GEO9411 – Field Course in Glacial and Periglacial Geomorphology/Geocryology
Course description
Schedule, syllabus and examination date
Course content
In this field course, topics related to cold climate geomorphology will be discussed together with advanced topics within geocryology (terrestrial glacier and permafrost). The place of the field course can vary, depending on actual running projects and external financing. During the fieldwork, the use of modern field instrumentation (geophysical exploration, temperature monitoring, mass balance measurements, terrestrial laser scanning, photogrammetry etc.) will be emphasized.
Learning outcome
After taking this course, you will
- understand the geomorphological processes in cold environments and the most recent developments in cryospheric research
- have an understanding of methods and results of recent scientific publications in cold climate geomorphology, and be able to discuss the methods and results
- be able to plan and carry out field measurements
- have experience with presentations of scientific reports in the subject area, and be able to summarize actual research in review essays
Admission to the course
PhD candidates from the University of Oslo should apply for classes and register for examinations through?Studentweb.
If a course has limited intake capacity, priority will be given to PhD candidates who follow an individual education plan where this particular course is included. Some national researchers’ schools may have specific rules for ranking applicants for courses with limited intake capacity.
PhD candidates who have been admitted to another higher education institution must?apply for a position as a visiting student?within a given deadline.
The course is offered on an irregular basis and is related to special activities at the Department of Geosciences. The number of study places will vary. Admission takes place after individual application. When more applications than available seats, a ranking of applicants will be based on:
- Grades
Formal prerequisite knowledge
The course includes a compulsory field course and excursions. A health and safety course for safety in the field must be passed before you can go on these:
Recommended previous knowledge
We recommend a background in geosciences, preferably geomorphology/geophysics.?
Overlapping courses
- 5 credits overlap with GEO5411 – Field course in glacial and periglacial geomorphology/geocryology.
- 5 credits overlap with GEO4410 – Glacial and Periglacial Geomorphology.
Teaching
This course consists of 5-8 days with a supervised field trip where full day teaching is given each day. From the field trip, an individual field report, based on the data gathered during the field trip and demanding substantial work, must be submitted and counts towards the final grade.?
Also, a project report must be submitted and presented to fellow students. The project report and the presentation jointly count towards the final grade. The topic of this report must be structured as a scientific paper (min. 10 pages) and can be flexible with regard to the student’s scientific interests and background.?
Attending the field trip is compulsory.
We reserve the right to change the teaching?form and examination of the course in semesters where 5 or fewer students have been admitted.
General information about excursions at the Department?of Geosciences
As?the?teaching involves laboratory and/or fieldwork, you should consider taking out a separate travel and personal risk insurance.?Read about your insurance coverage as a student.
Cost of taking the course
Participation in the excursion is mandatory. The excursion has a fee of NOK 150?per day (if accommodation).
Examination
- Attendance at the field trip.
- A field report based on the field trip counts for 50% towards the final grade.
- A project report and the presentation of this together count 50% towards the final grade.?
- Both the field report and the project report with the presentation must be passed separately in order to pass the course.?
It is possible to take the exam up to 3 times. If you?withdraw from the exam?after the deadline or during the exam, this will be counted as an examination attempt.
It will also be counted as 1 of the 3 attempts to sit the exam for this course if you sit the exam for the following course:
Examination support material
Language of examination
Courses taught in English will only offer the exam paper in English.
You may write your examination paper in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish or English.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a pass/fail scale. Read more about the grading system.
Resit an examination
Students who can document a valid reason for absence from the regular examination are offered a postponed examination at the beginning of the next semester.
Re-scheduled examinations are not offered to students who withdraw during, or did not pass, the original examination.
More about examinations at UiO
- Use of sources and citations
- Special exam arrangements due to individual needs
- Withdrawal from an exam
- Illness at exams / postponed exams
- Explanation of grades and appeals
- Resitting an exam
- Cheating/attempted cheating
You will find further guides and resources at the web page on examinations at UiO.