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TI 251  - theory and practice in geography

2BA co ordinator:      Dr Anna Stanley Course coordinator:   Dr Kathy Reilly  Lectures:
detailed reading list will be available at lectures.

Course Description

The intention of this course is to develop students’ understanding of the various traditions of doing geographical research and making geographical knowledge.  The course introduces students to both theory and practice in geography, focusing in particular on relationships between geographical concepts and the practices of geographical research.  Geographical thought will be considered through lectures, discussions, and seminars that examine the wide range of theoretical and methodological assumptions, and the connections between them, that underwrite analysis and evidence gathering in the discipline.  In addition the course aims to familiarise students with the different ways that geographers do research.  Critical analysis of all approaches to geographical knowledge will be stressed. Particular emphasis is put on developing a critical understanding of what it means to do geography and make geographical claims. During the first semester, Part One of the course focuses on the history of geographical thought, evidence in geography, and positivist theory and methods. In second semester, Part Two of the course focuses on post-positivist theories and methods in geography.

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Course Objectives

Upon completion of this course, students are expected:

• to gain an understanding of the history and practice of the discipline; 
• to gain a critical understanding of the different theoretical and methodological approaches to all knowledge production in geography; 
• to develop the ability to think critically about geography and what it means to ’do’ geography.

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Course Format

This course consists of both lectures and tutorials. It is designed to benefit from the participation of students by deliberately integrating discussion, in-class participation, and various activities directly into the delivery of the course. Each set of lectures and tutorials focuses on core elements of different approaches to geographical knowledge and inquiry. Students will be expected to regularly attend lectures and tutorials, to actively participate in class discussion and activities, and to come to lectures and tutorials having prepared the readings.

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Tutorials

Students will attend tutorial sessions every other week starting in week 5, so that students will either attend a tutorial in weeks 5, 7, 9, 11 or weeks 6, 8, 10, 12 of fall semester. 

 
Each tutorial session will be capped at 30 students and enrolment will be on a first-come, first-served basis. Students are expected to keep the same tutorial time through both semesters of this course. Tutorial attendance is mandatory. 

Semester 1 Assessment

Tutorial attendance and participation      
                      10%

Assignment 1: Empiricist Theory and Practice (~3000 words)   
                      50% 

Assignment 2: Positivist Theory and Practice in Human Geography   
                     25%
                     (~2000 words) 
                     
Assignment 3: Positivist Theory and Practice in Physical Geography 
                     25%
                     (~1750-2000 words)       
                   
There is no exam for this course.

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Lecture Structure (First Semester)

Week	Lecture Dates	Instructor(s)	Topic	Tutorial
1	Sept 7	J. Morrissey  K. Reilly  Rose Cahill	Course Introduction	No
2	Sept 14 Sept 21 Sept 28	K. Hickey U. Strohmayer	Origins of Geographical Theory and Practice	No No No
5 6	Oct 5 Oct 12	V. Ledwith K. Hickey	Evidence in Geography: Production of Geographical Knowledge	Yes Yes
7 8	Oct 19 Oct 26	K. Hickey M. Cawley	Empiricist Theory and Practice (empirical data collection)	Yes Yes
9 10	Nov 2 Nov 9	M. Mahon	Positivist Theory and Practice in Human Geography (surveys, statistics, spatial science)	Yes Yes
11 12	Nov 16 Nov 23	K. Hickey	Positivist Theory and Practice in Physical Geography (systems theory, representation)	Yes Yes

    

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