Research Methodologies in Action
Module title | Research Methodologies in Action |
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Module code | GEO2466 |
Academic year | 2023/4 |
Credits | 15 |
Module staff | Dr Alasdair Jones (Convenor) |
Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
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Duration: Weeks | 10 |
Number students taking module (anticipated) | 125 |
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Module description
This module provides grounding in the knowledge and skills required to understand and apply social research methods used by human geographers. The module introduces you to a range of qualitative and quantitative social research methods (spanning data collection and analysis). Discussion of, and training in, these methods will draw on examples of social research across a range of topics. The module will be taught using a combination of lectures and practical workshops.
This is a compulsory module for second year BA Geography programme students and is recommended for FCH students wishing to undertake a human geography field trip and/or dissertation.
Module aims - intentions of the module
The aim of this module is to introduce you to qualitative and quantitative approaches to empirical social research in human geography, and to a selection of primary data collection and analysis techniques associated with those. By the end of the module, you should have a good understanding of a range of uses and purposes of qualitative and quantitative methodological approaches, both in principle and practice. You should also be in a position to identify methods appropriate to your own research questions, to undertake your own data collection and analysis, and to understand the methodological choices made by social researchers (as well as the implications of those choices for the sorts of claims that can be made in their research).
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Describe methodological approaches to analysing empirical information in social research
- 2. Demonstrate a formal understanding of relationships between data, concepts, and explanation that characterise research methodologies used in human geography and related fields
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 3. Distinguish between the role and features of qualitative and quantitative methodological approaches in human geography research
- 4. Explain the uses of particular research methodologies used in human geography
- 5. Apply methods for analysing and/or interpreting data suited to different sorts of research questions in human geography
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 6. Interpret empirical data effectively and critically
- 7. Analyse and synthesise research data in a methodologically rigorous way
Syllabus plan
The following syllabus plan is indicative of the issues we will explore in the module:
Part 1: Research Methodologies in Action – collecting and analysing textual data
- Conceptualising, generating and sourcing textual data (with a focus on archival data and data generated through interviews)
- Making sense of textual data – analysis and interpretation
Part 2: Research Methodologies in Action – collecting and analysing survey data
- Conceptualising, generating and sourcing survey data (with an emphasis on numerical data collected using surveys)
- Making sense of survey data – analysis and interpretation
In both parts of the module, we will also attend to the collection and analysis of data beyond textual and survey data, for instance visual data and big social data, introducing you to other forms of data used in empirical human geography research.
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
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22 | 128 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
Category | Hours of study time | Description |
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Scheduled Learning and Teaching | 10 | Lectures |
Scheduled Learning and Teaching | 12 | Workshops |
Guided Independent Study | 128 | Additional reading, research and preparation for the module assessments |
Formative assessment
Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
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Workshop activities Part I | 3 Workshops | 2, 5-7 | Small group and cohort feedback during workshops |
Workshop activities Part 2 | 3 Workshops | 2, 5-7 | Small group and cohort feedback during workshops |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
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100 | 0 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
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Coursework 1 | 50 | 1500 words | 1-2, 4-7 | Written |
Coursework 2 | 50 | 1500 words | 2-6 | Written |
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0 |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
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Coursework 1 | Coursework 1 | 1-2, 4-7 | August Ref/Def period |
Coursework 2 | Coursework 2 | 2-6 | August Ref/Def period |
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Basic reading:
- Flowerdew, R. and Martin, D. [eds.] (2005) Methods in Human Geography: A guide for students doing a research project [2nd ed.]. Abingdon: Routledge.
- Harris, R. (2016) Quantitative Geography: The Basics. London: SAGE Publications.
- Hay, I. and Cope, M. [ed.] (2021) Qualitative Research Methods in Human Geography [5th ed.]. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Lovell, S.A., Coen, S.E. and Rosenberg, M.W. [eds.] (2023) The Routledge Handbook of Methodologies in Human Geography. Abingdon: Routledge.
Web-based and electronic resources:
- ELE – Faculty to provide hyperlink to appropriate pages
- Sage Research Methods portal https://methods.sagepub.com/ (available using a University of Exeter institutional login)
Credit value | 15 |
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Module ECTS | 15 |
Module pre-requisites | None |
Module co-requisites | None |
NQF level (module) | 5 |
Available as distance learning? | No |
Origin date | 28/6/2023 |
Last revision date | 12/9/23 |