What is Geography?
Geography is the study of the earth’s landscapes, peoples, places and environments. It is, quite simply, about the world in which we live. Geography is unique in bridging the social sciences (human geography) with the natural sciences (physical geography). Geography puts this understanding of social and physical processes within the context of places and regions - recognising the great differences in cultures, political systems, economies, landscapes and environments across the world, and the links between them. Understanding the causes of differences and inequalities between places and social groups is a focus of much of the newer developments in human geography. Why study Geography? Geography is becoming more important in our world. Every day the news is filled with reports on climate change, issues about where we live and how we travel, natural disasters and human conflicts, what we eat and where it comes from and developments in local and global business. We live in a world where the richest 225 individual people have an income equal to the poorest 47 percent of the planet’s entire population (over 3 billion people). It’s important to understand what’s going on if we are to make informed choices about how we live and change the world for the better.
Specification for Year 12
Unit One: Physical geography.
This unit will cover the major stores of water and carbon at or near the Earth’s surface and the dynamic cyclical relationships associated with them. These are major elements in the natural environment and understanding them is fundamental to many aspects of physical geography. Life depends on balance in the water and carbon cycles. Students will contemplate the magnitude and significance of the cycles at a variety of scales, their relevance to wider geography and their central importance for human populations. Students will have the opportunity to exercise and develop geographical skills including observation, measurement and geospatial mapping skills, together with data manipulation and statistical skills including those associated with and arising from fieldwork. Students will also focus on coastal zones, which are dynamic environments in which landscapes develop by the interaction of winds, waves, currents and terrestrial and marine processes. They should develop an appreciation of the diversity of coasts and their importance as human habitats.
Unit Two: Human geography.
This unit will examine the changing nature of places. Students will focus on people's engagement with places, their experience of them and the qualities they ascribe to them which are of fundamental importance in their lives. Students will research and investigate both near and far places, looking at the challenges and opportunities presented by contrasting locations, with the chance to develop practical research and fieldwork skills. Students will also study globalisation and global governance. They will consider the economic, political and social changes associated with technological and other driving forces which have been a key feature of global economy and society in recent decades.
Specification for Year 13
Unit One: Physical geography.
Students will study natural hazards. There will be a focus on the lithosphere and the atmosphere, which intermittently but regularly present natural hazards to human populations, often in dramatic and sometimes catastrophic fashion. By exploring the origin and nature of these hazards and the various ways in which people respond to them, students are able to engage with many dimensions of the relationships between people and the environments they occupy. Hazards studies will include earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunami, tropical storms and wildfires.
Unit Two: Human Geography.
This unit will focus on population and resources. Students will focus on the continuing growth of human populations, associated with economic development and changing lifestyles, which continues to be one of the defining features of the present era. They will explore the relationships between population numbers, population health and wellbeing, levels of economic development and the role and impact of the natural environment.
Unit Three: Geography investigation.
Students are required to undertake an independent investigation, and this must incorporate a significant element of fieldwork. There will be opportunities to develop related skills through a number of field trips.
Your next steps...
You could take this course to complement other advanced level courses or to prepare for the A2 in Geography, which could lead onto higher education in areas of geography, humanities, science or more general higher education courses. With further training, you could go on to a job related to geography. The qualification will also help you to develop general skills that many employers across lots of industries are looking for.
