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ENV223 ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH SKILLS

Dr Anna Stanley
Thursdays, 2-4pm
Location: SS 2118
Office Hours: 12-2pm Thursdays, or by appointment
Location: ES 2104
Email: anna.stanley@utoronto.ca
Introduction & Course Overview:
Environmental studies is an increasingly important, interdisciplinary field that examines the
complexities of environment-society relations. Environmental studies scholars and
practitioners work at the intersection of disciplines like ecology, anthropology, geography, and
sociology and investigate a diverse range of important topics including for instance climate
change, food security, environmental justice, resource rights, community livelihood, and
environmental sustainability. Their research draws on a wide range of insights and
methodological practices from what appear to be very diverse fields. This course is designed as
a practical introduction to research in environmental studies, and aims to expose students to
the basic elements of research design, research methods, field-work and critical thinking in
the field. Through a combination of fieldwork, hands on exercises, lectures, article reviews,
and a group research project we will: consider how to craft and operationalize a research
question; critically explore a range of qualitative and quantitative data gathering and analytical
techniques; and reflect on some of the theoretical assumptions and issues that underwrite
environmental research and knowledge production.
Course Aims & Learning Objectives:
This course aims to: (1) familiarize students with the methods and techniques used in
environmental studies, as well as their limitations; (2) develop a basic set of skills with which
to conduct environmental research; (3) promote thoughtful, critical, evidence based
engagement with environmental issues and problems; and (4) develop the ability to critically
evaluate environmental research, arguments and information. More specifically, upon
completion of the course it is expected that students should have gained the ability to:

craft and operationalize a research question


make informed choices about research design and development
design an environmental research project
understand and incorporate ethical concerns and responsibilities into research
understand and address positionality in the research process
identify and critically evaluate different primary data gathering techniques
identify and critically evaluate different techniques for analyzing and
interpreting data
conduct basic fieldwork
understand the relationship between evidence and argument
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critically assess the strengths and limitations of environmental research


critically evaluate environmental arguments and information
write a research proposal
clearly and concisely communicate research results in oral and written form

Course Structure & Format:


