Postgraduate Course: Methodological Debates in Human Geography (PRGE11001)
Course Outline
| School | School of Geosciences |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course provides students with knowledge of advanced methodological debates in Human Geography and related social sciences. The course uses directed readings and seminar discussions to explore the place of method and theory in constructing distinctive geographical and spatial knowledges. The course also examines the relationship between academically-formed geographical and social science methodologies and other epistemic and methodic practices. The subject matter is designed to be responsive to the specific research interests of students and requires students to read in a specialist area relevant to the methodologies of their proposed research (as such the annual content changes according the members of the class). As part of this course students are expected to attend the Institute of Geography and the Lived Environment Seminars. Occasionally the class will be used as preparation for those seminars, offering you the opportunity to read and discuss the work of an invited speaker. A number of the speaker themselves are usually willing to lead the seminar as a Master Class in their methodologies. |
| Course description |
Week 1: Establishing Methods to be covered in the course. Discussion of theory & method in research;
Weeks 2 -9: Seminars on methods selected by students in Week 1 and guest presentations on methods by seminar speakers;
Week 10: Individual student presentations of their methodological debate.
|
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | N/A |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Academic year 2023/24, Available to all students (SV1)
|
Quota: 16 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 22,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Placement Study Abroad Hours 11,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
163 )
|
| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
One written assessment of 4,000 words due week 11. |
| Feedback |
Not entered |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- demonstrate knowledge of current methodological debates in, and to, the field of Human Geography and related social sciences
- appreciate of the varied cultures and histories of geographical and social knowledge formation and their relevance to contemporary methodological debates
- synthesise and critically analyse a range of debates on methods and methodology, in written and verbal form
- understand of the relationship between methodology, methods and theory
- develop, report and plan research practice, informed by reading in a specialist area and gain skills in preparation and presentation of a conference paper
|
Reading List
Readings are provided in advance, normally via Learn. Books that students have found to be of use are:
Clifford, Nicholas; Cope, Meghan; Gillespie, Thomas & French, Shaun (eds), 2016, Key Methods in Geography,
London: Sage.
Silverman, David (ed.), 2010, Qualitative Research (3rd Edition), London: Sage.
Silverman, David 2007, A Very Short, Fairly Interesting and Reasonably Cheap Book About Qualitative Research, London: Sage
|
Additional Information
| Course URL |
http://www.geos.ed.ac.uk/masters/hg-res_info/ |
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Additional Class Delivery Information |
The format for teaching is seminar discussion around set readings, guided by academic members of staff (either the course staff or through Master Classes with visiting academics).
|
| Keywords | PRGE11001,Debates,methodology,research techniques,society,human geography |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Eric Laurier
Tel: (0131 6)51 4303
Email: |
Course secretary | Mrs Lynn Taylor
Tel:
Email: |
|
|
University Homepage