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Field Training
Fieldwork is a key part of the experience of doing Geography at Royal Holloway. The Department now offers a substantial and exciting range of field courses in the UK and overseas, current locations including Southern Spain, Kenya, Ireland and New York (new for 2008). Coreresidential fieldcourses in the first and second years are subsidised by the Department, and generally take place within term time, each lasting from seven to ten days.
The fieldwork curriculum is designed to provide a rigorous training in research skills in human and physical geography, and prepares students for their own research within the dissertation completed in their third year. The curriculum is arranged as follows:
First Year
Students undertake field training in two forms:
Residential field course – Southern Spain
One-week course, currently to Nerja, southeast Spain. All students attend this trip which normally runs at the start of the spring term. (Assessment: oral presentation, production of a poster, and a formal report).
Field training – local
Specialist training in techniques at local sites throughout the academic year. (Assessment: continuous throughout the first 2 terms).
Second Year
All students select one field course from the three options available. Each location and course is designed to provide a training in specialist methods, techniques and approaches, as follows:
- Human Geography – New York
- Physical & Environmental Geography – Ireland
- Development Geography – Kenya
Assessment: a field report based on project work carried out in the field. This contributes substantially to the final degree assessment.
Third Year
There is no compulsory field work in the third year, although many options have day or residential trips associated with them. Examples include New Forest, Brecon Beacons and London, as well as extensive use of the local area
Dissertation
Complete in the 3rd year, you will produce an 8,000 word Dissertation on a research topic of your own choice. This forms an important part of the final degree assessment. You are encouraged to develop your projects through contact with local authorities, aid organisations, environmental agencies, commerce, industry and international expeditions.
Field training, and particularly the Third Year Dissertation, provide an opportunity for you to investigate ‘real world’ problems. It is for these reasons that we consider field work a vital part of an undergraduate course.
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