Geography x Humans

this blog was created for GEOG2260 at the University of Guelph by Karina Italiano

[kigeog2260]

My Final Blog Post

For some of us, we’re reaching the end of our University experience, for most of us, we’re entering into our third or fourth years. What we all share is the knowledge gained from Applied Human Geography. While I did not believe this course would be mentally stimulating, in the end it truly was thought-provoking. In my final blog post for GEOG*2260, I will review the many concepts we are all familiar with in a reflection-style assessment. 

What do I know for certain about Human Geography research?

[https://www.york.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/ba-human-geography-environment-industry/] 

Critical reflexivity, one of the first concepts taught in this course, is a ‘constant, self-conscious scrutiny of the self as a researcher & of the research process,’ (Hooykaas, 2021). After learning this concept, I was increasingly able to apply it to the assignments in this course and in others as well. Dowling highlights how critical reflexivity is important, explaining that ‘being reflexive means analyzing your own situation as if it were something you were studying,’ (Rowling, 2016). I decided to become very acquainted with critical reflexivity, and so I can declare I know this for certain about Human Geography research.

The second thing I know for certain about Human Geography research is ethics. Per my own philosophy, ethics is imperative to treating others as you would want to be treated! Although ethics is somewhat of a broad term, it is easily understood. The core principles surrounding ethics are: concern for welfare, respect for persons, and justice (Hooykaas, 2021). I also know for certain that the discussion between Stan and Richie in Chapter 3 highlights the difficulties in always being ethical. For example, ‘exploitative research denies respect for alternative ways of knowing,’ (Howitt & Stevens, 2016).

The last thing I know for certain is the difference between qualitative and quantitative data, that is, qualitative methods attempt to understand general principles of a human experience, environment, or process by gathering, verifying, and interpreting data, whilst quantitative methods measure and record data (Winchester & Rofe, 2016). Understanding the difference is crucial to the course because it is one of the learning outcomes we are expected to have upon completing the course. 

Three Confusing Concepts

[https://www.rd.com/list/confusing-road-signs/] 

When I saw the title of our Week 8 lecture slides, I was not only curious but confused. As I took notes on the slides however, the coding I know is nothing like the one we learned in this course. Coding has many different subcategories, including descriptive coding, deductive coding, and inductive coding (Hooykaas, 2021). As defined by the course textbook, coding ‘is a process by which researchers structure and interpret qualitative data,’ (Waitt, 2016). This concept is confusing because it does not seem entirely time-efficient to use a method that tasks so long. 

The next challenging concept is found in Week 5, surveys. This particular concept is confusing to say the least as there are so many subcategories within itself to consider. Categorical, ordinal, interval, and ratio data are some of the categories we were taught, each having their own specific instructions (Hooykaas, 2021). The designated chapter for Week 5 does not shed very much light on this topic, unfortunately, and thus adds to my confusion. 

Last but not least, triangulation was another challenging and confusing concept I learned this semester. Triangulation seems to be an important part of ensuring rigour when it comes to providing trustworthiness of research (Stratford & Bradshaw, 2016). Triangulation is essentially the implementation of multiple methods, researchers, theories, and datasets to ensure rigour (Hooykaas, 2021). While this concept is confusing to me, I can understand why it is a useful tool in Human Geography research. 

What do I know about myself as a Human Geographic Researcher?

[https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/08/researcher-center-epic-fraud-remains-enigma-those-who-exposed-him]

 The number one thing I know about myself as a Human Geographic Researcher is that I will always approach my work in an organized, structured fashion. This is essential to my learning process and my ability to keep track of what has been completed and what still needs to be done. 

The second thing I know about myself as a Human Geographic Researcher is that everything I have learned up until this point in Applied Human Geography will remain with me for the duration of my academic experience. This course has afforded me the opportunity to enhance my ability to integrate course material into daily activities in my life, including the enhanced confidence in my research abilities. 

The third thing I know about myself as a Human Geographic Researcher is that there is still more to know! My quest for knowledge will never subside, and it is with great optimism that experiences after University will continue to educate me in ways I cannot imagine. 

Areas of Improvement

[https://www.tlnt.com/5-steps-to-keep-your-team-heading-toward-continuous-improvement/] 

The first area of improvement is my initiative outside the course. While I find myself captivated by material during required hours, I am often lost in many other tasks that take up several hours of my day. This means that I lack the initiative to do outside research in my free time since my free time is mostly made up of doing something that truly gives my brain a rest. 

Another area of improvement is my weakness is creating complex connections. I often find it difficult to make interrelated connections as it becomes confusing and tangled to a point where I want to avoid such a thing. I want to learn to accept challenges like this as that is what University is all about! Trial and error is important and so is perseverance in attempting to make these complex connections I struggle with. 

My final area of improvement is marketing my skills, a concept we had the privilege to learn in Week 10. I often find myself denying my full potential, or underestimating myself, especially after reading the content in Week 10 since the labour market in Canada is competitive for our generation (Hooykaas, 2021). I also would really like to focus on improving this area because my field of work will be towards being a Junior/Intermediate teacher. When discussing the presentation of results, Kindon believes ‘the results of your work also need to meet the requirements of the academy,’ (Kindon, 2016). I believe this is true for the career I want to head into as well since I will also have requirements when presenting results to a class full of kids that rely on me to present academically correct information. 

Thank you, Dr. Hooykaas, for consistently encouraging students to engage with the material, and using Tumblr as a unique platform for students to showcase their knowledge. A special thank you goes out to my fellow classmates as well, best wishes on your future endeavours!

- karina italiano

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.

[ahgeog2260-deactivated20211210]

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.

[kigeog2260]

Alyssa,

Great job on your final blog post! A lot of the things you touched upon resonated within me, especially your last paragraph about the areas of improvement you need in order to develop your confidence further. 

I found it especially ironic how coding is your most certain thing you know while it is my most uncertain thing I know, and how the difference between qualitative and quantitative data is the most uncertain thing you know while it is the most certain thing I know! I found that very funny and interesting as I feel very secure in knowing the difference between qualitative and quantitative data whilst grasping coding is somewhat difficult for me. 

Personally, coding is not as straight forward as actual coding, which I have some experience in, and so I am still confused by the number of steps it takes to do such a thing. I think that coding might actually take more time than it is worth, but then again, I may not be interpreting coding properly. 

Your final paragraph especially resonates with me because I can certainly agree that I often find myself “winging it”, especially during times where I have absolutely no choice but to begin an assignment last minute. This may be a result of not doing my part outside of class, like you have identified. Even so, I sincerely hope we are able to take some more time to transform this weakness into a strength.

Thank you for providing such a thought-provoking final blog post!

- karina

[krgeog2260-deactivated20241207]

My Final Blog Post!

For the final blog post, I went back and reacquainted myself with all of the course’s content from previous weeks to ensure I had a wide range of topics to include. Throughout this semester I have found GEOG*2260 to be very informative from a theoretical perspective. I’ve picked out some important course content that I can reflect on that also falls into the 4 sections given in the prompt.

Three things I know for certain about human geography research:

My first certainty within human geography research is the concept of ethics. Throughout times in the course, we were introduced to ethical research, ethics clearance and other types of welfare in the field (Hooykaas, Week 3, 2021). With the current world, we’re living in today, too many people are experiencing injustice and to say society is damaged would be an understatement. I paid extra attention to this aspect of the course because I want to make an active effort to help others (however that may be) throughout my life and career. Gaining this insight was important to me and I’m glad I have more resources than I did before starting 2260 “before beginning research that involves people” (Hay, 2005, Chapter 2).

