Laiken Cronkright

 DISCLAIMER: This blog was created for GEOG*2260, University of Guelph. The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of the University of Guelph. The University of Guelph is not responsible for the accuracy of any of the information supplied by this blog.  

[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.

[lcgeog2260]

Hi!

I think that you made some good points in this post. The first three topics you mentioned, critical reflexivity, ethics, and coding are definitely the most engrained in my head as well. I think that this is because critical reflexivity and to some degree ethics are used at almost every point when doing your research. I also agree that the section on analyzing surveys was the most confusing. However, I think that this was difficult for me because it was the least interesting section.

There are a few areas that I think I can help clarify for you. First is critical analysis. It is essentially an in-depth analysis of another work. When I was working on the blog post that required us to critically analyse an article, I thought of it as applying the principles of critical reflexivity to another work instead of my own. Essentially, it is breaking down the article into sections, thinking about all of the things that went into writing it, and describing if it was written effectively and gets the point across properly. Second, when distinguishing between quantitative and qualitative I think of it as the difference between math and English. Quantitative research uses mainly number and statistics in its research but does not go into depth to explain any deeper meaning, its goal is to seek an explanation. Whereas qualitative research uses written or spoken narratives and requires in-depth frameworks to uncover deeper meanings and works to build an understanding of a phenomena. However, there are techniques that overlap between the two, so I understand getting confused!

Overall, good work this semester, and good luck on your exams!

[ekgeog2260-deactivated20231114]

Looking Back on the Class

Three Things I Know for Certain About Human Geography Research:

The first thing I am certain about in human geography research is that researchers must be careful and put great importance on the power relations between themselves and their participants. Researchers must be aware that power cannot be removed from the research process, be cognizant of whether their research is directly or indirectly powerful and do their best to avoid the negative aspects of potentially exploitative power relations (where the researcher is in a position of greater power than the participants) (Hay, 2016, pp. 35-36).

Secondly, I know that in human geographic research, researchers should ideally be conducting ‘decolonizing research’ whenever doing cross-cultural research and use their research process to break down the asymmetrical power relations, representations, and structures that colonialism and neo-colonialism put in place between different cultures (p. 47). Especially in today’s society, decolonizing research, including inclusionary research, which aims to empower marginalized or oppressed groups/people, is a necessity and the only appropriate form of human geographic cross-cultural research (p.47).

Third, what i know for certain in human geography research is that researchers must be critically reflexive throughout the entire research process. As a researcher, being critically reflexive means constantly and self-consciously scrutinizing yourself and the research process in order to be aware of a multitude of factors that could play a role in the way you report your research (Hooykaas, Week 2, 2021). This process is necessary for proper qualitative research to emerge.

Three Things I am Still Confused By:

To start, I am still very confused about when different research approaches, from lecture two, are more appropriate than others to use and when to use them in the first place. The empirical-analytical, historical-hermeneutic, and critical research approaches still confuse me with what they mean in terms of research, what types of research processes they utilize, and when one is more appropriate than another (Hooykaas, Week 2, 2021).

Next, I am also still confused about the extent of ethical considerations researchers must account for with their proposal and research process. I know that with research ethics, researchers must consider free consent, potential risks of any kind, maximize the benefits gained by the research, and make sure the aspects of ‘justice’ (fairness, equity, power, etc.) are all considered and accounted for (Hooykaas, Week 3, 2021). However, what happens if something happens that wasn’t considered by either the researcher or the research ethics board? Is the any risk that is so minimal that it doesn’t need to be accounted for? At what point do participants hold personal responsibility about being in research with potential risks and the participant doesn’t back out? Is the harm that comes the researcher’s fault if they’ve done everything they can? Those are the types of things I’m confused about with research ethics.

Finally, I am a bit confused about how important coding is. When doing my storytelling project, I ultimately didn’t code any of my research and didn’t seem to have a problem. Is coding necessary in qualitative research? I can see how it could be more helpful with a much larger amount of research results, but how can your research story be consistent if changing your coding often is the norm (Hooykaas, Week 8, 2021)? That is another thing I don’t fully understand in human geography research.

Three Things I Know for Certain About Myself as a Human Geographic Researcher:

First of all, I know for certain that I don’t want to be a human geographic researcher. I’ve mentioned in a previous blog post, but I have zero interest in doing research for any sort of field, as I believe I would just find it frustrating, and I don’t know if I can specialize that much as a career. I would much rather be able to efficiently understand human geographic research and apply it elsewhere and use the skills I learned about research to market myself in the workforce better (Hooykaas, Week 10, 2021).

I also know that as a current undergraduate researcher, I struggle and find it difficult when assignments and/or research is very open-ended (like the digital storytelling project). That may be something I need to work on in order to be more proficient and struggle less in the future, but I know that I do much better with research when I have a clear idea of what I should be researching.

Lastly, I know that when it comes to being a researcher, I find it difficult to motivate myself to do the tedious research unless I am interested in the topic I am researching and/or writing about. This plays into the fact of me not wanting to be a researcher, as at this point in my life, I am not that interested in anything in human geography to be worth researching for myself.

Three Areas I Need to Spend Time Developing/Learning in Order to Feel More Confident in My Skills:

The first area I need to learn more is with coding research. I didn’t get to practice coding very much and I didn’t do coding with my section of the storytelling project, so I definitely need more practice learning how to do it and why it’s important. For example, I don’t fully understand grounded theory, the differences between descriptive and analytical codes, or how to make a codebook (Hay, 2016, pp. 377-381).

The second area I need to work on improving is how to create a compelling story/narrative with research. I think this is very important way to present research findings to wider audiences and allows the importance of the research to shine while also reinforcing its validity, credibility, and trustworthiness (pp. 415, 423). However, presenting research in this way is much easier said than done, and is something I am not used to quite yet.

The final area of improvement for me is developing questions for interviews and questionnaires. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the opportunity to do interviews or create interview questions, however it seems like an important skill even outside of research. Obviously from the textbook, I’ve learned that questions need to use easily understood language, avoid ambiguity, and must be phrased carefully, among other things (p.153). However, since I haven’t formed questions before, my confidence would be very low if I was asked to formulate some.

References:

Hay, I. (Ed.). (2016). Qualitative Research Methods In Qualitative Geography. Don Mills, ON: Oxford University Press Canada.

Hooykaas, A. (2021). Week 10: How to Market your Skills. Lecture. Retrieved April 11, 2021, from https://courselink.uoguelph.ca/d2l/le/content/668082/viewContent/2744643/View

Hooykaas, A. (2021). Week 2: Philosophy, Power, Politics, and Research Design. Lecture. Retrieved April 11, 2021, from https://courselink.uoguelph.ca/d2l/le/content/668082/viewContent/2673139/View

Hooykaas, A. (2021). Week 3: Ethics. Lecture. Retrieved April 11, 2021, from https://courselink.uoguelph.ca/d2l/le/content/668082/viewContent/2682505/View

Hooykaas, A. (2021). Week 8: Coding. Lecture. Retrieved April 11, 2021, from https://courselink.uoguelph.ca/d2l/le/content/668082/viewContent/2730478/View

[lcgeog2260]

Hi!

