Module GEOG2472: SOCIAL RESEARCH IN GEOGRAPHY

Department: Geography

GEOG2472: SOCIAL RESEARCH IN GEOGRAPHY

Tied To

• CFG0: Natural Sciences
• L702: Geography
• LMV0: Combined Honours in Social Sciences
• X1F8: Education Studies - Geography

Pre-requisites

Corequisites

Excluded Combinations

Aims

• To enable students to learn the principles, practices and conceptual issues involved in:
• good research design
• rigorous data collection, construction and interpretation
• the presentation of research findings and the appraisal and critical evaluation of research will be achieved through group seminars, practical and field work
• To enable students to acquire direct practical experience in a range of important research methods
• To support students' Research Project Proposals

Content

• Practical exercises on qualitative and quantitative techniques in Human Geography
• Students will choose 3 from a selection of practical exercises
• Possible examples include:
• Interviews
• Questionnaire Design
• Spatial and Statistical Data Analysis
• Archival and Documentary Research
• Participatory Methods
• Ethnography
• Visual Methodologies
• Textual Analysis
• Group design and implementation of multi-methodological research project on Easter residential fieldtrip
• Formulation of a Research Project Proposal

Learning Outcomes

• On successful completion of this module students will be able to:
• Demonstrate knowledge of a range of methods and associated methodological issues within Human Geography

• On successful completion of this module students will be able to:
• Describe the conceptual and practical issues involved in the collection, analysis and presentation of data within a human geography research project
• Work within a group to collect, construct and interpret data relevant to posed research questions in a coherent and conceptually informed manner
• Plan a substantial piece of independent human geography research on an approved topic

• Data collection and analysis as above
• Project design and implementation as above

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Social Research in Geography uses five modes of teaching: lectures, seminars, tutorials, practicals and a residential fieldtrip
• Lectures will be used to introduce conceptual issues in social research that will be explored in more depth in seminars
• Practicals will extend this conceptual understanding and provide students with direct experience of research design and practice in a range of methods applicable to group and independent research
• Tutorials will aid students in the development of their Research Project Proposal
• The residential fieldtrip will develop students' understanding and experience in the design, implementation and presentation of a group research project
• Students' understanding and knowledge of a range of research methods will be assessed by three practical project exercises
• Students' ability to design and conduct a conceptually informed and integrated research project will be assessed by the multi-methodological residential fieldwork project
• The Research Project Proposal will test the ability of each student to design an individual research project

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment

Practical project Outline research project proposal (2 pages (Term 2 / week 30)) Formative feedback is also provided on group presentation during residential field trip and on all summative coursework