After some time in the post-secondary realm, I’ve grown very confident with my ability to measure validity (Hay, 2005, Chapter 19). After working through week 5 content of “literature reviews”, I know the benchmarks that articles have to meet in order for me to include them in my university work, and what I look for when reviewing news or stories that help me decide if I believe what I’m reading. The inclusion of Brown’s criteria for evaluation (Hooykaas, Week 5, 2021) gave me a more detailed list than what I had before, which now include the paper’s purpose and scope, among others.

Lastly, for my list of certainties, I’d like to talk about the invisible backpack. This topic will be the number one thing I take from this course because I had never thought about perspective and experience in the way I did in this course. Using the invisible backpack that comes from my identity and experiences spilled over into my regular life, and allowed me to change my thinking towards judgment and perspectives/opinions of others because everyone engages in the world differently. The invisible backpack has taught me another analysis technique that helps me form strong academic points and research! (Hooykaas, Week 2, 2021).

Three things I am still confused by:

Grounded theory gave me trouble because I couldn’t quite connect its importance like I could for other concepts. I believe that I don’t fully grasp this theory because I haven’t had a field experience where I am sifting through pages of data having to identify theories within it. Grounded theory is “an exploratory and inductive way of forming an in-depth understanding of the entire case” (Hay, 2005, Chapter 7, pp;138).

The next thing I was confused by in the beginning was coding. While I could understand the significance and was able to make an attempt in doing my own, it seemed to me as if it were just another organizational style (Hooykaas, Week 8, 2021). Deductive coding seemed more my speed rather than inductive, which is why I picked that one for the activity. I see the appeal for rigour and analysis of data, which is why I don’t doubt its valuable role in the research process (Hay, 2005, Chapter 18). 

My last point of confusion were the bottom-up and top-down approaches that were talked about during week 3. Since it was more than a couple weeks ago, I can’t seem to connect these approaches to the rest of the research theories and data analysis. I also would like to find further writings about these approaches because our textbook didn’t include information on the topic (Hooykaas, Week 3, 2021).

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

As I move on in my schooling and as a human geographer, I realize how much more I probably have to learn. But when it comes to what I’m certain about myself at this moment, I know my social skills will allow me to develop meaningful connections in research. I’m able to relate and empathize with people well. 

Another asset that I have that will benefit me is a hardworking attitude and ability to stay productive to finish long and complex projects. If I am passionate about something, for instance a research project, I would be a valuable asset to any research team.

 Lastly, I know that I’m in the right schooling avenue because I genuinely enjoy the content I’m learning about. I’m getting very excited about all of the opportunities I’ll have in the future after going through the rest of my undergraduate degree.

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

I would like to spend more time on interviews and constructing productive questions. Since I have never experienced conducting a formal interview for research purposes, I want to revisit this concept as a whole when I have another opportunity to. It could be any of the types of interviews that we learnt about (over the phone, online, semi-structured, open etc.) (Hay, 2005, Chapter 8).

Secondly, I’d like to do something similar to my first, but with questionnaires. I can see a career in data collection for research and working for agencies that provide statistics so I would like to gain additional experiences in forming open or closed questions and using the questionnaires for mass research. The guideline in the textbook of a productive questionnaire caught my eye as interesting during that assigned chapter! (Hay, 2005, Chapter 12).

The last concept I want to spend more time developing came from this week’s (Hooykaas, Week 11, 2021) content involving the feelings of imposter syndrome. I have felt the feelings of fraudulence before when having academic or workplace success and resonated highly with the youtube video and information from the 2260 lectures. After being introduced to this topic, I want to dive deeper and see if I can apply that logic to other courses and achievements in my day-to-day life.

Thank you all for reading all my work throughout this semester! 

References:

Hay, I. (2005). Qualitative Research Methods in Human Geography (4th ed.). Oxford University Press.  

Hooykaas, A. (2021). Lecture Notes from GEOG2260- Applied Human Geography.

[kigeog2260]

Kirsten,

Your final blog post was indeed what I would expect from the requirements given for this final blog post, well done! I have to say the concise and comprehensive way in which you wrote this blog post is also worth praising as well. 

Upon reading your blog post, I found a common understanding with the concepts you know for certain, especially the code of ethics you discussed as your first thing you know for certain about human geographic research. I found myself making a connection to this part of your final blog post and the short discussion you made in the last part, that is, three areas you would like to further develop to enhance your own confidence. The code of ethics and your desire to spend more time on interviews go hand-in-hand, as the centre of drawing research and data from an interview call for special attention toward a code of ethics. Since you seem to know the code of ethics for certain, you shouldn’t have a problem with implementing this knowledge into your first area of focus. 

As I read more into your blog post, I also agree strongly that the grounded theory and coding cloud my understanding of this course. I don’t believe we have had any experience in grounded theory, which is why it is hard to understand the concept. Furthermore, I want to applaud your final sentence when you discussed coding because although you do not understand it at a level where you can implement it, you respect its use in human geographic research. 

Overall, I could not find many errors in your final blog post and almost everything you discussed was backed up with course material as proof. Thank you for providing us with your final blog post, Kirsten!

- karina 

[smkgeog2260]

How do Landfills Impact Oceans?

I decided to evaluate an article called Garbage in the water: How old landfills are harming Inuit communities’ marine food chains. It was an extremely eye-opening read and hopefully, through my analysis of it, you would agree!

Key Message This article focuses on Inuit communities and the growing problem of waste disposal, which later leads to more oceanic problems as well. It was mentioned in the article “because most communities in Inuit Nunangat are coastal, their landfills are close to the ocean” (Brown, 2021). The key idea in this article is that as growing landfill volumes in these communities continue to spike, the dangers that plastics and waste have on the ocean will too. When landfills are so close to the oceans, problems can occur such as some wind picking up plastic and blowing it into the water with no strict plan in place to retrieve it. The article highlights that the government must make a plan to safely and successfully manage waste in more freezing climates, such as the Arctic.

Analysis of Data in the Article It became very clear to me when reading this article what sources were used. The main source it seemed was an environmental report done by Oceans North. Oceans North is a non for profit organization with the main goal of supporting “marine conservation in partnership with Indigenous and coastal communities” (Oceans North, 2021). Through actual concrete statistics and data used by Oceans North, it became clear to me that they have great data to support their cause of creating a waste-free arctic. It is clear that this article’s goal is to educate others who are unknown to this waste crisis and it would be important for any reports they use to reflect this. I think that this could all be verified through local experts also agreeing with the data the study presented. This is a validity strategy that I would consider as “use of expert consultants” (Hooykaas, 2021). As a local of any community, you will have first-hand knowledge of these troubling problems.

Responsibilities/Expectations as a Reader As a reader, we need to be cautious sometimes of the information you are receiving so checking where the data and information came from is very important. On the topic of this particular article, it can start a lot of conversation on how Canada can help create less waste, and how to prevent further destruction of our ocean. I think it is important to be taking individual actions to reduce our waste as best as we can. Not only this but changing “needs to come from the political level as well” (Brown, 2021). Funds need to be directed towards supporting a more sustainable way of waste management, especially in the arctic.

Sources

https://oceansnorth.org/en/about/our-approach/

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/garbage-in-the-water-landfills-inuit-communities-1.5962102

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

Hooykaas, A. (2021). Week 9.

[kigeog2260]

Sara,

your blog is well written, and I particularly enjoyed your explanation of the key message, as you have explained it in a way that does not require fellow classmates to read your article to understand your blog post! Furthermore, the focus of the article itself - on Inuit communities, is such a broad scope of discussion, with many complex inner issues happening all at once and within each other - good for you for tackling such an intricate topic!

As I read through your analysis of the data within the article, I can’t help but point out that you didn’t point out any suggestion of triangulation. I believe that triangulation is already occurring, or has the potential to occur as Oceans North, CBC News, and possible local experts could be creating a triangulation data technique that would certainly verify the article even further than use of expert consultants alone. Would you agree with this comment?

