Sixth Form Entry Booklet

30 GEOGRAPHY Examination Board: OCR GCSE requirement: 6 in Geography Geography is about understanding the world around us: the physical basis and then how humans use and interact with it. It is about spatial relations: where things are, why they are there and what the consequences are. We look at the world at a variety of scales from the very local to the global. We are interested in economic, social and political patterns and how they interrelate. As such Geography combines very well with many other subjects from giving a human context to those wanting to be medics and engineers to a view of the world economy for those in finance and business. Course Outline - the course is divided into two: Physical and Human, with a different teacher for each side. Year 12 Physical: we start with the earth’s carbon and water cycles upon which all life depends. There is a focus on tropical rainforests and the tundra environments for the case studies. We move on to a detailed study of glacial and periglacial conditions with links to the tundra regions introduced earlier. We look at the processes that operate there, as well as the resultant landforms and the implications for human use of these areas. Human: we look at changing spaces; making places unit looks at our perceptions and interpretations of the places; what makes a place special and how they respond to economic change and the processes of rebranding. We look at global migration and how the routes and patterns have changed in recent years. The Power and Borders unit looks at how concepts of the nation state are being challenged today and the role of the United Nations in the global governance of international conflict. We are all global citizens and these units provide an ideal platform for discussing the complexities of today’s world from the conflicts in Syria, the implications of Brexit on migration patterns and the balance of power between nations and big business in the contemporary global system. Year 13 We tackle bigger issues that are examined in a more extended essay writing style. On the Physical side we study the Hazardous Earth and the problems of, and responses to, the tectonic events of volcanoes, earthquakes and tsunamis. On the Human side we look at Disease Dilemmas; the global distribution and implications of diseases and conditions such as Coronavirus, Ebola, AIDS, coronary heart disease and diabetes. All students are required to undertake 4 days of fieldwork during the course.