INLT Newsletter - Issue 7 May 2003
Edited by Phil Gravestock and Mick Healey
Contents
INLT News ..................................................................................... 1
The INLT and the International Geographical Congress,
15-20 August 2004 ........................................................................ 1
General Items ................................................................................ 1
Call for Experiences of Developing an Inclusive Curriculum
for Disabled Students ..................................................................... 1
Linking Research and Teaching ........................................................ 3
Center for Global Geography Education (CGGE) ................................. 4
HERODOT ..................................................................................... 4
Invitation to Join the Area Studies Network ....................................... 5
Geography National Mapping Project (Australia)................................. 6
Communicating in Geography and the Environmental Sciences ............ 6
Chartered Geographer .................................................................... 7
Journal of Geography in Higher Education (JGHE) ......................... 7
General information (Aims and Scope, Subscription Rates, etc.) ............. 7
Publishing for JGHE ........................................................................ 7
JGHE Prize .................................................................................... 9
Conference Reports ..................................................................... 10
AAG Conference Report ................................................................ 10
Education for Sustainable Development Conference.......................... 11
HERODOT Launch ........................................................................ 11
Overseas Fieldwork in Higher Education .......................................... 11
Forthcoming Conferences ............................................................ 13
New Zealand Geographical Society Conference, 6-11 July 2003 ............ 13
RGS-IBG International Annual Conference, 3-5 September 2003............ 13
Institute of Australian Geographers' Conference, 13-16 April 2004 ......... 15
Deadline for Next Newsletter ....................................................... 16
INLT Newsletter 7
May 2003
INLT News
The INLT and the International Geographical Congress, 15-20
August 2004
The INLT will be running two joint sessions with the Commission on
Geographical Education in the main Congress, one on 'Researching
learning and teaching in higher education' and the other on 'Preparing
students for the world of work'. Provisional suggestions for papers should
be sent to Mick Healey (mhealey@glos.ac.uk) for the first session and to
Brian Chalkley (b.chalkley@plymouth.ac.uk) or Pauline Kneale
(P.Kneale@geog.leeds.ac.uk) for the second one.
The INLT are also exploring the possibility of holding a residential
workshop in Glasgow immediately following the International Geographical
Congress, from 21-23 August 2004. Provisional details and a request for
expressions of interest are being sent out on the INLT Listserve
separately. Contact: Mick Healey (mhealey@glos.ac.uk).
General information about the Congress can be found at
http://www.meetingmakers.co.uk/IGC-UK2004/index.html.
General Items
Call for Experiences of Developing an Inclusive Curriculum
for Disabled Students
Readers are invited support a Higher Education Funding Council for
England (HEFCE) funded project, which the Geography Discipline Network
(GDN) has recently begun. It aims to develop and promote resources for
supporting disabled students studying geography, earth and
environmental sciences (GEES) in HE. It enhances and extends an earlier
HEFCE project that we undertook on ‘Learning support for disabled
students undertaking fieldwork’
(http://www.glos.ac.uk/gdn/disabil.index).
The new project will:

develop supporting resources targeted at specific interest
groups - heads of department, course leaders, lecturers, support
staff, and disabled students

identify the specific needs of disabled students studying the
GEES disciplines, to inform the design of inclusive curricula

