Edinburgh Field Class

Year 2 – ENVS 286

The Edinburgh field class provides practical experience and training in designing, executing, analysing, writing-up and presenting a field research project. Students gain practical experience of quantitative and qualitative techniques, and to critically reflect on the effectiveness and ethics of different methods. Students also develop team-working and communication skills through conduct of group research projects and field presentations. The module provides core skills that are important to analysing the world, but also are crucial preparation for the dissertation research process at 3rd Year. 

The module forms part of a suite of similar modules providing research training for Year 2 BA Geography, and BA Geography & Planning students, but research and guidance is tailored to the specific city. In Edinburgh, past projects/topics of research have included: Scottish identity and the prospect of Scottish independence; tourism and place-marketing/branding, including questions about how sustainable tourism is in over-utilised ‘honey-pot’ locations; devolved government and policy management, transport geography and transport management, and; urban regeneration and gentrification.