Social Research in Geography

GEOG2472 Social Research in Human Geography is a compulsory module for the BA Geography programme at Durham University. It is designed to develop students’ expertise in the use of various qualitative and quantitative techniques, give them experience in conducting research projects, and encourage critical reflection on the process of knowledge generation and representation. The module is taught by a team of more than 10 lecturers who specialise in particular research methods.

For 2025/2026, I am teaching the fieldwork component with a series of seminar sessions and a week-long fieldtrip to Glasgow at the end of Term 2.

The module is designed around the following principles:

• Developing and conducting research involves assumptions about the world and about the nature of knowledge. These should be reflected on and made explicit.
• Research is a process that involves different activities: developing a topic, the formulation of questions/problems, political and ethical concerns and commitment, the development of a methodology, the use of a technique, moments of reflection, writing up, and so on. Research is not necessarily a linear process and involves numerous moments of decision.
• The development of a methodology as an integrated set of techniques (e.g. interviews, questionnaires) and skills (e.g. conceptualising or analysing) is key. This development follows from the specific questions, problems or issues that you aim to explore.
• Different research methods – interviews, ethnography, statistical analysis and so on – work to generate different types of data i.e. they allow you to know the world, make sense of the world, and intervene in the world in specific ways.

There are four main complementary activities:

1. A set of introductory lectures will frame the course by raising a range of issues that should be considered when undertaking any research project.
2. A selection of practicals will give experience of using particularly important qualitative and quantitative methods and writing up research based on those methods.
3. A residential field work component provides experience of conducting an in-depth piece of research.
4. An individual research project for which students will develop a research proposal with the appointed Dissertations Supervisor. This will form the basis of the Level 3 BA Dissertation.

For the reading list, information on content by other staff and other details about the module, login to Durham Learn Ultra.