Geography
Our geography courses aim to develop your understanding of cultural, economic, environmental, political, and social processes, and how they interact in different places.
We maintain strong links with leading professional bodies, including the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, Regional Studies Association, Royal Geographical Society, Royal Town Planning Institute and Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management.
We have excellent geography facilities and our department computer suites run specialist software, including the latest GIS (geographic information systems) software. IT technicians work on-site to support you.
Read about the facilities we have available for you to use.
Read about geography research at Sheffield Hallam.
Find out about our continuing professional development short courses and training.
Find out about our geography teaching team.
Filter search results for Geography by
Search results - 5 results found
Gain a foundation in environmental, human and physical geography, on a practically focused course. You apply your knowledge to real-world problems and issues using geographical ideas, skills and techniques that are developed on the course. There is a special emphasis placed on relationships between the environment and human societies.During the... More information
This course provides a deeper insight into economics, politics, culture and environmentalism by studying the dynamic geographies of human activity, and how this has changed over time, at both a local and global level. This knowledge base is both theoretical and practical and addresses many of the most pressing issues in contemporary society. This... More information
Undergraduate
Full-time
UCAS code L720
Subject area
Related subjects
Geographical Information Systems (GIS) is becoming increasingly important, both nationally and internationally, in the wide range of professions where acquisition, management, interpretation and analysis of geographical information is of use. You can study a postgraduate certificate, postgraduate diploma or masters depending on the level of GIS... More information
Postgraduate
Full-time, Part-time
Subject area
Related subjects
We offer all our postgraduate sustainable communities and environments modules as short courses. These courses are for people that work in these areas and want to update their knowledge and improve personal and professional skills. They provide you and your organisation with • current policy and practice expertise in your sector• new technical and... More information
Other
Part-time, Distance learning
Subject area
Related subjects
This course is no longer running
Undergraduate
Full-time
UCAS code L790
Subject area
Related subjects
Geography facilities
High quality facilities have helped us to establish an excellent reputation for our research and teaching. They include
• five computer suites running specialist software, including the latest geographical information systems (GIS) software. Qualified IT technicians are available to help with any problems.
• a dedicated resources room used for printing, accessing maps, storing subject specific material and handing in work
• a dedicated map room containing paper maps, networked computers running specialist software, and an A3 scanner
Our strong emphasis on residential fieldwork means that we also use the world as a resource for our teaching. Locations include major international cities, such as Barcelona, Berlin and Prague, and towns and cities in the UK.
Research
Research areas
Our staff complete research in the areas of
• economic and political restructuring
• local environmental policy
• social and cultural change
• state reorganisation
• sport, tourism and leisure
• transport policy
• urban planning and regeneration
Research centres
Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research (CRESR)
Research into social exclusion and deprivation, gender and equalities, labour markets, transport, ex-offenders, housing and urban regeneration.
Centre for Education and Inclusion Research (CEIR)
The Centre for Education and Inclusion Research is part of Sheffield Hallam University's research base within the Faculty of Development and Society, and is an amalgamation of former Centre for Education Research and the Centre for Social Inclusion. It includes research on social inclusion/exclusion in the fields of ? gender and equalities • care, caring, carers and care workers • housing law • socio-legal issues • sexualities and health.
Professional development in environmental studies and sustainable communities
We provide a range of continuing professional development opportunities, helping you to enhance your skills and knowledge as you work. For a full list of short courses and stand alone modules visit the sustainable communities and environment prospectus entry.
We can also provide bespoke training for clients. Recent projects include
• National Park Authority Member training on the promotion and management of outdoor recreation
• environmental education training in Europe for the British Council
• the development of sustainable tourism initiatives for protected area managers in Ukraine and Poland
The Sustainable Communities Network
The Sustainable Communities Network has been developed for practitioners and managers working in the public, private and voluntary sectors and organisations wishing to develop and update their professional and personal skills.
We offer study options in sustainable communities and environments, as well as regular events, one day workshops and bespoke training opportunities. Visit the Sustainable Communities Network website for more information.
Andrew Jones
Course leader for MSc Geographical Information Systems
Prior to joining the University in 2008, Andrew worked concurrently for the Peak District National Park Authority as their access officer, and on the research team of the Moors for the Future Project for four years.