Good work this semester on your blog posts! I found your section about what you know about human geography for certain very insightful! I had not though about how human geographers should be striving to conduct decolonizing research, but it makes perfect sense! Especially because of the power dynamics that are so deeply embedded into today’s society from colonial times.

I would also like to say that I am too confused about when different research approaches should be used! I think that the basic definitions provided were not enough to help us to distinguish when to use each one, and that this is a very important part of designing our research.

As for your confusing about ethics. There is a reasonable limit to the amount of harm that can be done for the sake of research. Specifically, the amount of harm cannot outweigh the benefits that could potentially come from the research. For example, it is completely unethical to subject someone to psychological torture, like they did in the Stanford Prison experiment, but subjecting people to a bit of psychological discomfort could potentially be justifiable. However, I think that it is the research boards that will make the final decision if your research causes to much harm.

Overall, it seems that we have questions about many of the same things. I also am confused about how to structure proper interviews, about when to use different research approaches, and the different types of coding techniques. However, at least now we have the basic information needed and can cultivate our skills with further practice in other courses!

Good luck on your final exams!

[lcgeog2260]

Final Reflection

Throughout the semester this course has worked to build our skills in conducting qualitative research in human geography. Overall, I have noticed that my research techniques have greatly improved after incorporating what I have learned in this course.

What I Know for Certain about Human Geography

Prior to taking GEOG 2260 I had not taken any human geography courses and did not have a proper understanding of what it means to be a human geographer. Luckily, the first sentences of the textbook answered that question, stating “contemporary human geographer’s study not only tangible people and place [but also] intangible objects such as discourses, identities, and places of inscription” (Hay, 2016, pp. 1). With this understanding of human geography, and from what we have learnt throughout the course I now know for certain that human geography is subjective. Subjectivity refers to being based on or influenced by personal feelings or opinions (Hay, 2016). While subjectivity is generally a negative thing to incorporate into your research, human geography as a discipline is inherently subjective. Since it is based on qualitative data, researchers are seeking to interpret their information, which is not a concrete science and will results in a difference of opinions. Since human geography is subjective, researchers must always consider their invisible backpack to prevent bias. 

Leading to my next area of certainty, human geography requires the researcher to be critically reflective. Critical reflexivity requires the researcher to continuously be self-critical, introspective, and self-conscious of how their personal beliefs have influenced their research (Hay, 2016). This is to prevent any bias that may stem from their invisible backpack.

Lastly, human geography requires more structure within its research. This is because qualitative research methods rely on human participants, and therefore the researcher must account for ethical considerations, and structure the interviews and analysis to prevent biasing the research.

Three things I’m still confused about

First, I need to work on differentiating between the varying approaches to research. In week 2, we learnt about the basic approaches such as Empirical-analytical, Historical-hermeneutic and critical (Hookyaas, 2021). While I understand their basic definitions, I am still confused about when it is best to use each one and why.  

Second, I am still confused about the grounded theory. In lecture 9, it is said that the researcher serves as both a data collection instrument and analysis method, where the research builds theories upwards from the data (Hooykaas, 2021). I am confused about how to apply the theory, and how exactly it would differ from other top-down approaches. I understand that it requires analyzing connections between your hypothesis and the data, but to my understanding top-down approaches do that as well or do something very similar.

Similarly, I am confused about when to use each type of analysis. In week 9, we briefly discussed dialectical analysis, metaphor analysis, and fantasy theme analysis (Hooykaas, 2021). While I understand the basic definition of each of these, I am not too sure the benefits of each, and what type of research would use which analysis type. I understand that the grounded theory is the most common, and possibly the most useful form of analysis, however since we were introduced to other types of data analysis I would like to be able to better understand when each one would be the most useful.

Three things I know for certain about me as a Human Geographer

The first thing I learnt about my self as a human geographer is that I do not want to pursue a career in human geography. I originally took this course because it was required to graduate with a B.A in geography and did not have high hopes that I would be interested in the content. However, after taking the course, I feel as though I gained valuable skills that can be transferred to my other courses. Though it did make me further realize that I do not want to focus on human geography.

I also learnt what exactly my invisible backpack is. This is essentially all of the personal beliefs and opinions one brings into their research (Hookyaas, 2021). My own invisible backpack mainly consists of being a white, middle class, female. Which can either help me to identify with my research subjects, if they are also female, but can also hinder my analyses if I were to be studying a topic that has to do people of color, or anyone from the opposite gender.

Lastly, I learnt that as a human geographer my main area of interest is the connection between human interactions and the environment. In week 10 we discussed what it means to be a geographer. This discussion gave us varying points on what a geographer does, and I realized that all of the topics I was interested in we in relation to human interactions with the environment. Specifically, this includes, identifying societal drivers of environmental change, and evaluating different ways human impacts on the environment are theorized (Hooykaas, 2021).  

Areas I need to spend time developing

I want to spend more time developing my interviewing skills. For the digital storytelling project, my group conducted a short interview with a professor at the University of Guelph. However, I feel as though we did not take into consideration enough about the types of questions asked, and the order of our questions. Overall, I did get some practice with interviewing in this course, but I think I need to practice creating more interview questions.

I also want to spend more time developing a research proposal. I have never written a formal research proposal before, so this course was my first introduction to the concept. Specifically, I struggle with understanding how to create a good research question and deciding which conceptual framework I should use. This is because I often make research questions that are too broad, and have never had to formally consider conceptual frameworks in any of my research.

I need to spend more time on using different types of data analysis. My group and I used memos on the side of our shared document for the digital storytelling project, as well as the coding method described in the lecture. However, I think that I need more practice at coding because I have a very surface level understanding of when to use each coding technique. The textbook notes that there are context analysis, descriptive codes, in vivo codes, and analytic codes (Hay, 2016). However, I have only used the deductive and hierarchical method of coding discussed in the lectures. I think that learning to effectively code my sources will be very useful for my future projects, and I plan to continue this technique.

Works Cited

Hooykaas, A. (2021). Week 2, University of Guelph

Hooykaas, A. (2021). Week 9, University of Guelph

Hooykaas, A. (2021). Week 10, University of Guelph

Hay, I. (2016). Qualitative Research Methods in Human Geography: Chapter      2 (4th ed.). Oxford Univ Press.

[aggeog2260]

Canada’s Carbon Pricing

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/supreme-court-federal-carbon-tax-constitutional-case-1.5962687

Supreme Court rules Ottawa’s carbon tax is constitutional is a news article published by CBC News on March 25th of this year. The article highlights the recent decision of the Supreme Court to make carbon pricing constitutional (Tasker, 2021). Essentially, by making the carbon tax a federal, constitutional requirement, the federal government will hopefully be able to move forward with their plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to meet their international obligations to the Paris Agreement.

The federal government has noted the severity and urgency of climate change, and the necessity of national carbon pricing to guide provinces and territories to keep them on track to meet both national and international goals and standards for GHG emissions. By working under the Constitutions POGG clause (peace, order and good government), the federal government has jurisdiction to enforce issues that deal with a national, or in this case, international issue. The article notes that “The POGG doctrine applies when there is a ‘provincial inability to deal with the matter’ (Tasker, 2021). In the case of climate change and the proposed carbon tax, the federal government felt as though certain provinces and territories were not able or willing to create effective carbon pricing strategies, and therefore their intervention was justified. Seeing this acknowledgement and action on behalf of the federal government suggests a step in the right direction and sparks hope for future climate - related decisions.

