Duration
10h Th, 20h Pr
Number of credits
Lecturer
Language(s) of instruction
English language
Organisation and examination
Teaching in the second semester
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
This course discusses how different geomorphic and hydrological processes are relevant for societies, how these processes and their impacts can be quantified and how they relate to different aspect of global change (e.g. climate change, land use changes, etc.).
The course consists out of two parts: a theoretical and a practical part.
The theoretical part consists of lectures during which we will focus on different globally relevant geomorphic and hydrological processes (e.g. catchment sediment export, sheet & rill erosion, gully erosion, landsliding). For each of these processes, we will discuss:
- Their societal relevance (e.g. catchment sediment export in relation to water availability and hydro-electricity production; soil erosion and its impacts on food productivity; landslides and their associated socio-economic costs)
- The controlling factors of these processes and their impacts, as well as their relation to processes of global change (e.g. climate change, population increase, socio-economic changes)
- How these processes and their impacts can be quantified and predicted (with a focus on regional, country-wide and global spatial scales and decennial time scales) .
The practical part consists of a research project where teams of 3 to 4 students aim to answer a specific research question. The subjects of these project closely relate to the topics discussed in the theoretical part but go deeper. Potential examples are: What are tolerable soil losses with respect to food production in Europe? How can we quantify the costs associated with soil erosion? How many people are likely affected by the impacts of landslides and how will this evolve in the future? Etc.
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
The goals of this course are:
- to acquire knowledge about various geomorphic processes, their controlling factors and their societal impacts;
- to learn research strategies to (numerically) quantify geomorphic processes at large spatial scales, as well as their pitfalls and uncertainties;
- to (further) familiarize the students with 'systems thinking' in geography (i.e. understanding geomorphic processes and its impacts as systems of linked and interacting components);
- to train and improve project team work; and
- to train critical reflection
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
Basic knowledge of geomorphology/hydrology, GIS and statistics.
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
The theoretical part consists of a series of lectures.
After the theoretical part, students select their topic for team work based on personal interest and prior knowledge (e.g. previous courses followed, links with Master's thesis). Students are required to give a short motivation on why they chose this subject (and demonstrate that their project will be substantially novel, compared to other research activities). Own proposals for research projects are welcomed and can be discussed with the teacher.
Students work on their project in team. However there are several contact moments where the students can discuss their progress, receive feedback on their progress and receive specific guidance.
Students will write a short (< 15 pages, including references) report on their project that (i) situates the problem, (ii) explains the methodology used, (iii) discusses the results (i.e. the answer to the question provided); and (iv) reflect on the findings (implications, uncertainties, ...)
Mode of delivery (face-to-face ; distance-learning)
face-to-face & distance-learning
Recommended or required readings
The course material for the theoretical part consists of the handouts of the presentations used during the lecture. While these handouts are relatively complete, students are adviced to take additional notes.
For the research project, a list of recommended papers will be provided which may serve as a starting point.
Assessment methods and criteria
50% of the points will be based on the group project work. The other 50% of the evaluation will be based on an oral exam.
Points for the group project will be assigned as follows:
- Based on collaboration during the sessions (appearance, participation in discussions) (20%)
- Peer evaluation (30%)
- The final report (50%)
The oral exam consists out of three questions (each 1/3th of the points): two relating to the theoretical lessons and one (in depth) question relating to the project in which the student participated. Questions will relate to different themes (e.g. no 3 questions about soil erosion). Students who prefer so, can reply to the exam questions in French.
During the third exam session (August/September) the oral exam may be replaced by a written exam, depending on practical circumstances. Students will be notified beforehand about this.
Work placement(s)
Organizational remarks
Contacts
Matthias Vanmaercke
Bât. B11 Géographie physique et du quaternaire
Quartier Village 4
clos Mercator 3
4000 Liège 1
Belgique
Téléphone de service : +32 4 3665267
Courriel : Matthias.Vanmaercke@ulg.ac.be
Adaptation of teaching commitments following the COVID-19 pandemic for the May-June 2020 session
Teaching methods implemented : distance-learning
Video recordings of the remaining theory courses are placed online (on the e-campus platform). These replace the original theory sessions. In addition all slides, as well as additional literature, are placed online.
