Teaching and assessment for Geography and Politics MA (Hons)

Teaching methods include:

• lectures in larger groups
• small group tutorials and seminars
• workshops
• fieldwork
• projects with outside organisations
• presentations

Most modules at Levels 1 and 2 have three lectures and one tutorial or workshop group meeting each week. You’ll also be able to study additional subjects such as politics, psychology, economics, philosophy, environmental science, or a language.

At Levels 3 and 4 you will have fewer lectures and will learn from tutorials, seminars, local field and laboratory work, and workshops.

For Geography, fieldwork in a variety of environments forms a key element of your degree. We make use of Dundee city itself and other nearby locations and landscapes for local day trips. We also take you further afield into the Scottish Highlands, Spain, or Iceland for week-long residential field trips.

Some Politics modules will include specialised teaching such as trips, a simulation element (European Union politics), or working directly with a human rights advocacy organisation on their campaigning work as part of the curriculum.

Exams are important but are not the only way we assess your learning – there is also a mix of coursework, including:

• essays
• presentations
• reports
• fieldwork
• journals and blogs

The mix of exams and coursework types varies from module to module. You will be expected to complete many coursework assignments individually, but some assignments will be based on you working in small groups with other students.

At Level 4 you will apply the knowledge and expertise you have learned by writing a dissertation on a topic of your own choice.