As mentioned, some provinces have opposed the jurisdiction, as they feel as though a price on carbon will restrict economic activity, and natural resources are provincial jurisdiction. The federal Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act permits provinces and territories to enact their own form of carbon pricing, but given the opposition that fuel - reliant provinces had, the federal government noted that should provinces and territories fail to implement a real and successful carbon pricing regime, they would step in with a carbon tax (Tasker, 2021). By creating minimum pricing standards, the federal government can ensure that provinces are meeting the goals and standards required to meet the ever demanding need for a shift away from a carbon intensive economy, while still allowing provinces and territories their own autonomy. 

One thing that I appreciated in the article was a comment made by Chief Justice Richard Wagner, who argued that despite opposition from provinces like Alberta, Ontario and Saskatchewan, the threat of climate change is too grand and great to not take action (Tasker, 2021). While I have felt this way for a while now, hearing this from such a powerful decision - maker made me feel proud to be Canadian. While I still believe that there is much more work to do, I believe that this is a step in the right direction. 

Thinking critically about the article and where the information came from, the author provided some insight about the sources of the article. They did mention that Chief Justice Richard Wagner was writing for the majority, which would have been made public. Other sources included comments made to reporters by the federal Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson about the discussion around carbon pricing (Tasker, 2021). It seems as though most of the sources provided come from public access forums or comments made by government members. While there were some parts of the article that did include where comments came from, I think that this could have been done more thoroughly.

Something that I felt like could be improved on this article would be to have provided a bit more context and definitions to the concepts raised. I felt as though the author brushed past what making something ‘constitutional’ entails. I also felt as though there was a lack of context and history around carbon pricing in Canada, and contextual information could have been provided about the Paris Agreement, and the commitments that Canada has signed onto. While they note that this will allow the federal Liberal government to push forward with their climate agenda, it did not dive much deeper into what will change given this Supreme Court decision. It also did not mention the specific goals of the Paris Agreement, which I feel would have helped paint a broader picture of the targets that Canada should be setting for itself. 

Seeing this type of change within my own country, on a large, federal scale, is very exciting and hopeful to me. I am excited to see where these changes lead and hopeful that we will continue to see climate - forward policy changes in the future. 

Tasker, J. (2021). Supreme Court rules Ottawa’s carbon tax is constitutional | CBC News. Retrieved 26 March 2021, from https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/supreme-court-federal-carbon-tax-constitutional-case-1.5962687

[lcgeog2260]

Hi!

This is an interesting topic, and arguably a controversial one. While many people are against the Carbon Tax, I agree that it is a step in the right direction! Its crazy to me that the Paris Agreement was signed in 2016, yet the government has yet to reach their goals!

 Regarding your evaluation article, I am wondering what the key message is? From your summary it seems as if the article discusses the political discourse surrounding Canada’s Carbon tax, but what message are they trying to get across? are they hoping to gain public support for the tax? or is it more of an informational piece? Along with this, what are the responsibilities to the consumers? In my opinion, these could be an increased awareness of the benefits of a carbon tax, public support for the tax, and individual awareness of their own carbon footprint. 

You also mention that the sources come from a variety of individuals, with different academic or related backgrounds. This would suggest that the article is an example of Participatory Action Research (PAR), which “involves researchers and participants working together to examine an issue and make change for the better” (Hay, 2016). Given that you stated the sources come from government officials and forums, I assume that the authors validated their sources based on their credentials. However, I think the article would have benefited from the inclusion of a scientific source, to describe the impact of carbon on the environment. This would help to further validate the information based on the triangulation method discussed in class. Overall, interesting topic!

[lcgeog2260]

Whale Health as a Function of Human Interference

Due to world-wide stay at home orders the current COVID-19 pandemic has had unprecedented effects on wildlife health by decreasing human presence in the natural environment. This is particularly interesting to me because at the beginning of the pandemic I found myself wondering how this would effect pollution and wildlife. For this week’s blog I searched for articles that discussed this topic. I came across the article “Coronavirus pandemic slowdown has made the oceans quieter, which has been good for whales” by Sarah Harman and Carlo Angerer. The article discusses how the pandemic has impacted the whaling industry and whale watching tourism in Iceland, and what this means for overall whale health. It was found that the whales have benefited from the lack of human interference through tourism. Specifically, noting decrease stress levels which will inevitably lead to higher reproduction rates, and better physical and mental health for the whales. The authors also discuss how the current generation has had little interest consuming whale products, and an increase in the overall concern for the safety of the whales within Iceland. The key message of the article is that human interference has quantifiable negative impacts on the whales. 

 The Research 

First and foremost, this research is a case study on the impact of COVID-19 on the health of whales and the whaling industry/tourism in Iceland. However, it also an example of Participatory Action Research (PAR). PAR is a research approach which “involves researchers and participants working together to examine an issue and make change for the better” (Hay, 2016). Though the research methods are not explicitly stated, given that it is a news article, I made an educated guess and assume that the authors used some type of consultation and interviewing scheme to get their information. The article cites Ari Friedlaender a marine ecologist and biologist, to get scientific reasoning as to why the health of the whales has improved. As well as, using three individuals involved in the whaling industry/whale tourism. One from North Sailing, another from a whale museum and the last from Minke Whaling Company. 

 Evaluation of Sources

 Given that sources come from people, their credibility lies within their credentials. However, they also use a triangulation method, in which several sources are used to prove their point (Hookayaa, 2021). This is evident because they used three individuals within different sectors of the whaling industry and whale tourism. This validates their claims because multiple people are corroborating the key message, despite having different stakes in the issue. They remove any bias by including an individual from a whaling company, that would seemingly advocate for the whaling industry. Legitimacy is also achieved by working with the people that are closest to the issue (Hay, 2016). Lastly, when including Friedlaender to discuss on the relationship between humans and whales the authors demonstrate that the impacts that have been observed in Iceland are generalizable. 

 Responsibility of the consumer

 The research depicts action-reflection, which is periods of action followed by times where participants reflect on what they have learned (Hay, 2016). Though the period of action is involuntary because of the pandemic, it has offered a great opportunity for scientists and the public to observe the changes in whale health and learn that human interference through whaling and tourism is the root cause of many issues for the whale. Hardarson, the captain of a whale watching boat perfectly summarizes the responsibility of the consumer by stating “There are threats also connected to whale watching and something you have to keep in mind to try not to overstress or put too much pressure on the resource in this way” (Harman, Angerer, 2021). Ultimately, urging the reader to consider the consequences of their actions regarding, consuming whale products, and whale-based tourism.

Works Cited

Harman, S., Angerer, C. (2021)“Coronavirus pandemic slowdown has made the oceans quieter, which has been good for whales”, nbcnews, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/coronavirus-pandemic-slowdown-has-made-oceans-quieter-which-has-been-n1262175

Hay, Iain. Qualitative Research Methods in Human Geography. Fourth ed., Oxford, 2016

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

[atgeog2260]

Coding  Historical Geography Source Materials

What is coding? 

