{"ModuleCode":"GE4220","ModuleTitle":"Field Investigation in Physical Geography","Department":"Geography","ModuleDescription":"The module provides an opportunity for students to gain hands-on skills and research design practice through residential fieldwork in physical geography. The field trip will be embedded within the regular semester and will be preceded by preparatory classes to provide concepts, theories and specific techniques relevant to the fieldwork location. It will be followed by a period of post fieldwork analysis and presentation of project outcomes.","ModuleCredit":"5","Workload":"0-3-0-7-2.5","Prerequisite":"Cohort 2011 and before: Completed 80 MCs, including 28 MCs in GE, with a minimum CAP of 3.50 or be on the Honours track. Cohort 2012 onwards: Completed 80 MCs, including 28 MCs in GE, with a minimum CAP of 3.20 or be on the Honours track.","Types":["Module"],"CorsBiddingStats":[{"AcadYear":"2015/2016","Semester":"1","Round":"1A","Group":"Seminar-Style Module Class 1","Quota":"16","Bidders":"0","LowestBid":"0","LowestSuccessfulBid":"0","HighestBid":"0","Faculty":"Arts & Social Sciences","StudentAcctType":"Returning Students [P]"},{"AcadYear":"2015/2016","Semester":"1","Round":"1B","Group":"Seminar-Style Module Class 1","Quota":"16","Bidders":"0","LowestBid":"0","LowestSuccessfulBid":"0","HighestBid":"0","Faculty":"Arts & Social Sciences","StudentAcctType":"Returning Students [P]"},{"AcadYear":"2015/2016","Semester":"1","Round":"1C","Group":"Seminar-Style Module Class 1","Quota":"16","Bidders":"0","LowestBid":"0","LowestSuccessfulBid":"0","HighestBid":"0","Faculty":"Arts & Social Sciences","StudentAcctType":"Returning Students [P]"},{"AcadYear":"2015/2016","Semester":"1","Round":"2A","Group":"Seminar-Style Module Class 1","Quota":"16","Bidders":"0","LowestBid":"0","LowestSuccessfulBid":"0","HighestBid":"0","Faculty":"Arts & Social Sciences","StudentAcctType":"Returning Students [P]"},{"AcadYear":"2015/2016","Semester":"1","Round":"2B","Group":"Seminar-Style Module Class 1","Quota":"16","Bidders":"0","LowestBid":"0","LowestSuccessfulBid":"0","HighestBid":"0","Faculty":"Arts & Social Sciences","StudentAcctType":"Returning Students [P]"},{"AcadYear":"2015/2016","Semester":"1","Round":"3A","Group":"Seminar-Style Module Class 1","Quota":"16","Bidders":"0","LowestBid":"0","LowestSuccessfulBid":"0","HighestBid":"0","Faculty":"Arts & Social Sciences","StudentAcctType":"NUS Students [P]"},{"AcadYear":"2015/2016","Semester":"1","Round":"3B","Group":"Seminar-Style Module Class 1","Quota":"16","Bidders":"0","LowestBid":"0","LowestSuccessfulBid":"0","HighestBid":"0","Faculty":"Arts & Social Sciences","StudentAcctType":"NUS Students [P]"}],"AcadYear":"2015/2016","History":[{"Semester":1,"Timetable":[{"ClassNo":"1","LessonType":"Seminar-Style Module Class","WeekText":"Every Week","DayText":"Monday","StartTime":"0900","EndTime":"1200","Venue":"AS2-0302"}],"IVLE":[{"Announcements":null,"Forums":[],"Workbins":[],"Webcasts":[],"Gradebooks":[],"Polls":[],"Multimedia":[],"LessonPlan":[],"ID":"28decc43-67a4-42c4-9de0-8aaf95aaaf8b","CourseLevel":"1","CourseCode":"GE4220","CourseName":"FIELD INVESTIGATION IN PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY","CourseDepartment":"","CourseSemester":"Semester 1","CourseAcadYear":"2015/2016","CourseOpenDate":"/Date(1431014400000+0800)/","CourseOpenDate_js":"2015-05-08T00:00:00","CourseCloseDate":"/Date(1449331140000+0800)/","CourseCloseDate_js":"2015-12-05T23:59:00","CourseMC":"0","isActive":"Y","Permission":"S","Creator":{"UserID":null,"Name":"Taylor, David Mark","Email":null,"Title":null,"UserGuid":"9739e544-2948-4c9d-9c27-1f40507c03e3","AccountType":null},"hasGradebookItems":false,"hasTimetableItems":true,"hasGroupsItems":false,"hasClassGroupsForSignUp":false,"hasGuestRosterItems":false,"hasClassRosterItems":false,"hasWeblinkItems":false,"hasLecturerItems":true,"hasDescriptionItems":true,"hasReadingItems":false,"hasAnnouncementItems":false,"hasProjectGroupItems":false,"hasProjectGroupsForSignUp":false,"hasConsultationItems":false,"hasConsultationSlotsForSignUp":false,"hasLessonPlanItems":false,"Badge":0,"BadgeAnnouncement":0,"WebLinks":[],"Lecturers":[{"ID":"e9b1fcc8-2bd6-4fbb-8e93-72d2dae26ae5","User":{"UserID":null,"Name":"Taylor, David Mark","Email":null,"Title":null,"UserGuid":"9739e544-2948-4c9d-9c27-1f40507c03e3","AccountType":null},"Role":"Lecturer ","Order":1,"ConsultHrs":null},{"ID":"03fd3fa7-e657-4b1c-9bf6-95fb414839eb","User":{"UserID":null,"Name":"Daniel Friess","Email":null,"Title":null,"UserGuid":"4fe27108-7418-452e-b1dc-db6ff9b4feb4","AccountType":null},"Role":"Co-Lecturer ","Order":2,"ConsultHrs":null},{"ID":"07155431-8c24-4ba0-9e0b-1590e93fd6e3","User":{"UserID":null,"Name":"BENJAMIN SAMUEL THOMPSON","Email":null,"Title":null,"UserGuid":"63e0cd06-64e2-47aa-a8d9-56cfc3452bf8","AccountType":null},"Role":"Teaching Assistant ","Order":3,"ConsultHrs":null}],"Descriptions":[{"ID":"1e5f053b-8835-4692-be49-41f07234cfff","Title":"Learning Outcomes","Description":"By the end of the module, students will be expected to show:
\r\n· an ability to read landscapes in eastern Africa, and to recognise the complex array of challenges faced by local residents and by those seeking to promote sustainable development;
\r\n· understanding of the ecological principles that underpin the biogeography of tropical savannahs, forests, freshwaters and alkaline waters;
\r\n· an abilityto synthesise and reconcile the conflicting arguments for conservation of tropical African biodiversity, including large mammals such as elephants and rhino, and be capable of integrating these arguments into sustainable management plans that also take full account of indigenous livelihoods;
\r\n· an ability to design a group research project, participate in research in a challenging environment and analyse, synthesise and present results to a high standard.
