M8-MA Project: Research Workshop + Seminar "Exploring geographies of hiking in the Rhine River Region "
Instructors: Jun.-Prof. Dr. Verena BrinksShortname: M8-MA
Course No.: 09.050.467
Course Type: Projektseminar
Anwesenheitspflicht
yesRequirements / organisational issues
This year's research workshop is dedicated to the topic of 'hiking' and 'outdoor' activities. In the last years, hiking has become an increasingly popular leisure activity, generating manifold interests by different actors in the field (e.g. outdoor industry, tourism, regional development agencies...). Hiking/outdoor constitutes a rich research area which can be explored from various perspectives of human geography.On the one hand, the hiking trend illustrates the desire of experiening 'untouched nature' and escaping from daily, often highly technologized, practices. On the other hand, contemporary hiking experiences are extremely mediatized, for instance, on social media. People film themselves in rough terrain or within scenic landscapes aiming at demonstrating adventurous tours in exceptional environments. Also, the outdoor industry (e.g. clothing) recorded intensive growth in the last years, marketizing the idea of protecting people from a supposedly dangerous 'nature'.
Moreover, regions and municipalities are increasingly interested in creating and marketizing hiking paths as part of a regional economic development strategy, aiming at attracting tourists. An example is the nearby "Rheinsteig", a 320 km hiking path which was created 2005 and leads through North Rhine Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse.
Students will develop an own research project related to the topic of the research workshop. In small teams, they will collect and analyze own empirical data in the Rhine region. A research report has to be submitted at the end.
In the seminar sessions, the thematic and methodological foundations will be laid and students will develop their research design. In mid/end of July (probably in the week 21 to 27 July), we will travel to nearby hiking paths (probably "Rheinsteig" or "Rheinburgenweg") and familiarize ourselves with the research topic and collect first data. In addition, students will organize own (day)trips for collecting their data (the use of public transportation with the "Deutschlandticket" is recommended).
There will be expenses which have to be covered by the participants (e.g. up to six nights in youth hostels/hotels - details will be determined later; currently I do not expect expenses higher than 300 Euro per person). The research workshop requires the willingness and ability to spend much time outside and for quite long walks. However, advanced hiking experiences are not required.
Additional information
Please note that your registration for the course is binding. If you withdraw after the binding registration, you will have to bear the full amount of the actual costs incurred if no replacement participant can be found. Please keep this in mind when registering!We recommend you get travel cancellation insurance.
Dates
| Date (Day of the week) | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 05/09/2025 (Friday) | 14:00 - 18:00 | 02 142 N 239 1341 - Naturwissenschaftliches Institutsgebäude |
| 05/23/2025 (Friday) | 14:00 - 18:00 | 02 142 N 239 1341 - Naturwissenschaftliches Institutsgebäude |
| 06/27/2025 (Friday) | 14:00 - 18:00 | 02 142 N 239 1341 - Naturwissenschaftliches Institutsgebäude |
| 07/04/2025 (Friday) | 14:00 - 18:00 | 02 142 N 239 1341 - Naturwissenschaftliches Institutsgebäude |
| 07/21/2025 (Monday) | 00:00 - 00:00 | Excursion |
| 07/22/2025 (Tuesday) | 00:00 - 00:00 | Excursion |
| 07/23/2025 (Wednesday) | 00:00 - 00:00 | Excursion |
| 07/24/2025 (Thursday) | 00:00 - 00:00 | Excursion |
| 07/25/2025 (Friday) | 00:00 - 00:00 | Excursion |
| 07/26/2025 (Saturday) | 00:00 - 00:00 | Excursion |
| 07/27/2025 (Sunday) | 00:00 - 00:00 | Excursion |