“Coding usually starts with a summary of the text you are examining (called descriptive coding because it forms a summary description of what is in the transcript or the text like an overview”  (Hooykaas 2021) 

“Coding is a process by which researchers structure and interpret qualitative data. When doing discourse analysis, coding serves two primary functions: organization and analysis of source materials“ (Hay 2016, p302)

Basically coding is a term used to describe the sorting out of key words relating to a theme in a piece of writing (or transcript). You then categorizing these words into groups in order to section out/ sort out information.

My Source Codes 

For my digital storytelling assignment my group and I will be discussing historical geography. The two sources I will be coding are both peer reviewed journal articles and are titled:

Late Pleistocene climate drivers of early human migration

And

Speleothem evidence for the greening of the Sahara and its implications for the early human dispersal out of sub-Saharan Africa.

I have used deductive coding in my group research thus far, which means that you begin your work with a predetermined set of themes/codes to be searching for in each of your source materials (Hooykaas 2021). I have used this type of coding  because it seems like a good entry point into the notion of coding. As a beginner it is easier to set out key terms and words that the group can focus on. It retains key elements of our area of study and keeps the search focused and on track. As mentioned in the lecture slides, the one thing to keep in mind about this method of coding is bias. Because you are so focused on the themes already laid out, you might miss out on other key elements to the research by only focusing on a preconceived set of themes. Focusing too heavily on your predetermined themes and working only to prove your own hypothesis could lead you to miss out on beneficial information. 

I have also utilized the hierarchical framing structure for my codes. My hierarchy is essentially based on code specificity to my topic of interest. 

The codes I used are as follows 

“Africa” “Eurasia”—> Pink

“Homo sapiens  Migration” —>Orange 

“Climate Records”—>Blue 

“Vegetated Pathways” —> Green 

                                              (see screenshots below)

Each code title goes from general terms (keywords that show up) to a more specific event that was supposed to have happened and that caused early human migration. The umbrella term being “Africa” / “Eurasia” following that we have “Homo sapiens migration” meaning the migration within Africa and Eurasia. Then following this is “Climate Records” the records are evidence showing that Homo sapiens migration happened, and then more specifically “Vegetated Pathways” are a result of climate change that the records are displaying”. Once again the hierarchy of my codes being general to specific. 

My Project 

If you noticed my two articles were centered around one particular historical event, that being early human migration out of Africa. This is because my group has chosen to explain the essence of historical geography by explaining three major historical events. My event so happened to be Homo sapiens migration out of Africa. To find these specific articles and sources of information I need to start with tailored codes and sort my data into categories in order to choose which one will be the most effective in helping me piece together my part of the assignment. By explaining these historical events we hope to show our audience precisely how historical events have been shaped and formed by physical geomorphological processes. How physical geography heavily impacts human geography/history, that is what this interdisciplinary topic is all about. 

References 

El-Shenawy, M. I., Kim, S.-T., Schwarcza, H. P., Asmeromc, Y., & Polyakc, V. J. (2018, May 15). Speleothem evidence for the greening of the Sahara and its implications for the early human dispersal out of sub-Saharan Africa. Quaternary Science Reviews. https://www-sciencedirect-com.subzero.lib.uoguelph.ca/science/article/pii/S0277379117307436?via%3Dihub  

Hay, Iain. Qualitative Research Methods in Human Geography. Fourth ed., Oxford, 2016

Hooykaas, (2021). Week 8, Coding

Qualitative analysis of interview data: A step-by-step guide for coding/indexing. (2013, May 19). [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRL4PF2u9XA 

Timmermann, A., & Friedrich, T. (2016). Late Pleistocene climate drivers of early human migration. Nature (London), 538(7623), 92–95. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature19365

[lcgeog2260]

Hi!

I think that you did a fantastic job at demonstrating your coding scheme. I agree that deductive coding is a good entry point for someone who has never coded an article before, and though I did not think of it this way I think that this definitely played a role in why I chose to use it as well. You mentioned the potential for bias when using deductive reasoning, and while it is definitely something to keep in mind, I think that for the purposes of our assignment it may not be too much of an issue. This is because we are using our sources to describe our subdiscipline of geography rather than creating a hypothesis surrounding it. However, if we were arguing something than the potential for bias would be more pressing. Also, when using deductive coding I assume that you have already read through the article and several others and have a good sense on what is the important information and what is not. Just some food for thought!

You also mentioned that you chose a hierarchical framework, but I am wondering why you chose this? Are there certain topics that are of more importance? Or are you trying to demonstrate the interactions between certain key concepts? Overall, it sounds like your coding scheme is well thought out and perfectly executed!

[lcgeog2260]

Basics for qualitative coding

This week’s lecture focuses on organizing qualitative data through coding. This entails going through your sources and highlighting the key information to make it easier to interpret feedback (Hooykaa, 2021). Three major decision must be made before actually coding your articles. The first is deciding between an inductive or deductive approach. An inductive approach requires you to read through the sources and essentially code as you go (Hookyaa, 2021).  Whereas a deductive approach is starting your coding with a predefined set of codes (Hookyaa, 2021). Next, you decide whether you will arrange your information using a flat or hierarchical frame. The difference between the two is that in a flat frame each code is given the same level of importance whereas in a hierarchical frame the codes are organized by level of importance. Following that you assign colors to different codes, and begin!

Coding Economic Geography

First, what we have learned in this weeks lecture is an incredibly useful tool to use for organizing our digital storytelling assignments. To integrate this blog post into our group project, my group members and I decided to individually use the sources we have chosen for our project. This allows us to create a uniform decision on coding and prevent conflicting opinions on what information we should include into our project.

For my sources I have decided to use deductive and hierarchical coding. Deductive coding makes the most sense for these sources as my group has already outlined some common themes that we feel is the most useful for our project.  I chose a hierarchical coding scheme because economic geography is an integrated discipline, meaning it covers topics from a variety of other disciplines and discusses their relationships to each other. 

Coding Scheme

The central ideas we chose are, political, historical, and environmental geography. We chose these because those are the three broad categories that effectively describe the way in which economic geography is formed. Using these central themes, we breakdown the information depending on what category it falls into, and then use our predetermined phrases for each. This allows us to be able to quickly pick out which information is under what category and where the articles discuss our predefined key ideas. Our color coding system is demonstrated in the image below. 

 To illustrate how I did this I have attached screenshots from two sources that I have used this coding method on.

