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Research Skills In Human Geography

Over the course of the semester we have looked at a variety of research methods that can be applied to human geography and other fields. As the semester progressed, I began to feel more comfortable in collecting research, and enjoyed the freedom we had within the course to discuss topics of interest. Hay states, “The complex and varied research questions arising in human geography require a multiplicity of conceptual approaches and methods of enquiry” (Hay, pg. 3). Properly researching is essential in the field today and will contribute to stronger storytelling.

These three things I know for certain about human geography research:

Firstly, I have learned the lesson of using multiple sources of information in order to develop strong evidence towards any case study at hand. In several scenarios throughout the semester, I was exposed to different news sources and other articles that certainly contained biased information. These sources tended to twist story from a certain perspective, of failed to include particular pieces of evidence that should have been shared. Hay states, “Careful research design is an important part of ensuring rigor in qualitative research” (Hay, pg. 117). Therefore, we must be cautious of this bias and use a calculated research method with multiple sources in order to avoid this noise.

Secondly, I become more aware of my own personal backpack as a privileged university student living in Canada. After watching the documentary on Agafia’s life (The women living in a secluded environment in Siberia) I was able to grasp the concept of an invisible backpack. We must be aware of our surroundings and the potential influence of our personal backpacks “The conduct of social research necessarily has an influence on society and the people in it. By asking questions or participating in and activity, we alter people’s day-to-day lives” (Hay, pg. 29).

The invisible backpack leads me to the final thing that I know for certain, which is the most important aspect of the research process in my opinion. That is carrying out research with the awareness that you are ethically responsible for the information you are collecting. Meaning we must always respect the subject and be aware of the space/place we are travelling to. Understanding the people and their way of life should be a number one priority, in human geography producing a good story means nothing if you were knowingly corrupt throughout the process. A perfect example was also displayed in Agafia’s story, as the team of geologists who ventured onto her land managed to put the family endanger, forced themselves upon the land, as well as sexually assault Agafia. The team from Vice at least made an effort to respect her and not be too much of a burden.

These three things I am still confused by:

Over the course of the semester there have been a few things that were discussed that still confuse me. Firstly, the topic covered in week 8 of the course “coding” still trips me up a bit. I felt like this was one of the more complicated concepts discussed in the course, and I struggled to remember when to select flat or hierarchical.

Another concept that I struggled with was creating a strong research question. While I still believe I am capable of creating a research question, this is something I would like to perfect, considering its importance. Formulating a great research question is certainly a goal of mine, Hay states “writing a compelling research proposal is a real challenge. In our view, it is probably the most demanding task that any undergraduate or graduate student experiences” (Hay, pg. 95).

The final thing that I am still confused about is source selection. I find myself strictly sticking to google scholar for trustworthy sources and would love to expand my research to other sources. I am still worried about noise and bias in articles from google but feel limited when on google scholar considering how in depth and specific each journal is. Hay states “Over-ambitious research proposals can make for very frustrating research experiences” (Hay, pg. 102). Therefore, in the future I would like to stick to strong proposals that are also more simplified. While conducting our storytelling assignment we tried to pick a topic that was much too complicated, after hearing the criticism from Dr. H, we picked a simpler topic, and everything came together.

These three things I know for certain about me as a human geographic researcher:

One thing I know for certain about me as a human geographic researcher is how much I value ethics within the field. I have learned the importance of respecting those we are researching and while performing research in the future I will ensure to prioritize the feeling of the subjects. Secondly, I know now that I would be interested in taking the newfound knowledge learned through the course of this semester to go our and perform my own research. I would love to travel out west and carry out some type of environmental research combined with environmental impact assessments and development plans. Finally, I know for certain that I will no longer overlook potential bias from the media sources that I commonly use to collect my news.

These three areas I need to spend time developing/learning in order to feel more confident in my skills:

There are three simple areas that I would like to further develop in order to become more confident in my researching skills. Firstly, the ability to filter through sources more efficiently would certainly allow for a smoother and stronger research process. Secondly, being able to use these sources in order to develop stronger research questions and proposals, which is another thing I seemed to struggle with over the course of the semester (storytelling proposal). Hay wants us to “keep the big picture in mind, but think through how to identity its component parts so that you have a manageable project” (Hay, pg. 101). Finally, I believe if I follow the theme of this course and focus on subjects/topics that I have a great interest in, I will be able to fully commit to the research and give myself a true opportunity to evoke some sort of change or raise awareness.

References

Hay, I. (2016). Qualitative Research Methods in Human Geography. [VitalSource Bookshelf]. Retrieved from https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/#/books/9780199010912/

Hooykaas, A. (2021). Lecture Notes from GEOG 2260: Applied Human Geography

Images

Tompkins, Elizabeth / ap human geography. (n.d.). Retrieved April 11, 2021, from https://www.cusd80.com/Page/95116

Holdsworth, N. (2015, November 12). Stalin, Siberia and salt: Russian recluse’s life story made into film. from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/12/russia-recluse-siberia-stalin-agafia-lykova-documentary

kmgeog2260

During this course we have looked at various aspects of human geographic research. In this write up I will address three things I know for certain about human geographical research, three things I am still confused by, three things I know about myself as a geographic researcher, and lastly three things I still need to work on as a geographical researcher.

