A Course to Remember...
I won’t lie. If given the choice of which geography course to take, this would not have been the first pick for me. I tend to steer clear of the more technical fields of geography and only take an interest in those concerning the environment, but I can honestly say that I enjoyed this course more than I anticipated. The content and the way it was delivered were engaging and thought-provoking. As I take a look back at the semester, this will be a course I recommend in the future.
What I Learned About Human Geographic Research
I learned a lot from this course but there are a few topics that are engraved in my mind. The first is known as critical reflexivity, a process of self-evaluation and criticism as the researcher and on the research process (Hay, 2016). There are three types to choose from, objectivity, subjectivity, and intersubjectivity (Hay, 2016). Critical reflexivity is a large part of being a researcher that comes with difficulties, for example, power (Hooykaas, 2021). This was a confusing concept for me in the beginning, but as we dove deeper into the course material and I reviewed my notes it became more clear.
The second topic is known as research ethics. All research is held to a high standard and must follow certain guidelines (Hooykaas, 2021). I learned this is necessary to keep participants safe and allow for the researcher to reap benefits such as funding and being published (Hooykaas, 2021). I was unaware of how much preparation and consideration went into conducting research and the parties involved.
The third topic is known as coding. Coding is used when researching to categorize and analyze data (Hooykaas, 2021). There are two primary types of coding, deductive and inductive, as well as two types of coding frames, flat and hierarchical (Hooykaas, 2021). Coding can also be based on different aspects depending on the topic of your research, for example, you can choose to code by use of themes, ideas, terms, or keywords (Hooykaas, 2021).
What Confuses Me
The delivery of course content allowed for an adequate understanding of most course materials. The most confusing unit was that on analyzing surveys. I have a slight understanding of the different types of data but they have always provided me with struggles. I was not aware that surveys are much more complex than asking questions and receiving answers.
A second confusing concept arose in unit nine, critical analysis. We were required to write a blog post critically analyzing an article. This was an intimidating experience as I had not yet inquired an in-depth understanding of the material. I was able to review the content and develop a small understanding, but I am no expert in the subject.
A concept that I have long struggled to understand is that of qualitative and quantitative research, data, and everything else relating to those two concepts. These two concepts have been used since elementary school days and I still am unable to grasp their meanings and how to apply them.
What I Know for Certain About Myself as a Human Geographic Researcher
One of the main things that I know for certain is that I will often unconsciously apply certain concepts to daily life as my human geographer instincts kick in. For example, research ethics will force me to be considerate of the way I converse with others on a day-to-day basis, while using critical reflexivity to evaluate the process to ensure I am being respectful.
A second thing that I know for certain is that, even with my newfound appreciation for human geography, I much prefer the environmental side of geography that works with concepts such as the human impact on the environment and climatology. With that being said, there are various concepts from this discipline that are useful to all disciplines, including environmental geography
The last thing that I know for certain about myself as a human geographer is that I am nowhere near finished with learning and I don’t believe I ever will be. There will always be new concepts and methods of researching as the year's pass.
What I Need To Feel Confident in My Skills as a Human Geographic Researcher
To feel more confident in my skills, I would like to further my knowledge of coding and the different types. I believe this concept would be extremely beneficial in other courses as I complete assignments, but only if I can obtain a superb understanding of the topic as I believe it would prolong my assignments if I was still met with confusion. I believe furthering my understanding of data collection, specifically, the types of questions to ask would be extremely beneficial for post-undergrad. Knowing what types of questions to ask depends on the results you are looking for could prove to be useful when completing research assignments or inquiring about job positions. The last, and most important, area that I need to spend time on to feel more confident in my human geographic research skills is doing more research outside of class materials and assigned readings when something is unclear to further my understanding of the topic. I often do the bare minimum to receive average grades, but I would like to start implementing a few practices, such as additional research, to receive above-average grades.
Concluding Remarks
As I have stated earlier, and in previous blog posts, this course exceeded my expectations and there are various concepts that I will take away from this experience and apply to my studies and daily life. Thank you Dr. Hooykaas.
References
Hay, I. (2016). Qualitative Research Methods in Human Geography (4th ed.). Oxford Univ Press.
Hooykaas, A. (2021). GEOG*2260 Applied Human Geography. University of Guelph.
Hi! I think you made some great points not only in this post, but throughout the semester! I found it very interesting to hear about your main takeaways from this course. I too found the topic of critical reflexivity to be one of the most important concepts when considering human geography research. Understanding one’s one bias and position and how that relates to their research is key, especially when human subjects are involved. I also found interesting your point about how during daily life, you start to apply concepts that we’ve learned throughout the course of this semester. I find myself unconsciously doing the same thing! Little concepts like the ‘invisible backpack’ have made their way into my daily life and conversations. When having a conversation with my roommates, I often find myself thinking about where their perspective is coming from, and why they might have the opinion that they do. This concept of ‘invisible backpacks’ can apply to many things, not just geography and I’m excited to see the other places in which it can be applied. I also agree with you on your preference of environmental geography. Though this course was interesting, I think it helped me narrow down the fields in which I am interested in studying, which would tend to be more of human’s impact on the climate. Overall, I found it really interesting to read about your challenges and successes throughout the course, and I wish you all the best in your future of learning about and researching human geography!
April :)























