Professor: Jeffrey Smith, Ph.D.
Office: 164C Seaton Hall
Mailbox: 118 Seaton Hall
Office Phone: 532-3412
Department Phone: 532-6727
Office Hours: Mon & Wed: 2:30pm -3:15pm and by appointment.

Course Description/Format:
     This 700-level course is designed to explore selected methods and techniques in modern geographical field research.  It is intended to provide junior, senior, and graduate students the opportunity to more fully appreciate the methods by which geographers conduct field research.  Emphasis is placed on: 1) research design, 2) field data acquisition techniques, and 3) data analysis.  Perspectives grounded in cultural geography provide a point of departure and underscore many of the course readings and discussions, however students with diverse interests and scholarly backgrounds will benefit from (and be expected to contribute to) the wide-ranging topics addressed. 

     In a course such as this, the most effective means by which students are able to gain even the most rudimentary command of the various field methods is to practice the procedures first-hand and apply them to research projects.  As a result, this course requires students to complete weekly field work and submit formal research reports for evaluation.  A majority of students’ time will be spent in the field and writing research reports.  On some assignments students will be required to work in groups of 2 or 3.  Additionally, there will be a modest amount of background reading required to set the stage for discussion.
 
     In this type of learning environment self-discipline and time management skills are essential if a student is to be successful in the class.  In other words, if you are the type of student that procrastinates and cannot commit to conducting extensive field work and writing weekly research reports on a regular basis then this class will probably not serve your needs.  Additionally, students are expected to make worthy contributions to the class discussions.  The more energy a student puts into the class the more they will learn and get out of the class. 

     The exercises for this course require students to provide their own transportation, but it is acceptable for students to car pool to complete the assignments.  Be advised that not having independent transportation will not be grounds for omitting an assignment.  Extenuating circumstances will be evaluated on an as needed basis.  All research reports are due in class as identified in the outline at the beginning of the hour.  Grades on late exercises will be dropped one letter grade for each working day they are late.  No exercises will be accepted for a grade after five working days.

Required Readings:
    A packet of readings is available for purchase in the Arts & Sciences Copy Center (basement of Eisenhower Hall).


Course Grading:
     Component of Students’ Grades:                        Grading Scale:
                      Sit and Spin Exercise                                 50 points
                      Street Smarts Exercise                            100 points                    90 - 100%    =   A
                      Picture Worth a 1000 Words Exercise   100 points                      80 - 89 %   =   B
                      Under Cover Research Exercise             100 points                      70 - 79 %   =   C
                      Rear End Story Exercise                          100 points                      60 - 69 %   =   D
                      Truth or Consequences Exercise            100 points                  Below 59 %   =   F
                      Telluride Project                                        200 points
                      Semester Field Journal                            150 points
                      Cumulative Final Exam                            200 points
                                                Total Points:                 1,100 points

Weekly Field Exercises and Research Reports (various points per assignment)

    Each student is required to complete all of the assigned field based exercises.  Instructions and requirements for each weekly assignment will be distributed in class.  Limited background information for each exercise will also be discussed in class.  Unless otherwise noted, exercises are due at the beginning of class the following week they are assigned.  Each research report should be typed, double-spaced with 1" margins, proofread, and consist of:
    1) a short introduction with a clear statement of the purpose of the paper
    2) a discussion of methods employed
    3) the results obtained
    4) a short conclusion          NO PLASTIC COVERS PLEASE!

    Each week after the research reports have been collected a short discussion will ensue highlighting what was learned in the field experience.

    The exercises are intended to give students first-hand experience conducting selected field methods.  It is hoped that students will not only find the exercises a learning experience but also enjoy completing them.  The exercises are NOT intended to be simply busy work; each assignment has an intended purpose rooted in a field method technique.


Semester Field Journal (150 points)
      Throughout the semester students are required to individually keep an ongoing field journal / diary of their experiences.  Each student is to use the field journal for:
        1) background information taken
        2) notes & drawings taken while conducting the weekly exercises
        3) reflections / evaluations of the experience they had while doing each project

If a field trip to Colorado/New Mexico is offered then notes from the trip should also be included in your field journal. In other words, WRITE EVERYTHING YOU DO and SAY that relates to the class IN YOUR FIELD JOURNAL!!!   The notebook need not be typed or overly neat and tidy, but it should be well organized.  You are encouraged to divide your field journal into sections by exercise.

      Prior to submitting the field journal for a grade, each student is to write (or type and paste in) a minimum 2-3 page analysis of their experience in the class.  Your analysis should be a personal reflection of your research experience.  Conclusions may include (but are NOT limited to) what you liked/disliked, what approach or field method was successful/unsuccessful, geographical patterns observed/discussed, what you learned by conducting the field work, etc.  A student, for example, might choose to write about what methods may be most useful given their research interests, what field methods they enjoyed and found easy or what methods they disliked and found especially difficult.  Keep in mind that this is a field methods and research techniques class and your analysis should lead to insight on those topics.


Note: Students interested in reading more about conducting fieldwork should consult the January/April 2001 (vol 91) issue of the Geographical Review.   

