Resource list

To help you prepare for studying in the School of Geography, we have gathered together some resources that you may find interesting and informative. However, there is no pre-requisite reading that needs to be done. 

Suggested reading

General Human Geography 

This freely available general overview, called What is Human Geography? introduces some of the many different subdisciplines and traditions within the broad area of human geography. 

Responding to the pandemic 

2020/21 was dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic. A good starting point for geographical understanding of the global coronavirus pandemic is the Royal Geographical Society (RGS) resources on the pandemic. The coronavirus pandemic will continue to significantly impact issues that are key concerns for human geographers. There are quite a few early analyses in the general media, here is just a small sampling that may be of interest:

• From the School of Geography at the University of Leeds, Paul Chatterton (2020) writes about what coronavirus can mean for a sustainable urban future; this article explores the role inequalities have played in the pandemic, and this paper explores bordering through the pandemic and the effect on displaced people across the world.

Planet Under Threat 

Our Planet Under Threat module addresses some of the key environmental challenges facing humanity and the wider biosphere from both social and natural science perspectives found within human and physical geography. Some background readings that may interest you include the following:

• Bryson, B. A Short History of Nearly Everything (2016, Black Swan) covers all the big questions that are important for understanding and managing our planet today. 
• Led by Leeds-based scholar Simon Lewis, The Human Planet: How We Created the Anthropocene (Lewis, S. and Maslin, M. 2018, Penguin) traces our environmental impact through time to reveal when humans began to dominate and change Earth. 
• It’s also worth looking at the stark warnings from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) – the United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate change – in its 2018 Summary for Policymakers of IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C and the latest 2021 report on climate change being 'widespread, rapid and intensifying'.
• For a case study of the social and cultural dimensions of climate change, you may be interested in this work by Leeds scholars: McQuaid, K. et al. (2018) Urban climate change, livelihood vulnerability and narratives of generational responsibility in Jinja, Uganda. 

Population, Society and Space 

The Population, Society and Space module focuses on changing population patterns and trends and the resulting social and cultural issues that arise. It considers issues and themes including diversity and difference, inequality, discrimination, changing populations, ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality, age, and disability. 

• A useful introduction to population geography is Holdsworth C. et al Population and Society (2013, Sage), with its detailed and accessible overview that situates demographic events - fertility, mortality and migration - within the context of broader social impacts and theorisations like social inequalities, individualisation and life course analysis. 
• The free collection Cartographies of Difference, which includes contributions from Leeds-based scholars, contains a number of essays related to the geographies of difference, including themes of nationalism, ethnicity, sexual orientation, class, and more. 
• The interconnected roles played by race, class, gender, sexuality and (dis)ability in driving inequalities and discrimination are key themes in our undergraduate programmes and we find intersectionality a useful concept for studying them. This short video by Hopkins, P. ‘What is intersectionality’ (2018) is a good place to begin. 

Global Geopolitics, Migration and Uneven Development 

Our Global Geopolitics, Migration and Uneven Development focuses module on the geography of places and how they are constituted by environmental, economic, social and political processes, and in turn the influence of places on these processes. Particular attention is paid to the recent history of global geopolitics, states and non-state actors, nationalism, globalisation, migration, uneven development, gender, human rights, and decolonial politics. 

• Dodds, K. (2019) Geopolitics: A Very Short Introduction provides a good, concise introduction to the study of geopolitics. 

Academics at Leeds have made major contributions to research on issues affecting refugees and asylum seekers. Some recent work by our staff on how asylum seekers can become highly vulnerable to the practice of modern slavery can be found in the following: 

• Fighting or fuelling forced labour? The Modern Slavery Act 2015, irregular migrants and the vulnerabilising role of the UK’s hostile environment
• Socio-legal status and experiences of forced labour amongst refugees and asylum seekers in the UK 
• You may wish to explore Ben Hennig’s ‘Views of the World’ website which shows how issues such as development, population growth, and the current debt crisis can be illuminated through innovative forms of mapping. 

The Urban Age 

Our The Urban Age module explores the geography of cities and urban settlements and their constitution by environmental, economic, social and political processes through time and space, and in turn the influence of urban forms on these processes. We give attention to planetary urbanisation, urban planning, collective consumption and social reproduction, housing and the welfare state, service and retail economy, neoliberal globalisation, post-industrial urbanism, power, austerity and contestation. 

• Contemporary urbanisation poses real challenges for social justice and environmental sustainability. We recommend the Guardian’s Divided Cities video series as the place to start exploring these issues.
• You may want to follow that up by exploring Sudjic, D. The Language of Cities. 
• Housing is a major theme of urban studies. Leeds scholars have made major contributions in this area. You can read for free the introductory chapter to Safe as Houses: Private Greed, Political Negligence and Housing Policy After Grenfell by Stuart Hodkinson. 
• Moving towards more sustainable forms of urbanism ultimately involves a different economic and urban model, so you may want to have a look at Raworth, K. Doughnut economics (2018, Chelsea Green Publishing Company) or Leeds academic Paul Chatterton’s Unlocking sustainable cities. A manifesto for real change (2018, Pluto Press). 

Digital Geographies 

The Digital Geographies module provides an introduction to the important and rapidly changing world of geographical data analysis. It blends new digital, mobile and spatial technologies with core numerical skills and conceptual understandings of how space and spatial relationships can be represented. 

The world of digital technologies, automation and ‘big data’ is increasingly important to our programmes. 

• Digital Geographies by Ash, J et al. (eds) (Sage, 2018) provides a powerful overview of how digitalisation is transforming every aspect of our society. The introduction is freely available to read here. 
• If you want to dip a toe into the theory and practice of digital methods, then check out Brunsdon, C. and Comber, L. An Introduction to R for Spatial Analysis and Mapping (Spatial Analytics and GIS) (Sage, 2018). R is a powerful open-source computing tool that supports geographical analysis and mapping. 

The growing use of Big Data in research poses complex ethical and moral issues.

• An introduction to some of these issues can be found in Ten Simple Rules for Responsible Big Data Research. 

Research and innovation at the University 

Our research actively informs our teaching programme and you can follow these links to find out about our current research: 

• Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy
• Centre for the Observation and Modelling for Earthquakes, Volcanoes and Tectonics
• Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling
• National Centre for Atmospheric Science

Taster lecture

To give you a snapshot of what it is like to study with us our academics have put together a short taster lecture relevant to this undergraduate degree:

• Unlocking sustainable cities

University resources 

The University of Leeds also offers many useful resources to help you transition to higher education learning.  

• Skills @ Library Academic skills   
• Research and Study skills