The first thing I know for certain now about human geographical research is that although it does consist of mostly qualitative methods, there is still very many different styles and methods of collecting data and conducting research. Prior to this class I had seen qualitative and quantitative as very black and white, quantitative being solely numerical and qualitative being solely thoughts and ideas. Qualitative research is complex, and not only does it look at tangible aspects of humans and human interaction but also discourses, identities and most importantly place when it comes to human geographic research (Hay, 2005, Chapter 1). It also has a well-developed range of techniques such as ones we have looked at and ones I have used in my blogs. These include observational studies, interviews, case studies, oral histories, focus groups, literature reviews and many more.

Another thing I now know for certain is that human geographic research requires the consideration of ethics and self-reflection. There is a moral imperative to this research where the concern of welfare, respect for persons and justice needs to be incorporated (Hooykaas, Week 3, 2021). These ethical issues arise because of the social nature of human geographic research, in any of the methods listed above you are collecting and interpreting social information (Hay, 2005, Chapter 2), therefore ethical issues can arise before, during or after the research process. I know and understand now the importance of this.

Lastly, human geographic research requires a deep and well documented analysis to ensure rigour and the best possible answer/outcome to your research question. While conducting qualitative research it is not always the case like in quantitative research where the numbers speak for themselves, therefore we must ensure rigour, meaning we need to establish a high level of trustworthiness to our work. To ensure rigour, it requires careful research design and thoughtful planning which will ultimately create trustworthy and dependable research (Hay, 2005, Chapter 6). As the researcher I learned the importance of careful and well thought out design through the digital storytelling project.

The first thing I am still confused by in human geographical research is making informed choices about research design and development. I understand that there are many different styles and methods to geographic research, but I am still unsure of which is the best to use and when. Another thing I am still confused by is after the data has been collected how to filter which responses to use and which information is the best information. In other words, I am still confused on what happens next in research. Lastly, I am still unsure of how to critically assess the strengths of the sources to evaluate how much information is enough. I think that with time and more practice these aspects of human geographical research will make more sense to me.

As a human geographic researcher, I know for certain that I understand the importance of ethics in a research project. I was able to develop this skill throughout the blog posts and the storytelling assignment. Going forward if I were to conduct a research project, I would like to use collaborative research methods, which involves getting input from both insiders and outsiders of the problem being studied (Hay, 2005, Chapter 3). I think that coming from an outsider position in research has some major downfalls and effects to the research being done and raises ethical issues between the researcher and the participants.

This brings me to my next point, that I know for certain that I have and will bring with me an invisible backpack that comes from a place of privilege. To be critically reflexive is a process of self-conscious scrutiny as a research throughout the entirety of the project (Hay, 2005, Chapter 2). Being a white woman raised in Canada, I need to remind myself of the privilege that I come from before, during and after the research process. I will need to ask myself how and why I am doing whatever research I am involved in as well as constantly be looking at the social relations being enacted and influenced by the research I will conduct.

Lastly, I know that using the technique of coding while organizing my research is a good tool for me to use. Prior to this course while trying to find information from literature online I found it very hard to organize information and my thoughts. The knowledge of hierarchical vs. flat, and inductive vs. deductive coding, (Hay, 2005, Chapter 18), going forward will help me organize information and come to a better answer to my research questions.

Areas that I have learned about myself as a geographical researcher that I need more time developing are creating a grounded theory, removing myself from the research and writing/ presenting my qualitative research. Creating a grounded theory is an inductive method where the purpose is to generate information on the most important themes up front to gain a solid understanding of the topic, then looking at the specifics to help answer the research question (Hay , 2005, Chapter 18). I as a research tend to jump into my question too quickly and then end up with a lot of information and time spend in topics that don’t relate to my question. As a researcher I also find it difficult to remove myself from the research write up. Third person and nominalization create more formal research but often I try to add my own thoughts and ideas when they are not needed (Hooykaas, Week 9, 2021). Lastly, while putting my research together to present it I need time to develop better ways of presenting my work. I need to balance the use of objective and subjective knowledge, learn to write in a third-person narrative and reflect my positionality (Hay, 2005, Chapter 19).

Sources:

Hooykaas. (2021) Course Notes for GEOG2260- Applied Human Geography

Hay, I. (2005). Qualitative Research Methods in Human Geography(4th ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/#/books/9780199010912/cfi/0!/4/[email protected]:0.242

asgeog2260

Hey Kaya, Congrats on your final post of the semester! I found this post to be very interesting as I have enjoyed comparing the opinions and struggles of other classmates to my own. Throughout the entire semester we have stressed the importance of utilizing different research methods. I have found that most students have also grasped the concepts of quantitative and qualitative research, as well as formulating a deep analysis when working to fully understand a story. I believe these two factors; along side the research ethics are the most important things to take away from the course. Teaching how to respect those they are researching, as well as being able to support their research claims with multiple forms of evidence.

After reading though the rest of your post it is clear that you have grasped the major lessons of the course and are capable of preforming a variety of research methods. I am now also aware of my invisible backpack and would love to carry out some sort of field research. I feel like it would be an interesting experience, because of what I have learned throughout the course, I too would be cautious to remain ethically responsible for those I am collecting information on.

Anyways, I don’t want to ramble on too much, but it is clear you know what you need to improve on. I am curious what research method you believe is the strongest towards developing a strong case about a subject? Also, with your newfound knowledge from this course, do you find yourself fact checking more stories that seem to clutter our social media accounts?