Source 1

Source 2

Works Cited

Hooykaas, A. (2021). Week 8. Lecture presented in the University of Guelph

Schoenberger, E. (2019). Roepke Lecture in Economic Geography—War, Capitalism, and the Making and Unmaking of Economic Geographies. Economic Geography, 96(1), 1-22. https://doi-org.subzero.lib.uoguelph.ca/10.1080/00130095.2019.1686973

Commodity Chains. Geography, retrieved from https://geography.name/commodity-chains/

[amlgeog2260]

When Research Kills: The UCLA Schizophrenia Experiments (TW: Suicide)

The Story

In the 1980’s, individuals who suffered from schizophrenia were recruited for a research study at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). The researchers were hoping to study the development of this mental illness, and any factors that might help them predict its progression. The study itself was carried out in two parts. At first, patients were given an antipsychotic medication to help them stabilize their condition. Once stabilized, the patients were then taken off the medication so that the researchers could examine how the symptoms of schizophrenia progressed from that point. Almost half of the patients suffered severe relapses during the study. Gregory Aller was one of them, his condition worsened significantly once he was taken off of his medication. His parents contacted the researchers repeatedly as they watched their son suffer, he even threatened to kill them during this period. When he was contacted by the researchers about needing medication, he said “no” due to his paranoid state. Ultimately his parents had to step in further to help him. Another patient told doctors that he was suicidal after discontinuing his medication, which prompted the researchers to just remove him from the study. He did eventually end his own life because of this experiment and his worsened condition.  Complaints about this study soon began to rise and it was found to be highly unethical, not only were the patients promised that they would be returned to the medication should their condition worsen, but they were also not warned of the severe risks that could occur. The consent papers that were signed only explained that their conditions might “improve, worsen, or stay the same” and it was officially determined by a federal agency that this consent was invalid. Most of the patients believed that this study was going to offer them high-quality treatment for their condition.

The Importance of Informed Consent

This study is a perfect and horrific example of failure to receive informed consent. Informed consent is a process by which a subject is made aware of all of the possible risks, benefits and outcomes of a research project before they can voluntarily agree to join it. The patients in the UCLA experiments were not made aware of the potential impacts the study could have on them, and this caused extreme suffering. The families of these patients (many of which were young students) were outraged by the treatment. This case study also brings to light the issue of who can actually give informed consent. Is it possible for someone in a deteriorated mental state to consent to a study like this? It seems that mentally ill patients are especially vulnerable in these situations and it is very possible that some of them are not capable of comprehending the potential impacts to their lives. It is important for researchers to minimize risks to their patients. They need to keep them informed and assist them when needed. UCLA failed to keep the best interests and safety of their subjects at the forefront of these experiments and it resulted in pain and suffering for those involved.

Do you think that people with schizophrenia are capable of consenting to research on their own?

True Protection for Persons with Severe Mental Disabilities, Such as Schizophrenia, Involved as subjects in Research - A Look and Consideration of the Protection of Human Subjects, 9 J.L. & Health 349 (1994-1995)

Hooykaas, A. (2021). Week 3: Ethics, University of Guelph.

[lcgeog2260]

Hi Amber,

Prior to reading you post I had never heard about the UCLA Schizophrenia Experiments, which is pretty interesting considering the magnitude its consequences. To answer your question, I do think that people with schizophrenia are capable of consenting to research on their own. That is, only if they are in a state of mind that is not clouded with hallucinations or paranoia. Though I do not know much about the disorder, had the patients been on antipsychotic medications prior to consenting then their consent is acceptable. However, from your description it appears as if the issue of consent was not because the patients mental state clouded their judgement but because the researchers were not transparent about the potential ramifications of the study.

This example also highlights another ethical issue concerning Harm. Harm as an ethical issues states that researchers must not expose themselves or their informants to physical or social harm (Hay, 2016). While the psychological trauma experiences by the patients in this experiment might not fall directly under the categories of harm defined, it does fall under the category of “pyscho-social Harm”, which is more complex to handle as a researcher. The textbook states that bringing up something that will psychologically harm your participants is not necessarily a reason stop the study, but rather researchers must cater to this possibility, and provide help to the participants when needed (Hay, 2016). However, since the researchers denied a patient the medication that would help his mental state, I think that they were definitely in an ethical violation.

Works cited

Hay, I. (2015). Qualitative Research Methods in Human Geography (4th ed.). Toronto, On. Oxford University Press

[lcgeog2260]

Thoughts on GEOG 2260

Hi everyone, for this week’s blog post there are a couple things I would like to discuss.

Course Content

First and foremost, the reason I am taking GEOG 2260 is because it is a course requirement. I do not plan to go into a career where I must conduct my own research, and I have little interest in human geography. I chose to major in geography because I am interested in the environmental aspect, meaning that I will place more emphasis on quantitative data then qualitative data. This makes it difficult to be passionate about the topics we are discussing. However, I recognize that this course is extremely important for people that are going into an academic career in geography, and it is doing a very good job at building a foundation for us as students to build from in the future. Thus far, everything we have discussed is crucial to conducting good research. I feel confident that if I had to, I could design a research proposal that properly considers ethics, chooses the proper method for data collection, and write a research proposal.

To me, what resonates the most about the course content is that it demonstrates that everything in the field is interconnected. Not only have we learned that geography as a field is comprised of several different subdisciplines, but also the research that is being done is applicable to so many different topics, and fields of study. For example, I am taking GEOG 3610 (environmental hydrology) this semester as well and have been able to apply some of the topics we have already discussed to my final project for that course. Specifically, I have used the five criteria for the evaluation of the validity of literature review discussed in week 5, to help me pick articles that best suit my own research. Similarly, in previous courses I have had projects that require a research proposal, and I had no idea what goes into one. But after reading Chapter 5: Writing a compelling research proposal to properly outline my paper for that course (Hay, 2015), I can see all the mistakes I made in previous assignments. Specifically, box 5.3 on page 100 of the textbook is extremely useful if you are required to make a research proposal. It has the key points you should add, and even the sections to put these points under.

Course Delivery

Lastly, I think that the delivery of this course has made what is a bleak topic to me, interesting and engaging. I think that the case studies we have done on Kiribati and Agafia, have helped me to apply what we have learned and sparks my interest. I am also excited to see what the finished product of my groups digital storytelling project will be. I think the project is a perfect way to embody everything we will learn in the course, and teach us how to apply it for any future projects.

Final Thoughts

If you are like me and do not gravitate towards human geography, I suggest you look at the link I have added, it is really interesting to see all the different avenues that human geography can be applied to!

Story Map Journal

This story map was created with the Story Map Journal application in ArcGIS Online.

Works Cited

Hay, I. (2015). Qualitative Research Methods in Human Geography (4th ed.). Toronto, On. Oxford University Pre

[amlgeog2260]

Interviewing a Key Thinker in Environmental Geography

Who am I Interviewing?

My digital storytelling project focuses on environmental geography. We will be taking a deep dive into this discipline and presenting its history, its importance, and its future. Not only is it something I am passionate about, but the contemporary issues that arise within environmental geography (such as climate change) are, in my opinion, the most important and threatening issues we are facing as a species today. If I had the opportunity to interview someone in this field, I would choose David Suzuki. David Suzuki is a Canadian scientist, broadcaster and a very important environmental activist1. I have personally been looking up to him since I was very little and would love nothing more than to sit down and have a conversation with him. David Suzuki has a non-profit organization in Canada that is dedicated to conserving and protecting the natural environment through research, education and policy analysis1. He is a key thinker in the field of environmental geography.

The Interview Questions

1. What does environmental geography mean to you, and what is your role within this field?

This first question is an example of a primary question, and would serve as an introduction to the theme of the interview2. This would also give me a definition of environmental geography from a key thinker in the field, as well as set up a basis for how he has impacted it.

2. In Canada, what do you think is the greatest threat our environment is facing?

The future of this field will be determined by the threats it faces and I would hope to get an idea of what is next in environmental geography based on David’s response to this question.

3. In your lifetime, what is an obstacle that has been overcome in regards to protecting the environment, and how was this achieved?

