GEOG 380 Field Research Studies will give you hands-on real world experience of doing research with a community somewhere in southern Te Waipounamu, the South Island of Aotearoa New Zealand.
You will deepen your understanding of the practice of fieldwork by working in a small, supervised group. You will develop and design your research on a topic that is of interest to you, do some background research in class, and then collect data in ‘the field’, through a week’s field school in a small town or urban centre with interesting geographical issues to address.
In the past, field schools have been held in Queenstown, Wānaka, Te Ānau, Ōamaru and Central Otago among other places. Research will involve consulting relevant literature, developing appropriate research questions, designing a research plan, and gathering, analysing, and interpreting data. The findings of the research will be presented both orally and in a written report.
The paper gives you strong analytical, research, writing and communication skills. These are transferable and much valued by employers across a range of roles. The paper is full year, and we will consider accepting non-geography majors, so do inquire if you are interested.
About this paper
| Paper title | Field Research Studies |
|---|---|
| Subject | Geography |
| EFTS | 0.15 |
| Points | 18 points |
| Teaching period | Full Year (On campus) |
| Domestic Tuition Fees ( NZD ) | $1,318.20 |
| International Tuition Fees | Tuition Fees for international students are elsewhere on this website. |
- Prerequisite
- GEOG 280
- Schedule C
- Arts and Music, Science
- Eligibility
Students with a social science or humanities background are welcome to inquire. You will need special permission to be admitted if you are not a geography major.
- Contact
- Teaching staff
Associate Professor Sophie Bond
Associate Professor Doug Hill
- Paper Structure
This paper is organised into four parts:
Part I: Research Design and Concepts (S1, weeks 1-9)
Part II: Fieldschool: Data Collection (S1, week 10)
Part III: Analysis: Making sense of your Data (S1 weeks 11-13; S2 weeks 1-2)
Part IV: Dissemination of findings: Presentation and Report Writing (S2 weeks 1-9)
- Teaching Arrangements
The paper is based on an active and experiential learning and teaching approach. Students work in small groups to develop and undertake a research project with a staff member supervising. There will be one formal timetabled class per week, that is based on active discussion and some traditional lecturing. In addition, groups are expected to meet once a week with their supervisor and once with their group independently.
The research is usually undertaken at a residential field school held in a different small town in the Otago/Southland region for one week in May. The field school (or any substitute arrangement made for public health reasons) is compulsory.
- Textbooks
No textbook is compulsory. A list of thematic readings is prescribed for each session.
- Graduate Attributes Emphasised
- Global perspective, Communication, Critical thinking, Cultural understanding, Ethics, Environmental literacy, Teamwork.
View more information about Otago's graduate attributes. - Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course you should be able to:
- Identify a research problem and develop an appropriate research design to address that problem, bearing in mind resource constraints;
- select, implement and evaluate appropriate methods of data collection and analysis;
- successfully collaborate with members of a small group to project manage and undertake a research project;
- be confident in discussing research ideas, literature and findings in a small group and classroom setting
- recognize and attain professional standards in writing a report and verbal presentation;
- adopt high ethical standards in undertaking field-based research;
- recognise and implement appropriate health and safety procedures.