Enhancing Fieldwork Futures: race and inclusion in Geography field trips

Fieldwork is integral to studying Geography. It is recognized in the QAA Subject Benchmark (2022) and in the requirements for accreditation by the professional body (RGS-IBG, no date). Fieldwork has pedagogical and social benefits (Marvell and Sim 2018; Stokes et al. 2011; Wheeler et al. 2011). Maximising out-of-class academic experiences increases informal interactions among students and staff, enabling the development of ‘field-based learning communities’ (Skop, 2014). However, recent research has exposed counter-narratives to this, in terms of inclusivity and accessibility for participants, particularly in relation to ‘protected characteristics’ (UK Equality Act, 2010) such as race (Foster, 2021; Hughes, 2016), disability (Lawrence and Dowey, 2022) and sexuality (Sou, 2021).

This project draws upon interviews with students to explore how Geography fieldwork can be made more accessible and inclusive to Global Ethnic Majority students.