\r\n ","Order":1},{"ID":"2e5f053b-8835-4692-be49-41f07234cfff","Title":"Prerequisites","Description":"Cohort 2011 and before: Completed 80 MCs, including 28 MCs in GE, with a minimum CAP of 3.50 or be on the Honours track. Cohort 2012 onwards: Completed 80 MCs, including 28 MCs in GE, with a minimum CAP of 3.20 or be on the Honours track.
\r\n
\r\nAlso an interest in field-based Geography teaching and learning, and a willingness to be flexible and considerate to others.","Order":2},{"ID":"3e5f053b-8835-4692-be49-41f07234cfff","Title":"Teaching Modes","Description":"This module is heavily field-teaching/learning/discussion based. However, there will also be introductory and summary lectures, and student-based seminar presentaitons (the latter in the field)","Order":3},{"ID":"4e5f053b-8835-4692-be49-41f07234cfff","Title":"Schedule","Description":"In addition to introductory lectures before embarking on the field trip, the module comprises a (major) component of field-based teaching. The field-based teaching will include lectures from and discussions with local experts. The following is the proposed schedule for the field:
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\r\nDay 1 (18 September). Arrive at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport c 8:10 pm (flying wth Emirates), Nairobi. Stay overnight in Nairobi Kikuyu Lodge Hotel.
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\r\nDay 2. Travel to camp site at Lake Baringo via Lake Naivasha. Lunch in Nakuru – also collect SIM cards etc. Arrive campsite at Baringo around 5pm.
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\r\nDay 3. Field excursion to Lake Baringo and RAE plots. Discussion on Rift Valley formation, environments and conservation/development challenges.
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\r\nDay 4. Field excursion to Lake Bogoria (hyper-saline [‘soda’] lake) – plan to core the lake (need a boat). Evening lecture. Back to Baringo.
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\r\nDay 5. First day of group project work (three groups – one group per van). Evening discussions about project work.
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\r\nDay 6. Depart Baringo for Lake Nakuru NP and catchment to observe and discuss problems of lake basin management and biodiversity conservation. Evening lecture. Overnight in Nakuru NP.
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\r\nDay 7. Early morning game drive. Depart Nakuru for camp site on Laikipia. Evening lecture(s) at Laikipia on ecology and history of Kenyan communities and their inter-relations with the environment and on rangeland management.
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\r\nDay 8. Early morning game drive. Second day of project work (one group per van). Evening – group project presentations & BBQ.
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\r\nDay 9. (26 September) Early morning game drive then depart Laikipia for Nairobi 4:40pm flight to Singapore.
\r\n
\r\n ","Order":4},{"ID":"5e5f053b-8835-4692-be49-41f07234cfff","Title":"Synopsis","Description":"This module is centred upon an 9 day/8 night-long fieldtrip to the Great Rift Valley in Kenya, eastern Africa. The majority of the nights (7 of 8) will be spent under canvas, camping at two locations in the Great Rift Valley - Lake Baringo and the Laikipia Valley. The fieldtrip will focus on water, dynamic environments, people and biodiversity conservation, all of which are part of the Geography currciulum more generally at NUS. The Great Rift Valley in eastern African, and the savanna habitat that characterises is lower altitude parts, are the cradle of human evolution and have been continuously occupied by our ancestors up to the present day. The region is the only place on Earth where humans currently co-exist with large, undomesticated mammalian herbivores. As a result, they now contain the greatest concentration of mammalian species and the only major mammalian migration event on the planet. Efforts to conserve this outstanding and unique biodiversity involve government protected areas, private ranches, tribal community initiatives and capacity building amongst rural poor where conservation can only succeed when it is linked to demonstrable social improvements. These conservation efforts are carried out in a highly dynamic conditions, environmentally and socio-economically, and amongst a multitude of competing demands and interests. Students on the module will be introduced to and ecouraged to study some of this dynamism, and to think about its causes and likely future implications.
\r\n ","Order":5},{"ID":"8e5f053b-8835-4692-be49-41f07234cfff","Title":"Assessment","Description":"The module will be 100% assessed by continuous assessment (field notebook, group seminar presentation (in the field) & essay:
\r\n \r\n