Outline

Overview

GEOS2923 has the same thematic content as GEOS2123 however with elements taught at an Advanced level.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Geosciences Academic Operations
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	A mark of 75 or above in GEOS1X01 or GEOS1X02 or DAAE1001
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	GEOS2123
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Kurt Iveson, kurt.iveson@sydney.edu.au
Guest lecturer(s)	Naama Blatman-Thomas, naama.blatman-thomas@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Bill Pritchard, bill.pritchard@sydney.edu.au
Tutor(s)	Amy Fairall, amy.fairall@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Final exam (Take-home extended release)	Final Exam Essay-based exam covering key concepts in Unit	30%	Formal exam period	48 hours
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Blog Contributions Weekly contributions to class blog on lecture topics.	5%	Multiple weeks	200-300 words weekly
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Advanced Project Written report	30%	STUVAC	A group report, 2000 words per student
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Field trip report Written report	25%	Week 13 Due date: 27 May 2022 at 17:00	1500 words
Outcomes assessed:
Participation	Tutorial attendance and participation Attendance and participation	10%	Weekly	One hour/week, weeks 1-10 and week 13
Outcomes assessed:
= hurdle task ? = group assignment ? = Type E final exam ?

Assessment summary

Tutorial attendance and participation: It is expected that students attend tutorials, participate in discussions, and undertake the required reading before each tutorial class.
Advanced Project: Students will work with Unit Coordinator to develop and write a group report on an urban issue.
Field trip report: The report focuses on the relationship between ‘observation’ and ‘interpretation’. The best field trip reports will make interesting observations, and offer insightful and interesting analyses by relating those observations to concepts covered in lectures, tutorials, and further reading.
Blog entry presentation: Students will post one short blog entry in the week following each lecture. They must contribute a minimum of 5 during semester.
Final exam: The exam will test key concepts, issues and examples covered in the lectures and tutorials.

If a second replacement exam is required, this exam may be delivered via an alternative assessment method, such as a viva voce (oral exam). The alternative assessment will meet the same learning outcomes as the original exam. The format of the alternative assessment will be determined by the unit coordinator.

Detailed instructions for each assessment will be provided during semester.

Assessment criteria

Result Name	Mark Range	Description
Fail	<50	does not display written or verbal expression skills that are expected for an Intermediate undergraduate student, including ability to correctly articulate key concepts and cite research materials
Pass	50-64	displays ability to present material which shows an understanding of ideas, a capacity to develop arguments and to cite these appropriately. Approximately 60%-65% of students may be expected to fall into this grade
Credit	65-75	meets ‘Pass’ expectations and displays elevated abilities to interpret ideas and present arguments. Approximately 30%-35% of students may be expected to fall into this grade.
Distinction	75-85	meets ‘Credit’ expectations but builds on these with high-level interpretive abilities, superior expression and wider referencing (appropriate to the task). Approximately 10%-15% of students may be expected to fall into this grade.
High Distinction	85-100	meets and surpasses ‘Distinction’ expectations, and which ‘shine out’ because of their innovative, high quality analytical abilities. It would usually be expected that less than 5% of assessments fall into this grade.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

5% per day without Special Consideration

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Introduction: Cities - A Multidimensional Perspective	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 02	Colonisation	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 03	Globalisation	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 04	Informalisation	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 05	Datafication	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 06	Policing	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 07	Remembering	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 08	Eating	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 10	Working	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 11	Field trip	Field trip (8 hr)
Week 13	Conclusion: Cities and Urbanisation	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance and participation at tutorials is required and assessed.

Attendance and participation in a local field trip or self-guided field trip is required and assessed.

Attendance at lectures is strongly advised.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

There is no set textbook. Readings will be listed in the Unit Handbook and available via the Library.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. explain the meaning and contextual usage of key terms used by human geographers (and other social scientists) in the analysis of urban and regional processes
LO2. use field observation as a method for analysing urban landscapes
LO3. undertake academic literature searches and be aware of the conventions relating to academic literature
LO4. undertake problem-solving research into urban and regional issues
LO5. appraise issues relating to contemporary urban and regional debates.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

Minor changes to the blog assessment have been made since this unit was last offered, and there is both new and updated lecture content in 2022.

Additional information

Students should consult the more comprehensive Unit of Study Handbook provided at the beginning of semester.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

GEOS2923: The Geography of Cities and Regions (Adv)

Semester 1, 2022 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links