This question serves two purposes. I am interested in knowing the history of environmental geography from someone who has been involved in the field for decades, as well as trying to find some positivity, and hope for how we might address contemporary environmental issues.

4. If you had the power to change any existing piece of environmental legislation in Canada, what would you change and why?

This question would be posed to find out what Canadians should be focusing on right now regarding environmental activism.

5. Is there anything you would like to add, address, or discuss further that you think would be essential for me to know?

The final question would be left open like this because it puts the control into the hands of the interviewee/knowledge holder to tell me what I need to know about environmental geography.

Overview

This interview would be semi-structured so that the interviewee would have the opportunity to branch out from the questions I asked if they wanted to2. The first question was descriptive in nature so that I could introduce Dr. Suzuki to the interview gently2. All of the questions left room for further discussion if needed and the loose framework of this interview would make it a more relaxed and comfortable environment2.

References

1. David Suzuki. (n.d.). Retrieved March 01, 2021, from https://davidsuzuki.org/expert/david-suzuki/

2. Hooykaas, A. (2021). Week 6: Data Collection – Interviews, Oral Histories, Focus Groups. University of Guelph

[lcgeog2260]

Hi!

I would first like to say that I also grew up looking up to David Suzuki. As a result of that whenever I think about environmental activism, I think of him, and would love to be able to discuss his views with him. I think your opening question is a perfect introduction into the topic. I also think that the wording of each of your questions does a good job at avoiding leading questions. However, the last question is very ambiguous as it does not have one obvious meaning, or topic you would like him to focus. I would suggest asking something such as “Is there anything on the topic of Canadian Environmental activism that you would like to add?”. Lastly, I would also add a question where you play devils advocate. I think this would be particularly useful on the topic of environmental geography because there are so many climate change deniers, and different opinions surrounding the environmental activism. By asking this type of question you would be able to touch on controversial topics and get his insights on some important issues. Overall, this would be a well structured interview.

[lcgeog2260]

David Harvey Interview

Interviewee: David Harvey

David Harvey is a Marxist geographer that has written about the influence of capitalism on uneven geographical development (Coe, Et. Al., 2020). His theories relating Marxism to development have been widely influential in the field of economic geography. It would be particularly useful to interview Harvey as a large portion of the study of economics is related back to Marxism, and because he has been so influential in the field of economic geography.

Questions

1. What influenced you to turn to Marxism to understand how the economy is spatially distributed?

This question allows Harvey to introduce himself and tell a brief story about what inspired him to get into the sub-field of economic geography. I would hope to gain insight into his background in order to understand any outside forces that may have influenced, or even continue to influence his writings. It is also a good question to start with because it is relatively broad and allows the interviewee to direct the conversation.

2. How does historical geographies influence the current pattern of uneven development?

Harvey was trained in historical geography (Coe, et. Al., 2020) giving him a reputable background to discuss the topic. From this question I hope to gain insight into past patterns of economic geography, while also discussing its relationship to current patterns.

3. What is the relationship between capitalism and uneven development?

This very broad question allow Harvey to discuss the relationship as he views it, without adding any potential bias from me as an interviewer. From this question I hope to gain a basic overview into the power relationships embedded in capitalism and how they spatially influence development.

4. What does capitalism consist of?

Since Harvey theorizes about the relationship between capitalism and economic development, his answer to this question would provide insight into what social institutions influence the development of the economy. This allows us to then draw comparisons about the institutions in certain places and their varying economies, as well as relate the economy to aspects human geography, and society as a whole.

5. Is the economy deterministic of geographical relationships?

This question acts as a good closing statement for Harvey as it provides insight into the weight Harvey places on the economy and its roles in geographical relationships.

Overview

I used a mixture of primary question types in my interviews because they allow me to get answers on a variety of topics in a short amount of time. However, I did include a secondary question (question 2), for clarification on the question before it. I included a descriptive question as the first question because it is easy to answer, easy the interviewee into the more thought-provoking questions. I included a storytelling question (question 2) to identify a series of events and potential causative links on the topic. I also asked mainly broad questions to allow for Harvey to discuss things that he sees as important within a broad topic, making this a semi-structured interview. Overall, I tried to word the questions to avoid leading questions at all costs to prevent interviewer bias, and asked questions that are specific to his approach to economic geography.

Works Cited

Coe. N.M., Kelly, P.F., Yeung, H.W.C. (2020). Economic Geography: A Contemporary Introduction (3rd ed.). John Wiley & Sons: USA.

Hay, 1. (2016). Qualitative Research Methods in Human Geography (4th ed.), Oxford University Press: Canada.

[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.

[lcgeog2260]

Hi!

I am very interested in your research project as I think that building walkable cities will be a major contributor in mitigating climate change. Even the UN has stated that “well designed, compact, walkable cities with good public transport greatly reduce our per capita carbon footprint and are key to achieving many of the Sustainable Development Goals” (Milhahn, 2019). However, as you mentioned there are benefits that stem deeper than the climate crisis. I think that an interesting approach to make in your research would be to discuss how making walkable cities can help the poor, increase sociability, and even boost the economy. By reducing the need for a car, you can make job opportunities increasingly more accessible to those that cannot afford a car, making this an attractive proposal to governments that are serious about addressing poverty. Akin to this, economic productivity will likely increase as walkable neighborhoods encourage people to stop into shops and restaurants as they pass by. This may even increase the amount of locally owned business, which is a good thing in my opinion. With these things in mind, it is very reasonable to presume that ethical considerations you mentioned, such as social and economic risks may not even become a problem. However, you also need to consider that making cities walkable will often involve a process of deindustrialization. This may cause governments, and large corporations to be resistant to your research as it threatens the foundation that large cities are built on.

Work cited

Milhhn, K. (2019). Cities: a 'cause of and solution to' climate change, UN News, retrieved from https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/09/1046662

[lcgeog2260]

What can we do with our waste?

As a researcher with unlimited resources I would like to tackle the topic of what to do with our waste? Human waste is one of the leading causes of pollution on Earth, and as long as we are on Earth we will continue to produce waste and damage the Earth more. While there are methods such as recycling, composting, and buying reusable products, this will not solve the problem. Even if humans are able to reduce their waste to nothing, there are still billions of tons of garbage that is sitting in landfills.

The issue

In 2016, approximately 25 million tons of waste was sent to landfills across Canada (Recycling Council of Ontario, 2018). Unfortunately, even when properly disposed of in a landfill there are a multitude of environmental hazards that occur. When mounds of garbage are collected, leachate, a contaminate fluid, is released which needs to be collected and treated to prevent further pollution. Similarly, the bacteria in the waste produces methane gas, a potent greenhouse gas. While there are initiatives that have made landfills more eco-friendly, my main concern is that landfills require large amounts of space, and once they reach their capacity they do not decompose, and remain there producing harmful byproducts. My research product would aim to find a sustainable alternative to landfills for our non-recyclable waste. This research will benefit virtually everyone on Earth, as it addresses the concern of pollution. However, it will also help the governments to be able to address the pressing concerns of climate change.

