Undergraduate Research Field Trip to Latvia and Estonia, February 10-17, 2019

Photo credit: Tourism.narva.ee 

Eight successful applicants from the BEAR Network joined thirteen third-year undergraduate students from the University of Glasgow for a field trip to the Baltic region. The trip took place across three cities: Riga (Latvia), Narva and Tallinn (Estonia) where the students experienced a rich program of cultural and research-based activities.This field trip, designed for upper-level undergraduate students in the Social Sciences, provides students with an opportunity to consider how to conduct research ‘in the field’.

The research activities included reflexive observations of the spaces (focusing on public monuments and museums), meetings with local experts, and reflexive discussion on how the experience of being in the field challenges, or modifies, pre-conceived ideas.

Participants were expected to compose short, reflexive research diaries based on their time on the field trip. Additionally, each student wrote a research proposal. This serves to set out a hypothetical (but feasible) research project that the student could conduct in the region.

Students were joined on this trip by Prof. David Smith (University of Glasgow), Prof. Benjamin Forest (McGill University) and Dr. Ammon Cheskin (University of Glasgow).

Schedule:

10 February:      Arrival in Riga

11 February:      Visit to Museum of the Occupation of Latvia, including Q&A with museum staff.

12 February:      Visit to Žanis Lipke Memorial and discussion with staff. Tour of Latvia’s National Library.

13 February:      Travel to Narva

14 February:      Discussion with Kristina Kallas at Narva College (Director of Narva College,    Leader of Political Party Estonia 200, and Head of the Supervisory Board of the Estonian Integration Foundation). Meeting with staff from Integration Foundation Narva

15 February:      Travel to Tallinn

16 February:      Tour of Museum of Occupations and Freedom. Visit to the ‘Bronze Statue’.

17 February:      Departure from Tallinn

Check out the “Baltic Memories” video and pictures from the trip. Courtesy of Prof. Benjamin Forest, McGill University.