Human Geography is concerned with (a) understanding the human world and its interaction with physical, built, and symbolic landscapes and (b) using this knowledge to work towards more equitable societies.

The modules provide a broad overview of human geography as a discipline and introduce core concepts used by human geographers, particularly the notion of ‘space’, scale, and the relationships between society and space and between people and the natural environment on which it depends for survival. In this regard, understanding population dynamics and related environmental impacts are crucial.

The modules introduce students to key population concepts theories and systems models to understanding population changes and related impacts. Critically examining population data and trends, such as migration and mobility is also an important focus. Additionally, modules examine the linkages between population growth and environmental issues, including climate change. Building sustainable human environments, for ourselves and future generations, is a key challenge in the world today.  Sustainability themes interrogate key issues such as the definition and measurement of sustainability, the history of the current environmental crises and society’s responses to it.

Furthermore it engages critical thinking about environmental problems, their causes and solutions. The modules engage the contexts of rural and urban environments to highlight the issues related to sustainable environments. Two examples of sustainability concerns relate to the impacts of urban form on the biophysical (and social) environment and secondly, the serious concerns for food security in rural areas as rural communities engage directly with their local environments.