Carleton University Department of Geography
Course Outline for Geography 3900
Geographic Thought and Methodology Winter 2012
Instructor: Dr. Fran Klodawsky
Office: LoebB335
Telephone: 520-2600, #8689
Email: [email protected]
Office Hours: by appointment or chance (more likely in the afternoon than the morning)
Lectures and Discussion: Fridays, 8.30 to 11.30 a.m.
Location: Mackenzie 3269
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to Geography 3900 Geographic Thought and Methodology. This course introduces key ideas,
concepts and debates that geographers draw upon to help them make decisions about how to practice doing
geography. Geography 3900 integrates lectures with group discussions and related activities.
I expect that this course will:
 Give you a deeper appreciation of the value of theoretical thinking
 Introduce some current debates and how they relate to key ideas and approaches that are re-shaping
what Geography ‘is’ and what geographers ‘do’, and why it is important to understand them.
 Help you develop your critical thinking, presentation and writing skills.
 Make links between ideas about geography (and environmental studies) and what geographers do.
 Offer you new ways of thinking about your own orientation to Geography (and Environmental Studies)
as a discipline.
Pre-requisite: Third-year Honours Geography standing. Geography 3900 is a required course for Honours
Geography BA students.
Required Readings:
All course readings are available electronically via Carleton University Library Ares for GEOG 3900
Evaluation:
Your final grade will be based on the following components:
1. Six Reading Summaries:
24%
2. Contributions to Group Discussions:
11%
3. “Geographers of Interest” Statement
5%
4. Poster Presentation
10%
5. Final Essay:
30%
6. Final Exam:
20%
7. Bonus Marks: up to 2% (more information provided in class)
Each class will consist of lectures, presentations and group discussions. Students are strongly encouraged to
come to class prepared to participate in group and class discussions, based on their careful reading of and
engagement with the assigned readings.
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EVALUATION
1. Reading Summaries (24% [6x 4])
Reading summaries must be submitted BEFORE the readings being summarized are discussed in
class.
Students will be responsible for handing in SIX reading summaries. Two reading summaries MUST be
prepared and submitted in each of the following periods:
a) January 13th to January 27th;
b) February 3th to February 24th;
c) March 2st to March 16nd
Each reading summary must consist of the following elements:
1. A two to three paragraph synopsis of the key arguments and conclusions.
2. A paragraph that makes connections between the ideas in the reading and your own areas of
interest in geography or environmental studies. Make links to both concepts and methods
between the reading under discussion and your own studies.
3. A question for class discussion, based on the reading.
2. Group Discussion Contributions (11%)
A significant aspect of GEOG 3900 will be class discussions on the assigned readings. The assigned
readings will be explored in depth with the help of questions provided by both instructor and students.
Students are expected to contribute to the discussion about the readings and other class materials, and to
listen and respond to other students’ contributions.
3. “Geographers of Interest” Statement (5%)
No later than February 10th, you are required to hand in a statement that identifies three geographers
that you have selected as your first, second and third choices for your final essay (see items 4 and 5
below). The individuals you identify should have geography as their primary disciplinary affiliation. You
will be asked to provide a one-paragraph statement about each of your selections and the specific basis
for your choice (related to that geographer’s specialization and approach). As a result of your answers,
you will each be assigned a geographer as the focus of your final essay no later than Feb. 17th. A list
attached to this course outline is one source of possibilities. Other possible means to identify suitable
geographers include someone you have studied in another course, or someone you identified as a result
of browsing academic geography journals. Further evaluation information will be provided in due course.
No more than two students will be able to work on the same geographer for their final essay
4. Presentation To Introduce Your Geographer and A Sample of Their Work (10%)
Each of you is responsible for a presentation about the geographer who is the subject of your final essay.
The presentation should consist of a brief introduction to the geographer who you are investigating. The
bulk of the presentation however, should be a synopsis of an article or book chapter written by ‘your’
geographer and an explanation of why you found it to be a particularly interesting contribution. These
presentations will take place in the latter half of class on March 16th, and March 23rd and the whole of the
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class on March 30th. Students will be asked to rank the presentation of at least two other students. Further
evaluation information will be provided in due course.
5. Final Essay (30% of the final grade)
The final essay is due in class on March 30th. It should be about 8 double-spaced, typed pages in length.
The assignment will consist of a discussion of the theory(ies), methodology(ies) and research focus of the
work of the geographer that you will be assigned no later than February 23th.
It is hoped that ‘your’ geographer is someone whose work you are curious about. The purpose of the
assignment is:
 to encourage you to think systematically about how to categorize the work of this geographer,
 to explain what you think this geographer’s key contribution/s to geography has/ve been, and
 to elaborate on how this geographer has influenced your own thinking about geography.
Depending on the productivity of the individual, you need not consider the whole of person’s life work as
a geographer, but you should incorporate at least five different peer- reviewed published contributions
spread over a period of at least 10 years. Ideally, you should select some contributions from the early,
middle and later parts of the geographer’s career. If you are unable to locate at least five suitable items,
please consult with the instructor before March 1. Your efforts to categorize and evaluate this geographer
should also incorporate the use of at least two of the assigned course readings. Further evaluation
information will be provided in due course.
5. Final Exam (20%)
The final exam will be based on lectures, readings and other course materials between January 5th
and March 30th, and will consist of short answer and essay questions about key concepts and
arguments. Further information will be provided in due course.
KEY DATES TO REMEMBER
Jan. 13 – Mar. 23
Each student is expected to contribute actively to the class discussions.
Jan. 13-Jan. 27:
TWO reading summaries are due (Remember that the summaries must be
handed in before the readings are discussed in class).
Feb. 10th:
“Geographer of Interest” Statement is due.
Feb. 3 – Feb 17:
TWO reading summaries are due. (Remember that the summaries must
be handed in before the readings are discussed in class).
Mar.16, 23, or 30:
Presentation to Introduce Geographer and Sample of Their Work.
March 2 -16:
TWO reading summaries due.
(Remember that the summaries must be handed in before the readings
are discussed in class).
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March 30:
Final Essay due.
Note regarding written work: Please note that you should take care to make your papers as error free as
possible. This means that you should follow conventional essay form (including a standard method of
citation) and proof read the papers carefully to ensure that there are no typographical, spelling or
grammatical errors. Otherwise, these kinds of mistakes could detract from your grade. Also, please note
that papers are to be submitted on the due dates. Late papers will be penalized 1/3 of a grade for each
day they are late.
ANY CHALLENGE TO THE ASSIGNED GRADE MUST TAKE PLACE IN WRITTEN FORM AND
WITHIN 10 DAYS AFTER THE CLASS IN WHICH THE ASSIGNMENTS ARE HANDED BACK.
Please keep a copy of all work that you hand in, until after the final grades have been submitted for
the course.
Instructional & Conduct Offences: Instructional offences include among other activities cheating,
contravening examination regulations, plagiarism, submitting similar work in two or more courses
without prior permission, and disrupting classes. Conduct offences apply in areas of discrimination and
sexual harassment. Further information about University regulations which define and regulate which
define and regulate these offences is presented in the 2011-12:
UG Calendar: http://www.carleton.ca/calendars/ugrad/current/regulations/acadregsuniv14.html
Please note that while you may collaborate with others in working through the assignment(s), you must
prepare and submit your own separate pieces of work, written in your own words, which clearly
demonstrates your understanding, interpretation and analysis of each assignment.
Respecting Human Rights: A fundamental requirement in this course is that all participants promote a
working and learning environment that is inclusive and respectful of others' circumstances.
Religious observance: Students must work out accommodation (for alternate dates and/or means of
satisfying academic requirements) on an individual basis with the instructor in the first two weeks of
class. Consult the Equity Services website or an Equity Advisor for the policy and list of Holy Days.
Equity Services 613 520 5622
Pregnancy: Pregnant students requiring academic accommodations are encouraged to contact an Equity
Advisor in Equity Services (ext. 5622) to complete a letter of accommodation. The student must then
make an appointment to discuss her needs with the instructor at least two weeks prior to the first event in
which it is anticipated the accommodation will be required.
Services for students with disabilities Contact the Paul Menton Centre (PMC) to register or formal
evaluation of disability-related needs in order to obtain the necessary letters of accommodation.
Registered PMC students are required to contact the Centre (613-520-6608) every term to ensure that the
instructor receives your letter of accommodation, no later than two weeks before the first assignment is
due. Paul Menton Centre, Room 500, Unicentre
READING LIST: 3900 Winter 2006
06 January -- Introductions
13 January – Becoming an Academic Geographer
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Martin, G. J., 2005, Chapter 1: “A Field of Study Called Geography”, All Possible Worlds: A History of
Geographical Ideas, 4th edition, Oxford University Press: New York, pp. 1-10.
Castree, N. 2005, “Whose Geography? Education as Politics”. In Noel Castree, Alisdair Rogers, and
Douglas Sherman (eds), Questioning Geography, Blackwell, pp. 294-307.
20 January – Tools of the Trade: The Value of Theory
Sears, A., 2005, “An Interesting Idea, In Theory”, A Good Book, In Theory, Broadview Press, pp.15-37.
Inkpen, R., 2005, Science, Philosophy and Physical Geography, London: Routledge, pp. 5-12.
27 January – Theory and Everyday Life
Flusty, S., 2000, “Trashing Downtown: Play as Resistance to the Spatial and Representational Regulation
of Los Angeles”, Cities, 17(2): 149-158.
Huggett, R.J., 2002, “Cranks, conventionalists and geomorphology”, Area 34(2): 182-189
03 February – Tools of the Trade: The Significance of Methodological Choices
Bouma, G., Ling, R., Wilkinson, L., 2008, The Research Process, Don Mills, Ont.: Oxford, pp. 3-22
Harrison, S., 2009, “Environmental Systems: Philosophy and Applications in Physical Geography”, in N.
Clifford, S. Holloway, S. Rice and G. Valentine, eds, Key Concepts in Geography 2nd Edition, Los
Angeles: Sage, pp. .
10 February - The Power of Geography, Part 1
Hubbard, P. 1999, “Researching female sex work: reflections on geographical exclusion, critical
methodologies and ‘useful’ knowledge”, Area 31(3): 229-237.