His position as access officer involved the management and monitoring of recreational access to the countryside, whilst his work for Moors for the Future focused on developing and running a number of research projects studying the moorland environment of the Peak District, as well as engendering wider interest in moorland environmental research and facilitating knowledge transfer and cross disciplinary research work between other research institutions involved in the field of moorland and peatland systems research.
Andrew also works as a freelance geographical information systems (GIS) consultant for a number of companies and organisations.
Research interests
• modelling and managing recreation in the countryside
• hydrology and the management of peatland systems
• peatland carbon cycles
• GIS as a spatial decision making tool
Teaching interests
• principles and practices of GIS
• GIS and transport
• GIS and the environment
• applied GIS
Publications
• Allott, T.E.H., Evans, M.G., Lindsay, J.B., Agnew, C.T., Freer, J.E., Jones, A. & Parnell, M. (2009). Water tables in Peak District blanket peatlands. Moors for the Future Report No 17.
• Flitcroft, C. (2007). Peak District Moorland Visitor Attitude and Recreational Use Survey. Moors for the Future Report No 12.
Alexandra Savage
Physical Geography Lecturer
Alexandra achieved a BSc in Geography before undertaking a MSc in Soils and Environmental Pollution. Alexandra has 8 years' experience as a contaminated land consultant, working to identify the nature and extent of pollution on past industrial sites, and engaging with stakeholders to formulate and execute plans for remediation. In addition, she was involved in a number of Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) for new developments. She has also undertaken policy research on the effectiveness of compliance assessment within the Environment Agency.
In 2007, Alexandra did a PhD at the University of Leeds looking at the effect of land management on carbon loses from upland blanket peats in northern England. The impact of land management on the carbon cycle and its drivers was determined through examination of the physical and chemical properties of the peats, and field measurements of gaseous and aqueous losses of carbon.
Alexandra has experience in the secondary education sector both as a teaching assistant and as a cover teacher. In addition, Alexandra participated in the Royal Geographical Society's "Geography Ambassadors" scheme to encourage the uptake of geography as a subject at GCSE, A-level and university level.
Research interests
• soils science - in particular highly organic soils and contaminated soils
• regeneration of urban areas from an environmental perspective
• carbon cycling
• composting of wastes
• land management
Teaching interests
• understanding landscapes
• introduction to physical geography
• environmental science
• geomorphology
• research methods
• contemporary debates in Geography
• landscape rehabilitation
• landscape planning and restoration
Presentations
Oral Presentations
• Understanding the Impact of Land Management on Carbon Losses from Peatlands EGU Vienna May 2010
• The Role of Land Management on Carbon Cycling in Peatlands at the 2nd International BioHydrology Conference - A Changing Climate for Biology and Soil Hydrology Interactions, Bratislava, 2009
• Methods of Investigating the Effects of Peatland Management on Carbon Cycling at the British Soil Science Society's "Young Scientists" conference, March 2009, Reading
Poster Presentations
• Assessing the Impact of Land Management on Organic Matter Composition in Peats EGU, Vienna, May 2010
Dr Richard White
Course leader for BA (Hons) Human Geography
Richard joined Sheffield Hallam University from Warwick University in November 2006. To date, his principal areas of research have collectively focused on understanding the geographies of the informal economy in the minority world/advanced economies generally and in particular through exploring community self-help, mutual aid and reciprocity.
Richard has formally participated in many conferences and seminars both in the UK and overseas. In 2008, he was part of an official EU delegation team sent to Mexico City to contribute to the opening EU-Mexico dialogue on employment and social policy.
Teaching interests
• economic geography
• political economy
• radical philosophy
• dissident and critical geographies
• moral geographies and the political economy of animal rights
• research methods in the social sciences
• theorizing urban change
• conflict and protest movements
Author of
Williams CC and White RJ 2008 'Variations in the nature of the hidden economy and its public policy implications' in: Henckel D, Spars G & Wukovitsch F (eds) Arbeiten in der Grauzone, (Peter Lang: Frankfurt).
Green AE and White RJ 2008 'Shaped by place: young people’s decisions about education, training and work' Benefits: The Journal of Poverty and SocialJustice, Vol 16. No 3, pp 213-224.
Dr Camila Bassi
Course leader for MSc Urban Regeneration
Camila graduated from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne in 1997 with a first-class honours degree in geography, and was awarded a DPhil from the University of Sheffield in 2003. Her Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)-funded PhD was in the field of social geography, more specifically, it explored the interrelationships of 'racial', ethnic and sexual identities as linked to commercial space and political economy.
