An assessment guide for ENVG380 will be handed out in the first week of class (a copy will also be posted on iLearn).  This will include specific instructions and marking criteria for each assessment task.  Unless otherwise indicated, all assessment tasks should be handed in to the Science Student Centre by 11am on the due date (see section on assignment submission below).  All assessment tasks are compulsory and missed assessment tasks may result in failure of the unit. Please contact Donna if you are having trouble understanding what you need to do to successfully complete this unit.

ENVG380 is available only in internal mode and participation in class (lectures and tutorial) and in field-based exercises is a compulsory requirement of the unit. ENVG380 meets from weeks 1-6 and from weeks 9-13.  There are no classes in weeks 7 and 8 (while students are in Sabah) and there is no class in week 11 (to allow time for groups to work on their research project presentations) .  It is expected that Sydney students will use unassigned class time productively for fieldwork and other research-related activities. While the first hour of the lecture is recorded, the second hour of workshop is not.  The workshop will be used to discuss important information about conducting field research (such as ethics and risk procedures) and we also run hands-on activities focused on specific research skills and techniques such as writing research proposals, conducting interviews and focus groups, and using GPS (this varies from year to year depending on the type of projects groups are doing). The final hour of class is the fieldwork tutorial where you will work in your groups on your project, guided by your fieldwork tutor.  Attendance in this tutorial is required and will be recorded on an attendance sheet. The class time in ENVG380 is designed to teach you the  necessary research skills for designing research and for undertaking your assigned PACE activities.  Students who routinely miss class generally struggle with this unit and often risk failure.

REQUIRED AND RECOMMENDED TEXTS AND/OR MATERIALS

Reading

There is a required text for ENVG380 available at the Co-op Bookshop:

Hay I. (ed.) Qualitative Research Methods in Human Geography, 2nd ed., Oxford University Press, Oxford. (Earlier editions of this book purchased second hand are also fine).

It is strongly recommended that you purchase this text as many of the unit readings are from this book.  There is one copy of Hay on closed reserve in the library.  Additional required readings are available through the Library e-reserve.

UNIT WEBPAGE AND TECHNOLOGY USED AND REQUIRED

ENVG380 uses Macquarie University’s standard iLearn environment to provide access to ECHO, copies of PowerPoint slides, and other unit resources.  Students and teachers in this unit make extensive use of the announcement function to communicate with each other and use the mail link for individual communications. Please ensure that you regularly log on to iLearn to keep up-to-date with field project information.  We also encourage students to share their reflections and field experiences on the blogs and to post any interesting material related to research methods and fieldwork.

Lectures and workshops

All assignments in ENVG380 must be submitted on (or before) 11am on the due date listed. 

Assignments must be delivered to the ENVG380 assignment box located in the reception area of the Science Student Centre (E7A102). The Science Student Centre is on the ground floor at the western end of building E7A, and opens from 9.00am to 5.00pm on Monday to Friday (though assignments are only accepted until 1pm). Your assignment must be submitted with a Cover Sheet. All students must complete all the details on the Cover Sheet and sign the declaration regarding academic honesty that is part of the cover sheet.  Please note that because assignments are due on Fridays, any assignments submitted after 1pm to the Science Centre will be stamped as submitted on the following Monday.

Late penalties:

Please note that the penalty for late submission of assignments is 10% per day or part thereof, calculated from the day after the due date listed. This penalty will be applied unless you are granted an extension by the unit convenor (Dr Houston) and provide appropriate supporting documentation. Please talk to (or email) Dr Houston about any circumstances that affect your assignments before the due date.

From 2012, ENVG380 has been classified as a PACE unit. PACE units provide an academic framework through which students can engage with the community, learn through participation, develop their capabilities and build on the skills that employers value. By completing a participation unit, students develop all these skills and capabilities, and also gain academic credit towards their degree. Participation units represent the third ‘P’ in Macquarie University’s undergraduate curriculum:  People, Planet, and Participation. The fieldwork component of ENVG380 provides students the opportunity to undertake participation activities - the experiential component of a PACE n unit whereby students engage with the community through Participation. 

As a Participation unit, ENVG380 will be flagged on student transcripts with the symbol ‘π’ after the unit code and before the unit title. Students can highlight this designation to future employers and academic institutions as the following definition, which details the value of such units, will also be included after the list of units and before Special Achievements, Recognition and Prizes (if included) or the Key to Grading:

π: Units marked with a π are designated participation units. These units provide students with an opportunity to learn through practical experience and make a valuable contribution to the community by applying knowledge and skills acquired at the University.

Welcome to ENVG380 Human Geography in Action (6cp). ENVG380 offers a valuable capstone to studies in all aspects of Human Geography, and is also appropriate for inclusion in programs across the discipline and its inter-disciplinary linkages including Development Studies and Culture Change, Environmental Studies, Indigenous Studies, Geography Teacher Education, Planning and Urban Studies. 

ENVG380 focuses on human geography’s role in applied research in social and/or environmental sciences particularly involving fieldwork with community-based partners. Its field-based and research-focused learning opportunities develop students’ practical, analytical and interpretative skills in ways that are relevant to employment as a professional geographer (and professional qualifications in international development, education and planning). ENVG380 also develops generic skills in areas of teamwork, research, discussion and cross-cultural awareness, as well as discipline-based skills in specific research methods, data presentation methods and analysis. ENVG380 encourages students to draw on previous studies in their undergraduate program in Human Geography and related fields to strengthen their portfolio of demonstrated skills relevant to the wide range of employment destinations available to human geographers.

ENVG380 is intended to offer a powerful field-based learning opportunity that affirms the value of a geographical education and encourages students to integrate their previous learning into a clear and coherent portfolio that presents their skills, values and understandings of the world. It offers a world-class program of skills development and field-based learning and was developed in response to a national survey of field-based teaching in Australian geography programs. In 2014, there are two options for student field-based learning (participation activities):

1. Sydney Urban Field Project. In this field-stream, students will explore a range of cultural, economic and place-based issues through field research conducted in small groups in the Metropolitan Sydney Area.  Working with urban field project leader Ms Linda Kelly, students will conduct several research projects with Liverpool Council and the Greater Western Sydney Community Farm. 
2. Southeast Asia Field Project. In this field-stream, students will have the opportunity to travel to Sabah in East Malaysia to develop practical research skills by working with local NGO PACOS and support the strategic goals of three PACOS programs: the Socio-Economic Program, Natural Resource Management Program and the Land Rights Program. Community projects and research topics are designed to collect, collate and analyse data that will further support the continued development and expansion of each of these 3 programs. These activities will contribute to the final assessment of this unit. This project is coordinated by Dr Fiona Miller.

We have structured the two field programs to offer distinct experiences of field research, participation and engagement with community, and working in teams. The intercultural fieldwork opportunity is a more tightly-managed program involving field visits to a different cultural setting and a combination of observational and participatory field research. The program is linked to existing research within Human Geography and is itself being developed as part of a longitudinal research project on integration of student fieldwork into the Human Geography program, and the impact of such field-based learning on students’ intercultural awareness, values and skills. The intercultural field program alternates annually between Sabah, where we collaborate with local NGO PACOS and Indigenous projects in the Northern Territory Field Project. In 2014, students are going to Sabah.  The Urban Field Project provides more autonomous ‘hands on’ research by smaller research groups as your field site can be visited multiple times during the semester as appropriate. Students in each field program will be provided with information specific to their projects and all students will participate in a common lecture program and a number of common tutorial and seminar sessions. Some separate briefing, project and discussion sessions will be held for each group.

ENVG380 is a 6cp undergraduate unit. It is generally expected that students will commit at least 3 hours per week per credit point in their studies. Thus, in addition to attending weekly classes for three hours, students in ENVG380 are expected to complete appropriate reading, research and other activities equivalent to at least 12-15 hours per week, plus participate in the compulsory field activities (participation activities). Thus the total workload for this unit is 270 hours, which should be considered as a minimum of 18 hours per week averaged across the 15-week semester. However, as a PACE unit there is recognition that workload in ENVG380 may vary in comparison to traditional unit offerings.  This is due to teaching delivery which is in-class and in the field, differences in timing for PACE activities (i.e. those which are local versus those conducted in Sabah), and individual styles of learning.  Further, experience to date in other PACE units has indicated that students often choose to commit more time than required to their PACE activities in response to the associated personal and professional reward and learning opportunities which could not otherwise be achieved in the classroom.

With this in mind, students should understand that the total workload associated with ENVG380 is 270 hours although some variation may occur in terms of when and how these hours play out and individual approaches. If you are unable to make this commitment to your study, then you should reconsider your decision to enrol – or reassess your priorities. For virtually each student in the class, this unit is a core element of your final year studies and you should be aiming to secure as high a grade as possible. Your group members and PACE field partners rely on your commitment to this unit, if you think that you face impediments meeting the expectations and responsibilities associated with this unit, please discuss your situation with Dr Houston.