Geography and Environmental Studies (BSc)

Duration:                                           4 years

Actual Credit load:                           516

Minimum Credit Load:                    480

Maximum Credit Load:                   540

MBKS Credit Load:                         384

ZNQF Level:                                      8

Accreditation organization:              ZIMCHE

PURPOSE OF THE PROGRAMME

The programme aims to develop knowledge, skills and competences in the broad areas of geography and environmental studies relevant to various employment capabilities and careers in the world of work and societal development. These will be achieved through:

• The provision of opportunities to study both aspects of human and physical geography and related environmental phenomena.
• A balanced curriculum that enables the acquisition of a range of practical, computational, research and problem-solving skills as well as the development of factual and conceptual knowledge of geography and environmental issues.
• The provision of related and relevant communication and presentation capabilities that enhance the students’ effectiveness in a wide range of career opportunities.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

For all entry pathways candidates must have at least five Ordinary Level subjects/ National Foundation Certificates including English Language, Mathematics and a Science subject at grade C or better.

Normal Entry:  A pass in Advanced Level Geography and any other Advanced Level subject AND 5 Ordinary Level passes/ National Foundation Certificates including Mathematics and English Language OR National Certificate.

Special Entry: National Diploma and Higher National Diploma in Environmental Science

PROGRAMME CHARACTERISTICS

Areas of Study:         Physical Geography; Human Geography; Environmental Studies; Geo-Information Sciences.

Specialist Focus:        Geography and environmental studies with special emphasis on application of geo-statistics and geo-information science.

Orientation:               Research and innovation oriented. Teaching and learning are professionally oriented and focused on practical aspects.

Distinctive Features: The programme builds the research-technology-innovation-management continuum and focuses on knowledge development using a student-centred approach.

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES AND FURTHER EDUCATION

Employability:           Careers in: environmental management; research institutions; positions in academia; environmental consultancy; application of geo-information science; safety and health; environmental planning.

Further Studies:        Master and doctoral studies in Geography and Environmental Studies.

PROGRAMME DELIVERY

Teaching and Learning Methods: Lectures, tutorials, laboratory activities, seminars, group work, field-based activities, work related learning, dissertation, individual independent study.

Assessment Methods: Written and oral examinations, tests, written and practical assignments, laboratory reports, field reports, seminar presentations, work related learning reports, dissertation, continuous assessment.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of the programme a graduate will be able to:

• Use critical skills that are transferable to a wide range of careers, written and oral communication, critical thinking, information analysis, interpretation and application and ability to solve geographical and environmentally related problems in the world of work and societal development.
• Carryout research and field based geographical and environmental activities ethically and following best practices of integrity.
• Apply a range of practical, computational, research and problem-solving skills as well as the development of factual and conceptual knowledge of geography and environmental issues.
• Participate in geography and environmental discourses and exchange of ideas in a collaborative manner.

GENERAL PROVISIONS

• The Bachelor of Science Geography and Environmental Studies Honours Degree is a four year programme.
• Students go for work related learning during the third level of study.

PROGRAMME ASSESSMENT

Coursework:                            40%: Test (15%), Practicals (20%), Assignments (5%)

Written Examinations:            60%

Other: a) Research Project is assessed on the basis of a research project (75%), Oral presentation

• (15%) and student conduct in the laboratory (10 %).
  1. b) Industrial Attachment/Work Related Learning is assessed based on Industrial Attachment/Work Related Learning report (30%), assessment by Work Supervisor (50%), and assessment by Academic Supervisor (20%).

PROVISION FOR PROGRESSION

Refer to Section 6 of the Faculty Regulations.

FAILURE TO SATISFY EXAMINERS

Refer to Section 9 of the General Regulations for Undergraduate Degrees.

GRADING AND DEGREE CLASSIFICATION

Refer to Section 10 of the Faculty Regulations.

DEGREE WEIGHTING

Refer to Section 11 of the Faculty Regulations.

PROGRAMME STRUCTURE

Module                                                                                                           Credits

Level 1 Semester 1

GES 131 Geographical Techniques                                                                            12

GES 132 Fundamentals of Physical Geography                                                        12

GES 133 Fundamentals of Human Geography                                                          12

GES 134 Environmental Issues: Social and Physical Processes                                 12

CS 131 Basic Communication Skills                                                                          12

HCS 135 Introduction to Information Technology                                                    12

Level 1 Semester 2

GES 135 Meteorology and Climatology                                                                    12

GES 136 Biogeography                                                                                              12

GES 137 Hydrology                                                                                                   12

GES 138 Natural Resources and Sustainable Development                                      12

GES 139 Geography of Sub Saharan Africa                                                              12

Level 2 Semester 1

GES 231 Environmental Assessment and Management                                            12

GES 232 Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing I                           12

GES 233 Environmental Policy and Legislation                                                        12

GES 234 Research Methods                                                                                       12

GSSS 231 Gender Studies for Social Sciences                                                          12

ENT 231 Entrepreneurship                                                                                         12

Level 2 Semester 2

GES 235 Urban Development, Planning and Management                                       12

GES 236 Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing II                         12

GES 237 Population Geography                                                                                12