Overall, your article is very well written, with proper citations throughout the blog post. Well done Sara, I enjoyed your critical analysis very much! :)

- karina

[kigeog2260]

A Critical Evaluation of a National Geographic Article

The National Geographic Magazine published an article that brings our attention to the thinning ice in the Arctic. The author, Cassandra Brooklyn, breaks down how the Inuit avoid falling through this thin ice. Throughout the article, Brooklyn quotes actual personal opinions and statements, and includes photographs of how the system of measuring ice depth and safety of the ice is used. In this blog post, I will critically evaluate the key message, the sources, the verification, and the expectations in assessing and reading this article. 

[Image provided by National Geographic, as stated in the magazine article]

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/how-inuit-avoid-falling-through-thinning-Arctic-ice 

Key Message

There were several key concepts the article touched upon, such as the impending thawing of permafrost; social impacts of thinning ice in communities; the SmartQAMUTIK mobile sensor and how it works; the oral history of the Inuit; and the benefits of SmartICE. However, the key message worth focusing on is the article’s discussion of oral history amongst Inuit people. As I read the article, many questions that I had were quickly answered as I went to the next paragraph. A lot of these questions had to do with communication - how do communities with no Internet access learn of areas with thin or thick ice? Does SmartICE operate in only English? Cassandra Brooklyn is sure to answer these questions, as the article has made apparent, and has furthered the discussion by discussing Inuit oral tradition. For example, Brooklyn mentions how SmartICE is actually targeted for Inuit people as there are many more words used to create a description for ice in Inuit rather than English, approximately 53 more words! (Brooklyn, 2021). 

Critical Analysis

In order to write this article, Cassandra Brooklyn had to have discussed her intentions with the many people she included in her article. Not only does she draw upon studies from Universities and professionals, she also begins her article with a small story about the northern production lead for SmartICE - Rex Holwell (Brooklyn, 2021). Brooklyn also gets a number of her information from National Geographic itself, CBC, and the different company websites that are discussed in the article. This kind of data is somewhat discussed in lecture material: the information she extracts from other sources would be considered contextual information and verbatim of written material (Hooykaas, 2021). It is also apparent that she has obtained her sources by finding information on an observer (Hooykaas, 2021), such as photographs of real people on the ice, and obtaining information from SIKU and SmartICE. 

As discussed in lecture material, there are a number of techniques that can be used to validate and authenticate information found in an article, however, the only technique that I am sure Cassandra Brooklyn used is the use of expert consultants. Rex Holwell and Trevor Bell are experts in their company statistics and inner mechanisms (Brooklyn, 2021). Furthermore, I would consider her inclusion of statistics from Universities as “expert consultants” as well. The other technique that could be used would absolutely be ‘triangulation’. Triangulation is provided in our Week 9 lecture of strategies used to validate and authenticate information (Hooykaas, 2021), and is a method that uses multiple sources in qualitative research to develop an understanding of a phenomena (Patton, 1999). 

My Expectations and Responsibilities as a Reader

The only expectation I would have in reviewing this article is to further understand the contents of the article as I have basically just critically analyzed it. However, the many responsibilities as a consumer in reviewing this article has a lot to do with respecting the contents of the article, citing the article properly, and demonstrating a true understanding of the content of the article before wrongly making assumptions or reviews based on a lack of knowledge. 

References

Brooklyn, C. (2021). How Inuit avoid falling through thinning Arctic ice. National Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/how-inuit-avoid-falling-through-thinning-Arctic-ice

Hooykaas, A. (2021). Week 9: Writing Qualitative Geographies, Constructing Geographical Knowledge Data Analysis, Writing, and Re-Evaluating Research Aims Presenting Findings. 

Carter et al. (N/A). The use of triangulation in qualitative research. Pubmed.gov. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25158659/#:~:text=Triangulation%20refers%20to%20the%20use,of%20information%20from%20different%20sources 

[ahgeog2260-deactivated20211210]

Coding Through a Pandemic

Introduction

I independently coded two journal articles that indirectly relate the spread of economic crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic to the subject of Geography. My first source is a peer-reviewed journal published in the Journal of regional science by Ascani et al. (2020) and uses the coronavirus in Italy as an example. My second source is a peer-reviewed journal published in the Journal of economic and social geography by Sokol & Pataccini (2020).

Coding and Frames

I decided to code these two articles by searching for keywords that appeared multiple times throughout both articles and were closely related to the topics of the two articles. I was able to indicate four words that met this criteria:

COVID-19 (pink)

Geography/geographies (green)

Economic (yellow)

Crisis (blue)

Deductive coding is when we start with a predefined set of codes and assign them to our qualitative data (Hooykaas, Week 8, 2021). For the purpose of these two articles, deductive coding is what was used when coding the data in both articles. This method was chosen because the topic of choice was one that had already been thoroughly studied throughout the last year via personal research, online findings, and news channels.

A flat coding frame is used to allow for each code to have the same level of significance (Hooykaas, Week 8, 2021). This type of coding frame can prove to be difficult to use as the different themes, and therefore keywords, may not hold the same amount of significance (Hooykaas, Week 8, 2021). I chose to use a flat coding frame in my analysis as I believe that for the topic of study in both articles, all codes relate directly back and have the same amount of significance.

Applying Coding

The codes of the two journal articles used for this blog will not be useful to apply to my assignment because the topics differ. However, this weeks lecture and this blog post have challenged me and put into perspective a new way to analyze journal articles for the upcoming assignment. The topic of my assignment is environmental geography. When conducting my research I will search for codes that are common across all articles to insure they relate to my topic of study. Two very obvious codes that I will search for are “environment” and “environmental.” Another code to keep a lookout for will be “history,” as my part for the assignment is dedicated to the history of environmental geography, such as how it came to be and how it was conducted in the past. When conducting my research, I will utilize the coding method further by making note of key ideas/phrases instead of just single words. I believe applying coding to my research in this way will aid in staying on the correct path and not straying from my topic of study.

References

Ascani, A., Faggian, A., & Montresor, S. (2020). The geography of COVID‐19 and the structure of local economies: The case of Italy. Journal of Regional Science. doi:10.1111/jors.12510

Hooykaas, A. (2021). Week 8: Coding

Sokol, M., & Pataccini, L. (2020). Winners And Losers In Coronavirus Times: Financialisation, Financial Chains and Emerging Economic Geographies of The Covid‐19 Pandemic. Tijdschrift Voor Economische En Sociale Geografie, 111(3), 401-415. doi:10.1111/tesg.12433

[kigeog2260]

Hi Alyssa!

Your post was very thoughtful and engaging as I read through it, well done! I particularly enjoy your style of writing blogs, as you are very concise and honest about your work. I also thought that your explanation of how you coded your resources was very helpful, and was discussed in a way that was understandable to me. Including the pictures of the final step was a great choice, I definitely think I should have done that as well. 

Your referencing to what Professor Hookyas has taught us was well done, and you seem to be very knowledgeable of what we previously learned in Week 8. 

I found your final message interesting. Not only did you decide to write a blog on different resources not relevant to your DSP, you enjoyed it, saying it challenged you. That is the kind of optimism I can applaud! I’m also impressed that you further clarified how you would code differently for your DSP. 

Overall, your post was nicely written and enjoyable. Once again, well done!

- karina

[kigeog2260]

The Benefits of Coding Qualitative Data

Why should I code the resources I will use in projects later on, or more specifically, in my Digital Storytelling Project? According to Hookyas, coding qualitative data makes it easier to interpret feedback (Hookyas, 2021). This is because categorizing and analyzing data through codes helps students interpret major patterns, themes, and trends since coding allows us to visualize what is most important, thereby extract key information from a resource!

Coding Resources

The first resource that will undergo this coding experiment is a peer-reviewed journal article that was part of my Digital Storytelling Proposal. In the article, Don’t stand so close to me: Public spaces, behavioral geography, and COVID-19, Autumn James attempts to analyze how people engage with one another in a geographical space during the pandemic (James, 2020).

