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Assignment Details

Coursework Assignment #1:
Essay plan
The essay plan is formative and thus carries no mark (0% of the TOTAL MARK for this module).
The WORD LIMIT for the essay is 500 words. Do not include references. If you do they will be included in the word limit.
The submission deadline is as indicated on your KEATS module page under the section Assessment and Feedback.

This formative essay allows you to get feedback on your proposed topic (to align with one of the six questions for Assignment #2).

Coursework Assignment #2:
The essay assignment comprises 90% of the TOTAL MARK for this module.
The WORD LIMIT for the essay is 2,500 words.
The submission deadline is as indicated on your KEATS module page under the section Assessment and Feedback.
This assignment will be marked using the essay marking criteria.

Answer ONE of the following fifteen questions from ANY of the five themes:

Theme A: Water
1)Consider the water resources of three Middle East or North African countries and outline the response to any impending water shortage.
2)Discuss the contention that in the future water resource issues will become the main source of armed conflict in desert regions.
3)Evaluate our understanding of the causes of last century’s droughts in the Sahel.

Theme B: Vegetation
4)Chose any three desert plant species and compare and contrast their solutions in adapting to such a harsh environment.
5)Compare and contrast the different adaptations that plants have developed to survive in desert environments.
6)Choose any two semi-arid regions and compare and contrast the anthropogenic impacts on the vegetation and the methods used to manage them.
7)Outline our understanding of microbes in desert environments.

Theme C: Geomorphology
8)Assess the merits of using the geomorphology and sedimentology of lake deposits in deserts to infer past climate changes.
9)Evaluate the factors that control aeolian erosion, transport and deposition in desert environments.
10)Critically evaluate our current understanding of the global dust cycle.

Theme D: Past Climate Change and Human Response
11)Chose any desert and evaluate our understanding of the effects that climate change has had on the environment over the last 100,000 years.
12)Using examples, assess the effects that past climate changes have had on the human occupants of semiarid and arid areas.

Theme E: Desertification
13)Outline the processes of salinization in semi-arid and arid regions and assess the extent to which the problem can be readily managed.
14)Choose a semi-arid or arid region and evaluate our understanding of the causes, processes and spread of desertification within it.
15)Assess the utility of the different remote sensing techniques that can be used to determine the extent and severity of desertification.

Coursework Assignment #3:
Online quizzes comprise 10% of the TOTAL MARK for this module.
Multiple choice quizzes will be set on KEATS after a lecture for some weeks.

This essay assignment will be marked using the essay criteria detailed in the Geography Student Handbook.

The following specific requirements apply (over and above the official Coursework Submission Requirements):
The essay must meaningfully incorporate information from a minimum of ten (10) articles published in international peer-reviewed scientific journals. The use of sources that are not from such journals is strongly discouraged and should only be used when they are the only relevant source of information.
The essay must include a minimum of three (3) figures, tables or visual elements (e.g. photo’s) that complement the text. All figures must be accompanied by proper captions (including citation if applicable) and must be referred to in the main text.
The formatting of the essay must be at a publishable level, including appropriate section headings, figures that are fully integrated with the text, page numbers, etc.

Additional Information

Information on referencing, formatting, online submission, marking criteria & mitigating circumstances is available in the Geography Student Handbook:
Referencing online at: Undergraduate Programmes → Coursework Formatting, Word Limits, and Submission Procedures → Referencing.
Official UG instructions on formatting, online submission procedures, word limits and late submission online at: Undergraduate Programmes → Coursework Formatting Requirements.
Undergraduate Assessment types/process online at: Undergraduate Programmes → UG Coursework Descriptions AND Student UG Assessment Handbook.
The Geography UG Marking Criteria for different assignment types are available online at: Undergraduate Programmes → Undergraduate Assessment Marking Criteria.
Mitigating Circumstances. Details on the Mitigating Circumstances process and how to apply can be found in: Support and Wellbeing.
This module syllabus was last updated on 24 August 2022 by Prof. Nick Drake