AS/A Level Geography

Geography AS/A Level

Who is the course for?
Dedicated and motivated Geographers will benefit from this course. You will need a passion for the physical environment and an enjoyment of the outdoors as you learn how the physical and human environments dynamically interact. Student who have a high level of commitment and enjoy different aspects of fieldwork will find this course highly enjoyable and enlightening.

What is the course about?
The range of subjects covered at this level will help you to developan informed understanding of environmental and socioeconomic issues of contemporary concern through both theoretical and practical investigations.

You will gain knowledge and understanding of the patterns and processes, and interactions and changes in the earth's physical environments as well as their social and economic, political and cultural processes and how these actively impact upon human lives.

The first year will give you a foundation in both the physical and human spheres, built around a solid base of river and coastal environments. Alongside this you will look at population change and one of three options:

Food Supply/Energy Issues/Health Issues
With this you will undertake a skills paper within which you look into many fieldwork options. Included in this is the opportunity to spend a 4 day residential course in the Lake District as well as various other trips.

The second year will build on the knowledge you have gained by looking at the key principles of plate tectonics and their associated hazards and ecosystems, their changes and challenges both of which are very contemporary subjects. Coupled with this on the human side we will study at length development and globalisation with case studies as wide and varied as Coca Cola to Nike, with trips and talks given by visiting Universities as well as other leading professionals.

Finally, students will be given the chance to do fieldwork on a chosen topic as well as the synoptic paper they have to take in their final exam.

Will I need anything else?

How long & often do I attend?
4.5 hours per week for 2 academic years.

How will I be assessed?
Examinations and some project work in year 2

What opportunities will this lead to?
Many students go on to study Geography at leading Universities as well as other related earth sciences. Other employment opportunities are available in tourism, leisure, business management, forestry, water, aid, development and the planning industries.

The Geography Department has just become a centre for the RGS and regional fieldwork opportunities. Riverside College is becoming an exciting and truly exceptional place to study Geography.