Briggs, D.J. 1981, “Editorial: the principles and practice of applied geography”, Applied Geography 1: 18.
17 February -- The Power of Geography, Part 2
Desbeins, Caroline, 2007, “ ‘Water all around, you cannot even drink’: the scaling of water in James
Bay/Eeyou Istchee”, Area, 39/3: 259-267.
Stumpf II, R., Douglass, J., Dorn, R., 2008, “Learning Desert Geomorphology Virtually versus in the
Field”, Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 32/3: 387-399.
Winter Break -- 24 February
02 March – Current Debates: Geography and Science 1
Richards, Keith, 2009, “Geography and the Physical Sciences Tradition”, in N. Clifford, S. Holloway, S.
Rice and G. Valentine, eds, Key Concepts in Geography 2nd Edition, Los Angeles: Sage, pp. 21-45.
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09 March – Current Debates: Geography and Social Issues
Kobayashi, Audrey, 2009, “ ‘Here we go again’: Christchurch’s antiracism rally as a discursive crisis”,
New Zealand Geographer, 65: 59-72.
16 March – Current Debates: Geography and Environmental Issues
Presentations and Class Ranking of Presentations
Briggs, C.M., 2006, “Science and Environmental Risk: the Case of Perchlorate Contamination in
California”, Environmental Politics, 15(4): 532-549.
23 March–
Current Debates: Earth System Science
Presentations and Class Ranking of Presentations
Clifford, N., Richards, K., 2005, “Earth System Science: an oxymoron?”, Earth Surface Processes and
Landforms, 30: 379-383.
30 March – Presentations and Class Ranking of Presentations
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Geographer Possibilities for Final Essay
Name of Geographer
John Agnew
Trevor Barnes
Karen Bakker
Lawrence Berg
Ian Burton
Bruce Braun
Noel Castree
William Cronon
Michael Dear
Patricia Gober
Michael Goodchild
William Graf
Jill Grant
Derek Gregory
Kenneth Gregory
Anne Godlewska
Andrew Goudie
Stephan Harrison
David Harvey
Mike Hulme
Roy Haines-Young
Ken Hewitt
Dan Hiebert
Jennifer Hyndman
Roger Keil
Audrey Kobayashi
Mei-Po Kwan
Helga Leitner
Loretta Lees
Some Particulars
Geopolitics; territoriality; politics of scale
Cultural and economic geography;
geographic thought
Water; scarcity; privatization
Geographies of sexuality;
Natural hazards; environmental risk
assessment
Environmental geography
Geographical thought; political ecology
Definitions of nature and wilderness
Geography and mental health; postmodern
geography; Los Angeles
Urban sustainability; migration and gender
Geomatics; geographical modeling
Physical geography; geomorphology;
hydrology
Urban planning; new urbanism
History of geographic thought; postcolonialism
Physical geography; history of ideas in
physical geography; teaching geography
Historical cartography; cartography and
imperialism; cartography and colonialism
Tropical landscapes; human impacts on
environments
Physical geography; geomorphology
Political economy and the urban; uneven
development under capitalism
Physical geography; environment policy
interface
Physical geography; landscape ecology
Risks and hazards; glaciology
Immigrants and Canadian cities
Development; refugees; geopolitics; gender
Urban change; urban political ecology
Geography and racism; geographies of
justice; public policy
GIS applications in urban, transport, health
and economic geography
European cities and urban networks
Urban cultural geography; gentrification
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David Ley
Richard Marston
Doreen Massey
Linda McDowell
Bruce Mitchell
Don Mitchell
J. G. Nelson
Jamie Peck
Evelyn Peters
Geraldine Pratt
Valerie Preston
Laura Pulido
Paul Robbins
Damaris Rose
Mark Rosenberg
Nadine Schuurman
Joanne Sharp
Eric Sheppard
Neil Smith
Olav Slaymaker
Lynn Staeheli
R. Alan Walks
Michael Watts
Kathi Wilson
Melissa Wright
Elvin Wyly
Karl Zimmerer
Cultural urban geography; poverty;
immigrants; inequality
Physical geography; geomorphology; river
systems
Urban social geography; gender; inequality;
geographic thought
Economic and cultural geography; gender
Environmental geography; integrated water
management; Indonesia
Social justice; public space
Ecology and land use; environment and
conservation
Neoliberal urbanism
Urban aboriginal issues in Canada
Social geography and geographies of
immigration; gender
Urban geography, immigration and social
inequalities
Geographies of race and racism; environmental
justice
Political ecology; land use and climate change;
environmental discourses
Canadian urban geography; gentrification;
gender and diversity
Health and medical geography
Geomatics and applications to health
geographies
Feminist political geography; postcolonialism
Critical human geography; economic
geography
Urban geography; geopolitics; gentrification
Geomorphology; Canada; Global
environmental change
Urban politics and public space; social justice
Urban geography; inequalities; political urban
geography
Political ecology; Africa
Health geographies; first nations
Geographies of justice
Gentrification; urban change; housing
Global human-environmental change;
agriculture; resources
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