Research interests
• minority culture to urban political economy
• competing histories of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict
Teaching interests
• development in Africa and the Middle East
• globalisation debate
• global perspectives on regeneration
• introduction to human geography
• social inclusion and cohesion
• urban change and conflict
Author of
• Bassi C 2010 ''The anti-imperialism of fools': A cautionary story on the revolutionary left vanguard of England’s post-9/11 anti-war movement' ACME: An International E-Journal for Critical Geographies, 9(2), 113-137. Download the article (pdf)
• Bassi C 2008 'Book Reviews: Risky pleasures? Club cultures and feminine identities by Fiona Hutton' Gender, Place & Culture, 15(4), 445-455.
Dr Andrew Jobling
Course leader for BSc (Hons) Geography
Andrew joined Sheffield Hallam in September 2007. His work is focused on agrarian change, economic restructuring and rural politics in Latin America where he has several years of fieldwork experience. He has contributed to projects exploring relations between trade unions, non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
His key research interests are relations between small farms and agribusiness in Latin America, the restructuring of the Peruvian sugar industry and community management of irrigation in the Andean region.
Teaching interests
• issues in the developing world
• development in Latin America
• development in Africa and the Middle East
• introduction to human geography
• geographies of the city
• research development
Research and consultancy projects
Jobling, A (2006) Labour, Community, Region: Knowledge Transfer Centre Development Project Report, University of Liverpool/Amicus the Union.
Jobling, A (2004) ‘Outreach Male Parenting Support: an Evaluation’ in Northwood and Southdene East Sure Start Evaluation, The Centre for the Child the Family and the Law, University of Liverpool.
Dr Alan Patterson
Geography and environment academic group leader
Alan has worked as a mining surveyor before studying environmental sciences at the University of East Anglia. After graduating he worked on the Future of Welfare project in the Centre for the Analysis of Social Policy at the University of Bath. Then he moved to the University of Sussex to read for an MA in urban and regional studies before joining the doctoral research programme at the University of Reading.
His first permanent academic post was as a lecturer in human geography at the West London Institute, then at Brunel University where he became deputy head of the department of geography and earth sciences, before coming to Sheffield Hallam University as course leader for geography in October 2004. He is currently the academic group leader for geography and environment.
Research interests
• local economic
• environmental and political interventions by the modern capitalist state,
• political economy of the public sector
• policies for sustainable development,
• role of informal currencies in boosting depressed local economies and alleviating individual poverty
Teaching interests
• urban social geography
• geographies of political economy
• philosophy and methodology.
Selected publications
Batchelor AL and Patterson A (2007) ‘Political modernisation and the weakening of sustainable development in Britain’ Chpt 7 in: Krueger JR and Gibbs DC (eds) The Sustainable Development Paradox: urban political economy in the United States and Europe (Guilford, NY).
Aldridge TJ, Patterson A and Tooke J (2003)‘Trading places: geography and the role of LETS in local sustainable development’ in: Buckingham S and Theobald KS (eds) Local Environmental Sustainability (Woodhead, Cambridge) pp169-194.
Aldridge TJ and Patterson A (2002) ‘LETS get real: constraints on the development of Local Exchange Trading Schemes’ Area 34 (4) pp370-381.
Josie Wilson
Principal Lecturer
Josie graduated in urban studies and MA Geographical Information Systems from the University of Leeds. She specialises in geographical information systems (GIS) which she teaches at postgraduate level. She belongs to the British Cartographic Society and is also a fellow of the Royal Geographic Society.
Josie joined the University in 1998 and has taught on various undergraduate and postgraduate courses.
Josie has a passion for teaching and lectures in both undergraduate and postgraduate courses in many areas including social and regional issues, the principles and practices of GIS; GIS for business, dissertation and applied research methods.
Recent publications
RTPI conference on GIS and Strategic Environmental Agencies. October 2006.
Wilson J and Cheesebrough J (2006) Beyond the looking table, Association of American Geographers 7.3.2006 Chicago.
Profiles
Andrew Jones
Course leader for MSc Geographical Information Systems
Alexandra Savage
Physical Geography Lecturer
Dr Richard White
Course leader for BA (Hons) Human Geography
Dr Camila Bassi
Course leader for MSc Urban Regeneration
Dr Andrew Jobling
Course leader for BSc (Hons) Geography
Dr Alan Patterson
Geography and environment academic group leader
Josie Wilson
Principal Lecturer