The second resource that will experience a little coding is a government document that I found applicable to health geography. In the document, Interim Guidance on People Experiencing Unsheltered Homelessness, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention targets healthcare officials, organizations, and the government when considering the potential risk of homeless people that have a lack of physical health, which ultimately makes them more prone to COVID-19 (CDCP, 2021).

Identifying Codes

I chose to use a deductive coding method paired with a hierarchical coding technique. First of all, using a hierarchical method makes the process of finding key codes easier as you place codes in relation to one another (easier to make connections - personally). With a hierarchical method in place, deductive coding seems to work best for the resources I selected as both the article and the document are focusing on 1 general theme with little sub-themes, therefore, assigning predefined codes to the resource will flow easier as sub-themes will always be the backbone to the main theme. Thus, hierarchical coding is used to find the deductive codes I have used both resource examples.

How will coding benefit my Digital Storytelling Project and supplement my peer's work?

The general question being assessed in my Digital Storytelling Project, “What is Health Geography,” would benefit from a little coding, as I can easily find the information most valuable to myself and my peers. Coding will also assure that I am including points and arguments that are concise, rather than having to fully breakdown a concept in multiple sentences. Coding makes this process less complicated, and therefore, is beneficial to the Digital Storytelling Project. Furthermore, this coding experiment will easily combine with my peer's work as it will be a lot easier to visualize our key concepts we found in our articles and then create patterns, themes, and trends based on our codes and what we found!

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021). Interim Guidance on People Experiencing Unsheltered Homelessness. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/homeless-shelters/unsheltered-homelessness.html

James, C. Autumn. (2020). Don't stand so close to me: Public spaces, behavioral geography, and COVID-19. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2043820620935672

[cvanheergeog2260]

Time travel and geography

If I were given the opportunity to interview a key person in the social geography field, I would be lost. Strictly speaking there are no key thinkers in social geography, since it isn’t even clear what “social geography” means. It is such an ambiguous field, that most of the information on it from the 20th century are geographers trying to figure out what “social geography” even means. With that in mind, if I wanted to interview a key thinker it would have to be one of these past geographers. George Wilson Hoke would be my first choice, he was the first person to use the term “social geography” in 1907. It had no academic impact, however it would be interesting to know where he got the term from and what he meant by it. 

My first question would be to George then, to determine where he got the terminology from, this would shed some light on the origins and meaning of the term. Secondly, I would like to speak with Percy M. Roxby, who in 1930 considered social geography to be one of human geography’s four main parts. Other geographers of the time said similar things about social geography being an important part of geography as a whole. My second question would be to Percy. I would like to ask how social geography fit in with society and other fields of geography. Many of the points made about social geography say that it has a lot of overlap with many other academic fields, my hope is that Percy would be able to help determine how social geography sits on its own, if at all. 

In German-language geography, there is a focus on how society influences the physical landscape. Hans Bobek and Wolfgang Hartke are crucial to this focus, and to them I would want to ask the following two questions: Can German-language geography be considered a subsection of social geography due to how it specifically focuses on language, space, and social groups? Due to the ambiguity of social geography as a field of study, does it make sense to specifically classify something as “German-language” geography when you can simply call it something more broad. These two questions are an example of the ambiguity of social geography as a field, and how easy it sometimes is to relate something to the field of geography. 

My final question would be to all you fine geographers out there. What do you think social geography really is? It can be so easily applied to almost anything, causing it to be very difficult to define, even today. Given how maneuverable the interpretation of the term “social geography” is, can it ever be defined? Or would defining it chain it to the ground where it can no longer serve its purpose to convey the interconnectedness of society and the physical landscape it resides in?

[kigeog2260]

Hi Cilliers! 

Upon reading your blog post, I’m surprised by your choice(s) of key thinkers within Social Geography, as you have chosen to centre your questions on numerous people! Your unique approach to the instructions of the blog intrigue me, and your reasoning behind this choice is well explained.

While I understand that it is difficult to settle in an interview with one person, I believe that for a one-on-one interview, 1 key thinker must be chosen. However, I believe that under normal circumstances, this kind of interview could perhaps function very well as a focus group!

Your questions are relative to each key thinker, and I found it helpful that you included a small description of who they were before asking your question. However, I’m not sure I understand the kinds of questions you are asking, that is, whether they are structural, hypothetical, contrast, opinionated, or descriptive? I would definitely advise that you include a little more of course content in order for students to understand your concepts on a better level!

Overall, I enjoyed your blog post and I hope you take my advice as friendly criticism as I believe you were very informative and thought-provoking despite not focusing on one key thinker!

- Karina

[kigeog2260]

Health Geography with Dr. Robin Kearns

If I were given the opportunity to have 5 minutes of Robin Kearns time, I would certainly conduct an interview! After all, his research has contributed to Health Geography - the focus of my Digital Storytelling Project.

Early Life and Experiences

Born in England, Kearns spent a lot of his time in New Zealand, as well as a year in the American South on a student exchange. Kearns’ exposure to different places was the catalyst to his passion for understanding “the nature of place.” Academically, Kearns received a Masters degree at Auckland, and studied for his Ph.D. in Canada in the 1980s. Afterwards, Kearns went back to New Zealand for postdoctoral work and is now situated at the University of Auckland. Robin has published two books, numerous articles, and has supervised over 30 masters and a dozen PhD students. Career wise, Robin Kearns has held positions at the Public Health Research Committee of the Health Research Council of NZ, the Board of the Centre for Housing Research Aotearoa New Zealand, and is now a ministerial appointment on the Public Health Advisory Committee and the National Health Committee. Robin Kearns overall goals of research and teaching are to reveal the relationships between places and Kearns does this through quantitative methodologies and humanity traditions. In this present moment, Robin Kearns has taken a liking to cultural transformations of the New Zealand coastline, for example.

Why Robin Kearns?

Interviewing Robin Kearns would be extremely beneficial to me, as I find the diversity of his experiences to be a major factor in how knowledgable he is within Health Geography concepts. As previously mentioned, Robin Kearns has the authority to supervise students in the process of obtaining their masters or PhD’s, which I would assume is a kind of authority that many would trust entirely, since his advisory facilitates their success. Lastly, Robin Kearns has contributed to theoretical debates within Health Geography, which is useful to me as I would be interested in learning his opinion on concepts within Health Geography.

As discussed in lecture, there are a number of interview questions one might want to ask the interviewee. Below are the five interview questions I would ask Robin Kearns, if given the time:

1. What was it about your travels that caused you to feel so passionately about health geography?

With this descriptive question, I am aiming to understand the details of events, places, people, and experiences he had leading up to his interest in his career choice.

2. Can you tell me about your experience working for the Public Health Research Committee of the Health Research Council of NZ?

With this storytelling question, I am aiming to understand the order of events of Robin Kearns’ life, as this was his first serious job that eventually led him to his current one.

3. How do you believe climate change factors into Health Geography?

This opinion-based question aims to understand the impressions, feelings, assertions, and guesses Robin Kearns has on this specific question. I am actually asking this question entirely out of curiosity!

4. How do you approach a new researching project, and what ideologies of your own do you apply to research techniques?

This structural question serves to understand the ideology and assumptions of Robin Kearns. This would be a question worth asking because I believe his ideologies combined with his preferred research techniques would be of use to me if I were to conduct a researching project in health geography. It’s essentially guidance.

5. Hypothetically, would the lack of a student exchange in South America alter your current place in time?

With this contrast question, the goal is to facilitate a comparison of experience by place and time. I would be interested in knowing his response to this as I believe early events in life play a drastic role in shaping who you want to become. I want to understand if his time in South America is part of the reason he is a health geographer.

