Field studies in the course 'Contemporary approaches to Studies of Places and Environment'

Group work presentation. In the middle of the picture on the table lays a hand drawn diagram on an A3 sheet with "Invisible lake" written in the middle.

Birdwatching hide at Lake Pape. You can see a wooden boardwalk leading to the hide and the reeds around it.

Students stand in a semicircle around the professor, who presents the tasks. Trees and camping log cabins can be seen in the background.

Group work presentation. Students sit at a wooden table and present the scheme and drawings drawn on an A3 sheet. In the background of the picture are listeners and wooden houses.

The group walks along a narrow, overgrown trail that is very closely surrounded by evergreens. A sign with an arrow, a pedestrian and a bicycle can be seen by the trail.

How does water form assemblages? How does water agency affect the relations between people and water?

These and other questions were explored and discussed in the Geography Masters course Contemporary approaches to Studies of Places and Environment (SDSKM049), which brought together students from the Environmental Science and Philosophy Masters programmes, as well as Erasmus students from Germany and Finland (21 students in total).

The field part of the course, which took place from 7 to 9 June in the Pape Nature Park, integrated the themes of the project, focusing also on different aspects related to the relationship between man and water. By walking around Lake Pape and through the landscapes of the village of Pape Koniņi and the Baltic Sea, the students focused on sensory experience, affective mapping, psychogeographic drift, more-than-human agency, as well as water management and nature conservation practices.

The course was led by the project participants - Associate Professor Anita Zariņa, Assistant Professor Anne Sauka and PhD student Karīna Ješkina.

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