Nice work kaya, good luck on your final exams!

Best, Antonio

angeog2260

Reflection on Applied Human Geography (GEOG*2260)

Throughout Applied Human Geography, GEOG*2260, I not only learned about the research process as a whole, but I also gained skills I will continue to use in my future. Below, I will express my thoughts regarding my knowledge and topics I found confusing on human geographical research.

These three things I know for certain about human geography research:

Deconstruction of media events and textual material is something I know for certain as I used this approach for the DSP. Textual information and analyses are predicated on a constructionist epistemology, meaning that the world is socially constructed and mediated (Hay, 2016, chapter 1). While the media is often a common source of the portrayal of information, it was interesting to apply my skills to analyze research articles and ensure that I am limiting common problems in human geographic research.

Another thing that I know for certain (and one of my favourite things to learn about), was Peggy McIntosh’s concept of invisible backpacks. Initially, she began using this term to explore women's studies and how women and underrepresented races were in experience of oppression, denial and/or disadvantage (Hooykaas, 2021). I find this to be very interesting because it can not only be applied in this class but in other social aspects of life. For example, while we live through unprecedented times with the ongoing pandemic, we all need to realize that others are impacted differently and have different underlying circumstances.

The final thing that I know for certain is the idea of focus groups in a study. A focus group method involves a small group of people to discuss a topic or issue defined by a researcher (Hay, 2016, chapter 10). Focus groups allow individuals to speak their truth on a matter more specifically while also allowing a semi-structured interview style. This creates a more accepting environment, enabling the participants to feel more at ease and more thoughtfully answered questions (Hooykaas, 2021).

These three things I am still confused by:

Although I do have a strong understanding of the research process and everything that is incorporated and associated with that, there are still some topics that confuse me. I often find myself questioning how to start a research process, more specifically, what approach to take. I find that often there is overlap between the best approach to take, and I believe with a bit more practice (as I am still a `rookie’ researcher), I would be able to confine to the best approach to take.

I also got confused with the flat coding type, versus a hierarchical coding type. I understand the basis of it, but reviewing back to the blog post about coding, I had a debate with myself of which one is more practical to use and how to apply this to a scenario. After reading up and allowing myself to understand and engage in the coding frames, I was able to determine what is best for that scenario, but I still often get confused with the difference between them.

The third thing that I get confused with is ensuring that I am evaluating reliable sources for my studies. The media is often so easy to get swayed one way, and although it may seem reliable, it has the possibility of being biased or misrepresentative of the topic. With the help of this class, I have been more adamant about checking the source of the article and their credentials. The process in qualitative research requires that writers explicitly state the criteria by which a reader can assess the trustworthiness of a given piece of research (Hay, 2016, chapter 19).

These three things I know for certain about me as a human geographic researcher:

I am confident in some of my skills as a human geographic researcher, one of them being understanding how power can influence a study. Power relations exist beyond the relationship of the researcher and the participant (Hay, 2016, chapter 2). It is crucial to consider these aspects of direct and indirect power in a study as this can alter the final outcome of the study, and perhaps enhance potential biases as well.

I also understand the concept of reflexivity and how to apply it to human geographic research. Reflexivity is a process of constant, self-conscious scrutiny of the self as a researcher and of the research process (Hay, 2016, chapter 2). In ‘easier to understand’ terms, it is simply analyzing the situation as if it were something you were studying (Hay, 2016, chapter 2). This is important to consider and break down the social relations that are being enacted and how those relations can influence the data.

Another thing that I know for certain about myself as a human geographic researcher, is that if I were to do research in the future, I would lean more to quantitative data rather than qualitative data. Although I do enjoy hearing other people’s stories and gaining insights on topics that are crucial nowadays, I enjoy the quantitative aspect more.

These three areas I need to spend time developing/learning in order to feel more confident in my skills:

I need to spend some time developing and applying my knowledge in the field to real-life scenarios. Understanding the course content from a literal context differs from the application to case studies and other geographical problems in human research.

Another issue that I need to spend some time working on is coding. Coding allows the researcher to confine their studies. The purposes of coding are for data reduction, organization and a substantive press of data exploration (Hay, 2016, chapter 18). I think with more assistance on how specifically to code, and understanding what data is relevant to the study versus what is not would assist my confidence.

I understand the research process as a whole, but there are aspects in the process that if I worked on, I would feel more confident. One of my biggest worries as a researcher would be the process of writing up analyzed data and confining it to ensure that there are no biases. I would look to use a latent content analysis, which is searching the document for themes (Hay, 2016, chapter 8). This would be an asset because I could find the common themes that arise, then code them based on that matter.

Resources:

Hay, I. (2016). Qualitative Research Methods in Human Geography. Toronto. Oxford University Press.

Hooykaas, A. (2021). Applied Human Geography (GEOG*2260) Lecture Notes. University of Guelph.

asgeog2260

Hey Amy, this was a very interesting post to read through! I believe we have some things in common in terms of ‘things we know for certain’ considering I too latched onto the concepts of deconstruction, as well as the invisible backpack. I believe these terms can be applied to an extremely broad scope, and I will be applying these techniques while conducting research in the future. I have certainly discovered that most stories shared throughout media platforms aren’t always trustworthy. There are oftentimes missing pieces that should be sought out after.

I also agreed with the statement you made about collecting more quantitative data. It does seem to provide some very viable information, if the source is accurate you can assess the major statistics of a case.

After reading the though the remaining sections of your post, it seems like you are confident in the newfound set of skills provided from this class. You have also clearly stated a few things that you may want to improve on, which would contribute to stronger researching. Lastly, I too share a lack of confidence in sources, which leads me to dig deeper and search for a viable source forever. As long as we continue to cross reference sources the research should expose any flaws in the case.

Great post Amy, good luck on the rest of your semester!

Best, Antonio

National Geographic: Locust Plague Hits East Africa

I came across an interesting article posted by National Geographic yesterday entitled “A locust plague hit East Africa. The pesticide solution may have dire consequences” and was quite intrigued. This article was posted on March 24, 2021 by Tristan McConnell and explains the current situation on pesticide use in East Africa.

The article explains that since late 2019, a ridiculous number of locusts have been swarming several countries in East Africa, eating tons of crops and pastureland. With resources scarce, major steps have been taken in order to eliminate the insects. According to McConnell “a ground and air spraying campaign over eight East African countries, coordinated by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, has staved off the worst” (McConnell, 2021). While food stocks have been protected in order to feed millions, the potential effects of these pesticides could be quite devastating. McConnell also stresses that over half a million gallons of chemicals have been dumped, with no signs of slowing down. In my opinion the most interesting part of this article is how the author had expressed his feelings on a seemingly nonexistent environmental assessment plan. Further explaining the lack of research surrounding these chemicals in this particular location.

This article certainly provides an abundance of information on this topic, but is the article trustworthy? While National Geographic is one of the most popular magazines out today, there can certainly be some bias within the articles. Firstly, it is important to note that no sources have been listed in the article itself, but the author has made several references to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. Thus, this article would be considered more of an opinion piece, with the guided help of one decent source. Personally, I would have performed more research on the chemical being used in particular, diving into those scholarly journals to provide a few more solid sources to the case. As we have discussed several times throughout the semester, it is essential to back up all point through multiple scholarly sources to avoid bias.

Honestly, the subject matter of this article was very interesting, but does contain quite a bit of noise. It provides a background on the subject but lacks strong evidence. I would use this article as a steppingstone and perform more research in order to develop my own opinions. After reading the entire article, I do believe environmental impact assessments should be carried out on matters like this regardless.

Do you think the authors style of presenting the information should have been more scholarly, or is this just an example of a Geography magazine attempting to raise awareness?

McConnell, T. (2021, March 25). A Locust plague hit East Africa. the pesticide solution may have dire consequences. Retrieved March 26, 2021, from https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/locust-plague-hit-east-africa-pesticide-solution-may-have-dire-consequences

Hooykaas, A. University of Guelph, 2021

jmageo2260-deactivated20210621

COVID 19 and Mental Health

For this blog post I am going to be reviewing an online-news article that I found on cbc.ca/news. The article is called “From depression to self-harm, teens are struggling during COVID-19” and was posted March 15, 2021. It was written by Sandra Abma, a veteran CBC arts journalist. The Covid-19 outbreak has been very stressful and has already had a marked effect on people’s mental health.

The article’s key message is that the pandemic has had negative effects on the mental health of teenagers and the Ontario government is not providing adequate mental health services (Abma, 2021). Sandra talks to many parents who have noticed their children struggle during the pandemic as a result of not being able to socialize with peers and follow the same routines they are so used too.

Some of the research provided comes from a secondary source. Abma cites results found from association of provincial mental health agencies. Other data was collected through interviews. It is not clear whether or not Abma has interviewed them herself. Abma could have provides more sources to further strengthen her argument, such as peer-reviewed journal article and additional studies.

According to Brown (2006), there are five criteria to take into consideration when evaluating literature. These are purpose, scope, authority, audience and format (Hooykaas, 2021). The author of the article most likely validated and verified the sources by collecting information about the interviewer or observer of the qualitative data and by examining their credentials. How did they collected this data and was the researcher that provided the data objective. Joanne Lowe is the vice-president of mental health and addiction at CHEO and Merissa Taylor Meissner is a counsellor with Family Services Ottawa. They are experts in their field and have experience and observations in the subject matter. The survey results were released by a provincial mental health agency and we can certainly be confident of the credibility, reliability and confirmability of the methodology used to come up with the statistics. Abma provides links from the organizations she collected the data and the people she interviewed.

I cannot speak of the type of interview that was performed, whether it was structured, semi structured or unstructured and what type of question were asked. Regardless, with the delicate nature of the subject matter and the age of subjects, ethical concerns need to be taken into consideration. The author of the article as well as the researchers have to be aware of their invisible backpack when writing the article as they most certainly had unearned advantages in their lives. Additionally, during writing and the interview process, critical reflexivity and objectivity should have been practiced (Hooykas, 2021).

Media plays an important role in keeping the citizens of Canada informed. Media outlets have a responsibility to be ethical and produce factual information. However as a consumer of media we also have a responsibility when reading and especially when sharing a news article or the information therein. It is our responsibility to cut through the noise and find the stories that are well reported, adequately sourced, and verifiable.

From depression to self-harm, teens are struggling during COVID-19 | CBC News. (2021, March 15). Retrieved from https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/mental-health-teenagers-pandemic-1.5945851 <https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/mental-health-teenagers-pandemic-1.594585>

Hay, I., (2016). Qualitative research methods in human geography. Don Mills, Ontario: Oxford University Press.