The Reasoning

Why did I decide to ask Robin Kearns these questions? Aside from genuine personal interest, all of these questions aim to understand the origin of Robin Kearns studies, the opinions and ideologies Robin Kearns has on health geography, and to obtain knowledge for my own use. I wanted to ask all five of the kinds of questions discussed in lecture and in the textbook in order to gain the full extent of not only who Kearns is, but how he contributes to health geography. I did not include a devil’s advocate question as I do not believe it is appropriate to ask since this would be my first time talking to Robin Kearns, I may not know what is or is not offensive to ask with that kind of question.

References

Association of American Geographers. (2009). Profile: Robin Kearns. Health and Medical Geography Specialty Group. https://aag-hmgsg.org/profiles-of-health-geographers/profile-robin-kearns-7/

Distinguished New Zealand Geographer. https://www.nzgs.co.nz/awards/distinguished-new-zealand-geographer

Hooykas, Amanda. (2021). Data Collection - Interviews, Oral Histories, Focus Groups. [Lecture, Week 6, Courselink]. 

[krgeog2260-deactivated20241207]

My Dream Research Project

My Proposal and Background:

My ultimate research project would be broadly centred around walkable communities, sustainability and its connection to the improvement of individuals’ health and climate change. Throughout my time as a student and media consumer, I’ve found an interest in creating spaces that enhance a group’s ability to live a healthy lifestyle and the aspects that come into that from the development level. I know there are research and work being done or analyzed already as this is not exactly a new concept. That being said, I would hope my work is substantial enough to be proposed to higher levels of municipal government or private companies in the city development sector, to show its significance and connection to their existing projects. A summarized version of initial observational findings and oral interviews would be the start of my proposal, and I would use historical data of climate change statistics and existing walking cities to highlight my focus of connecting the two variables.

There are locations such as Boston, Massachusetts or London England that have created an environment with a higher walkability score compared to other major cities (Armitage, 2018). Research shows a correlation between a person’s residence walkability score and their individual health. I want to build off that and create research and possible expansion plans.

Acorn Street, Boston, Massachusetts. 

Who would benefit from my research?

This project would theoretically benefit a huge demographic of anyone who resides or utilizes the walkable community. The demographics are not very limited in regard to criteria, allowing as many individuals as possible to live a healthier lifestyle and participate in the popularization of more sustainable living practices. In the long run, the goal would be to be a part of a project that changes the way development comes together or to shift old priorities to something more innovative and current.

Ethics:

Due to my research involving human participants and the examination of their quality of life, my work would need to go through a REB review process (Hooykaas, 2021). With my hopes of taking the findings to the municipal government level, research ethic clearance is necessary to ensure the safety of my participants and maintain the credibility of the work. While probably minimal, I would also need to take social or economic risk into consideration. Of course, we are always aiming for minimal risk within the ethical research world!

Example of a “Walkable City”

I would be using this project as a chance to enhance my research and leadership skills while working to create a city that I and like-minded people would really enjoy inhabiting. It would also answer a lot of my personal questions about my career because it would let me figure out if a career in city planning or qualitative research is something I want for myself.

Questions for my classmates:

Have you ever found yourself in a particularly walkable city? Did anything stand out to you?

Would you be inclined to settle in a walkable and more sustainable city, even if it might cost you a bit more?

Is the visual aspect of a city important to you? Why or why not?

References: 

Armitage, H. (2018). “The 10 Most Walkable Cities in the World”. Retrieved from: https://theculturetrip.com/north-america/usa/articles/the-10-most-walkable-cities-in-the-world/ 

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

Hooykaas, A. “Ethics” University of Guelph, 2021.

[kigeog2260]

Hi Kirsten,

Thank you for providing us with this lovely blog. Although this concept is not unheard of, it really stood out to me on my Tumblr home page! Your blog is very concise and for the most part remain impartial, although it seems that this concept is very important to you as it would reveal your true feelings toward a career in city planning. I believe this is a very good start if this was a research project you were actually able to do.

I particularly enjoyed how realistic of a concept this is, especially because a walkable city may become a reality as we try to mitigate the effects of climate change. I’m impressed with how you brought up examples of walkable cities and attempted to look at different kinds of research that would be used to your disposal. 

When you discussed the ethical considerations of a project like this, you touched base on social and economic risks. This is definitely something to consider as I can imagine a walkable city would mean a lot of essential services and jobs would have to remain in an appropriate walking distance. This would  mean your city planning skills would be at the heart of this research project to ensure the society can remain walkable so long as people can do what they could normally do before. 

Although not entirely walkable, in 2013 I had the privilege of walking through Vinci - a town in Tuscany, Italy that consists of cobblestone walkways throughout the town. This was an incredible experience, however, as I reflect on Vinci now, it is mostly a place for tourism so perhaps it was limited to only walking for that reason. 

Furthermore, the visual aspect of a city is very important to me as I would want to live in a place where mostly everything is near. Because of that preference, I believe that yes, I would be more inclined to settle in a walkable, more sustainable city, even if it cost me more!

Overall Kirsten, your post was wonderful and it was very thought-provoking!

- Karina

[kigeog2260]

The Psychological Effect of Cottage Country in Ontario

When I think of Applied Human Geography, the first connection that comes to mind is the relationship between a person and a physical location. As a graduated student with unlimited resources, the ultimate research project would be to study the psychological impacts cottage country has on people. 

As I meet new people and continue to expand my impact on others, I have met a lot of people who think very fondly of their cottages, many saying it is their “happy place.” Why is that? 

Proposal

Have you ever felt attached to a location? Whether this attachment brings on negative or positive feelings, or is a location you have grown fond of, or a location you only visit seasonally - why do you associate these feelings with a location? Why do we manifest our feelings into a physical place? What is so special about specifically cottage country in Ontario? The focus of my research would take place in cottage country in Ontario because it is a special, brief moment of the year.

Since Canada has a temperate climate, our summers only burn hot for a small portion of 2-3 months out of the year. Canadians jump to the opportunity to visit their cottages, as lakes warm and the days grow longer. For the most part, almost everyone I have encountered who has visited or owns a cottage thinks of that place as a happy-go-lucky, positive environment. My proposal is to research why Ontarian’s think so fondly of a location, and the psychological effects a physical location does to their minds. 

Say the word 'cottage' and it evokes a modest, charmingly imperfect, whimsical home tucked among raucously blooming flowers - Ann Zimmerman

Research Methods

This project would be mostly based on qualitative research. As described by Hay, qualitative research is “concerned with elucidating human environments and human experiences within a variety of conceptual frameworks,” and the question that will be of focus for this specific research project is the individual’s experience of places. Deploying oral methods to learn of the way one may describe their connection to their cottage and participatory research methods that can expose how I may feel about the location being researched. The participatory method feels inclusive (ie. I can experience what makes a cottage so emotionally binding) while the oral method feels exclusive (as in, I cannot understand fully the emotional attachment one might feel about their cottage). Using qualitative research is a wonderful tool to understand the social aspect of the research project, which is undeniably the most important part of the research in order to understand the connection between person and environment.

As a researcher, I would also be sure to collect data from those that are willing to provide. To name a few questions, I would want to know how long a person has been in contact with their cottage, a few of their best memories, why their cottage matters to them, and whether or not parents believe their cottage is creating a connection to their kids by being a familiar place. This would essentially be quantitative research as I am collecting data to analyze. However, quantitative research is tricky because I must ensure that participant bias does not occur. Also, there are many factors in quantitative research that I must be aware of such as marital status, parental status, age, and the season. These factors could change my research by altering what kind of relationship one might have with their cottage. For a child, this might be a connection consistent with going to a playground (endless fun), and for an adult, this relationship could be describe as relaxing and calming. 

As a researcher, I must be aware of countless factors that may or may not influence the results of my experiments. 