Please Note: I reserve the right to modify the contents of the course.  Every attempt will be made to notify the class in advance should a deviation be necessary.

                                      OUTLINE

                       Date                   Discussion Topic and Assigned Readings   

                Wed 1/23    Introduction to Class; Syllabus/Outline; Course Expectations


                Wed 1/30    Background/Overview of Field Methods in Geographical Research
               
Readings:
- Haring, L. Lloyd and John F. Lounsbury. 1971. Field Techniques, in Introduction to Scientific Geographic Research. pp 36-49.

- Lounsbury, John F. and Frank T. Aldrich. 1986. Nature, Scope, and Objectives of Geographic Field Methods and Techniques, in Introduction to Geographic Field Methods and Techniques. pp. 1-21. Columbus, Ohio: Charles E. Merrill Publishing Company.

-Hewes, Leslie. 1999. Travel as Field Work for a Geographer. North American Geographer 1(2): 86-88.   


                Wed 2/6    Humans as Sources of Data I

Readings:
- Cook, Ian. 1997. Participant Observation, in Methods in Human Geography, edited by Robin Flowerdew and David Martin, pp.127-149. n.c.: Longman.

- Symanski, Richard. 1979. Hobos, Freight Trains, and Me. Canadian Geographer 23(2): 103-118.

Field Project:    “Sit and Spin” Exercise (50 points)


                Wed 2/13    Humans as Sources of Data II

Readings:
- Valentine, Gill. 1997. Tell Me About...: Using Interviews as a Research Methodology, in Methods in Human Geography, edited by Robin Flowerdew and David Martin, pp.110-126. n.c.: Longman.

- Lindsay, James M. 1997. Questionnaires, Interviews, and Allied Techniques: Getting Information From People, in Techniques in Human Geography, edited by James M. Lindsay, pp. 35-61. London: Routledge.

- McHugh, Kevin E. and Robert C. Mings. 1996. The Circle of Migration: Attachment to Place in Aging. Annals of the Association of American Geographers 86(3): 530-550.

Field Project:   “Street Smarts” Exercise (100 points)


                Wed 2/20    Repeat Photography / Palimpsest

Readings:
- Vale, Thomas R. 1987. Vegetation Change and Park Purposes in the High Elevations of Yosemite National Park, California. Annals of the Assoc. of American Geographers 77(1): 1-18.

                   -OR-

- Vale, Thomas R. and Geraldine R. Vale. 1983. US 40 Today: Thirty Years of Landscape Change in America. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press. (Selected pages only).

- Arreola, Daniel D. 2001. La Cerca y Las Garitas de Ambos Nogales: A Postcard Landscape Exploration. J. of the Southwest 43(4):505-541.

- Butler, David . 1994. Repeat Photography as a Tool for Emphasizing Movement in Physical Geography. J. of Geography 93(3):141-151.

- Wyckoff, William. 2006. On the Road Again: Montana’s Changing Landscape. Seattle: University of Washington Press.   

Field Project:   “Picture Worth a 1000 Words” Exercise (100 points)


                Wed 2/27    Content Analysis (Qualitative Analysis)
                               
Readings:
- Krippendorff, Klaus. 1980. Content Analysis: An Introduction to its Methodology. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications (Chapters 4 and 5 pp. 49-64).

Field Project:   “Under Cover Research” Exercise (100 points)


                Wed 3/5    Sampling Techniques

Readings:                               
- Lindsay, James M. 1997. Sampling Size and Sample Frames, in Techniques in Human Geography. pp. 43-50. London: Routledge.

- Lounsbury, John F. and Frank T. Aldrich. 1986. Sampling Procedures Appropriate for Geographic Field Study, in Introduction to Geographic Field Methods and Techniques. pp. 105-125. Columbus, Ohio: Charles E. Merrill Publishing Company.
       
Field Project:   “Rear End Story” Exercise (100 points)

                Wed 3/12    NO CLASS – Work on Rear End Story Exercise
                Wed 3/19    NO CLASS – Spring Recess


                Wed 3/26    Geotechniques I - Ground Truthing
       
Readings:
- Lounsbury, John F. and Frank T. Aldrich. 1986. Sampling Procedures Appropriate for Geographic Field Study.  (Note: This chapter is a repeat from earlier in the semester, but the information is pertinent here as well).

- Beach, Timothy. 1994. The Fate of Eroded Soil: Sediment Sinks and Sediment Budgets of Agrarian Landscapes in Southern Minnesota, 1851-1988. Annals of the Association of American Geographers 84(1): 5-28. (Focus on the methodology)

Field Project:  “Truth or Consequences II” Exercise (100 points)


                Wed 4/2    A Practical Application – Telluride Project

                Wed 4/9    Meet to discuss progress on Telluride Project

                Wed 4/16    NO CLASS – AAG in Boston, Mass

                Wed 4/23    Meet to discuss results so far and progress on Telluride Project

                Wed 4/30    Telluride Project due (200 points)
In-class presentations of results of Telluride Project

                Wed 5/7    Field Journal for Final Research Project Due (150 points)
                                   Cumulative Final Exam (200 points)

NOTE:  If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me.  I am happy to answer your questions.