The Part IA course is divided into two papers, Human and Physical Geography. You are not expected to do any reading before you come to Downing to study Geography. However, if you can find them in local libraries, you might enjoy dipping into some of these general readings.

Paper 1: Human Geography: People, Place and the Politics of Difference

This paper introduces students to some of the key debates and concepts in human geography. It is divided into eight sections:

A. Geopolitics and political geography
B. Globalisation
C. Cultural Geographies
D. Society and environment
E. Sustainable development
F. Health and diseases
G. Uneven economies and inequality
H. Urban geographies

General Reading

Adams, W. M. (2008) Green Development 3rd edition. Routledge, London.
Cloke, P., Crang, P. and Goodwin, M. eds (2005) Introducing Human Geographies 2nd edition. Hodder Arnold, London.
Cook, I., Crouch, D., Naylor, S. and Ryan, J. eds (2000) Cultural Turns, Geographical Turns. Prentice Hall, Harlow.
Daniels, P., Bradshaw, M., Shaw, D. and Sidaway, J. eds (2008) An Introduction to Human Geography: Issues for the 21st Century. Prentice Hall, Harlow.
Dicken, P. (2007) Global Shift: Mapping the Changing Contours of the World Economy. Sage, London.
Graham, B. and Nash, C. eds (2000) Modern Historical Geographies. Prentice Hall, Harlow.

Paper 2: Physical Geography: Environmental Processes and Change

This paper introduces the fundamental processes of the Earth’s inter–connected subsystems and explores how the whole system and its components have changed during the Earth’s history, particularly the last 3 million years. It is divided into six sections:

A. Tectonic process and volcanism
B. Glacial processes
C. Atmospheric Processes and Climate
D. Quaternary climate changes
E. Biogeography
F.  Nature-based solutions for climate change

General Reading

Christopherson, R. W. (2008) Geosystems: an introduction to physical geography 7th Edition. Prentice Hall, Harlow.
Grotzinger, J and Jordan, T. H. (2010) Understanding Earth 6th Edition. W. H. Freeman and Co, New York.
Holden, J. (2005) An introduction to physical geography and the environment. Prentice Hall, Harlow.
Kump, L. R., Kasting, J. F. and Crane, R. G. (2009) The Earth System. Pearson, N. J.
Slaymaker, O., Spencer, T. and Embleton–Hamann, C. eds (2009) Geomorphology and Global Environmental Change. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge