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121-032 Australian Quaternary Environments | |
Note | Formerly available as 121-358. Students who have completed 121-358 are not eligible to enrol in this subject. This subject is run as a 10 day intensive field course during the mid-semester break in July, plus laboratory work on campus in Semester Two. The viability of this subject is dependent on a minimum enrolment of 20 and a maximum enrolment of 40. A quota applies. Students must lodge a quota subject application form with the department. Students will be selected, if demand exceeds capacity, on the basis of the marks obtained in the prerequisite subject. Students who are offered a place are required to confirm their intention to undertake the subject by meeting the special requirements for the field class (as posted on the departmental notice boards) three weeks before the commencement of Semester One, otherwise their place in the subject will be reallocated to students on the waiting list. Students will be advised two weeks before the start of Semester One as to whether or not the subject will proceed. Students should consult the departmental notice board for further details of dates, location, special requirements, and quota subject application procedures and deadlines. All BSc students, except those enrolled in the BA/BSc combined course and the BASc course, can only receive 25 points science credit at the 300-level for this subject. |
Availability | 3rd and 4th year |
Credit Points | 25 |
Coordinator | Dr Ian Thomas |
Prerequisites | Students taking this subject must have already completed 37.5 points at second/third-year level, including at least one of 121-213/313 Plants People and Changing Environments, 121-270/370(121-025) Biodiversity, Geomorphology, 600-201 Physical Environments, 625-221 Geological Methods, 625-230 Environmental Earth Science, 606-202 Plant Diversity and Systematics, 606-204 Plant Ecology, 654-204/214 Animal Ecology, 104-246/346 Prehistoric Archaeology, 104-237/337(107-005) Archaeology of Western Asia. |
Semester | 2 (view timetable) |
Contact | 20 hours of lectures and 60 hours of field work to be conducted over a 10-day intensive field course, 12 practicals/seminars (one 2-hour class per week) to be conducted over the remainder of the semester |
Subject Description | The Quaternary encompasses the past 2.5 million years of earth and human history. Study of the Quaternary includes the following key areas of interest: climate changes, dating methods, glacial/interglacial cycles, sea level changes and associated biotic responses, palynology, the effects of hunter gatherers on the environment, Quaternary geomorphology, the development of modern landscapes, glacial landforms, dune building, coastal landforms. On completion of the course students should be familiar with: the major forces which have driven environmental change during the Quaternary; the processes which operated to shape physical landscapes during the Quaternary; rates and directions of environmental change during the Quaternary; the nature of anthropogenic impacts on landscapes; field and laboratory skills in palaeoenvironmental methods; field and laboratory skills in Quaternary geomorphological methods; and methods to analyse and reconstruct past environments. |
Assessment | An assignment of 5000 words, and a field report and weekly laboratory exercises equivalent to 5000 words for 4th-year. An assignment of 4000 words, and a field report and weekly laboratory exercises equivalent to 4000 words for 3rd-year. Students must attend at least 80% of scheduled practical and seminar classes to be eligible to pass this subject. |
Search : Index : Faculty of Arts : Geography
Prev 121-035 Research Project in Geography and Environmental Studies (Advanced)
Next 121-034 Field Class: Environmental Studies and Sustainable Development
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