Fieldwork in social sciences and human geography

Introduction: Fieldwork in social sciences and human geography often involves observation. Observation is active engagement with the surroundings that allows us to: think more critically about the mundane things we ‘see’ everyday and take for granted, to explore aspects of everyday life more intently, and begin asking new questions of inquiry. Ultimately these observations may lead to more research projects and the collection of enumerated data.

Directions: Read through the self-guided field trip options, select one, and begin planning. Feel free to do these field trips with other students from class, but everyone must do their own observation and write- up. As you conduct the field trip, keep in mind our comments from class about observation techniques: record your observations with detailed note-taking; observations are not random, but in a structured format of descriptive and narrative comments; make note of new and on-going questions that arise. Afterwards, use your notes to write a brief summary essay document that highlights the key descriptive and narrative comments. Embed a picture of yourself at your field trip destination. Length: 750 words. Check the syllabus for the due date.