Hooykaas, A. University of Guelph, 2021

asgeog2260

Hey Jordan, great post! This topic certainly requires more attention, considering the major lifestyle changes everyone has been forced to make over the past year. I am not surprised that the articles main claim was that the pandemic has had negative effects on the mental health of teenagers in our area. I have personally felt pretty bound to my computer this past semester, not really leaving the house.

Considering this article comes from CBC news, it is certainly more mainstream media. As you described in your post, there could have been more references from the secondary source, making it a bit stronger of an argument. In the case of this article, the message is quite clear, and you can take that information to further research more scholarly sources. A perfect example would be the research you mentioned by the vice president of mental health.

I couldn’t agree more with the information you provided in this article, as it was clear you were aware of potential bias within the article but still looked for adequate sources. How have you been holding up personally during Covid? What have you been doing as a pastime?

Best, Antonio

smkgeog2260

Coding Social Geography

Hi everyone!

For this week’s blog, I decided to put my focus on COVID-19 and inequality articles since that is my main focus for my role in the digital storytelling project. To start, this pandemic has impacted social geography significantly and using coding can help depict the meaningful quotes in an article and from there we can decide their significance. Another of our group’s goals is to focus on highlighting the effects that social geography has on racial injustice. Social geography has effects on both the topics of racial injustice and COVID-19 in various ways and is an extremely current example of why studying social geography can be so important as we try to figure out “What is social geography?”. The first article I am going to be coding is Geographies of the COVID-19 pandemic and the second is How segregation leads to racist voting by whites.

What coding did I choose and why?

I decided to use deductive coding because when looking through these sources I knew I would be looking for similar themes throughout them. Using this method, I would be able to make a connection between the themes in the sources I was going to use as well. From there, I decided to use a flat coding frame. It was mentioned that this method can “slow down the decision- making” (Hooykaas, Week 8, 2021). Although it may slow down the research, for me I find it nicer to find the most prevalent themes then from there, find the sub-topics of those and what are most important afterwards.

My code themes:

COVID-19 (blue)

Society (pink)

Communities (purple)

Space (green)

Segregation (yellow)

I have also attached an image to demonstrate how these codes were implemented and how I used them.

Applying this these themes to our assignment:

These themes will be applied in our assignment as I and another group member will be discussing the impacts social geography has on our current world. The other half of our group are also discussing the past and future impacts that social geography has had on our world as well. For example, COVID-19 will be my main topic and how many changes we have seen in our society and socially through a geographical lens. By using these themes we will be able to focus on our main goal which is to give a perspective into the current happenings of social geography.

References

Enos, R. (2017, November 28). How segregation leads to racist voting by whites. Retrieved from https://www.vox.com/the-big-idea/2017/11/28/16707438/social-geography-trump-rise-segregation-psychology-racism

Hooykaas, (2021). Week 8, Coding

Rose-Redwood, R., Kitchin, R., Apostolopoulou, E., Rickards, L., Blackman, T., Crampton, J., Rossi, U., & Buckley, M. (2020). Geographies of the COVID-19 pandemic. Dialogues in Human Geography, 10(2), 97–106. https://doi.org/10.1177/2043820620936050

asgeog2260

Hey Sara,

Great post! As I was reading through, I was able to understand why you chose to select deductive and flat coding for your work. Studying COVID-19 through geographical lenses will surely be an interesting task. We have seen several changes to our society in the past year or so, I'm sure the results of your research assignment will be display your goal. I'm very interested to know what else will you be looking at for your research assignment?

Best, Antonio

The Massive Field of Geography

Something that has resonated with me throughout the course is the concept of intersectionality within the field of human geography. I was very intrigued while learning about the evolution of the field, breaking away from a strictly science-based subject, into the multiple forms of geography that we are able to study today. We have been able to study multiple important topics throughout the first half of the course ranging from the climate change issues in Kiribati, to sustainable food practices in southern Ontario.

The subject of human geography allows for the researcher to work across several different disciplines, which I find is unique. This could be practically useful while building up an argument regarding a particular case. It also provides a greater interest from all parties studying the topic, due to the freedom within the field itself. I believe that is the most appealing aspect of human geography, you can choose what you want to focus on.

I would be very interested to know the opinions of any geography majors in the class, are you more interested in human or physical geography? Why? Which of these two fields do you think will be more valuable for you in the near future?

awgeog2260

Oral Histories: Why they Should be More Acknowledged in Qualitative Research

Originally I enrolled in this course (it is not required for my program) because I wanted to gain research skills in case I decide to do a masters program or do research with a professor at some point after my undergrad. But after the first two weeks I realized how valuable the course content and textbook material is for any consumer of knowledge. Thinking about where we get our information from and how we know this is reliable, is crucial to reflect on in 2021, when there is an abundance of information at our fingertips. We must be able to decipher what is legitimate information and what is not - or just make conscious decisions about what we indulge in. I also found week two on critical reflexivity, power, and subjectivity particularly interesting and again, felt like this kind of learning should be taught to a broad array of people, as it is very relevant in our lives not just as potential researchers, but as knowledge consumers. Thirdly, the Week 6 lecture and the incorporation of oral histories and tradition as a part of qualitative research and data resonated with me.