The research

This research would rely heavily on quantitative methods, such as experimentation in a laboratory setting, to discover and monitor different methods for breaking down waste. As a geographer, I am not knowledgeable about the science behind breaking down waste, and would have to assemble a team of professionals that are specialized in the topic. However, once the best method for treating the waste is discovered, I will use qualitative methods to figure out how to best implement our new strategy around the world. This will be mainly in the form of researching current waste management strategies across the world, through interviews with government officials, and observations and active participation in current waste management regimes. Another important aspect of this research will be decolonization. It is evident that certain countries disproportionately produce waste, and in some cases the core countries even transport their waste to landfills in the periphery countries. My research will aim to break down the asymmetrical relationships within waste management, through providing every country with the proper tools to sustainably dispose of garbage with little environmental hazards.

Ethics

The ethical considerations are mainly centered on the idea of harm. I will have to ensure that through our experiments we fully understand the long-term effects that these new strategies have to prevent doing more harm than good. Similarly, when conducting the qualitative research, I will have to ensure that the people I am interviewing, and organizations I am working with fully consent to these new methods.

Work cited

Recycling Council of Ontario. (2018). Waste Statistics: How Much Canada Throws Out, retrieved from https://rco.on.ca/canada-waste-statistics/

[hageog2260]

Agafia’s life in the wilderness.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tt2AYafET68 

The short documentary made by Vice called Surviving in the Siberian Wilderness, is about Agafia Lykov life. Agafia is 70 years old living in a wilderness since she was born. She is an Ultra – Orthodox believer due to the fear of dying by the command of Stalin her family fled to Sayan mountain in Siberia in the year of 1936. They lived in an environment that is very harsh with minus 30 degree in the summer. Wolves wandered around freely and acquiring food can be dangerous. Thus, their mother starved herself so her children could eat. Agafia and her family lived there with no interruption for about 40 years until geologists spotted them. Sadly, her siblings die of due to getting pneumonia from the geologists and her father later on passes away too. Then she lived alone for 25 years without her family. later in 1997 the geologist Yerofei Sedov moved near her. But their relationship is not a happy memory for Agafia, since she has to provide crucial needs like water for him plus because he has done sinful things to her. Agafia’s view on life I think is truly inspiring since we live in the materialistic world, it is hard to imagine living without it. Even if life is tough for her it goes to show there is other ways of living life other than the Capitalist world, we are so consumed in.

Research technique

The research technique being used in this documentary is qualitative technique oral method. For instance, the qualitative research in one way is used to understand human experience and their environment. Qualitative interview is used in-depth to interview the subject. For example, Agafia was interviewed in order to understand her life and her environment. They also used focus group in which it targets a specific situation and people. For instance, the specified landscape, religion, gender, ethnicity. Another part of qualitative research method that was used is participant observation, in this the researcher’s role is important as they can influence the story. The researchers in this case didn’t but they were participants in asking and taking certain actions in the story and immersed themselves.

The invisible backpack

There are elements of invisible backpack firstly, the researchers had the privilege to get to Agafia through easy means of transportation. In contrast she had to find hard ways to get to where she wants to go during everyday work. They also have the technology and the platform to discuss about her, but for her this is hard to achieve. In addition, they have power privilege over how they represent and interpret her story. They also have the wealth to afford and purchase good winter cloth, helicopter and the cameras. These can be directly identified by the difference both the researcher and the subject own.

Ethical consideration.

They did not influence her story they gave her as much time to tell her story without interfering. They were not interrupting her while she prayed and even helped her with everyday chores. They didn’t exclude themselves from her life, they immersed themselves in. But I have questioned certain things like, how is Agafi benefiting from this? Vice has a big platform and being sponsored by big corporations; they benefit through this short documentary by likes and views. But how would that change and benefit Agafi conditions. In addition, people now can know her location would that be an exposure to her privacy, and would that cause problems in the future for her?

If I were given the opportunity to research Agafia’s life and her family I would take ethical considerations seriously. I would follow the guidelines and use critical reflexivity to look over my decisions. I would also first check my health so that I won’t pass any disease to her, especially since it can be hard for her to go see a doctor. I would spend more time with her to know in depth the life she is living, since it is so different than mine, and I like her outlook in life. I would not want to be distracted with the life I had in the cities, I want to experience how to live in a land where most of us think is impossible to live.

Hay, Iain. (2015). Qualitative Research Methods in Human Geography (4th ed.). Toronto,ON. Oxford University Press

Vice. (2013, April 9). Surviving in the Siberian Wilderness for 70 Years 

[lcgeog2260]

Hi! I really enjoyed your post as it made me think about the ethical considerations in a way that I hadn’t previously. First, regarding the invisible backpack you discussed some of the same things that I did such as the researcher’s wealth, and access to proper winter attire. However, I did not consider that their method of transportation was also a part of this. I remember in the video they mentioned how they could have reached Agafia via snowmobile, but instead they chose to helicopter in. Personally, I understand this decision since I would not be equipped to handle that harsh of a snowmobile ride. However, it made me think that had they chosen to take the snowmobiles it would have created a more holistic view on what it means to live so far away and would have helped the audience better understand how secluded Agafia actually is. I also found it interesting that you mentioned the researchers had the privilege to depict the story however they wanted, as I had never thought of that before. It truely made me realize that the researchers had complete power over the story as Agafia has really no way of understanding what they say about her unless she gets a translator, and she has no way of watching the documentary on her own.

Regarding you question about how this documentary benefits Agafia, I do not think it does. While it is an interesting story to tell, and it is important for people to understand, I do think that VICE isn’t the right platform. In my personal opinion, I view VICE as more of a mainstream media platform and don't see it as an educational platform but one for entertainment. Instead I would have chosen chosen something like National Geographic, since they are more specialized on topics like this.

[lcgeog2260]

160 Miles from Town- Agafia Lykov

This VICE documentary delves into the life of Agafia, a 70 year-old Russia woman who lives alone in the Sayan Mountains in Siberia. The documentary begins by telling the story of the Lykov family who fled to the mountains in the 1930s to avoid prosecution for their ultra orthodox Christian beliefs. Agafia was born into this lifestyle and is the last remaining family member in her steadfast. Though not directly stated, the purpose of this documentary seems to be descriptive as the researchers discover what Agafia’s lifestyle entails. However, they often depict her as an inspirational survivalist, covering her hardships, and deeming her home as “one of the most inhospitable environments on earth”.

Research Methods

A brief analysis into the research reveals that this documentary falls under the category of ethnography. Ethnography is simply the study of a community through close field observation. The researchers use a mix of research methods to provide the best insight into Agafia’s life. First, they use collaborative methods to assemble a team consisting of a journalist from New York, an editor from Russia, and a park ranger to work together to allow the writer to overcome any cultural and language barriers. Though I am not sure if this is an intentional method, or if it was necessary given the cultural and language barrier between the New York researcher and Agafia. As a form of data collection, field observations, active participation and semi-structured interviews are used.

Ethical Considerations

Prior to any ethical considerations, as a research I will unpack the invisible backpack that the VICE researchers brought with them into this study. An invisible backpack is essentially the privileges that the researchers bring with them. In this case, these privileges are consistent access to food, water, technology, health care, and proper winter attire. However, this invisible backpack does not appear to influence the integrity of this research.

