Undergraduate Course: Geography Fieldwork: Foundations (Human) (GEGR09017)
Course Outline
| School | School of Geosciences |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 9 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
| Summary | As a field course with a visit to Athens, Greece, the course will introduce students to key theoretical debates and perspectives for the study of the relationships between people and places in urban spaces. |
| Course description |
The course will also explore some of the theoretical and methodological issues that come with doing field research in a context of sever austerity. The course is centred around three key themes: the refugee crisis, gentrification, and street art. We draw on a range of theoretical perspectives in an attempt to understand these processes in context. Even as we use established qualitative and quantitative research methods, doing so in a non-English speaking context will make us attentive to its limits as we work in hybrid spaces.
Students will gain valuable skills in designing and executing a fieldwork based research project, as well as analyzing and presenting results from this exercise. Moreover, students will develop new insights on methodological issues of positionality and researchers¿ relationship with the "field". Our hope is that by raising questions about the way in which intellectual labour is institutionalized and deployed, we can democratise social sciences and the ways in which we view our global world.
***PLEASE NOTE FIELD COURSE LOCATIONS MAY CHANGE FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS, INCLUDING SECURITY RISKS, INCREASED COSTS OR INABILITY TO ACCESS FIELD LOCATIONS. ANY CHANGES TO THE MAIN DESTINATION OF THE FIELD TRIP WILL BE ANNOUNCED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE***
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | A contribution to cover travel and subsistence is required from students. Approximately £250 (subject to change) |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2018/19, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: 40 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
100
(
Fieldwork Hours 70,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
28 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Written Exam: 0%, Course Work: 100 %, Practical Exam: 0%.
Degree assessment: 100 % coursework.
1) A written essay of 2500 words related to one of the staff-led fieldwork days will needed to be handed in. {Students will need to choose from the three essay question topics offered, although each question will be answered by an equal number of students [i.e. no more than 12-13 students will get to answer each question, which would be decided upon while on the field].
2) Group presentation ¿ not formally assessed but feedback will be provided immediately after presentations.
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| Feedback |
Feedback will be provided on all activities. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- make connections between theoretical concepts in geography and case studies drawn form the field
- understand the relationship between alternative/Southern theories and how it contests dominant thinking
- critically assess a range of methodologies, their weaknesses and strengths
- gain practical experience of designing and completing a small research project
- gain experience of teamwork and collaborative research, with attentiveness to ethics, safety, and respect for peers and research constituents
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Reading List
1. Cloke, Paul, Philip Crang and Mark Goodwin (2014) Introducing Human Geographies (relevant concepts and sections)
2. Connell, Raewyn (RW) (2007) Southern Theory: Social Science and the Global Dynamics of Knowledge (relevant chapters)
3. Crang, Mike and Ian Cook (2007) Doing Ethnographies
4. Delahunt, Meaghan (2011) To The Island Granta Books
5. Heynen, Nik, Maria Kaika and Eric Swyngedouw (Eds.) (2006) In the Nature of Cities: Urban Political Ecology and the Politics of Urban Metabolism (relevant chapters)
6. Rose, Gillian (2011) Visual Methodologies: An Introduction to Researching with Visual Materials
7. Varoufakis, Yanis (2016) And the Weak Must Suffer What they Must? UK: Bodley Head
8. Varoufakis, Yanis (2011) The Global Minotour: America, Europe and the Future of the Global Economy London: Zed Books
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Fieldwork,Human Geography |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Hamish Kallin
Tel: (0131 6)50 2533
Email: H.Kallin@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Carry Arnold
Tel: (0131 6)50 9847
Email: Carry.Arnold@ed.ac.uk |
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