Ethics

One thing I also must consider is the invisible backpack of many of those that cannot be included in my research. Although the focus is on cottages in Ontario, there may be others that wish to understand the connection families and adults have to the cottage. Unfortunately, many people are unable to experience these relationships and connections. However, that does not mean their relationships and connections to local or other places is insignificant. While that would be a great research project, focusing on cottage country in Ontario is important to me because I believe that growing up at a cottage psychologically enhances your inner child, and as I have observed, it truly seems to imbed a light-hearted virtue into many adults and children that regularly visit the cottage, which I find fascinating!

Is this beneficial?

That’s a good question. Subjectively, this research project would be beneficial to families who are considering property ownership in cottage country, ON. Objectively, this research may be beneficial to another student who is trying to pick examples of human-location relationships in their paper of applied human geography. 

Lastly, I want to ask my fellow peers, is there a place that you are particularly fond of? A place that you’ll never forget? Does this place have any impact on who you are today, or who you are when you are there?

[skgeog2260]

Agafia Lykov is a 70 year old women who has lived on her own in the mountains of Siberia. Taiga is home to a vast amount of untouched land known for its extremely cold weather and massive amounts of wildlife - it is also Agafia’s home. Her single-person village is 160 miles away from the nearest town, not to mention it is a journey to get to. In the summer, you can get to Agafia’s place by a 7 day canoe trip, and in the winter, it can only be reached by helicopter. You may be wondering… how does one end up living such a different lifestyle? Hoe does she survive in one of the most inhospitable environments?

Agafia’s father relocated the Lykov family to the mountains in 1937 to escape persecution and protect their religious lifestyle. Unfortunately, Agafia lost her mother and siblings at a very young age, and her father followed not long after. She is now the last living member of the Lykov family, and plans to carry out their family’s traditions until the day she dies. Each and every day, Agafia wakes up at 6 in the morning to pray and start her days work. She gardens, fishes, forages, cuts and stacks wood, cares for her animals and prepares meals. Aside from caring for her animals and self, she takes care of her sole neighbour Yerofie (bringing this villages total population to 2).

Guzeva, Alexandra. (2018). Lost in Taiga. Russia Beyond. Retrieved from https://www.rbth.com/lifestyle/329135-lost-in-taiga-lykov-hermit

The researcher take a very subtle and respectful approach when they studies Agafia and her lifestyle. They allowed her to share her stories and freely talk about her life. She welcomed the researchers into her home and put them to work. In order for the researchers to best understand her way of life, they had to have lived alongside her for the duration of their stay, which they did. I would classify this type of qualitative research as primarily participant observation. I also notices aspects of oral history and interview methods during this case study. I would love to hear what everyone else thinks of this… Can you spot a different research method being used?

As stated in the video, Far Out (Vice, 2013), Agafia is extremely difficult to find. Although it is not directly identified in the film, the researchers/produces most definitely war an invisible backpack (referring to the privilege that a person carries). Not only were they able to take an airplane to the mountains of Siberia and a helicopter to Taiga, they had warm clothing and were able to provide Agafia with a new goat and rooster. The average person would not be able to experience a trip like this. As far as ethics goes, I do believe that it was an ethical research topic. They had permission from Agafia to visit and learn more about her - which was the ultimate thing they needed to create an ethical study. 

If I were given the same opportunity to complete research as a university student, I would approach this topic in a similar way (granted I had the money and permission from Agafia). I do believe the best way to study Agafia and her lifestyle would be to take a participant observation approach (like they did in the film). Living alongside her for a duration of time would give me the best idea of what her day to day life has been like for the past 70 years. My main ethical consideration would be Agafia. Would she be comfortable with this? Is it okay that the information I gather is shared with the public?

Taiga makes you “reflect on your actions”, it “cleanses your soul”. However it is also one of the toughest places to survive. Could you do it?

Vice. (2013). Surviving the Siberian Wilderness for 70 years. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tt2AYafET68

[kigeog2260]

Hi Syd!

Thank you for providing our fellow classmates with such a well written blog. I really enjoyed how engaged you are with your classmates (asking questions throughout your blog was a nice touch). I particularly enjoyed how your description of Agafia and where she lives was very specific. It made me truly imagine how isolated she is. In terms of the research techniques, I also observed the same techniques you mentioned. Your consideration of how Agafia would feel is worth noting as well. Confirming that she is in fact comfortable with others living in her own space is an essential point to consider. 

While I would love to cleanse my soul in Agafia’s birthplace, I do not believe I could actually live there for a long time. The extreme weather conditions are definitely a deterrent, as well as the lack of company. Solitude is something I struggle with, but perhaps being there for several days would be something I am capable of, and maybe I could come to terms with solitude. Nonetheless, I truly admire how resilient Agafia is, and how she embraces solitude - something I should learn to do seeing as though the pandemic has made such a social experiment possible!

I want to ask that if you were to be living in taiga, what kind of actions do you think you would be reflecting on? How would taiga cleanse your soul? 

Once again, thank you for sharing your opinion and I hope we can engage in further discussion :)

[kigeog2260]

Living in Taiga With Agafia Lykov: A Case Study

Agafia Lykov is a 70 year old woman who has lived in the Taiga since the day she was born. Located in Siberia, the taiga is an unforgiving subarctic land that is extremely cold. Agafia’s parents fled from Stalin for fear of oppression and death, settling in the Sayan Mountains in 1936. Agafia was born in 1944 and has called the taiga her home for 70 years, living in complete isolation for 40 of them. 

Research Techniques 

VICE journeys into the taiga to meet Agafia Lykov in her natural element. Upon considering the research methods used by the VICE team, I observed two kinds of research methods. A combination of participatory and oral research methods were used hand-in-hand. The VICE team engaged with the environment and Agafia by living with her for several days. In this case, the VICE team is acting as both the outsider and the insider because the team was experiencing her way of life yet, the team was compiling an interesting history of the Lykovs for the outside world to learn of. The VICE team also used oral methods as well, engaging with Agafia by listening to the stories she has to tell, hearing her personal opinions on things like science, and asking her meaningful questions related to her survival in the taiga. 

Does VICE have an invisible backpack? 

Although the VICE team immersed themselves in Agafia’s lifestyle, the team experienced a mere several days compared to her 70 years of life in almost absolute solitude. Agafia has adapted to the surrounding environment, living off the land and taking care of not only herself but another person. She does this to survive. The difference between the VICE team and Agafia is clear in the beginning of the short film, when the team travelled to Agafia on planes, something Agafia has never done before. It is also clear that, unlike Agafia, the VICE team can leave whenever they want for whatever reason. This is a privilege Agafia will never understand, and quite frankly she has made it clear that she has no interest in understanding it at all. 

Key Ethical Considerations

The VICE team may have wanted to consider the position Agafia is in when outsiders visit her personal environment. A tragedy such as the one her family experienced when geologists exposed themselves to the Lykov family could have occurred between the VICE team and Agafia. Hopefully, the VICE team took great precaution in visiting her after having been in the hustle and bustle of New York City. I was also particularly worried about the language barrier, and was relieved to know that there were 2 Russian translators in any case where a misinterpretation may occur. Lastly, the VICE team may have wanted to consider their method of transporation and what Agafia would think of it. She clearly states her inability to be around cars and the close proximity of the helicopter may have startled her, or even bothered her. Overall, the VICE team produced a short film that was interesting and informative, a short exposure to a life we will all unlikely ever experience. 

You Have Been Given The Opportunity To Research Agafia: What Now? 

Learning of Agafia’s family history and being able to share that to the world would be an honourable experience! After all, Agafia is trusting me, as a researcher, to educate the world of her family history. In my approach, I would deploy oral methods to learn of her personal opinions, her family history, and storytelling. I would also like to have the opportunity to visit Agafia, that way I can truly understand what it is like to exist in such an isolated manner. 