For the group exercise, a video providing a general explanation of the tasks (goal, expected outcome, general procedure) is placed online. Using this information, students express their preferential subject choices. Based on this, the teacher assigns each student to a smaller group of 3-5 students. Further explanation and follow-up sessions with each group will be organized via LifeSize.
Students are encouraged to contact the teacher and teaching assistant to ask for feedback or further clarifications when needed (both with respect to the group exercises and the theory). In addition, a forum on e-campus is opened to stimulate discussion amongst the students.
Assessment subjects
For the theory, the course content consists of everything explained during the lectures (before the lockdown) and of everything explained in the video recordings (for the remaining theory, placed on e-campus). The slides placed on e-campus provide the general structure and main content of the course but may exclude additional details that have been explained (and which are expected to be known and understood).
For the group exercise, evaluation will be based on the originally defined criteria (50% on the group report, 30% based on peer evaluation and 20% on active participation). As explained above, questions about the task can also be asked during the oral exam (to further test knowledge and involvement with the subject and its relation to the theory).
The additional literature that has been placed online is optional, but directly relates to the content of the course. This literature is intended to further clarify the slides and explanations provided. As such, no direct questions about this literature will be asked, unless it concerns figures and elements that were discussed in the course.
Assessment methods
For the group exercise, the modalities of evaluation remain the same.
For the theory, the oral exam will be replaced by an online oral exam during which each student will be assigned (at random) two questions. He/she will then have 15-20 minutes of preparation time (under online surveillance). Preparation should take place without course material or other resources (except for pen and paper).
After the preparation, he/she will present online their replies (via LifeSize or a similar platform). The teacher may ask for further clarifications or in-depth questions. Likewise, he may ask additional questions about the group exercise. The student should be able to reply to such questions without further prepation. As such, it is greatly recommended that the students re-read their submitted report before the exam.
In addition, students will be asked to send (via email) a declaration on honour that they have conducted the exam without cheating. An example of this declaration will be made available before the exam.
Contacts
For all questions, the teacher can be contacted at: matthias.vanmaercke@uliege.be.
Adaptation of teaching commitments following the COVID-19 pandemic for the Aug-Sept 2020 session
Assessment subjects
For the theory, the assessement subjects are the same as for the exam in June.
For the practical part, students have two options. By default, the grade on the group exercise and your oral defence of this task will be transfered to the September session (i.e. you will keep the same score and no additional questions will be asked). However, if students wish, they can chose to make a new home exercise. In that case, this should be requested via email to before Friday 17/7, 9:00 AM.
This new home exercise will be an individual home exercise, where the student will be asked to conduct a short literature review on a subject directly relating to the course. He/she will be asked to critically read and discuss 3-4 articles and write a report/discussion on these articles of 4-5 pages. This task will need to be submitted before Friday 4/9, 16:00. During the oral exam, the student will also be asked at least one question about this task (to further test the insight on the topic).
Assessment methods
For the theory:
The exam will be organized in a similar way as during the June session, with some nuances and differences. For the theory, the exam will consist of two questions that are randomly allotted to each student. As before, these will be open questions that directly relate to the course material (e.g. questions where you are asked to explain one or more figures or key concepts of the course).
The exam will be a closed-book exam, where the student will be asked to prepare your replies on paper before a webcam (making sure that your hands and face are visible). In contrast to the previous exam session, the student will be given more time to prepare these questions (i.e. 30-35 minutes in stead of 15-20 minutes). Once this prepartion is finished, the student will be asked to photograph his/her preparations and send the photos to me before the oral exam. Shortly after, the student will be invited to take the oral exam with me. During the exam, he/she will be asked to explain the written replies and additional questions may be asked. It's important to note that the amount and type of additional questions asked does not necessarily provide an indication of how well the exam went.
The final grade for the theory part will be based on both the oral exam as well the written preparation you submitted. For the written preparation, it is not necessary to write a full text (e.g. you can work with bullet points). However, students are strongly adviced to clearly mention all key elements of your reply in the preparation.
For the practical part: see above