Building quantitative literacy in critical human geography curriculum

ABSTRACT

This paper argues for increased attention to quantitative literacy in undergraduate critical human geography curriculum. The rationale is twofold: On the one hand, it is increasingly easy to integrate quantitative material into curriculum, given the widespread availability of open-source or low-cost platforms for interpreting data. On the other hand, it is increasingly important to develop quantitative literacy informed by critical theory in a political era of anti-science rhetoric and resurgent propaganda. The paper reviews recent scholarship on quantitative methods in critical human geography, highlighting a shift toward methodological pluralism in both research and pedagogy. This creates opportunities for enhancing human geography curriculum, for instance, by applying technical skills while thinking critically about the social construction of data. This is explored with a case study on quantitative exercises in introductory Human Geography curriculum at a public university in the United States, evaluating strategies for integrating critical spatial theory with quantitative data analysis, and tools for assessing the educational value added by their integration.

KEYWORDS:

• Critical geography
• quantitative geography
• geography education

Acknowledgments

A particular note of thanks is due to my students, who have participated in the coursework on which this paper is based, and have provided immensely helpful feedback over the years. Thanks are also due to Tim Hall and Niamh Moore-Cherry for their feedback on earlier drafts of the paper, and for organizing the journal symposium of which it is a part.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).