PhD Position All Aboard: Inclusive fieldwork in human geography higher education (1.0 FTE)

Utrecht University, Netherlands

Updated: 4 months ago

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PhD Position All Aboard: Inclusive fieldwork in human geography higher education (1.0 FTE)

Job description
Applicants are invited for a PhD position that examines how fieldwork in geography in higher education can be made more inclusive by adapting fieldwork practices, pedagogies and representations. Fieldwork is defined as any educational activity within the context of a course that takes place outside of a classroom. As such, fieldwork is a core pedagogy in geography education and its role in the curriculum is often taken for granted. However fieldwork also runs the risk of excluding students.
The research’s main question is: what are effective design guidelines for creating inclusive geographical fieldwork in Dutch higher education and how can teachers be supported to make fieldwork more inclusive?
This research project builds our understanding of effective design guidelines for pro-active inclusive fieldwork in human geography and spatial planning education, while simultaneously creating more inclusive fieldtrips and finding ways to support teachers that need to adapt to this pro-active approach. To understand the issues at stake, inclusion in fieldwork is conceptualised as a multifaceted phenomenon - encompassing firstly issues of belonging and autonomy to the group, secondly various concerns about the accessibility of the field, and finally questions regarding the relationship between those viewing and being viewed.
This research project takes an evidence based approach to create interventions in fieldwork in human geography and spatial planning that fit the context of Dutch higher education. The research project consists of four interconnected studies. The first step is measuring fieldwork perceptions, expectations and experiences of both students and teachers. To this end the multifaceted conceptualisation of inclusion in fieldwork will be translated into a tool for measuring inclusion in fieldwork. Insights for this first step will inspire the subsequent three steps in the project that focus on designing and evaluating interventions directed at A) gaze and intercultural competences; B) field activities; C) training and support for teachers.
The PhD contributes to making fieldwork in Geography in Higher Education in the Netherlands more inclusive by working from a pro-active approach that ensures fieldwork is a safe space for all students to learn. Since fieldwork is seen as a core pedagogy and deeply embedded in notions of what geography entails, this project is both highly relevant and timely. As the need for change is not felt by everyone involved in fieldwork, raising awareness and advocating for change, amongst both teachers and students, is part of the project.
The four interconnected studies call for a candidate with good understanding of both educational design and of valid ways to test and evaluate educational designs - for example by applying EDR, action research or participatory methods.  
The PhD will be based in the Department of Human Geography and Planning of the Faculty of Geoscience, Utrecht University, but will reach out to the other Human Geography & Spatial Planning Departments in the Netherlands (university), as well as to Geography Teacher training (university of applied sciences) to include those programmes in pilots. An expert meeting with teachers involved in fieldwork from these institutes will be set up in the early stages of the research.
The position starts in March, 2024.

Qualifications
We are looking for an enthusiastic, motivated team member, who wants to work together with teachers and students to make fieldwork more inclusive. Your research will span the whole range of fieldwork included in Bachelor and Master's programmes, from brief field activities at campus to international fieldtrips.
You:
  • have a Master's degree in Human Geography, Spatial Planning or Geography Education & Communication or closely related fields;
  • have affinity with fieldwork as a core pedagogy in geography education;
  • have affinity with inclusion and diversity in education;
  • have good research skills and affinity with either Education Design Research, action research or participatory methods;
  • are fluent in Dutch and have good academic writing skills in English.

Offer

We offer:

  • a position (1.0 FTE) for 1 year, with an extension to a total of four years upon a successful assessment in the first year, and with the specific intent that it results in a doctorate within this period;
  • a full-time gross salary between €2,770 in the first year and €3,539 in the fourth year of employment in scale P of the Collective Labour Agreement Dutch Universities;
  • 8% holiday bonus and 8.3% end-of-year bonus;
  • a pension scheme, partially paid parental leave, and flexible employment conditions based on the Collective Labour Agreement Dutch Universities.

In addition to the employment conditions from the CAO for Dutch Universities, Utrecht University has a number of its own arrangements. These include agreements on professional development , leave arrangements, sports and cultural schemes and you get discounts on software and other IT products. We also give you the opportunity to expand your terms of employment through the Employment Conditions Selection Model. This is how we encourage you to grow. For more information, please visit working at Utrecht University .

About the organization

A better future for everyone. This ambition motivates our scientists in executing their leading research and inspiring teaching. At Utrecht University , the various disciplines collaborate intensively towards major strategic themes . Our focus is on Dynamics of Youth, Institutions for Open Societies, Life Sciences and Pathways to Sustainability. Sharing science, shaping tomorrow .
Utrecht University's Faculty of Geosciences studies the Earth: from the Earth's core to its surface, including man's spatial and material utilisation of the Earth - always with a focus on sustainability and innovation. With 3,400 students (BSc and MSc) and 720 staff, the Faculty is a strong and challenging organisation. The Faculty of Geosciences is organised in four Departments: Earth Sciences, Human Geography & Spatial Planning, Physical Geography, and Sustainable Development.
The Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning investigates sustainability challenges in the context of an ongoing worldwide trend of increasing urbanisation. The Department’s ‘Urban Futures’ research programme focuses on the enhancement of long-term economic developments of cities, the inclusion and social inequalities in relation to transnational mobilities, the health outcomes of urban living as well as on the governance and planning of sustainability transformations of cities and urban regions. It develops novel theoretical and empirical approaches that are not solely at the forefront of academic debates but that also create new perspectives on successful policies and interventions to address urban challenges.
Our research programme is the basis for our research Masters Human Geography and Geographical Information Management and Applications and professional masters in Spatial Planning, Human Geography and International Development Studies. The department also runs a large and highly appreciated bachelor programme and is part of the Netherlands Graduate School of Urban and Regional Research for PhD candidates. Unique characteristics of the department are a special team focusing on innovations within teaching methods, a centre of expertise which brings the knowledge from fundamental research outside our university by educational programs for high-school teachers, and professional consultancy for public partners.

Additional information
For more information about this position, please contact Dr. Bouke van Gorp (Assistant Professor), via [email protected]

Apply
Everyone deserves to feel at home at our university. We welcome employees with a wide variety of backgrounds and perspectives.
To apply, please send your curriculum vitae, including a letter of motivation via the 'apply' button. Please include:
  • a reflection on a fieldwork experience (as student or teacher) and whether this fieldwork offered a safe space to learn;
  • an official transcript of your grades during the bachelor and master studies as well as the diplomas;
  • the applicant’s Master's thesis;
  • one name of a referee (for example thesis supervisor) who may be contacted for a letter of reference.

The application deadline is
08/01/2024
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