studies or to participate in the Department's research process. These trips are fully funded by the students and members of staff give up some of their time to provide support and equipment in the field. In recent years these trips have taken students to Arctic Lapland (Winter and Summer) [2008], Colorado [2008], Iceland [2007] and up Kilimanjaro [2008].