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.

A busy shopping day 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.

Dr. Lyons and UNT students explore a cave at Ballycotton Bay.

BRITISH ISLES FIELD SCHOOL

Course Outline

UPDATE AUGUST 4, 2008: THE CLASS WILL BE OFFERED AGAIN IN 2010. THE INFORMATION BELOW IS NOW OUTDATED.

CLICK HERE FOR 2008 SUMMARY INFORMATION SHEET.

CLICK HERE FOR 2004 TRIP LINKS!!!
NEXT OFFERING: Summer II, 2008 (July). HOWEVER... students must sign up for the course by 20th September, 2007. All bookings (accommodation etc.) for the course must be made in fall, 2007. Interested students should contact the instructors in spring 2007 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 $3,500. This covers all travel, accommodation and class materials. It does not include food (about $20/day) or tuition/fees (about $1360 for in-state students in 2007 - 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 2007 and early spring 2008) - 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 is estimated to be about $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) and a critical review of all field techniques, to be completed by the end of the final week of the semester (most written reports can be completed on the same day as the exercise). Mark breakdown: Written field reports: 90% Overall critical review: 10%

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 Aberystwyth on the mid-coast of Wales.

The seaside town of Borth built on a narrow sand spit - the setting for the flood hazards exercise.

UNT students at Borth (summer, 2000)

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.

Lunch on Arthur's Seat, overlooking the city of Edinburgh (summer, 2000)

PRELIMINARY SCHEDULE

Sunday July 6: Depart DFW for London
7: Arrive London, drive to Exeter, evening introductory lecture
8: Stream morphology on Dartmoor, evening lecture
9: Historic changes in commercial function - Plymouth harbor
10: Free day
11: Drive/ferry to Cork, evening lecture
12: Coastal erosion at Ballycotton Bay
13: Cork urban geography survey
14: Free day
15: Drive to Galway, evening lecture
16: Field reconstruction of glacier movement - Clew Bay
17: Free day
18: Mental mapping of Galway.
19: Drive/ferry to Bangor, evening lecture
20: Beach morphology and sediment transport at Bangor
21: Tourism survey at Llandudno
22: Free day
23: Drive to Edinburgh, evening lecture
24: Reconstructing Edinburgh's ancient volcanic landscape
25: Survey of historical town planning in Edinburgh
26: Free day
27: Drive to London
28: Depart for DFW (unless staying on to explore Europe).

The sea front at Plymouth (2002)

Ballycotton Bay, Ireland (2002).

Sampling Irish culture (2002).

Taking a break on Dartmoor (2002).

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