GES 238 Environmental Safety and Health                                                               12

GES 239 Fundamentals of Quality Management in industry                                    12

GES 240 Environmental Planning and Project Appraisal                                          12

Level 3 Semester 1

GES 330 Work Related Learning Placement Report                                                 40

Level 3 Semester 2

GES 341 Industrial Attachment/ Work Related Learning Report                             30

GES 342 Academic Supervisor Report                                                                      20

GES 343 Work Supervisor Report                                                                             30

Level 4 Semester 1

GES 431 Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing III                        12

GES 432 Climate Change, Environmental Impact and Management                        12

GES 433 Natural Hazards and Human Response                                                      12

GES 434 Urban Climatology                                                                                      12

Level 4 Semester 2

Students should take research project and any three electives from the modules listed below:

GES 435 Research Project                                                                                          36

GES 436 Food Security and the Environment                                                           12

GES 437 Water resources management                                                                      12

GES 438 Environmental Pollution and Control                                                         12

GES 439 Ecosystems Management                                                                            12

GES 440 Regional Development                                                                                12

GES 441 Transport                                                                                                     12

GES 442 Applied Geomorphology                                                                            12

GES 443 Tourism and Recreation Geography                                                           12

MODULE SYNOPSES

GES 131 GEOGRAPHICAL TECHNIQUES

Qualitative and quantitative techniques in geography, elements of cartography, map interpretation, techniques in fieldwork and basic laboratory investigation techniques.

GES 132 FUNDAMENTALS OF PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY

Broad spectrum of physical geography. Students are introduced to principles of climatology; biogeography; pedology, hydrology and geomorphology.

GES 133 FUNDAMENTALS OF HUMAN GEOGRAPHY

Broad spectrum of human geography. Students are introduced to the elements of urban and rural settlements; aspects of socio-cultural, economic and population geography.

GES 134 ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES: SOCIAL AND PHYSICAL PROCESSES

Biophysical, economic and socio-political problems; Concepts of environmental management such as environmental conventions and appropriate environmental management tools, strategies and procedures.

CS 131 BASIC COMMUNICATION SKILLS

Refer to the Department of Communication Skills.

HCS 135 INTRODUCTION TO INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Refer to the Department of Information Systems.

GES 135 METEOROLOGY AND CLIMATOLOGY

Climatic phenomena; earth atmospheric processes, radiation and heat balance, global circulation and air mass movement; weather patterns and forecasts; global climatic processes, ocean circulating systems, climatic change and environmental processes.

GES 136 BIOGEOGRAPHY

Issues in biogeography; methods of mapping biological distribution, geography of endemism; continental drift and biogeography; biological invasions; tropical communities and their history.

GES 137 HYDROLOGY

Interaction of hydrological processes of attenuation, evaporation, infiltration and other losses. Hydrologic data acquisition, manipulation and analyses.

GES 138 NATURAL RESOURCES AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

The module seeks to introduce students to natural resources types, values and consumption patterns. It also develops students’ knowledge and skills of sustainable natural resources utilization, management and conservation. The objective is for the student to gain a broad perspective and think critically about the use of natural resources.

GES 138 GEOGRAPHY OF SUB SAHARA AFRICA

In the module, students study the geography of Sub-Saharan Africa with emphasis on both the physical and human domains.

GES 231 ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT

Environmental assessment and management; environmental policies and practices, impact assessment, audits and environmental reporting.

GES 232 GEOGRAPHY AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND REMOTE SENSING I

Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing: GIS components, GIS and CAD, data capture, spatial data models and structures; raster – vector debate, spatial databases, spatial analysis and modelling functions; Remote Sensing Systems, image processing, image interpretation, geo-referencing, GIS and Remote Sensing Integration, demonstration of use and functionality of software packages such as ERDAS.

GES 233 ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND LEGISLATION

Formulation, implementation and review of policies and laws that aim to promote sustainable management of the environment and natural resources at various scales.

GES 234 RESEARCH METHODS

Essential elements of the scientific research process, research designs, quantitative and qualitative approaches, data collection, analysis and interpretation, results dissemination and ethical issues in research.

ENT 235 ENTREPRENEURSHIP 1

Refer to the Department of Entrepreneurship

GSS 231 GENDER STUDIES FOR SOCIAL SCIENCES

GES 235 URBAN DEVELOPMENT, PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT

Evolution of urban landscapes, urban morphology and functional zonation in relation to city master-plans; urban policy and planning; inner city problems; urban services and facilities provision, urban management and governance, the cultural ecology of the city, water and waste management and urban environmental management and conservation.

GES 236 GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION AND REMOTE SENSING II

Applied dimensions of Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing GIS application development cycle, application in environmental management, natural resources management, utility management, hazard management, land use planning, business and commerce.

GES 237 POPULATION GEOGRAPHY

Spatial and temporal dimensions of population dynamics in relation to resources consumption and conservation. It also focuses on components of population change such fertility, mortality and migration at national, regional and global scales.