focus on effective dissemination and embedding via the GDN
Web site, national and departmental workshops, department
consultancies, an advice service and publications.
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Although there are a few good general guides published, our experience
from previous projects, is that staff in geography, earth and
environmental sciences, respond best to the kind of reasonable
adjustments to teaching, learning and assessment practices that the law
in many countries now requires, when there are discipline-based specific
examples. Hence we are looking for examples of positive experience and
good practice from departments, course leaders, lecturers and support
staff, which we can share with colleagues.
We are interested in obtaining examples of a wide range of teaching,
learning and assessment practices, including examples of improving
provision for disabled students in lectures, tutorials, laboratory classes,
practicals and fieldcourses; methods of assessment; examples of IT and
resource-based learning support; and curriculum design. Similarly we are
interested in examples from the full range of disabilities: mobility
problems; blind or visually impaired; deaf or hearing impaired; mental
health difficulties; hidden disabilities (e.g. asthma, diabetes, epilepsy);
dyslexia and multiple disabilities.
We would be most grateful if you, or one of your colleagues, would
provide us with an example(s) for the project from experiences you have
of supporting disabled students. You may find the topics listed below
helpful in structuring your observations. However, please present the
information in the way you feel most appropriate. Anything from half a
side of A4 to a couple of pages would be most useful.
Dr Tim Hall and myself are collecting these examples on behalf of the
project team. Tim is co-ordinating the replies and if you have any queries
about the survey or the project in general please do not hesitate to
contact him (thall@glos.ac.uk) or me.
We would like to thank you in advance for your help and support. The
success of this project, as with previous ones, largely depends on the
willingness of colleagues to share their teaching, learning and assessment
experiences. We look forward to hearing from you, if at all possible,
within four weeks of the publication of this Newsletter.
Professor Mick Healey
Director Geography Discipline Network
Inclusive Curriculum Project
Examples of Experiences of Making Reasonable Adjustments to
Teaching, Learning and Assessment Practices to Support Disabled
Students
Title (indicating, where appropriate, the disabilities, teaching and learning
context and adjustments made):
Main features (What was the initial issue you were addressing? What
were you specifically trying to achieve? What adjustments / provision did
you make? What were the gains / losses, both for disabled students and
other students? What are the lessons for other departments faced with
similar circumstances?):
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Name:
Department and Institution:
Telephone and e-mail address:
Thank you for telling us about your experience
Please email it to Dr Tim Hall at: thall@glos.ac.uk OR send it to him at:
GEMRU, University of Gloucestershire, Francis Close Hall, Swindon Road,
Cheltenham GL50 4AZ
Linking Research and Teaching
The UK Learning Teaching Support Network Geography, Earth and
Environmental Sciences Subject Centre (LTSN-GEES) is still looking for
case studies from around the world of the ways in which student learning
in our disciplines is enhanced through providing closer linkages between
research and teaching. We recognise that students in our subject areas
may benefit from research in a variety of ways including, where:
1. the content of courses is informed by staff research
2. students learn about research methods
3. teaching methods adopt a research-based approach, such as
through problem based learning
4. they undertake their own research projects, whether individually or
in teams
5. they participate in staff research projects as subjects, as in, for
example, perception studies
6. they assist staff with their research projects
7. staff undertake pedagogic research which benefits the quality of
their teaching.
It is important to emphasise that developing links between research and
teaching is not restricted to staff undertaking research themselves. All
academic staff may be involved in helping students with items 2, 3 and 4
above. Hence, enhancing student learning through developing their
competencies to think about and practice research in the discipline should
be on the agenda of both research-oriented and teaching-oriented
departments.
Research may take a number of different forms, including discovery
research, consultancy for clients, and action research aimed primarily at
improving practice. We recognise that there are also potential negative
impacts from staff involvement in research, such as staff absences and
lower priority being given to teaching. We argue that for the benefits to
be maximised and the disadvantages to be minimised, the relationship
between research and teaching needs to be managed.
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There are already a dozen case studies on the LTSN-GEES Web site from
five different countries - Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, UK and USA
(http://www.gees.ac.uk/linktr/linktr.htm). An annotated bibliography has
also been put on the site. LTSN-GEES will be holding a residential
conference on 'Teaching and Research' on 30 June - 1 July 2003 in
Coventry.
An invitation
We would like to invite colleagues in the UK and overseas to contact us to
tell us about their own examples. A proforma is available at the project
web site and there are prizes to be won for case studies (500 words) put
on the LTSN-GEES Web site (http://www.gees.ac.uk/linktr/caseinfo.htm).
Mick Healey (Project Leader)
Center for Global Geography Education (CGGE)
Michael Solem has been awarded a grant from the National Science
Foundation to develop an online Center for Global Geography Education
(CGGE). This project is a collaborative effort between the Association of
American Geographers, Grosvenor Center for Geographic Education,
International Geographical Union, International Network for Learning and
Teaching, and the National Council for Geographic Education.
The CGGE will develop and test instructional modules designed to promote
online international collaborative learning and inquiry. The modules will
be developed for use in undergraduate geography courses and will be
disseminated internationally through the Worldwide Web.
For additional information, please visit the project website:
http://www.swt.edu/~ms32/CGGE/.
HERODOT
A new network of higher education Geography departments has recently
been launched. The network is open to all organisations and institutions
from around the world and European institutions can be supported in their
activities. The network is called HERODOT (http://www.herodot.net/),
and is coordinated by Karl Donert at Liverpool Hope University College, UK
(email: donertk@hope.ac.uk).
This Network results from the Bologna Declaration, which seeks to
establish and develop a framework for institutions to create a system of
qualifications and courses. Over 100 HE institutions are now members of
the network as well as several other institutions and professional
associations. HERODOT will organise conferences and workshops, publish
research and promote Geography. Robert Evans MEP launched the
HERODOT activities at the Royal Geographical Society, in London on 2324th March 2003. Some 90 delegates from 29 countries attended (see
below for a report on the HERODOT Launch).
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The network seeks to learn from and promote good practise in higher
education Geography. Three main activities will be undertaken by
HERODOT:
1. Europeanisation HERODOT will seek to enable self-TUNING of
Geography in Europe in order to establish whether a core curriculum
can be identified leading to the development of a European Charter
for Geography in Higher Education (TUNING Educational Structures
in Europe). In addition HERODOT will provide opportunities for
student and staff mobility exchanges and information on other
European funding opportunities as well as seeking to establish
courses on European Geography.
2. Professionalism, Professional development is a key component for
academics in changing times in higher education. HERODOT will
seek to establish needs and identify some possible ways that these
can be met.
3. Exciting Geography, HERODOT will focus on identifying innovative
learning and teaching approaches in Geography. It will then seek to
produce useful case studies in support of good practice in
Geography. Each of these working groups will hold workshops and
meetings throughout the 2003/4, the first of which will be on
Europeanisation and hosted by Malta University in June 2003.
Membership of HERODOT is free and further information can be obtained
through the Network Web site http://www.herodot.net/ or contact Glenda
Wall (wallg@hope.ac.uk).
The Network's first Newsletter is available at
http://www.zgis.at/herodotnet/Newsletter/HEROdotNET_Newsletter0303.htm.
Invitation to Join the Area Studies Network
The LTSN Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies is
launching its new Area Studies Network which aims to bring together
colleagues with an interest and expertise in the teaching of area-related
subjects. Their experience over the past few years has shown that while
Area Studies is a very diverse field encompassing a wide range of
disciplines and types of programme there are occasions when it is of great
benefit to network with colleagues across apparently discrete areas (e.g.)
on issues such as:

marketing and recruitment

language training

study abroad

multi-disciplinarity

intercultural competence

key skills and employability.
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If you would like to be involved in shaping this national support network
for the learning and teaching of Area Studies please send a message to
llas@soton.ac.uk stating that you wish to join the Area Studies Network
and giving your name and contact details.
Further details on the Area Studies Network are available from
http://www.lang.ltsn.ac.uk/network.aspx.
(See below for a report on the 'Overseas Fieldwork in Higher Education',
the first collaborative conference between LTSN-GEES and LTSN
Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies in association with the Royal
Geographical Society (with the IBG)).
Geography National Mapping Project (Australia)
The July 2002 meeting of the Institute of Australian Geographers (IAG) in
Canberra discussed a joint Australian Geography Teachers Association
(AGTA) - IAG National Mapping Project proposed by AGTA President
Stephen Cranby. The project will involve AGTA and IAG in a partnership
over the next three years or so.
The project will see students around Australia collect information on a
topic that showcases contemporary geography's interlinking of the
social/cultural with the environmental.
Development and completion of the project will be undertaken in three
one-year stages.
1. Defining topic and methodology. By mid-2003 a small group of
AGTA/IAG members will decide what matter will be investigated by
the school students participating in the project in locations
throughout Australia, and define a methodology for collecting and
analysing data on this matter.
2. Gaining publicity and supporters. In the second period, until
2004, one year will be devoted to planning publicity for the effort
and gaining supporters.
3. Running the project. A further year, till mid 2005, will be devoted
to implementing the data collection effort in schools, and analysing
what is produced.
Communicating in Geography and the Environmental
Sciences
Oxford University Press have just released the 2nd edition of Iain Hay's
book Communicating in Geography and the Environmental Sciences (ISBN
0-19-551557-9). This extensively revised edition includes new material
on writing media releases and revisions that reflect changed technology.
For instance, the chapter on citing sources has been amended
substantially to offer guidance on dealing with electronic resources. There
is also new material on passing online exams.
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Chartered Geographer
Chartered Geographer is an internationally recognised professional
qualification for Fellows of the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) who
can demonstrate a high level of competence and professionalism in the
practice of Geography and related disciplines, and who are committed to
maintaining their professional expertise through an annual continuing
professional development programme.
Criteria

Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) (you can apply
for both at the same time)

Hold an honours degree, or equivalent qualification in Geography or
related discipline awarded by a university, or other such
establishment

Demonstrate academic achievement, equivalent to the attainment of
an honours degree in Geography

Have at least 6 years experience in the profession and practice of
Geography since graduating