Personally I think that oral histories tell a story in a way that modern interviews or traditional history books can not. The part of human geography that I find interesting is the individualized human perspective. I like hearing stories from people who were there when a particular event unfolded, or who was living in a geographical place before it shifted into an entirely different landscape, or someone who has personal lived experiences and knowledge in a field that maybe doesn’t make it into our history classes. Right now I’m reading a book called Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer, I am sure some of you have heard of this as it was #1 on the bestseller list for some time.

The author is also a plant scientist and a member of the Potawatomi Nation. She uses oral histories that her mother told her to solve mysteries in the world of botany, and that is a lot of what she writes about in Braiding Sweetgrass. She explains that when she was an undergrad student research plants, she would ask her professors questions like “why do *flower A* and *flower B* always grow together in meadows?”, and the professor would tell her that is not a scientific question. She decides to research this topic more on her own, by asking her relatives that grew up collecting wildflowers and other plants for traditional medicines. Without spoiling this part of the book, I’ll just say that there was a scientific explanation to this question, just not one that was a part of traditional western research. It is important that we document the lives and histories of people before they are forgotten. These histories can also be told through maps and illustrations, later being used to maintain the integrity of these people’s experiences in museums, radia, television, or books. These oral histories seem to be often left out of research, especially in academia. I have tried citing information that people have verbally communicated to me throughout my life in an academic paper and was quickly shut down. To have richer, more inclusive research, we should include oral histories more often.

What are some ways you have seen oral histories used in qualitative research? I would be so interested to know!

References: Kimmerer, R. W. (2013). Braiding Sweetgrass. Milkweed Editions.

asgeog2260

Hey Alanna,

I really enjoyed reading your post this week! I couldn’t agree with you more in the sense that this course has stressed the importance of how research on a subject should be collected. I constantly find myself exposed to biased news and other information on social media, which I now recognize while viewing. If I have learned anything from this course, it is the importance of using multiple unbiased sources of information to draw conclusions. Otherwise, not taking in the information at face value.

Regarding the information provided in week six, I also find individualized human perspective to be an interesting and viable way of collecting information. Storytelling can be an excellent way to pass on information, by providing a more real-life perspective, along with the traditional aspects that can also follow. I have never heard of Braiding Sweetgrass, but it seems like quite an interesting read. I have come across several examples of oral histories used in research such as Indigenous studies, as well as in a Vikings course at the university. I have found that storytelling has becoming very culturally significant in certain places around the world. I know the Icelandic population is very proud to shave the Viking culture to tourists. Cross referencing these stories with other scholarly sources can be quite the combination while researching.

After the first half of the course, do you find yourself performing more research on a subject you read about on social media?

Best, Antonio

awgeog2260

Hi Antonio,

Thank you for your kind words and for your reply! Wow, a Vikings course sounds super cool, I didn’t know the University offered that course. May I ask, how was that course? I watch Vikings on Netflix, and I love learning about medieval history, so that class sounds very intriguing to me. I agree I think cross referencing these types of stories with academic sources makes researching more rigorous - its more exciting, but also more accurate.

I always try to do further research on things that catch my interest on social media. For example, there’s a plethora of infographics on current/ historically significant events and public discourse on my feed, which is handy when wanting to get the gist of something quickly and efficiently, but can lack the depth of information needed to really understand it. I try to always look into these things further if I’m interested in the content. To do this I look at podcasts, news articles, journal articles by reputable people that have done lots of work on the subject, so I can get more of an understanding. I’m not perfect but I try to educate myself on things I feel are important to society and myself.

Do you think the university should have more courses, like the Vikings course, that include oral histories?

asgeog2260

Hey Alanna,

I just finished Vikings a month back, it’s a great show! I think the university should expand course offerings in that nature for sure, I have found very few courses throughout the past four years that actually stuck my interest. Personally, I would have loved to take a course related to archeology, but there are none on the subject. Ether way, if we are able to build understandings about the past based off of this type of evidence, why not incorporate it into our study.

Best, Antonio

awgeog2260

Oral Histories: Why they Should be More Acknowledged in Qualitative Research

Originally I enrolled in this course (it is not required for my program) because I wanted to gain research skills in case I decide to do a masters program or do research with a professor at some point after my undergrad. But after the first two weeks I realized how valuable the course content and textbook material is for any consumer of knowledge. Thinking about where we get our information from and how we know this is reliable, is crucial to reflect on in 2021, when there is an abundance of information at our fingertips. We must be able to decipher what is legitimate information and what is not - or just make conscious decisions about what we indulge in. I also found week two on critical reflexivity, power, and subjectivity particularly interesting and again, felt like this kind of learning should be taught to a broad array of people, as it is very relevant in our lives not just as potential researchers, but as knowledge consumers. Thirdly, the Week 6 lecture and the incorporation of oral histories and tradition as a part of qualitative research and data resonated with me.

Personally I think that oral histories tell a story in a way that modern interviews or traditional history books can not. The part of human geography that I find interesting is the individualized human perspective. I like hearing stories from people who were there when a particular event unfolded, or who was living in a geographical place before it shifted into an entirely different landscape, or someone who has personal lived experiences and knowledge in a field that maybe doesn’t make it into our history classes. Right now I’m reading a book called Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer, I am sure some of you have heard of this as it was #1 on the bestseller list for some time.