It is evident that the researchers were respectful and considerate of Agafia as a person and did not view her as simply a research subject. They took the time to allow her to do any religious practices she wished, maintaining respect for their differing ideologies. Similarly, through semi-structured interviews the researcher were able to avoid asking intrusive questions. They also stayed in a tent away from her to prevent bringing in any outside diseases, as this is something that has occurred when outsiders came to visit before. Lastly, they brought her compensation in the form of a goat, suggesting that there was some form of consent. Overall, I think that the VICE researchers followed all necessary ethical considerations.

Personal Views on the Research

As a researcher myself, I bring in the same invisible backpack and believe that I would have followed the same ethical considerations as the VICE team. However, I would have chosen to depict my findings in a more academic way. Though using a film is more aesthetically pleasing, and gives a visual representation, I also think that it commodifies Agafia too much. Making a public documentary, allows for people to see her lifestyle and perhaps inspire other journalists to conduct the same research. However, several times Agafia mentions her distaste for the outside world and bringing widespread attention to her is the opposite of what her lifestyle entails. That is why, I would have used writing an academic journal to publish my findings. Similarly, I feel that using a documentary confuses the actual purpose of the research and does not bring any benefits to Agafia. Instead, an academic article would be able to tell the story of Agafia’s lifestyle and provide an actual purpose rather than simply bringing media attention to her situation.

[jkgeog2260]

Approaching the Effects of Climate Change on Kiribati as a Geographer

Kiribati Is a small independent island south of Hawaii and is home to just over 100 000 people. Kiribati is currently facing a major threat that is a direct result of climate change – rising sea levels. In fact, if nothing is done to help prevent the rising tide, they people of Kiribati could lose their entire country. “Kiribati is made up of 33 low-lying atolls spread across 3.5 million square kilometers of ocean. At their highest elevation, the islands average 1.8 meters (6 feet) above sea level” (United nations Climate Change Conference, 2017). This is a foreshadow of what lies ahead for the entire planet. In the documentary, in an interview with one of the locals, they even describe their struggles with building seawalls to prevent flooding. This flooding has gotten to the point where the people of Kiribati are being forced from their homes to migrate elsewhere.  

It is certainly important to understand the role of power in this study to help mitigate the effects of climate change because the people of Kiribati have truly little control of the situation that they are facing. In fact, as the researcher, it is important to recognize that ‘first-world’ countries such as Canada are largely to blame for the climate change that has caused the flooding of Kiribati. As a result of this, Kiribati does not have much direct power over their situation and consequently the people are being forced to migrate.

In the study to help find ways to mitigate the issues the people of Kiribati are currently facing, it is crucial to understand that it is of utmost importance to be as objective on the situation as possible, while it may be useful to call upon subjective experiences to help try to solve this problem, imposing your ideologies and opinions on the people of Kiribati may not help. However, if I were to be the researcher, I would find it exceedingly difficult to approach this problem without adding my own personal bias and opinions. This is because I believe developed countries are to blame not only because of our emissions, but also because we have the technology to help mitigate the effects of climate change.  

In my research I would call upon cultural geography and environmental geography and I would want to tie these two concepts together in my research. I would like to use cultural geography in my research because it would help me understand the point of view of the natives. This is crucial to getting a more objective point of view on how to help their situation. I would also like to use environmental geography because climate change is an environmental issue and understanding the effects that climate change has on the environment in Kiribati. It is important to connect these two types of geography to fully understand the full impacts of the situation in Kiribati.  

Sources 

Kiribati. (2017). https://cop23.com.fj/kiribati/#:~:text=Home%20to%20more%20than%20110%2C000,6%20feet)%20above%20sea%20level.

[lcgeog2260]

I agree that it is important to understand the role of power in Kiribati’s situation as well. It is a perfect example of the power divide between the core and periphery. It is the core countries that are emitting the most CO2, but the peripheries that are experiencing a disproportionate amount of the consequences of these emissions. However, the core countries are unwilling to make any meaningful changes and therefore Kiribati will not be able to save their island. The documentary mentioned the 2015 Paris agreement was the plan to reduce emissions and combat climate change. However, the goals were not met. Again, demonstrating that the power divide is leaving Kiribati powerless in their situation. As a researcher, being aware of the power struggles within this issue provide a lot of insight into solving the situation. Since Kiribati is essentially powerless in their situation the research must be directed towards the core countries and showing them that the islands are worth saving. You mentioned that subjectivity may not be beneficial to this research, and I agree that it could add some unintentional bias. However, as long as the researcher is aware of their subjectivity and reflective on it, it could be beneficial. As you mentioned, your personal opinion is that core countries are to blame and have the technology to mitigate the effects of climate change. This could be useful in your research as you could discuss this with the people of Kiribati, and the core countries and hopefully generate some sort of meaningful change.

[lcgeog2260]

Kiribati: A sinking Nation

Kiribati is a stretch of islands in the South Pacific Ocean that is facing extinction. Their islands are being submerged into the ocean, forcing people out of their homes. The culprit? Climate change. As a human geographer I am limited in the resources that I can bring to help the country and prevent its impending extinction. However, to serve this country my research can bring awareness to their situation to those with the power to create actual change.

When conducting qualitative research as a human geographer it is imperative to understand the power dynamics between you and your subjects. As a student from Canada, doing research in a nation with vastly different cultures and social issues means that there will be an asymmetrical relationship between the subjects and myself. Though there is little I can do to remedy this, I must maintain critical reflexivity and be constantly scrutinizing myself as the researcher and of the research process. However, there are also power dynamics embedded within the issue itself. Kiribati has no industry and thus no carbon emissions, meaning that their situation was brough on by others contributing to climate change. Unfortunately, that leaves a power dynamic where other countries are the only ones with the ability to make any long-term changes to potentially save the country.

To challenge any negative consequences stemming from these power dynamics I will use techniques that preserve objectivity and intersubjectivity. First, it is important to note that in most qualitative research there will always be a level of subjectivity, intentional or not. However, due to the asymmetrical relationship between the research subjects and I, it is imperative that I do not let my personal opinions seep into my research. Objectivity means providing evidence that is unaffected by personal feelings (Hay, 20145). To do so, I will provide quantitative evidence that the sea level is changing. In doing so, I demonstrate that Kiribati is experiencing negative consequences due to climate change. However, my job as a human geographer is to explain how sea level rise is negatively impact the people and culture of the country. That is why I will maintain intersubjectivity through expressing the situation through interpretations of my research subjects.

Lastly, to best fit my research and the needs of Kiribati I will integrate aspects of ethnography, critical geography and a historical approach. Ethnography is the in-depth study of a particular social group (Hay, 2015) allowing me to gain deeper insight into what losing their island means to the people of Kiribati. To achieve this, I will use participatory research methods immersing me into the daily activities of the people, along with interviews and photo-elicitation to get specific details from people. A critical geography approach will allow me to commit to challenge the unequal power dynamics that have allowed Kiribati to face consequences of climate change that they did not directly contribute to. Lastly, a historical approach will allow me to evaluate data related to changing sea levels and discern the causes and trends that may occur in the future. Overall, my approach to this research will be critically reflective and action oriented, calling upon other countries to change their habits, and address climate change.

Works cited: 

Hay, I. (2015). Qualitative Research Methods in Human Geography (4th ed.). Toronto,On. Oxford University Pres