Have evidence of a commitment to Continuing Professional
Development

Have completed an application form, including a professional report
of 1000 words
To apply is simple: Fellows only need to submit an extended CV and a
report of their practical experience, and an application form.
Further information is available at http://www.rgs.org/charteredstatus/
including a downloadable application form. For any other enquiries please
contact Felicity Thorne, Professional Officer at f.thorne@rgs.org, +44
(0)20 7591 3027
Journal of Geography in Higher Education (JGHE)
General information (Aims and Scope, Subscription Rates, etc.)
Information about the Journal of Geography in Higher Education (e.g.
Aims and Scope, Subscription Rates, Recent and Forthcoming Articles,
etc.) is available as a pdf document (961KB) (http://www.glos.ac.uk/gdn/
inlt/geog.pdf). Abstracts from the journal, a full contents index and an
author index are available at http://www.glos.ac.uk/gdn/jghe/.
Publishing for JGHE
Publishing in the Journal of Geography in Higher Education (JGHE) was the
subject of a panel discussion held at the annual meetings of the
Association of American Geographers (AAG) in March in New Orleans.
Presenters included past North American Commissioning editors Jan Monk,
University of Arizona, and Ken Foote, University of Colorado, as well as
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two successful JGHE contributors: Sarah Brinegar from Marshall
University, West Virginia, and David Rutherford, Southwest Texas State
University. Moderated by current editor Robert Bednarz, the session
attracted about thirty participants, many of whom appeared to be early
career faculty or senior graduate students.
Jan Monk began the session by providing tips on how to write for an
international journal and by emphasizing that articles directed to JGHE
need to be firmly rooted in the scholarship of teaching and learning.
Research appropriate for JGHE articles should reflect a clear research
design, either qualitative or quantitative, and feature systematic data
collection. Ken Foote, speaking next, urged participants to conduct high
quality research on learning and teaching and to submit articles to JGHE,
reminding them that JGHE is a good place to publish. It is a highly-cited,
high-impact journal rated 11th in the citation index, articles receive a
quick review (on average three to four months turn around) and
publication occurs in a timely fashion, unlike the flagship AAG journals. In
her comments speaking as an author, Sarah Brinegar contributed that
JGHE has an excellent reputation with her colleagues. Publishing in JGHE
enhanced her vita and chances of promotion and tenure. She also felt it
was a good place to publish because of its wide audience. David
Rutherford, the final panelist to speak, remarked on the importance of
responding to reviewer's comments and the need to write a paper which
was international in scope. He recounted the value of reviewing pertinent
literature for his November 2001 article from the UK and Australasia as
well as the United States.
Jan, Ken, and Robert Bednarz made these suggestions to potential JGHE
authors:
1. Understand that getting published is a process of submission,
review, comment, and revision. Authors should not get discouraged
at a request to revise and re-submit. If an article can be made
better, it benefits both the author and editor.
2. Be sure that papers are contextualized and include a literature
review and research results. If the paper focuses on an innovative
classroom practice, include evaluation evidence on its effectiveness.
Reflect on your assumptions of who the student is and why you are
doing what you are.
3. Work with the editors. Consider contacting an editor ahead of time
in order to get an idea of how to structure an article. In the process
of revising, respond carefully to editor's comments and suggestions.
4. JGHE is especially interested in articles focused on trends and issues
in geography, including papers that examine professional
development, pedagogy, institutional climate, research issues and
methodologies, editorials, how-to's for students and symposia
sections on significant geography and higher education issues.
Sarah Bednarz
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JGHE Prize
Biennial Award for Promoting Excellence in Teaching and Learning
Call for Nominations 2003
Have you read a very good, newly published paper, that helped you
improve your students learning and your own teaching of Geography in
higher education? If you have, please could you tell us about it?
In 2001, the Journal of Geography in Higher Education launched a biennial
award for the best academic paper promoting excellence in teaching and
learning across geography and closely-allied subjects at the higher
education level. Papers from five different education and geography
journals were nominated. These were evaluated by members of the
JGHE's international Editorial Advisory Panel on the basis of scholarship,
rigour of approach, originality, potential influence on practitioners and
overall contribution to teaching and learning in Geography at higher
education level.
Our first experience of the award of this JGHE prize suggests that this
competition could be an excellent way of drawing the work of deserving
people to the attention of a wider readership and also of rewarding
recognition to those leading the development of better practice in
geography teaching and learning. However, the success of the project
depends upon the competition achieving a good field of nominees and
here we need your help. The Journal of Geography in Higher Education is
once again seeking nominations.
The Journal of Geography in Higher Education prize will be presented to
the author(s) of that peer-reviewed journal article considered to represent
the most outstanding contribution to teaching and learning in Geography
at higher education level and published in the past two years. The
following criteria will govern eligibility.
Eligibility

Nominated papers must have been published between 1 January
2001 and 31 December 2002

Papers must have been peer-reviewed prior to publication

Papers from any appropriate journal may be nominated

The subject of the paper should promote excellence in teaching and
learning Geography or closely allied subjects

Papers should focus on teaching and learning at higher education
level

Nominations and papers must be received by 30th June 2003.
In common with all papers submitted to the Journal of Geography in
Higher Education, the assessments of the international panel of
adjudicators will be guided by the following considerations. The paper
should demonstrate:
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
relevance to enhancing student learning in higher education (as
demonstrated through student evaluations where appropriate)

relevance to innovation and enhancing the excellence of teaching in
geography in higher education

relevance to an international audience of teachers of Geography in
higher education