GES 238 ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY AND HEALTH

Principles of environmental health and safety management. Development of occupational health and safety, occupational health hazards, occupational exposure limits, job stress, evaluation of chemical hazards, emergency response, principles of toxicology and epidemiology, risk perception and reality and risk control, material handling and storage, crane and hoist safety.

GES 239 FUNDAMENTALS OF QUALITY MANAGEMENT IN INDUSTRY

This module examines the fundamentals of quality management in industry. These include the functions of quality management, quality assurance, quality control, and total quality management. The module also considers the elements of quality management based on the ISO 9001 management system, quality inspection, new product quality, quality specification, supplier relationships, manufacture quality, customer relations, quality audits, economics of quality and quality consulting.

GES 240 ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING AND PROJECT APPRAISAL

The module focuses on environmental planning models and approaches. It also explores the application of planning principles, relevance and utilization of environmental data and planning tools such as logical framework, problem tree analysis and cost-benefit analysis. The module also looks at environmental project identification, planning, implementation, management and evaluation.

GES330 WORK RELATED LEARNING PLACEMENT REPORT

The students will submit a comprehensive work placement report which shows their understanding of the organisation placed.

GES341 WORK RELATED LEARNING REPORT

As part of the examination the students will be required to submit a comprehensive academic report of their work related learning experience to the department and it will be marked and awarded a mark that will be ratified by the departmental examinations board.

GES342 WORK RELATED ACADEMIC SUPERVISOR’S REPORT

As part of the examination the students will be assessed and awarded a mark by the academic supervisor and this will be presented to the departmental examinations board for processing of final marks.

GES343 WORK RELATED LEARNING SUPERVISOR’S REPORT

The employer will assess the student and award a mark which will be presented to the departmental

examinations board for processing of final marks.

GES 431 GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND REMOTE SENSING III

Institutional and technical issues; accuracy, data standards, technical specification, GIS and the decision-making process, organizational placement, implementation strategies, technology change management, GIS project design, project management, report preparation and presentation development in GIS and Remote Sensing.

GES 432 CLIMATIC CHANGE, ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS AND MITIGATION STRATEGIES

Issues related to climatic change such as causes/theories, trends (projections and modelling), impacts, and adaptation and mitigation strategies at various scales.

GES 433 NATURAL HAZARDS AND HUMAN RESPONSE

Types of natural hazards such as geological, biological and climatic at spatial and temporal scales. It further critically analyses various human response strategies and proffers possible policy, legislative, institutional and technological solutions.

GES 434 URBAN CLIMATOLOGY

Effects of urban structures and industrial operations on local climates as well as analysing special climate data requirements for urban and industrial activities. Strategies to deal with possible current and future climatic problems emanating from rapid urbanization in developing countries, including Zimbabwe.

GES 435 RESEARCH PROJECT

Students are to prepare and present a dissertation based on the concepts learnt theoretically and in the field. The guidelines for the dissertation are based on the basic skills of the research and report writing which include development of a research problem, formulation of research objectives, research methodology, data analysis, results and discussion, conclusion and recommendations.

GES 436 FOOD SECURITY AND THE ENVIRONMENT

The module explores in detail the interface between the food security concept and contemporary environmental issues at various spatial and temporal scales. It critically examines aspects such food availability, access and utilization as well as assessing food security risk. It further analyses the impact of climate change, gender, biotechnology, food aid, HIV/AIDS, post-harvest management and conservation agriculture on food security.

GES 437 WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT

This module aims to provide the skills to undertake an analysis of the water resources of a region/catchment. It covers three broad areas; the concepts of rights, ownership types and planning mechanisms with respect to water allocation and development. The module further explores international, regional and national water management principles, practices and policies.

GES 438 ENVIRONMENT POLLUTION AND CONTROL

The module aims to broaden and deepen the students’ understanding of environmental pollution measurement, monitoring and mitigation. It analysis pollution impacts on the environment (water, air, soil), abatement practices and strategies, the legislative framework and the application of appropriate tools and technologies in pollution control and management.

GES 439 ECOSYSTEMS MANAGEMENT

The module explores the ecosystem concept, major components of ecosystems, energy and matter flows, ecosystem disturbance and resilience. Communities and environmental gradients are discussed. Sampling methods for vegetation analysis, hypotheses on existence of plant communities, methods of diversity measurement in communities are explored within the context of climate change and sustainable development.

GES 440 REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT

The module examines the development concepts; development theories, regional dynamics of selected areas; spatial analysis concepts; the nature of spatial diffusion concepts; mitigation measures and problems of regional inequalities.

GES 441 TRANSPORT

The module focuses on the nature of transport and communication; development of transport networks – design and route location; transport models; transport and influence on development.

GES 442 APPLIED GEOMORPHOLOGY

The module aims to enhance analytical and applied skills to undertake analyses of geomorphic processes such as aggradation and degradation; human-landscape interactions; linkage between geomorphology and other physical phenomena.

GES 443 TOURISM AND RECREATION GEOGRAPHY

The module focuses on the scope of tourism geography; theories of tourism development; aspects of tourism and recreation industry; global trends in the nature of tourism; characterization of source and destination areas, cycle of destination centres; socio-economic and environmental impacts of tourism on sending and receiving regions and sustainable tourism development.