This course culminates in the completion of a group research project in which each group is
required to design and then conduct primary research on an environmental topic in a specified
location. The course structure and lecture content have been designed to complement this
hands-on approach and facilitate student progression through the development of this
research project. Your research project begins with a fieldwork assignment based on a
research instrument that I have designed for you, and consists of you going out and
conducting some preliminary (pilot) quantitative and qualitative fieldwork at a specified site.
More details on this assignment can be found in the assignment sheet, and will be discussed in
class. As a preliminary step in your group research project, this individual fieldwork
assignment will expose you to a range of relationships and types of issues, as well as ways to
gather data about them at the research site. As a stand-alone assignment, it is designed to
familiarize you with some basic fieldwork issues and introduce you to data collection and
analysis. Based on this pilot research your group will then have something (a set of question,
awareness of what went wrong, an idea of a research question, a sense of what is and is not
feasible, some familiarity with a the research site, perhaps even a research focus...) to work
with and from which to build a research proposal (your second assignment). Your group will
then use this proposal to develop a research project that you will present as a poster (and
discuss orally) in class and in a final written report. Lectures, in class activities, and readings
are meant to support the skills you will need as well as complement and contextualize the
skills you will develop. As we move through the course, readings, lecture materials, and
course activities (including the formal article review which requires you to engage with
examples of published, scholarly research in environmental studies) will complement your
practical hands-on engagement by exposing you to a series of contextual, methodological
and theoretical questions related to research design and process.
This course is also designed to incorporate class discussion directly into the lectures. At times
you will be asked to discuss and share your understandings of the assigned readings, as well as
to describe and evaluate arguments and insights contained in them. Each meeting you will be
expected to attend class prepared to discuss the readings with your peers. You will be
expected to attend all lectures and participate in in-class activities. This is your class and I
want you to get as much out of these meetings as possible. Please feel free to raise questions
and topics for discussion, and contribute your understanding of course themes, arguments,
concepts and connections during the discussion. Participation also involves listening to other
peoples comments, thoughtfully engaging with their views, not interrupting, and letting
other people express themselves. There is a distinction between contributing to discussion
(where your comments build off of others comments, generate further discussion, and
contribute overall to the class achieving a more comprehensive understanding of the issues)
and making self serving or arrogant comments that embarrass others and shut down lines of
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communication. The purpose of class discussion and in-class activities is that we learn from
each other and come to a deeper understanding of the topics and issues pursued in the class.
You have a responsibility to your classmates to be prepared, to actively contribute to
discussions and to be courteous and respectful; you also have a right to expect the same of
them.
Assignments:
1. Class participation (10%).
We will devote some of our course meeting time to discussing readings and engaging in inclass activities which will require your participation. You are expected to come to class
regularly, to have prepared the readings in advance, and to participate in class discussions and
activities. Please be forewarned that attendance will be taken at the beginning of every class
and will be counted towards your evaluation. Dates will be randomly selected for which
attendance will be counted, however attendance during sessions devoted to student
presentations will carry extra weight. Student engagement in a variety of types of in-class
activities, class discussions, and poster presentations will also count towards evaluation of you
participation.
2. Field-Work Assignment (20%).
This assignment is due on October 16/2014.
Your fieldwork assignment is an independent field-work exercise in downtown Toronto,
completed outside of class time. This assignment is meant to: (1) complement materials
examined in class by providing you with basic, hands-on experience with primary data
collection, and (2) generate pilot data and basic familiarity with a research site as a basis for
the development of your group research project. In relation to the second goal, the fieldwork
assignment will begin to familiarize you with a site at which you may conduct a more indepth group project. It is also meant to familiarize you with a range of issues and types of
questions you might wish to examine in a more in-depth project; how (and how not) to
conduct research about them; the feasibility of certain types of research at the site and so on.
The assignment is in no way meant to tie you to doing the same type of research as in the pilot
assignment, rather to open up questions about the sites you might choose for the group project
and about the types of themes and relationships your group might want to investigate. Like all
good pilot research it is also meant to alert you to what might or might not work, and to help
you craft a research proposal. This assignment will be discussed in class and is described in
detail in a separate assignment sheet.
3. Group Research Project (50%).
This assignment has 3 main components, please note the respective due dates for each
component.
In the second week of class students will sign up to a group of 5 students. Students who have
not done so will be randomly assigned to groups by the end of week3. In your groups you will
reflect on your fieldwork experience and complete a research proposal, which will form the
basis of your group research project. This project will require you to engage in primary
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research on a topic of your choice (but in one of the fieldwork assignment locations). You will
be required to design a credible research project, justify your choice of methods and design,
collect, analyze primary data, and discuss and contextualize your findings in relation to the
literature. Each group will present their project, and final results in a poster presentation to be
displayed and discussed in class, an in a final written report. Detailed instructions are
provided in the assignment sheet. The project will be discussed in class.
A) Research proposal (10%) Due in week 7 (October 23)
B) Poster presentation (10%) presented in class weeks 11 (Nov 20) and 12 (November 27)
C) Written report (30%) due December 4
*please note: at my discretion an adjustment may be applied to a students grade
for the group work (up to 5 points). Students who fail to fulfil their commitments
to the group will lose points, those whose contribution is outstanding (above and
beyond the call of duty) will have points added. This will be determined through the
peer and self assessment process (to be discussed in class). Students who do not
participate in the group work or otherwise fail to contribute may receive a grade of
zero.
4. Article Review (20%)
This assignment is due November 9.
The article review requires you to read one scholarly, published journal article and to both
identify and critically consider the authors analytical methods, techniques, research design,
and arguments. The articles provided for the assignment explore different kinds of methods
and combinations of methods, and each address some of the more contextual
theoretical/methodological issues (such as positionality or objectivity) connected to the
research process. Specific details about what your review should contain are provided in the
separate assignment sheet. Please pay close attention to the specifics of this assignment.
Course Readings:

A note on the course readings: In addition to a research and writing guide, there is one
required textbook for this course. This text provides a reasonably comprehensive overview of
(1) some of the major design considerations relevant to research in the social sciences (which
includes environmental studies) and (2) the majority of tools available for collecting and
analysing data in the social sciences. Like most introductory level text books however, this
one has drawbacks, the most significant of which is that it is not specifically designed for
students of environmental studies. Environmental studies is a unique and multidisciplinary
field, that explores topics at the intersection of environment and society and that employs
tools from across a wide variety of disciplines to explore its specific contexts. Where
appropriate therefore I have attempted to supplement course textbook readings with journal
articles, book chapters and other books. Human environmental geography is perhaps the
closest disciplinary field to environmental studies, and you will see that a good many of these
readings are pulled from that discipline. This is not meant to persuade you to become
geographers, but to provide you with examples of how the basic tools of social science are used

to pursue questions and problems more closely aligned with the interrogation of
environmental issues and environment-society relationships.
The text also has another important drawback that the supplementary readings are meant to
address. Similar to most introductory level texts it provides a rather simplistic and at times
naive overview of methodological issues related to research and knowledge production. Given
that this course only scratches the surface of research methods in environmental studies and
that the focus is on practice, methods and fieldwork, we should not be overly concerned with
this. I will try to address these problems, where relevant in the lectures. Where appropriate
however I have provided some required readings and made suggestions for additional readings
that either provide a more nuanced or critical view of the research process (for instance of the
distinctions between qualitative and quantitative research and how these affect the status of
knowledge claims and research design). For the most part these readings are not required
readings, but are meant as resources for further reading. You may find some are of use in
designing your research project. They are also meant to provide you with a set of resources as
you move forward in your academic/research careers. Required reading assignments from the
materials listed below are clearly indicated in the lecture outline.
Course textbook:
Bryman, A., Bell, E., & Teevan J.J. (2012). Social Research Methods: Third Canadian Edition.
Don Mills: Oxford University Press.
Critical resource:
Northey, M., Knight, D., & Draper, D. (2012). Making Sense: a Students Guide to Research and
Writing: Geography & Environmental Sciences. Fifth Edition. Don Mills: Oxford University Press.
Other required readings:
Clifford, N., French S., & Valentine, G. (2010). Getting started in geographical research. In
Clifford, N., French S., & Valentine, G. (2010) eds. Key Methods in Geography: Second
Edition. London: Sage Pp: 3-15 (chapter 1)
Cook, I., & Harrison M. (2007). Follow the thing: West Indian hot pepper sauce. Space and
Culture 10(1):40-63
Debbane, A. M., & Kiel, R. (2004). Multiple disconnections: Environmental justice and urban
water in Canada and South Africa. Space and Polity 8(2): 209-225
Dorling, D. (2010). Using statistics to describe and explore data. In Clifford, N., French S., &
Valentine, G. (2010) eds. Key Methods in Geography: Second Edition. London: Sage. Pp 374385 (chapter 23)
Dorling, D. (2005) Counting and measuring: Happy Valentines Day. In Castree N., Rogers,
A., & Sherman, D. (2005). Eds. Questioning Geography. Malden: Wiley-Blackwell. Pp241257 (Chapter 14)

Dowling, R . (2005). Power subjectivity and ethics in qualitative research. In Hay, I. (2005) ed.
Qualitative Research in Human Geography: Second Edition. New York: Oxford University
Press. Pp 19-29 (chapter 2)
Keys, A., Masterman-Smith, H., & Cottle, D. (2006). The political economy of a
natural disaster: The Boxing Day tsunami, 2004. Antipode 38(2):195-204.
Nightingale, A. (2003). A feminist in the forest: Situating knowledges and mixing methods in
natural resources management. ACME: An International E-Journal for Critical Geographies
2(1):77-90
Pulido, L. (2000). Rethinking environmental racism: White privilege and urban development
in Southern California. Annals of the Association of American Geographers 90(1): 12-40
Teelucksingh, S. (2007). Environmental racialization: Linking racialization to the
environment in Canada. Local Environment. 12(6):645-661
Recommended/Advanced Readings:
This is an excellent (but advanced) text designed specifically for research in environmental
studies. It is most appropriate for a senior undergraduate or graduate level course, but you
may find parts of it useful now or in the future.
Vaccaro, I., Smith, E. A., & Aswani, S. (2010) eds. Environmental Social Sciences: Methods
and Research Design. New York: Cambridge University Press
The following are advanced resources that critically address theoretical and methodological
questions related to research and are meant to supplement the material from the course text.
You might find these helpful in this course or as you develop your research skills in later
years.
Castree, N., & B. Braun. (2001). eds. Social Nature; Theory, Practice and Politics. Malden:
Blackwell.
Robbins, P. (2012). Political Ecology: Second Edition. Malden: Wiley-Blackwell
Castree, N., Rogers, A., & Sherman, D. (2005). Questioning Geography. Malden: WileyBlackwell.
For an excellent overview of different methods (qualitative and quantitative) and techniques
used in human and physical geography (both of which are excellent resources for
environmental studies researchers):
Clifford, N., French S., and Valentine, G. (2010). eds. Key Methods in Geography: Second
Edition. London: Sage
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For in-depth discussion of specifically qualitative methods, and research design:


Hay, I. (2005). Ed. Qualitative Research in Human Geography: Second Edition. New York:
Oxford University Press
For critical discussion of quantitative methods and their use, see in particular:
The Professional geographer 1995 47(4) Special Issue: Should Women Count?
The Professional Geographer 2009. 61(4) Special Focus: Critical Quantitative Geographies II:
Practical Engagements.
For a focused discussion of theory and methodology (theories of research) in relation to
research techniques and design:
Aitken, S., & Valentine, G. (2006). Approaches to Human Geography. London: Sage
Lecture Schedule:

Week 1 (Sept 11): Course Overview &Introduction to Environmental Research

Week 2 (Sept 18): Producing Environmental Knowledge


Epistemology, ontology and research practice
Navigating divides: theory/practice; qualitative/qualitative; induction/
deduction; extensive/intensive; subjective/objective
Critical approaches to knowledge creation;
Ethics & positionality

Required readings: Chapters 1& 11 (course textbook); Clifford et al., in Clifford et


al., (2010); Dowling in Hay (2005)
Group list due
Week 3 (Sept 25): Research Design , Data & Introduction to Fieldwork Assignment
Asking and operationalizing research questions (issues of design)
The research process
Evidence and robustness
Discussion of fieldwork assignment

Required readings: Chapter 2(course textbook)

Week 4 (Oct 2): Quantitative Research


Asking quantitative research questions; Sampling; data; data collection
Epistemology and ontology in quantitative research
Quantitative fieldwork

Required readings: Chapters 3 to 6 and 12 p208 to223 (course text book); Dorling in
Clifford et al., 2010; Dorling in Castree et al., (2005)
Group contract due

Week 5 (Oct 9): Qualitative Research


Asking qualitative research questions; sampling; data; data collection;
Epistemology and ontology in qualitative research
Qualitative fieldwork

Required readings: Chapters 7 to 10 & 12 p223to 230 (course textbook)


Week 6 (Oct 16): Fieldwork De-brief & Next Steps
Fieldwork de-brief, pilot research, and next steps
Group research projects, proposal writing, report writing
Fieldwork report due * including data sheet by blackboard drop-box
Week 7 (Oct 23): Analytic Methods I (& article review assignment)

Required readings: Chapters 13, 14 & 16 (course textbook)


Project Proposal Due
Week 8 (Oct 30): Analytic Methods II

Required readings : Chapters 13, 14 & 16 (course textbook)


Week 9 (Nov 6): Advanced Issues in Environmental Research
Part of the lecture will devoted to class discussion of the research presented in the
articles assigned to you for the article review assignment. Please come to class
prepared to discuss the article you chose to review. In addition, each of you is
assigned (based on last namesee below) to prepare a second article for class. You
are responsible for coming to class having carefully read this article, and you must
be prepared to discuss the article with your peers in the context of a moderated
class discussion. Before coming to class please make a note of your articles primary
methodological insights.

Required readings:

Students with Last names A-F read: Cook and Harrison (2007)
Students with Last names G-L read: Debbane and Keil (2004)
Students with last names M-R read: Pulido (2000)
Students with last names S-Z read: Keys et al., (2006)
Article review due