The author is also a plant scientist and a member of the Potawatomi Nation. She uses oral histories that her mother told her to solve mysteries in the world of botany, and that is a lot of what she writes about in Braiding Sweetgrass. She explains that when she was an undergrad student research plants, she would ask her professors questions like “why do *flower A* and *flower B* always grow together in meadows?”, and the professor would tell her that is not a scientific question. She decides to research this topic more on her own, by asking her relatives that grew up collecting wildflowers and other plants for traditional medicines. Without spoiling this part of the book, I’ll just say that there was a scientific explanation to this question, just not one that was a part of traditional western research. It is important that we document the lives and histories of people before they are forgotten. These histories can also be told through maps and illustrations, later being used to maintain the integrity of these people’s experiences in museums, radia, television, or books. These oral histories seem to be often left out of research, especially in academia. I have tried citing information that people have verbally communicated to me throughout my life in an academic paper and was quickly shut down. To have richer, more inclusive research, we should include oral histories more often.

What are some ways you have seen oral histories used in qualitative research? I would be so interested to know!

References: Kimmerer, R. W. (2013). Braiding Sweetgrass. Milkweed Editions.

asgeog2260

Hey Alanna,

I really enjoyed reading your post this week! I couldn’t agree with you more in the sense that this course has stressed the importance of how research on a subject should be collected. I constantly find myself exposed to biased news and other information on social media, which I now recognize while viewing. If I have learned anything from this course, it is the importance of using multiple unbiased sources of information to draw conclusions. Otherwise, not taking in the information at face value.

Regarding the information provided in week six, I also find individualized human perspective to be an interesting and viable way of collecting information. Storytelling can be an excellent way to pass on information, by providing a more real-life perspective, along with the traditional aspects that can also follow. I have never heard of Braiding Sweetgrass, but it seems like quite an interesting read. I have come across several examples of oral histories used in research such as Indigenous studies, as well as in a Vikings course at the university. I have found that storytelling has becoming very culturally significant in certain places around the world. I know the Icelandic population is very proud to shave the Viking culture to tourists. Cross referencing these stories with other scholarly sources can be quite the combination while researching.

After the first half of the course, do you find yourself performing more research on a subject you read about on social media?

Best, Antonio

asgeog2260

Interviewing Doreen Massey

I have been placed in the urban geography group for this term’s storytelling project. Therefore, if I was given a chance to interview any key thinker, I would select Doreen Massey as my subject. Massey was very well known for her contributions towards both economic and regional geography. I have studied her work briefly, and I am very interested in one of her books in particular entitled World City. I am interested in studying how the economy influences the world we live in, and in her work, Massey describes how the economy can provide power in major world cities. Stating that world cities have major international influence, and are fueled by and economic engine (Massey, 2007). Thus, I would use my time with Dr. Massey to develop a greater understanding of urban geography based off her work and those who have inspired her along the way.

Potential Questions

1. How do you feel the people living within these World Cities are separated from those in other areas?

An introductory question that I would ask in hopes of gaining her perspective on why living in a world city is different from residing elsewhere. Job and lifestyle changes, maybe getting her input of living costs. Also asking her to elaborate more on the root of power within these world cities.

2. Was your work inspired by any others in the field? Are there any factors that pulled you towards this subcategory of geography rather than others?

I would love to know why she was drawn into this subject, and if her work was influenced by any others in the field. This could potentially help me use more sources in the project, as these famous geographers my be able to support each other’s theories within their work.

3. Do you believe that developing countries should draw focus on strengthening world cities, hoping to gain more power? Will they gain power from this type of development?

This question directly relates to my storytelling assignment as I am very interested in learning and comparing world cities across both developed and developing countries. Potentially breaking off into a discussion about how New York city can be compared to places like Toronto or Delhi. Ultimately discussing how much influence an economic powerhouse can truly hold.

4. Do you believe that the driving economic factors could change/adapt depending on global issues? Like the influence of this current pandemic?

Discuss the implications of the current pandemic. Asking what is to be expected for world cities and urban geography as the world goes into an economic crisis.

5. After becoming such an influential figurehead in the field of urban geography I was wondering what you believe the future of this field will look like?

Once again, this question will help me write about the future for developed and developing nations. I am very interested in what a key thinker in the field has to say about the shift of power that this economic growth can provide. In addition to deciphering if these world cities can help force developing countries towards prosperity.

Final thoughts

I believe that the questions listed above would all help with completing the storytelling assignment. It would certainly be interesting learning what a famous key thinker would have to say about the current pandemic; and the impact it will have on world cities. I would hope that these questions could be used to spark further discussions, as I am very interested in the general topic of the future advancement of developing countries. As mentioned in the textbook, it would be a very valuable tool for a true professional in the field to provide any input on this current study of mine, providing insight and sharing personal experiences (Hay, 2016). Interviewing Doreen would certainly be an honour.

Thanks for reading, let me know what you guys think about my potential interview!

Sources

Massey, D. (2007). World city. Polity.

Hay, I. (2016). Qualitative Research Methods in Human Geography. Toronto. Oxford University Press.

krgeog2260-deactivated20241207

Hi Antonio,

I decided to respond to your post because I have heard of Doreen Massey before and felt an interest once I had read your blog title! Overall, I think your questions are written to prompt very insightful responses from Doreen when it comes to the world’s current issues such as Covid-19 and uneven development of world cities.

