Stephen Koletty, Ph.D.
University of Southern California
Fall 2009
Office Hrs: M-Th 1 pm
Office: KAP 448C
phone: (213) 740-4976
e-mail koletty@usc.edu
GEOGRAPHY 393
FIELD TECHNIQUES
Text: Lindsay, James M. 1997. Techniques in Human Geography. New York: Routledge.
Doing Fieldwork (Special Edition). The Geographical Review 91(1-2)
January-April 2001
Course Objectives: From the Age of Discovery to the pages of National Geographic,
fieldwork has always been essential to the work of geographers as well as other social
scientists. As Geography has matured so have the challenges of field work. Geography is no
longer concerned with just filling in the blank spaces on maps. Geographers nowadays are
making new and more detailed, multifaceted explorations of the human experience and natural
landscapes. Fieldwork remains an essential tool, and contemporary field techniques have
become more varied, complex and nuanced. Though this course cannot cover all the
permutations of contemporary fieldwork, we can introduce you to a selection of techniques and
approaches from both human and physical geography that will provide a basic tool kit with
which to integrate fieldwork into your own research.
This course has three specific objectives:
 To introduce you to various field study and field observation techniques commonly
used in geographical research both human and physical;


To provide you the opportunity to apply analytic and field techniques to actual
urban environmental problems and introduce you to issues of professional practice
in the real world;
To provide you with the experience of presenting your work at a professional
conference or annual meeting.
Course Overview: The heart of this course involves the introduction to and training in a range
of field techniques and approaches commonly used in geographical research both human and
physical. This training will include classroom lectures and discussion, laboratory and
analytical procedures, and, of course, actual fieldwork. Off campus work may involve
individual assignments as well as class group activities.
To provide students first hand experience of real world field problems, we will be collaborating
with selected community clients. The community clients have specific research needs, we will
provide student teams to collect and analyze the field data. This semester we are going to be
working primarily with two specific clients, the Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy
(PVPLC) and the City Project in Los Angeles. The PVPLC has been a leader in restoring and
preserving natural areas in and around the Palos Verdes Peninsula. We will likely be helping
them map their native plant inventory. The City Project, a public advocacy law firm, was
instrumental in halting the industrial development of two former rail yards in the downtown
2
area. These properties have now become state parks bringing desperately needed open space
and recreational facilities to the downtown community. We will be collecting data to assess
how this new park space is actually being used. A third project is being developed that may
involve an overnight field trip outside the Los Angeles area to collect and analyze data. In the
course of these projects, you will go through the specific steps that are fundamental to
professional field work. These include: meetings with clients; fieldwork planning, data
collection and analysis, progress reporting; and presentation of final results in both written and
oral formats. By the end of this term, you will have an understanding of the mechanics of
professional geographic practice, the experience of conducting an actual professional field
project and the very personal fulfillment of being able to apply your education and skills to the
betterment of the community.
Students usually do not get the opportunity to actively participate in professional events until
they are in graduate school or well involved in their post baccalaureate career. The Southern
California Conference for Undergraduate Research (SCCUR) encourages the participation of
undergraduate majors in their annual conference. This year the SCCUR will be meeting at
CSU Dominguez Hills in late November. You are going to be making a presentation at this
meeting. Now, don’t panic. There are several options available. One idea is to take something
that you have already done for another course and dress it up for this meeting. Your
presentation can be either a paper or a poster.
Grading: You will be graded on the basis of the work performed in fulfilling the three
principle objectives of this course. The weighted values assigned to these objectives are as
follows:
Exercises
20 percent
Field Projects
50 percent
SCCUR Presentation
20 percent
Overall Participation
10 percent
Total
100 percent
Assignments: Fulfillment of the course objectives entails completion of three very different
sets of tasks. These assignments include supplemental reading material as well as written
assignments. The readings will be distributed directly to you or made available via
Blackboard. Written assignments include but are not limited to the following:
Field Exercises:
a. “Doing Fieldwork” essay
b. Informal field mapping
c. GPS field mapping
d. Ethnographic techniques
e. Questionnaire
f. Urban transect
g. Field Journal
3
Field Projects: Please note that the field projects are also team projects;
team members will each receive the same grade. Each project
will be evaluated on the following components:
a. Preparation research;
b. Field work planning;
c. Data collection
d. Data analysis;
e. Final report and presentation;
SCCUR Presentation:
a. Preparing an abstract for SCCUR;
b. Presentation preview for the GEOG 393 class;
c. Presentation at the SCCUR, November 21
d. Participation at Los Angeles Geographic Society meetings,
Schedule of Topics, Readings and Exercises:
This is a preliminary reading list. Additional materials appropriate to the project will
be identified as the semester progresses
Week 1: August 24, 26
Introductions/ Course Overview
On the Nature of Geography and Geographical Research
Lindsay: Chaps 1, 2
Doing Fieldwork; Introduction
Aug 28: Skills/experience/interests inventory due
Week 2: August 31, September 2
Lindsay: Chaps 3
Doing Fieldwork: Zelinsky
Exercise: Doing Fieldwork
Exercise: Informal Field Mapping
Sep 3: Preliminary SCCUR Proposal due
Week 3: September 7, 9
Sep 7: Labor Day Holiday
Lindsay: Chap 7
Exercise: GPS Field Mapping
Sep 11: Los Angeles Geographic Society “Global Warming”
Week 4: September 14, 16
Ethical Issues in Field Research
Association of American Geographers. Statement on Professional Ethics
Tim Unwin. “Geographical Ethics: Reflections on the Moral and Ethical Issues
Involved in Debate and Enquiry”
Sep 19: Introduction to the Trimble Nomad GPS/Computer
Due: SCCUR abstract
4
Week 5: September 21, 23
California Chaparral
Due: draft SCCUR abstract
Viles: “Physical Geography Fieldwork”
Sept 25: Career Fair
Sept 25: Field Day - PVPLC Project
Week 6: September 28, 30
PVPLC Project: data analysis; report preparation
Due: Field Journal review
Due: submit SCCUR abstract
Oct 2: Los Angeles Geographic Society “Contemporary India”
Week 7: October 5, 7
Qualitative Research Techniques
Projects Activity
Burgess: “The Art of Interviewing”
Exercise: Ethnographic Techniques
Week 8: October 12, 14
Projects Activity
Loukaitou-Sideris: “Urban Form and Social Context: Cultural Differentiation
in the Uses of Parks”
Week 9: October 19, 21
Equity Issues in Park Accessibility
Oct 23: Field Day-City Project
Week 10: October 26, 28
City Project: data analysis and report preparation
Bridge: “Questionnaire Surveys”
Gregory: “Thinking Statistically”
Exercise: Questionnaire
Week 11: November 2, 4
Urban Landscapes
Due: Field Journal review
City Project Progress Reports
Chris Young.”Making a Presentation”
Nov 6: Los Angeles Geographic Society “Deserts and Winds”
5
Week 12: November 9, 11
Presentation of City Project Reports
SCCUR Presentation Previews
Exercise: Urban Transect
Week 13: November 16, 18
Nov 21: SCCUR, CSU Dominguez Hills
Week 14: November 23, 25
SCCUR conference review
Nov 26, 27: Thanksgiving Holiday
Week 15: November 30, December 2
Course Summary
Projects Analysis
Field Journal due
Dec 4: Los Angeles Geographic Society Banquet “Tanzania and Kenya”
Dec 11:
FINAL EXAM 2:00 pm (Friday)