Topic outline
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Module Code: GGY4004.
Module Name: Introduction to Fieldwork.
Module Convenor: Jane Doe.
Online Times: 10am-4pm GMT, Monday-Thursday
Online Times for John Doe: 9am-2pm GMT, Wednesday-Friday
Why are you studying this module?
The module aims to provide first-year students with an introduction to fieldwork. It seeks to introduce skills key to human and physical geography research, including the production of a field notebook, the collection of data in the field, the synthesis of materials into a report or essay and the presentation of findings. The module will develop an understanding of the possibilities and limitations of geographical methods and their application in specific locations.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module, you should be able to:
- demonstrate a basic knowledge of aspects of the geography of the fieldwork location
- produce a comprehensive report or essay based on research and reading
- apply a range of appropriate data collection techniques to specific research questions
- present evidence appropriately and choose and apply suitable techniques for the analysis of evidence
- demonstrate a development of your group working skills
Communication
My office hours are Thursdays, 3 – 5pm. You should arrange an appointment by email, otherwise I may not have time to see you if other students have already booked an appointment. You do not have to arrange an appointment but should be aware that you may have to wait for other students before you can see me.
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General news and announcements from the programme team.
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Discussion ForumThis forum is for discussing issues relating to work over the next few weeks. I will be checking this daily and answering any queries. If you see a post and know the answer please respond to assist each other during this period.
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In this section, you will find your Resource List (Reading List). This learning resource list will help you achieve the learning outcomes of this module.
Resources on this list can be in a wide variety of formats and are not limited to traditional printed books. Your list may include:
- Printed books and e-books
- Chapters within books
- E-journal articles
- Whole journals and other periodicals (for background reading)
- Online reports and official publications (either within Library databases or on open access)
- Websites and webpages (including news and current affairs)
- Online video content
- Other digital learning objects
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Student assessment takes several forms, principally diagnostic, formative and summative modes of assessment. Brief information regarding your assessments will appear in this section. For more detailed information and guides, please click on the Assessment Guides section.
How are you assessed?
The module is assessed by:
- one field notebook (worth 30% of your module mark)
- one essay (70%)
i) Field notebook (30%)
You will be asked to produce a field notebook detailing the work you undertake in the field. This assesses your understanding of learning outcomes 1, 3 and 5. You are required to provide a suitable notebook. An A5 bound note book is recommended (the student shop and library can provide further help on purchasing notebooks). Your notebook should cover the whole of the trip. This may include short talks from the tutors in the field, personal observations you make, relevant notes from reading, work undertaken during evening activities and the data that you or your group collect (the notebook is an individual submission and sharing data after group work will be important).
Maintaining a good field notebook requires you to be actively engaged, listening and participating in activities and discussions that take place. Your tutors will not tell you to write things down – you need to be taking notes and observations continually. Writing down facts, ideas, observations and measurements should be done immediately. You cannot rely on memory or your friends! Neither should you consider your notebook to be a precious item to be kept in the hostel! A clean notebook without crumpled pages, crossed out sections, and wonky writing always looks suspicious and is a clear give-away that the author has not been writing and engaging in the work in the field. It is perfectly acceptable that your notebook will look a little ragged. We certainly do not expect it to be copied out ‘for neat’ into a clean book! The contents of a typical notebook may include:
- Summaries of the day’s activities
- Notes taken from tutor’s lecture in the field or preparatory comments
- Independent observations
- Details of techniques used to collect data, equipment, organisation of groups / labour division
- Sketches of field sites, landscapes or items of interest
- Details of the location at which the data was collected
- Data obtained by measurement and any associated calculations
- A good deal of mud!
- Notes taken from specific named references
- Diagrams of processes with labels
- Documents, leaflets and other resources attached to the notebook with explanatory notes and information
In addition to the factual content you will gain from measurements, listening and observation, we also expect part of the booklet to be dedicated to a reflective diary of the fieldwork experience. This will account for 15 of the 30 marks for the field notebook. Similar to the reflective diary you wrote for GGY4003 Foundations in Geography, you should consider the experience you have had of fieldwork, what is important about, and what you will do in the future do address these positive or negative experiences and emotions. Before the fieldtrip, you should consult the following websites as starting points for reflective writing: http://bit.ly/1ceK0gh and http://bit.ly/1e0lYN4.
Your notebooks will be collected from you upon arrival at St Mary’s after the return coach journey. They will be returned to you at the start of session 4 so you can use them for the coursework essay assignment. They will be marked in accordance with the criteria for written work (Appendix A) and using the field notebook mark sheet (Appendix B).
You are advised to speak to the Module Convenor or Programme Director for Geography well in advance of the deadline if you have any difficulties, either individually or as a group, to enable us to resolve them. Feedback will be returned to you within one week, and you may arrange to speak with the module convenor or Programme Director, either individually or as a group, to clarify the feedback given.
ii) Essay (70%; 1500 words)
Based on your student project day, you are asked to write a 1500 word essay. This will assess your understanding of learning outcomes 2 and 4. You will answer one of the following questions depending on the group you are working in:
- Exploring the rural idyll: ‘Explore the concept of the rural idyll with specific reference to Castleton and its surroundings’.
- Water quality in upland streams: ‘With specific reference to your fieldwork, explain how benthic invertebrates can be used to analyse water quality in streams’.
Your work will be marked in accordance with the criteria given in Appendix A and using the feedback form given in Appendix C.
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Files: 3 -
In this section, you will find the online inboxes where you will submit your assessments.
Assignment: 1 Turnitin Assignment 2: 1 -
In this section, you will find a draft of your timetable.
From the start of the 2019/20 Academic Year we are introducing a new way to view your timetable via your student email account using the Office 365 Calendar. We have prepared an FAQs document to help with this process.
The benefit that the new system allows any changes made to your timetable to be reflected on your calendar in real time.
Returning students - accessing your personalised timetable:
- Sign into SIMMSpace and select Email Access from Quick Links.
- Sign into your Student Email account.
- Select the Calendar Icon from the available tabs.
- Your Calendar will automatically have your timetable for your scheduled sessions.
- If the session changes, this information will be updated in real time.
Questions?
For any queries, please email helpdesk@stmarys.ac.uk
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Tutorials can be booked to discuss your progress, and any thoughts or concerns you have regarding this module.
Scheduler: 1 -
We will outline the most relevant sources of information to enable you to prepare effectively for future sessions and the fieldtrip.Pages: 3 File: 1 Forum: 1
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The session will enable you to understand the cultural and societal processes arising from the unique geological setting of the Peak District.Pages: 2 Chat: 1 PDF Annotation: 1