If I were to give any critique I would mention the possible idea of switching question 1 and 2 around so “Was your work inspired by any others in the field? Are there any factors that pulled you towards this subcategory of geography rather than others?” is the introduction question. Out of the first two prompts, this one lends well to creating a personal response from Doreen rather than starting straight into her academic workings. I am interested in hearing the responses to both of these questions, but I believe that the introduction question you formulated would be better placed as number 2.

Your closing question is similar to mine in my post, which I agree with because it offers the last question to be used an inspirational ending to the interview.

These questions would be useful in trying to find additional information about a broad research question in the field of urban geography, so Doreen’s input would make a great addition to existing research with the use of quotes or facts that Ms.Massey provides throughout the interview.

Great post!

asgeog2260

Hey Kristen,

Thanks for responding to my post. After reviewing my questions a second time, I completely agree with you. I should have switched the first two around!

Best, Antonio.

awgeog2260

Interview with the Geographer

Interview Participant:

My group and I are researching Rural Geography for our digital storytelling project. A resource our group valued while doing the preliminary research for our digital storytelling project was the Journal of Rural and Community Development. I am interested in community development because I believe that collective decision making produces the best solutions to overcome common issues, and creates resilient, diverse communities, among other things. For the sake of this blog prompt, I would like to interview one of the authors of an article I found particularly interesting that is titled “The Battle of Little Big Puck: Narratives of Community, Sport, and Relationships in Rural Canada”. Specifically, I would interview Kyle Rich. I would interview this author because I am fascinated with the article they co-wrote. The article is about how sport and recreation impacts the lives and cultures of people living in remote communities. Kyle Rich, PHD, is an assistant professor of Recreation Studies at Brock University and is interested in how community, policy, and societal factors impact experiences in sport in rural and remote areas (Brock University, Faculty).

Pictured is a still from the film “The Grizzlies”, which is based on a true story about how lacrosse changes the lives of a group of Inuit students living in the small Arctic town of Kugluktuk. Source:https://www.landmarkcinemas.com/film-info/grizzlies-the

Interview questions:

1. How do you feel sport and recreation impacts people living in remote and/or rural areas?

I would hope to gain insight on the importance of this theme in rural geography. I would hope that Dr. Rich would be able to tell me how his area of study impacts rural people from his perspective since he has done extensive research on this topic.

2. How can municipal governments improve the availability and/or accessibility of activities in their communities?

For this question, I would hope to get information from Dr. Rich on local government’s role in providing these services for people living in remote communities, based on his analysis of how policies and funding affects communities.

3. How do remote/rural communities differ in terms of availability and/or accessibility of sports, recreation, or other activities?

I would like to get some insight on the differences in urban recreational activities and rural activities. I would like to see the specific importance of these activities in remote settings, as well as understand barriers that rural communities face in terms of capacity and resources.

4. How does working with rural community members and organizers help you to analyze and address local issues?

Since Dr. Rich is a community based researcher, I would like to know how his approaches and methods help to build a bottom-up approach in the research process, and how his work helps local communities.

5. Why/how is the work you do important to you?

Lastly, I would like to get some insight on why Dr. Rich does this work. I think this is an important question because it would help me understand the potential and driving forces for this kind of community development work in rural geography. This would be a follow-up question, which he could build on answers from all previous questions.

How I Decided on these Questions:

I made sure my questions are open ended, and the possible answers were not just yes or no’s. This allows the interview participant to drive the conversation (Hay, 2016, p.151). My first few questions are primary questions to open the conversation up to the main issues, and the last question is a secondary question to elaborate on the importance of the themes we discussed earlier (Hay, 2016, p.154). Most of my questions are opinion and storytelling questions, which page 155 of the Hay (2016) explains. I chose these types of questions because Dr. Rich is an expert in his field and has lots of insight to share from his personal observations and personal experiences. I started with a question I believe would be easy for Dr. Rich to respond to. Hay (2016) says that this is a good way to get the informant familiar with the interview. Lastly, I chose these questions because they help with my understanding of my research project, and they are questions I truly would like to know the answers to.

Please let me know how you found my questions, and what I could improve on in my hypothetical interview. :)

References:

Brock University. Faculty. Retrieved from https://brocku.ca/applied-health-sciences/recreation-leisure/faculty-research/faculty-directory/kyle-rich-phd/

Hay, I. (2016). Qualitative Research Methods in Human Geography. Toronto. Oxford University Press.

Rich, et al. (2020). The Battle of Little Big Puck: Narratives of Community, Sport, and Relationships in Rural Canada. Journal of Rural and Community Development. 15.

asgeog2260

Hey Alanna, I enjoyed reading your post! It only makes sense to interview a key thinker that relates back to the major course assignment. I also think the topic that Dr. Rich has written about is particularly interesting as well. I truly believe that sports/recreational activities can provide major benefits to the community, promoting teamwork and healthy lifestyles.

I thought the interview questions you have proposed would be quite viable in collecting information regarding your final assignment. As you mentioned in t your post, the questions provided are open ended. This will indeed lead to more lengthy answers from the subject. In addition, I thought the fourth question was very strong considering it directly links to the actual research methods at play, which can be used to draw meaningful connections in the storytelling assignment. I believe you could improve your questions slightly by being a bit more specific on the case study at focus, potentially using the real life example in order to strengthen any points that could be used for your final assignment.