relevance to improving the practice of teaching in Geography in
higher education

sensitivity, where appropriate, to improving access to, and
promoting equal opportunities in, Geographical higher education to
all people, irrespective of their race, gender, age, culture, religion,
country of residence, etc.
This year, nominations should be made in writing to Prof. Martin Haigh,
Centre for Geography in Higher Education, SSL, Oxford Brookes
University, Oxford, OX3 0BP, UK (mhaigh@brookes.ac.uk). Each
nomination should be accompanied by a short statement that highlights
the major merits and significance of the nominated paper for learning and
teaching in Geography.
The journal encourages the submission of nominations from international
sources; not least papers that appeared in peer-reviewed serials that lie
outside the traditional core journals of Geography and Higher Education
and/or that were published in languages other than English. However,
please could those submitting nominations include with their submission
an English language copy or translation, in paper or electronic format, for
any nominated journal article not previously published in the JGHE. If the
article is freely available via the web, please could the URL address also
be included with the nomination. Authors may not nominate their own
work. More details about the award, the last winning article and
comments from the authors can be found in the Journal of Geography in
Higher Education 26:2 for 2002.
Joanna Bullard
Conference Reports
AAG Conference Report
Joseph Kerski's report of the 2003 99th Annual Meeting of the AAG, which
was held in New Orleans from 4-8 March 2003, is available at
http://rockyweb.cr.usgs.gov/public/outreach/reports/aag03t.pdf.
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Education for Sustainable Development Conference
The post-conference website for the Educational for Sustainable
Development (ESD) Conference, held on 17 March 2003 in Swansea, UK,
is available at http://www.swan.ac.uk/environment/esdconference.htm.
On the page you are able to:

download the talks and speeches (or parts of them) from the main
speakers

download the report which came out of the conference and was
submitted to the ESD Advisory Panel to the Welsh Assembly
Government

