Panel details

Panel organiser(s) will be presenting	In-Person & Online
Number of paper presentations	3

Abstract

The literature in geography is clear on the benefits of “field trips”. Beyond the classroom, students learn how theory links with practice; gain opportunities to create relations with stakeholders; and develop skills for their futures (Arcodia et al., 2021). When teaching crises, conflict and displacement, these benefits are useful for students; developing ethically conscious global citizens who better understand context, positionality and their relationship with the world. Yet, taking students into the field where vulnerable populations exist is not easy. This panel invites frank and open discussions about how we create field trips as experiential learning in our teaching. What are the ethical and practical challenges? How are unequal power relations managed between student and host? How do we reduce our carbon footprint? What is the burden on already overstretched staff? Going beyond the question of whether this type of learning should or should not exist; instead, we want to learn from each other about how to do “field trips” well so that not only our students benefit, but also those they wish to serve in the future. This is an informal session aimed at giving those who use experiential learning as part of their pedagogy the chance to voice its place in humanitarian studies.

Paper presentations