View Specification DocumentCritical Concepts in Practice GEOG5136
- Academic Session: 2026-27
- School: School of Geographical and Earth Sciences
- Credits: 20
- Level: Level 5 (SCQF level 11)
- Typically Offered: Semester 2
- Available to Visiting Students: No
- Collaborative Online International Learning: No
- Curriculum For Life: No
Short Description
This course explores how critical conceptual lenses are put into practice in living research, drawing directly on the research of the Human Geography Research Group (HGRG) showing how theory shapes the questions geographers ask and the worlds we study.
Timetable
2 hours per week [can replace GEOG5004 Monday 2-4pm ]
Requirements of Entry
Normally entry to MSc in Human Geography programme or approval by programme convenor
Excluded Courses
GEOG5004 Conceptualising Human Geography 1
GEOG5080P Conceptualising Human Geography 2
Co-requisites
None
Assessment
Class Reflection 1 650 words - 15%
Class Reflection 2 650 words - 15%
Group Podcast (13 - 15 mins) - 45%
Group Written Reflective Essay (1500) - 25%
Course Aims
This course explores what happens when theories are used to engage with real issues, debates, and empirical contexts. The course encourages you to see theory not only as abstract ideas, but as active tools for interpreting, critiquing, and reshaping geographical knowledge.
The course aims to:
■ Develop your ability to connect theoretical perspectives with empirical issues and debates in human geography.
■ Explore how different conceptual approaches illuminate aspects of inequality, power, and collective life.
■ Show how theory is mobilised in live research, highlighting both its strengths and limitations in practice.
■ Encourage you to use theory critically and reflexively as a tool for your own research.
■ Build your confidence in engaging with research-led teaching and in learning from contemporary geographical debates.
Intended Learning Outcomes of Course
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
1. Demonstrate a critical understanding of how key theoretical perspectives in human geography can be mobilised to interpret contemporary issues and inform scholarly debates.
2. Apply theoretical perspectives creatively to mobilise living research and geographical debates.
3. Communicate complex ideas effectively in oral formats, including collaborative discussion and podcast production, as well as in clear, critical academic writing.
4. Engage critically with scholarly literature, synthesising insights across diverse theoretical traditions.
5. Reflect on the consequences of using particular theoretical approaches, including what they make visible, what they leave out, and how they shape your own geographical practice.