As a student researcher, Agafia’s case study would be treated with the upmost respect. This woman has lived her entire life in solutide, losing her family along the way but not giving up for one second. 

However, while the privilege to meeting Agafia and her home would be humbling, I have to ethically consider myself in this situation. The participant, in this case Agafia, could be at risk from my presence as I am from the city. I, as a researcher, may not be able to truly immerse myself in her environment without becoming sick after being in such extreme living conditions for several days. The last thing I want to do is burden Agafia, who already has so many tasks to do each day just to survive.

Agafia’s way of living has made me appreciate how food, water, shelter, our temperate climate, society, family, and education is readily available all the time. Her way of life has also informed me that it is humanly possible for us to live alone, something that we are all struggling with right now amid this pandemic. 

Vice. (2013, April 9). Surviving in the Siberian Wilderness for 70 Years. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tt2AYafET68 

[aatgeog2260]

Humans Can’t Grow Gills

The country Kiribati is drowning. Climate change has caused almost half of the population to move to the nation’s capital and this mass migration is causing pollution, disease, and poor sanitation (AJ+). The high tides are extreme and it is no longer a matter of if people will have to abandon their country, but when. 

The Role of Power

The research involved is indirectly powerful through the participants’ stories which can change how these people are perceived (Hooykaas). It is frequently assumed that all peripheral countries have uneducated populations. However, the people of Kiribati understand that climate change is happening and are taking action to preserve the coastline.

The power dynamics of the general social situation are problematic because they are unequal. I was amazed to learn that “Kiribati has no carbon emissions to cut” (AJ+). How ironic is it that the people who are being affected by climate change the most and contributing to solutions are not even causing the problem? Core countries have more power over peripheral countries therefore have the power to prevent harm. But are they doing anything? 

The Kiribati government is involved even though it doesn’t hold enough power to permanently repair the damages. “The country’s president has lobbied for international treaties to cut carbon emissions for over a decade; he has grown impatient with the lack of urgency he has seen from industrialized nations” (AJ+). The president’s actions appear insignificant to wealthier countries.

There is also a power dynamic between myself and the informants. Thinking about my invisible backpack, I am a white, English-speaking, educated female from a wealthy country who would hypothetically be interacting with these people. This could be a potentially exploitative relationship as “the researcher may be in a position of greater power than the research participant (Hay 36). Critical reflexivity is important here so that the relationship feels trustworthy to the participants.

Overall, the research would have power if it goes to the people who want to make a difference and who have the resources to do so.

Objectivity, Subjectivity, and Intersubjectivity

Being objective in this situation would be difficult, as I would have to detach myself from the people and their stories. Strictly presenting numbers could be an option, though maybe ineffective, as climate scientists have been presenting numbers for decades and many people look away.

Subjectivity would require me to acknowledge my own experience along with the participants (Hooykaas). I am very privileged to live in Canada and have no immediate climate threats, but this situation in Kiribati is threatening now and involves families, homes, and children.

The way you perceive the informants and the way that they perceive you is intersubjectivity (Hay 39). To avoid issues such as stereotyping, critical reflexivity is crucial. As a researcher, you must truly listen to the people and understand what they are telling you, but on the other hand, it’s important to show yourself as someone who wants to listen so they are comfortable sharing their stories.

Human Geographic Approach

Critical geography would help challenge unequal power relationships and work to make political change and social justice. Ethnography would help pay attention to social structures, behaviour, and the meaning of them to the participants (Hay 443). The people of Kiribati have an important connection to their ancestors and their land, something the future generations will never experience if it is underwater.

I think it is essential to allow for Indigenous methods. The textbook states that “frequently, (research) is just a translation of knowledge already commonly held by Indigenous communities to a non-Indigenous audience” (Hay 85). They have ideas too and should not be ignored.

What Can Be Done?

Because this is global climate change, the best solution would be changing the world system - affluent countries would need to drastically change their consumerist lifestyles. Governments would need to stop using economic growth as an excuse to delay climate action. As an individual, I could potentially listen to what these people have to say, think about the power dynamics, critically reflect, share this problem as much as possible and eventually help implement their ideas. However, time is running out - this documentary was made in 2014. The year is 2021 and the depressing truth is that I wouldn’t be surprised if soon people of Kiribati were coming to Canada as refugees. Unfortunately, humans can’t grow gills.

References

AJ+. (2014). Kiribati: The Sinking Islands Being Destroyed By Climate Change. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9P7jXveokDY

Hay, I. (2016). QUALITATIVE RESEARCH METHODS IN HUMAN GEOGRAPHY. Don Mills, Ontario: OXFORD UNIV PRESS.

Hooykaas, A. “Philosophy, Power, Politics, and Research.” University of Guelph, 2021.

[kigeog2260]

April,

Your post was truly captivating, and your beginning sentences immediately drew me to read your post and reblog it. I found a number of your arguments convincing and concise. Firstly, I agree that the stories of these people is an indirect power tool that can be used to their benefit, creating connections with other people who hear their story. I also found your discussion about how the unequal power dynamic between the people of Kiribati and core countries very interesting. This point is crucial to bring up because it not only encourages other countries to stand up to industrialized countries, but to take matters into their own hands. Although this is not ideal - a world where the world system is changed entirely, like you said, would be the ultimate solution - what the community is doing is truly something to be in awe of. These people are taking matters into their own hands until people like you (hypothetically) can give them more voice. 

Lastly, I found your point about the invisible backpack jarring. I had not thought of it that way! A conscious thought like that is important when performing objective research, and demonstrates critical reflexivity. Now, because you have this invisible backpack that you are aware of, what would you do to create a relationship with participants that feels more trustworthy to them? How would you gain their trust without coming off as ‘exploitative’? 

Thank you for sharing your post April, overall it was captivating. 

[kigeog2260]

Sinking Fast: The Islands of Kiribati and Their Struggle Against Climate Change

Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. “Kiribati (formerly Gilbert Islands), includes Tarawa, Tabuaeran (Fanning Island), and Banaba (Ocean Island) Traveler View.” https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/traveler/none/kiribati

The Kiribati Islands - the first country to be erased by climate change and possibly the last generation to live on the islands. This is the reality of Kiribati, as Anna reveals, but will the community give up? As much as 6000 residents live off of the islands, and as they disappear, so do the native people. High tides like never before, a receding shoreline, erosion, loss of land, are all reasons why many communities are leaving behind their homes. The citizens of Kiribati are impatient with industrial nations, the President worried about where his people will go, and many preparing for relocation. Those that have relocated in the centre of Kiribati are over-populating it, causing disease because of such close proximity. Some families believe sending away their loved ones to Australia will ensure a future for their daughters and sons. Furthermore, the government has created a system called Migration with Dignity to send selected individuals to become educated elsewhere in order to save their homeland. The reality for many of these people is that their families are being broken apart and that they are a product of forced migration. No body wants this. What everyone wants is to cooperate with industrial countries, and to preserve the assets they have, such as the Phoenix Island where the world gets their tuna supply. Kiribati is making many sacrifices, but are we?

The Role of Power in Research

The government of Kiribati does not have close ties with any of the other countries. Their only leverage is the Phoenix Island, which the government of Kiribati has decided to preserve. Leverage must be gained in another way, in order for people around the world to bring justice to the people of Kiribati. Anna is trying to gain this leverage by qualitatively researching Kiribati as a case study, implementing personal interviews with the citizens of the Kiribati Islands as a tool of indirect power over viewers. The stories that were told in the video have the power to move people in order for them to think differently about the way this situation is thought about and perceived (Hay, p. 35). This is especially important for researchers who connect with the issue and the stories part of it. The President of Kiribati mentioned how he is concerned for the future of his children and grandchildren, something that can influence how much more I care about the issue at hand.

