Aims

This module aims to:
i) introduce students to the study of everyday geographies
ii) explore a range of everyday spaces (such as the home, the workplace, the neighbourhood) and the everyday practices and relationships that animate them
iii) encourage students to critically reflect on their own everyday geographies, practices and relationships
iv) identify and develop ways of studying and thinking about the everyday, in theory and in practice.

Outline Of Syllabus

Indicative Syllabus

Introduction: The Importance of Everyday Life (Weeks 1-4)
- Everyday Practices
- Everyday Relationships
- Thinking Ethnographically
- Thinking Psychosocially

Everyday Spaces (Weeks 5-9)
A range of the following will be studied each year; 'pairs' of lectures (e.g. the home and the family; friendship and acquaintance) will be supported by seminars:
For example, The Home; The Family, Parenthood; The Community; The Neighbourhood; Friendship; Acquaintance; Education; The Workplace; Spaces of Consumption; Leisure and Pleasure; Health and Welfare; Movement and Mobility

The Everyday in the Field (Weeks 10-11)
- Researching the Everyday in the Field
- Half-day group field work in Cullercoats exploring concepts and theories of everyday life

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

The lectures form the core of the module, introducing students to the concepts, theories, literatures, skills and case studies that are explored, interrogated and analysed in the more practical elements. The lectures will be supported by some class-based workshops (led by the module leader) and some TA-led seminars that will enable students to really engage with the relevant literatures and debates. The practical elements – an ‘everyday interview’ and group fieldwork in Cullercoats – are intended to enable students to reflect on and put into practice the ideas at the heart of the module, challenging them to make connections to their own lives and those of the people around them and to connect the academic material to ‘real world’ contexts. In preparation for both the interview and fieldwork, students will be expected to complete a directed reading and research task and will have the opportunity to attend a drop-in with the module leader to plan and discuss their work. They will also be expected to meet with a group of their peers to work through their plans. Follow-up peer group meetings will take place after both the interview and the fieldwork to support the students’ analyses. These peer group meetings will encourage students to work together in a supportive environment and, in the case of the fieldwork, to work and plan as a team, and will be supported by additional small-group seminars.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

The required assessments directly reflect the form and content of the taught material. The first assessment will support the students’ learning around core concepts and approaches. The second assessment will support their learning around the thematic parts of the module and require them to connect these to their earlier conceptual work. It will also demand that the students connect their academic work to ‘real world’ contexts and experiences.

Because of the nature of the planned assessments, any resit will take the form of an unseen exam.