Plymouth's historic harbor has seen many changes in commercial function over the last several centuries. Today, many businesses cater to the tourist trade.

The desolate tors of Dartmoor, near Plymouth, form the backdrop for the exercise on fluvial geomorphology.

Main Shopping Street  in downtown Cork.

The rugged cliffs of Ballycotton Bay near Cork are the focus of the exercise on coastal erosion.

UNT students take a break from the exercise on coastal erosion.

UNT students explore the rocks at Ballycotton Bay.

BRITISH ISLES FIELD SCHOOL

Course Outline

NEXT CLASS OFFERING 2010.

JULY  

CLICK HERE FOR 2008 SUMMARY INFORMATION SHEET.

CLICK HERE FOR 2004 TRIP LINKS!!!
NEXT OFFERING: Summer II, 2010 (July). HOWEVER... students must sign up for the course by 20th September, 2009. All bookings (accommodation etc.) for the course must be made in fall, 2009. Interested students should contact the instructors in spring 2009 to be placed on a contact list to receive updates.
Course Description: This course is available at the undergraduate or graduate level. For geography majors this course counts as 3 hours of regional science and 3 hours of earth science (Groups A and B, in the geography degree requirements). For non-geography majors this course can substitute for most upper-level geography courses (one 3-hour regional science course and one 3-hour earth science course). Non-geography majors should talk to their advisors about how to use the course to satisfy their degree requirements. Ask your advisor to contact Harry Williams or Don Lyons if they have questions about the course.
Cost: Probably around $3,700. This covers all travel, accommodation and class materials. It does not include food (about $20/day) or tuition/fees (about $1483 for in-state students in 2009 - but this can be reduced by the International Education Fee Scholarship - see below). Don't forget that this includes 6 hours of credit, 3 weeks exploring the U.K. and Ireland and the opportunity for additional travel in Europe for little additional cost - a bargain that's hard to beat! $500 deposit is payable when signing up for the program, the rest of the cost is due in two installments (in late fall 2009 and early spring 2010) - contact the instructors for deadlines.
Accommodation: Mostly in university residences (dorms). Most residences have single rooms, shared kitchens, TV lounges and laundry facilities.
Enrollment Limit: Probably about 12.
Financial Aid: International Education Fee Scholarships are available through the Study Abroad Center (UNT students only) These scholarships are directly credited towards tuition payment (the scholarship was worth $500 in 2008). Scholarships are available on a first-come first-serve basis.
Other: After the field school you will be at liberty to stay on in Europe for independent travel: many major European cities are relatively close-by and travel/accommodation is inexpensive for students.
If You're Interested?: For more details, contact the instructors, Harry Williams williams@unt.edu or Don Lyons Dlyons@unt.edu in the geography department. To sign up for the program and pay the deposit, go to the Study Abroad Office in Kendall Hall (fall, 2005).

Instructors: Dr. Donald Lyons and Dr. Harry Williams. Dr Lyons is originally from Cork, Ireland. He completed his geography undergraduate degree at the University of Cork. Dr. Williams is originally from the London area. He completed his geography undergraduate degree at the University of Plymouth. Both are associate professors in the geography department and have about 14 years teaching experience at UNT.

Field Work: This 6 credit-hour course gives students direct experience in applying geographical field techniques in a foreign setting - the British Isles and Ireland. The field school will be centered on five base sites - Exeter (England), Cork (Ireland), Galway (Ireland), Bangor (Wales) and Edinburgh (Scotland). At each site, students will conduct one-day human and physical geography exercises, designed to provide training in various field techniques. Each exercise is designed to be completed in one day. Duration of field work will be approximately three weeks and includes "free days" at each location. 

Prerequisite(s): This course is NOT only for advanced geography students or geography majors. Anyone with a basic background in geography (the freshman courses listed below) can take this course. Prerequisite(s): GEOG 1710 or GEOL 1610, AND GEOG 1170 or GEOG 1200, OR consent of department.

Course Grade: Your grade will be based on 10 written reports (one covering each field exercise), degree of participation in the field work and overall commitment to the goals of the field school.  Most written reports can be completed on the same day as the exercise). Mark breakdown: Written field reports: 70%; participation 30%

Course Text Book: British Isles Field School Notes and Exercise Packet (produced by instructors).

An exposure of glacial till near Clew Bay, Ireland. The till forms part of the exercise reconstructing Pleistocene glacial movements.

Islands formed from glacial drumlins in Clew Bay on Ireland's rugged northwest coast. The drumlins provide another clue to former glacier movement.

The picturesque town of Llandudno on the north coast of Wales.

UNT students in Wales (summer, 2008)

Tenaments built over street-level shops form an important part of Edinburgh's residential living space.

The Salisbury Craigs (foreground) and Arthur's Seat (background) - two of the features included in the exercise reconstructing Edinburgh's volcanic past.

PRELIMINARY SCHEDULE

Sunday July 10: Depart DFW for London
11: Arrive London, drive to Plymouth, evening introductory lecture
12: Stream morphology on Dartmoor, evening lecture
13: Historic changes in commercial function - Plymouth harbor
14: Free day
15: Drive/ferry to Cork, evening lecture
16: Coastal erosion at Ballycotton Bay
17: Cork urban geography survey
18: Free day
19: Drive to Galway, evening lecture
20: Field reconstruction of glacier movement - Clew Bay
21: Free day
22: Mental mapping of Galway.
23: Drive/ferry to Bangor, evening lecture
24: Beach morphology and sediment transport at Bangor
25: Tourism survey at Llandudno and Rhyl
26: Free day
27: Drive to Edinburgh, evening lecture
28: Reconstructing Edinburgh's ancient volcanic landscape
29: Survey of historical town planning in Edinburgh
30: Free day
31: Drive to London
Aug. 1: Depart for DFW (unless staying on to explore Europe).

The Lakes of Killarney, SW Ireland

Sampling Irish culture (2008).

Taking a break in Plymouth downtown (2008).