The Importance of Objectivity, Subjectivity, and Intersubjectivity

It is important however, that I remain objective. In doing so, I can balance my personal involvement with the participants in the study, and my independence from the actual research (Hay, p. 39). Being objective allows one to personally become involved with the study. This might motivate a research such as myself to be more passionate and urgent about their research. Being objective also allows one to remain independent. This is important because I should remain unbiased in order to relay important details of my research. It is also important to be subjective. Since qualitative research involves social interaction, it is important that I insert personal opinions into my research practice (Hay, p. 39). This might allow me to communicate better with participants. Intersubjectivity is also extremely important. It allows me to understand and confirm research I gather from my participants, therefore allowing me to interpret the communication and dialogue with my participants in order to collect qualitative research (Hay, p. 39).

The Best Geographic Approach

After learning of the hardships Kiribati is facing, I believe that the geographic approach they community is taking is through critical science - critiquing their own community to survive the damage from climate change, overcoming the problems of a world outside their own (the industrial world). I believe that for this situation, it would be best for the government of Kiribati to perform their own qualitative research - specifically historical research by evaluating data from the past and comparing it with data collected from the present. In fact, one school teacher in Kiribati is already observing the shoreline that has been receding for some time.

How can I help? 

To my knowledge, Kiribati does not have many partnerships that would aid them in persuading other countries to see their suffering and to help implement strategies in order to stop what is currently happening. According to The Guardian, the current President of Kiribati, Maamau is working with New Zealand’s National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research to develop strategies that will defend Kiribati’s coastline (Paula, 2020). The government of Kiribati taking matters into their own hands will not be effective on my own. The best way for me to serve the country is to spread awareness, create connections with people that have more power to do something (donating, contacting more powerful people), and to collect and analyze data in order to reveal true scientific evidence of climate change. 

[kgeog2260]

Geography!

           Hi everybody! I just wanted to introduce myself, my name is Karina Martins and I am a fourth year Environmental Governance major, also minoring in geography here at the University of Guelph.

Geography was never important to me when I was growing up and only became a topic of interest during my first year in Guelph, when geography courses started becoming extremely engaging and interesting. I originally started off in first year majoring in Sociology whilst taking multiple geography electives due to the fact that my friends said they were easy. However, I found myself becoming more interested in the material I was learning in my geography courses which ultimately lead me to switch my program to Environmental Governance and pick up my Geography minor.

           This is what started my interest in geography and learning about environmental processes, which has escalated to where I am today! I became much more engaged in my classes and came to the realization that I wanted to pursue a career within this field. Switching to a full course load of environmental and geography courses allowed me to develop a more in depth understanding of how our world is structured and the way in which the environment works.

           After taking multiple geography courses, I find that majority of my information I rely on comes from a variety of online journals that I used almost every day during the school year, which I find through omni search. I find these journals are the most reliable in terms of finding creditable sources, especially articles that have been peer reviewed. This method for finding information is my favourite when I am doing schoolwork, but the internet is a source where I also find a lot of my information. This can be considered a less credible source, but I find when I properly fact check through multiple sources, this is one of the best and most reliable sources of information! Lastly, the main method of information is my courses here at the university, as well as my professors. I have learned so much in the last four years and find that majority of information I learn in each course overlaps with information I learn in my other classes, so I know its reliable.

           I am super excited to be taking this course and really looking forward to this semester. I can’t wait to read everyone’s posts!

[kigeog2260]

hey Karina, I really enjoyed reading your post! 

As I read through it, I realized we have more than our first names in common! Your love for geography sprouted during your first year, as did mine, and as it seems we became more drawn to this interesting field of study by willingly taking it as a course for fun. Geography challenges me, as it must challenge you and I find it quite entertaining to interchangeably discuss environmental systems, human activities, and the geography of the world all at once! 

I was also exposed to the omni search during first year and it changed the level of my papers from high school to university. This is a source I truly rely on, and as it appears you do as well (which is quite reassuring since you have been relying on this source for quite some time!). I find that omni search is wonderful for research papers and in-depth, focused assignments. However, basic Internet resources are straight to the point and can provide easy background information for your paper or introduction. Because you are a fourth year Guelph student, I want to ask you a question in the hopes of gaining some wisdom from you - what kind of process do you go through when determining an average Internet source is credible?

I would greatly appreciate any kind of knowledge you may be able to pass on to me, and hopefully, we may discover other things we have in common as well!

Sincerely,

Karina Italiano

[kigeog2260]

What’s so special about Geography? The Beginner’s Guide in Searching for Trustworthy Information

Geography, without a doubt, has always been a fascinating area of study. But what’s so special about geography? Personally, geography is all about the connections you make to an environment you have been to. It is what you associate with an environment, how you feel about the environment, what this environment does for you. The relationships I make with places is the reason geography is my muse, the reason I am drawn to geography, and the reason I was drawn to Guelph. In fact, I wanted nothing to do with Guelph, until I toured the campus. I immediately fell in love with the old-style of buildings, the surrounding nature, the red brick Alumni sidewalk. The welcoming and friendly environment of Guelph is the reason I am studying Geography today! 

I am drawn to geography because of the possibility of different kinds of research, study, and connections that are possible since it is such a versatile field of study! Geography is accompanied with images of its environment to which we as humans associated with ideas, feelings, nostalgia, and imagination. As Charlotte Mason puts it, 

“The peculiar value of geography lies in its fitness to nourish the mind with ideas and furnish the imagination with pictures.”

Source: What Geography Looks Like. (2011, August 23). Retrieved January 17, 2021, from https://afterthoughtsblog.net/2011/08/what-geography-looks-like.html/#:~:text=So%20first%2C%20let's%20ask%20ourselves,furnish%20the%20imagination%20with%20pictures

For example, a mental connection I share with the environment of Georgian Bay is one I hold dear to my heart. This connection is the reason why I appreciate everything life has to offer. 

The Beginner’s Guide to searching for trustworthy information draws upon what you know, what you have been taught, and the resources you have trusted time and time again. Of course, the Internet is the gateway to searching for trustworthy information, but it is up to you to gauge whether or not a resource is trustworthy! What I know is what I have been taught, and that is to use resources that have been peer-edited. This ensures that other certified scholars and professionals have reviewed the resource, ensuring that what is being said is trustworthy. Anytime I am being asked to conduct a research essay I always use https://www.lib.uoguelph.ca/. I click “Advanced search” and type in a keyword relevant to the assignment, ensuring the filter “peer-reviewed journals” has been selected. For educational purposes, the University of Guelph must provide reliable and trustworthy resources that contain information students can rely upon. Thus why Guelph Library is such a wonderful and diversified resource to obtain research information! The internet is also full of bias. This is something to always avoid especially since we are social science researchers trying to avoid an opinion that rubs the wrong impression on our papers! To ensure your source is unbiased, the resource should not be limiting the reader to one point of view or persuading you to believe in only one side. A resource I trust from remaining unbiased are my professors. A professor’s aim is to educate their subordinates by revealing multiple aspects of one idea. Resources a professor provides includes information within the content of the course, additional resources to assist students in assignments, and required readings throughout the week. Lastly, I trust information from news outlets to first of all gain knowledge on something that has just happened, and to understand the statistics behind an event. However, to ensure that a news outlet is a trustworthy source, cross-referencing and looking into the background of the author of the resource is necessary to reveal whether or not the resource is exaggerating the situation, under-estimating the situation, or persuading its viewers in a direction beneficial to the author. 

Once again, your own ability to gauge a resources’ credibility is entirely up to the student and what the student knows about trustworthy sources. The student should ask themselves if the resource will provide necessary information for their research purpose. Can I trust this author to provide me with trustworthy information that will be used in a University level paper? This question along with many others are important to reflect upon before extracting information from a resource. 

I want to end this first blog post with a question my classmates can consider; What kind of resources do you trust the most and why?