121-222 Field Class in Geography

A quota of 25 students applies to this subject and application forms for a quota place are available from the School office at Bouverie St. Students will be required to meet expenses. In 2007 the field site will be in New Zealand.

Usually completion of 25 points of first year geography and permission of the co-ordinator.

This subject is designed for students interested in geographical questions about society and the environment. Over six days of field work in New Zealand, students will gain the knowledge and develop the research skills necessary to undertake further study in geography. The subject presents the disciplinary approaches used by geographers to investigate a wide variety of geographical phenomena. After introducing the questions that geographers ask about places, the subject introduces and develops the research skills and methods used by practising geographers. During the field week students will identify questions about and methods of analysing social, economic, environmental and physical conditions at the field location. After the field work, students will complete projects based on their field work and subsequent reading. In semester one, there will be seminars at which student work is presented.

• identifying questions (about people and their environments);

• thinking critically (about people and their environments);

• obtaining published and field-based information with which to answer questions (about people and their environments);

• working in teams (to identify answers to practical problems);

• writing coherent and researched reports on research;

A 2500 word research proposal 50% (due late semester), a 15-minute presentation 10%, a field diary 30% (due at end of fieldtrip) and participation on fieldtrip 10%.