Key facts
UNE unit code: GEPL106
*You are viewing the 2026 version of this unit which may be subject to change in future.
- Trimester 1 - On Campus
- Trimester 1 - Online
- Armidale Campus
- Yes
- No
- No
- 6
Unit information

Understanding our natural world and the basic systems that regulate our lives will be critical to engaging with issues like climate change and natural disasters, which affect our current living conditions and will continue to do so in the future.
The aim of this unit is to introduce you to physical landscapes and the processes that shape them. You will examine the many processes that shape landscapes, learn how to read and interpret landscapes, understand how different materials and processes influence landscapes and learn about the way landforms and processes can be incorporated into environmental understanding.
Questions posed throughout the unit are: what are the key components of a landscape and what are the processes that act and interact to shape landscapes over a range of temporal and spatial scales.
Offerings
For further information about UNE's teaching periods, please go to Principal Dates.
| Teaching period | Mode/location |
|---|---|
| Trimester 1 | On Campus, Armidale Campus |
| Trimester 1 | Online |
*Offering is subject to availability
Intensive schools
There are no intensive schools required for this unit.
Enrolment rules
There are no requisites for this unit.
Notes
Please refer to the student handbook for current details on this unit.
Unit coordinator(s)

Learning outcomes
Upon completion of this unit, students will be able to:
- demonstrate coherent theoretical knowledge of the key components of a landscape;
- examine the fundamental processes that shape the Earth's surface;
- demonstrate an understanding of how these processes influence a range of typical Australian landscapes with the ability to communicate this effectively to others;
- analyse the influence of processes and landscapes on human and other biological communities; and
- apply a range of specialist analytical techniques to investigate landforms and processes, modelling skills applicable in a professional career.
Assessment information
Assessments are subject to change up to 8 weeks prior to the start of the teaching period in which you are undertaking the unit.
| Title | Must Complete | Weight | Offerings | Assessment Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay on selected topic | Yes | 20% | All offerings | No. Words: 1000 |
| Online Quiz | Yes | 30% | All offerings | 3 online quizzes (10% per quiz) No. Words: 400 (equivalent) per quiz |
| Research assignment report | Yes | 45% | All offerings | No. Words: 2500 |
| Study site identification | Yes | 5% | All offerings | Identification and approval of a study site for the research report to ensure that sufficient and appropriate data are available. No. Words: 200 maximum |
Learning resources
Textbooks are subject to change up to 8 weeks prior to the start of the teaching period in which you are undertaking the unit.
Note: Recommended material may be held in the University Library — purchase is optional.
Global Geomorphology
ISBN: 9780582301566
Summerfield, Routledge 1991
Text refers to: All offerings
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