Challenging ideals of reciprocity in undergraduate teaching: the unexpected benefits of unpredictable cross-cultural fieldwork

Abstract

Geographers are increasingly grappling with the theoretical and practical implications of integrating an ethics of reciprocity into undergraduate learning and teaching. This paper draws on the unexpected experiences of a third-year human geography research methods fieldtrip to examine the process of balancing undergraduate student learning and assessment outcomes, with tangible outputs often-desired by Indigenous tour operator partners. Reflections from students and academic staff highlight the challenges of realizing ideals of reciprocity within the complex and ever shifting cross-cultural research context.

Keywords::

• ethics
• reciprocity
• undergraduate learning
• teaching
• fieldtrip
• Indigenous Australia

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the three anonymous reviewers whose insightful comments and suggestions helped guide the revisions. We would also like to thank the students of ENVG380 for their invaluable contribution to this research.