download the raw data of our discussions in the workshops

access a bibliography and websites on ESD

access the delegates list

view the programme of the conference

and view some photos (to be expanded).
HERODOT Launch
A report on the HERODOT Launch Conference (23 and 24 March 2003) is
available at
http://www.hope.ac.uk/ebs/herodot/conference/conference1.htm.
Sarah Bednarz's presentation 'Changing Geography in higher education in
the USA' is available as a PowerPoint file, with extensive notes, at
http://genip.tamu.edu/heredotswb.ppt. A full and complete version of the
paper is under development to submit to the Journal of Geography in
Higher Education.
Overseas Fieldwork in Higher Education
The first collaborative conference between LTSN-GEES and LTSN
Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies in association with the Royal
Geographical Society (with the IBG), took place on April 2nd in the
Geological Society, London, attracting over 50 delegates from disciplines
as diverse as Anthropology and the Visual Arts. The broad focus of the
meeting was the common issue of Overseas Fieldwork, which provided an
excellent opportunity to share examples of good practice from a wide
range of perspectives. Following an opening address by David Nash
(University of Brighton) which introduced the changing roles of overseas
fieldwork and the changing contexts in which fieldwork is undertaken, the
conference was organised into four sessions:
Disciplinary Perspectives on Overseas Fieldwork
In the first session, speakers representing West African Studies (Lynne
Brydon, University of Birmingham), Town Planning (John McCarthy,
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University of Dundee) and Languages (Jim Coleman, Open University)
presented case studies of their disciplinary/departmental perspectives on
overseas fieldwork. The presentations demonstrated the wide-range of
approaches to field-based learning and teaching across various disciplines,
which spanned the spectrum from strongly student-centred (in the case of a
fieldcourse to Ghana) to more lecture- and site visit-based (a planning
fieldcourse in the Netherlands). However, two key themes were picked up
during all three presentations; firstly, the enormous educational and
personal benefits of overseas fieldwork; and secondly, the importance of
involving local contacts (including academics, villagers etc.) to enrich the
student experience and effect strong working relationships at the local level.
Learning and Teaching Issues in Overseas Fieldwork
The case studies above were then followed a workshop session facilitated
by Rob Butler (University of Leeds) which focussed upon learning and
teaching issues in overseas fieldwork, including the design of fieldwork
programmes and their integration into the curriculum. The ensuing
discussion suggested that fieldwork is more easily integrated into the
curriculum if it is compulsory, with the greatest challenges in terms of
'curriculum fit' being faced by organisers of optional overseas fieldwork.
Discussion also highlighted the importance of well-structured preparatory
and debriefing sessions to enhance the overall student experience. This
was considered especially important for overseas fieldwork given the costs
involved both for students and institutions.
Practical and Logistical Issues in Running Overseas Fieldwork
After lunch, Shane Winser (RGS-IBG) presented a thought-provoking
session on logistical issues surrounding overseas fieldwork, mainly
focussing upon health and safety, staff liability and SENDA (2001). Much
of the presentation centred around the benefits of the Risk Assessment
procedure, not simply as a protection against legal challenges, but also as
a tool for fieldwork planning and as a means of preparing students for
similar procedures in the workplace. Probably the most important point
was the need to involve all staff and students in the preparation and
review of Risk Assessment statements in order to maximise their benefit.
This was further emphasised during discussion of the use of Safety
Handbooks and signed disclaimers as a means of reducing staff liability
during fieldwork. In general, such procedures were considered unlikely to
be effective unless staff could demonstrate that students were fully aware
of the contents of such handbooks.
Making an Institutional Case for Overseas Fieldwork
Finally, Neil Thomas (Kingston University) drew together many of the
issues discussed earlier in the day through an overview of the planning
stages involved in the development of a new fieldcourse to Australia. The
presentation again showed the importance of having contacts in
fieldcourse destinations, and the significance of proper reconnaissance
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(both from educational and safety perspectives). The session also
emphasised the care and time needed to plan a long-haul fieldcourse of
this nature; in the Australia case study, the institution was considering a
six-month staff secondment to allow time for proper fieldwork planning
and preparation. This raised the further issue that fieldwork will almost
invariably involve cost to individual institutions. However, when making a
case for overseas fieldcourses, the potential economic benefits for course
marketing cannot be overlooked.
Overall, the day powerfully demonstrated the importance of, and the
passion for, overseas fieldwork across all many disciplines. It also
identified some of the challenges and opportunities presented to
departments and institutions faced by the need to offer fieldcourses to
increasingly exotic locations in order to maintain their position in the
student market. Perhaps the strongest message to come out of the
conference was that overseas fieldwork not only offers vast enormous
educational benefits but, for some students, may be a truly life-changing
experience; in order to maximise that experience, however, there needs
to be extremely careful planning and preparation.
The conference was funded by the LTSN as part of special project to raise