Week 10 (Nov 13): TBA or No Lecture: Group Research Project time

Week 11 (Nov 20): Poster Session I

Week 12 (Nov 27): Poster Session II & Course Wrap-up

Group Project Report Due Dec 4/ 2014

Course & University Policies


Written assignments
Formatting: Coursework must be word processed, 1.5-spaced, 12 point font size, unless
otherwise noted. Assignments should be proofread prior to submission and must include a
list of all references cited in the text, using the APA citation style (see the Uof T research
link in the resources section below).
Submission guidelines: All assignments must be handed in hard copy in class on the date
specified. Late assignments can be submitted via the drop-box located of ES 1049A (David
Powells office). Any work submitted after 5:00 PM will be counted as received on the
following business day (including weekends). You must keep copies of your assignments and
early drafts until your assignment is returned. Work submitted late will be accepted with a
5% daily penalty (including weekend days), up to seven days after the due date.
In case of an outstanding valid situation you must contact me in advance (with the obvious
exception of an unforeseen emergency arising). A completed University of Toronto
Verification of Student Illness or Injury Form (http://www.illnessverification.utoronto.ca/)
must be submitted for health reasons; other proof may be required by the instructor for nonmedical reasons.
Communication with the instructor
Please come to my scheduled office hours to see me for any course related matter. During
this time I am available to you. If for a valid reason you cannot come to my scheduled office
hours, an appointment can be made in advance via email or in class. Email should be
reserved for urgent matters and to coordinate appointments only. In general I do not
respond to questions about course content or substantive issues about an assignment by
email. Please come see me during office hours. I will make an effort to respond to your
email within 48 hours. I do not respond to emails on weekends.

BLACKBOARD
A BLACKBOARD site has been set for this course. This syllabus, readings, assignments and
other useful materials will be posted on it. I will also use BLACKBOARD to communicate
with the class. You are responsible for checking it regularly. To access the ENV223 website,
go to the UofT Portal login page at http://portal.utoronto.ca. login using your UTORid and
password. In the My Courses module you will find the link to the ENV223 course site.
Grading
the University Grading Practices Policy is available at:
http://www.governingcouncil.utoronto.ca/policies/grading.htm
General evaluation criteria for written work
The primary criteria used in evaluating written work are the following:
1. Mechanics: Defined as freedom from spelling and grammatical errors. Students are
expected to include thorough, accurate and consistent references in APA academic
referencing style that includes page numbering.
2. Writing style: Defined as clarity, succinctness, appropriate diction and tone.
3. Structure: Defined as coherence of the organization of the paper. The logic of the structure
is determined by the purpose, which is to test a hypothesis, answer a research question or
defend a thesis statement.
4. Precision and accuracy: Precision means saying exactly and specifically what you mean,
avoiding vague generalities. Accuracy refers to absence of major factual errors.
5. Analysis: Student essays are expected to include critical distance, reflection and originality
of thought. The proposal and term paper will be evaluated on the defensibility of their
analysis in terms of their use of evidence and logical coherence.
Evaluation criteria for poster presentations
The primary criteria used in evaluating poster presentations are the following:
1. Success in communicating key concepts succinctly and accurately, thereby demonstrating
sound understanding of the work being presented, both in the poster and orally.
2. Mechanics of communication, such as manner of speaking (including good diction and
tone), structure of the poster and level of organization, neatness, effective use of colour and
visuals and proper referencing.
3. Ability to respond appropriately and fairly to questions
Accessibility Needs Accessibility Needs: The University of Toronto is committed to
accessibility. If you require accommodations for a disability, or have any accessibility
concerns about the course, the classroom or course materials, please contact Accessibility
Services as soon as possible: disability.services@utoronto.ca or
http://studentlife.utoronto.ca/accessibility . You may also want to contact Accessibility
Services Office if you have problems arising from chronic issues or injuries sustained during

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the term that affect your ability to do tests or course work. For more information, see
http://www.accessibility.utoronto.ca/Faculty-and-Staff.htm.
Academic integrity
Plagiarism is an academic offense at the University of Toronto. Plagiarism is quoting (or
paraphrasing) the work of an author (including the work of fellow students) without proper
use of citation (and quotations marks when using an authors words). Students also should
not be submitting any academic work for which credit has previously been obtained or is
being sought, without first discussing with the instructor. Please consult the Rules and
Regulations section of the Arts and Science Calendar
(http://www.artsandscience.utoronto.ca/ofr/calendar/Rules_&_Regulations.html) for further
information and check the How not to plagiarize website at:
http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice/using-sources/how-not-to-plagiarize. Cases of
suspected plagiarism will be addressed in accordance with the procedure established by the
Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters.
Useful Resources
UofT Libraries Catalogue: http://search1.library.utoronto.ca/UTL/search.jsp
UofT Libraries Research: http://discover.library.utoronto.ca/students/research
UofT Writing: http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice
Copyright issues: Please refer to the Rules and Regulations section of the printed version of
the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Calendar for further details regarding audio and video
recordings of lectures, or other forms of reproduction of lecture presentations.

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