Geography

Course summary

Geography challenges opinions, broadens the mind and sharpens key skills. Few subjects can boast the same breadth and contemporary relevance. Over the course of two years, A Level geographers will study a range of topics and develop a way of thinking that will enable to make the kind of informed and critical decisions demanded of 21st century citizens. An essential outcome of learning Geography is to be able to apply geographical knowledge and conceptual understanding to new settings: that is, to be able to ‘think like a geographer’. Thinking geographically is a uniquely powerful way of seeing the world and making connections between the human and physical environment. In physical geography students will learn about the processes shaping our planet and the landforms within dynamic landscapes that result. They will examine earth’s life support systems – how water and carbon are cycled through the land, oceans and atmosphere – in the context of tropical rainforests and the Arctic tundra. In complete contrast, in human geography students will explore the relationships and connections between people, the economy, and society and how these contribute to creating places. They will look at global systems, including those that regulate and order trade, financial transactions and migration, which produce uneven geographies of winners and losers. The human course also examines spatial patterns of human rights issues and the geography of gender inequality. In the second year of the course the students use their knowledge to unpick the debates surrounding contemporary challenges facing the world today such as climate change, natural hazards, management of the oceans and the future of food.