the profile of Area Studies in learning and teaching. For further
information, and to join the new area studies network, please contact:
www.lang.ltsn.ac.uk/areastudies.aspx.
David J Nash, University of Brighton
Forthcoming Conferences
New Zealand Geographical Society Conference, 6-11 July 2003
The New Zealand Geographical Society is hosting its 2003 Conference in
Auckland over the period 6-11 July. Full details of this 22nd conference of
the Society, including programme, abstracts, and details of field trips are
set out on the Conference website at: http://www.geog.auckland.ac.nz/
nzgs2003/index.html. The Conference will also involve a substantial
geographical education component under the title GeogEd2003. This
promises to be an exciting and valuable conference.
RGS-IBG International Annual Conference, 3-5 September 2003
Content:
1. Submission of papers
2. Conference registration
3. Accommodation
4. Fieldtrips
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Arrangements for September's conference are well under way with over
110 sessions and 16 plenaries running across the three days.
Individuals who have submitted papers should have been notified of their
acceptance in late April. For those still wishing to present it is not too late
for your paper to be included in the RGS-IBG 'Submitted papers' session.
Please email Felicity Thorne (mailto:f.thorne@rgs.org) for a proforma.
While the official deadline for submitting a proposal for a session has
passed, we may consider additional suggestions.
In the meantime please note that all delegates can now register
online for the conference. Online registration (for those wishing to pay
by credit card) is available at http://www.rgs.org/ACLondon2003/ and
hard copy registration forms can be downloaded from the Society's
website. Non-Fellows of the Society are entitled to a special rate which
includes 4 months free membership of the RGS-IBG, if they wish. All
delegates must register. Early registration ends on 31st May, after
which registration fees increase by 20%.
Accommodation must be booked independently of registering for the
conference and we have arranged substantial discounts with a variety of
types of accommodation in the local area. All accommodation is within 10
minutes walk of the Society and is close to South Kensington tube station.
Please quote RGS-IBG annual conference as your reference when making
any booking.
For Imperial College Beit Hall of Residence and local hotels, please
book through the Imperial College Conference Centre
WWW: http://www.imperial.ac.uk/conferences/rgs_ibg.htm
Email: accommodationlink@ic.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)20 7594 9507/11.
For Baden Powell House (hostel-type dorm accommodation)
WWW: http://www.scoutbase.org/
Email: bph.hostel@scout.org.uk
Tel: +44 (0)20 7590 6900.
For Kensington Court (serviced apartments)
WWW: http://www.kensingtoncourt.co.uk/
Email: bookings@kensingtoncourt.co.uk
Tel: +44(0)20 7937 2030.
A number of fieldtrips have been organised throughout the conference:
1. Geographical Expeditions Fieldtrip 1 - Loftliving: Clerkenwell &
Shoreditch (C. Hamnett) Half day Friday @ £10 per person.
2. Geographical Expeditions Fieldtrip 2 - Modernity: Mansion flats in
North Kensington (R. Dennis) Half day Friday @ £10 per person
3. Geographical Expeditions Fieldtrip 3 - Art & the City (D. Pinder)
Friday @ £10 per person
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May 2003
4. Geographical Expeditions Fieldtrip 4 - The Everyday Militarization of
the City: Security and Surveillance in London's financial heartlands
(D. Wood & J. Coafee) Day and cost TBC
5. Sea level changes and human occupation in the Lower Thames (M.
Tooley) Day and cost TBC
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact the RGS-IBG
RHED office rhed@rgs.org.
We look forward to welcoming you in September!
Felicity Thorne
Institute of Australian Geographers' Conference,
13-16 April 2004
The next conference of the Institute of Australian Geographers will be held
in Adelaide, South Australia over the period Tuesday 13 April to Friday 16
April 2004.
Adelaide is a gracious, well-planned city of gardens, historic, restored
colonial pubs, churches and modern buildings. The city centre has a
superb setting surrounded by open parkland separating the business heart
form the suburbs, and the entire city is sheltered on a narrow coastal
plain between the Adelaide Hills and Gulf St Vincent, 10 kilometres (6
miles) to the west. The South Australian capital, Adelaide is home to
more than one million people. There are more restaurant places per head
here than anywhere else in Australia. You can find out more about the
city at http://www.sa.regional.net.au/information/discover/
acity.asp?Code=AC000.
The conference venue will be the Stamford Grand Hotel
(http://www.stamford.com.au/adelaide/adgran1bar.html) at Glenelg,
Adelaide's most popular seaside suburb, which is a short tram ride to the
CBD. A range of accommodation types will be available.
Pre- and post-conference field-trips are expected to include visits to:

Kangaroo Island http://www.tourkangarooisland.com.au/
ki-tourism.htm

Flinders Ranges
http://www.sa.regional.net.au/information/discover/
flinders.asp?Code=FR000

River Murray mouth
http://www.savethemurray.com/sabv/stm/index.html

Barossa Valley http://barosr.ilisys.com.au/

Southern Vales
http://www.frogandtoad.com.au/sa/vales/mclaren/index.html

and for the intrepid, diving the HMAS Hobart
http://www.dive-southaustralia.com/
INLT Newsletter 7
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May 2003
This notice is intended for you to mark the conference dates in your diary
and think about travel plans, particularly if anyone will be accompanying
you. More information will be forthcoming later this year. When it is
prepared a WWW-page for the conference will be linked to the IAG site (at
http://www.iag.org.au/).
Iain Hay
Deadline for Next Newsletter
Items for the next Newsletter should be sent to Phil Gravestock
(pgravestock@glos.ac.uk) by 15 October 2003.
INLT Newsletter 7
16
May 2003