Human Geography advice

[martylaine1]

I was previously interested in obtaining an M.A. in Anthropology but believe Human Geography would be a better fit. My interests are as follows: refugee/IDP/returnee migrations/settlements, urban geography in Asia, migrations due to humanitarian disasters and international development work.

 

I am really interested in urban anthropology, especially in larger Asian cities that are in transformation due to different issues. Could someone currently studying Human Geography provide me with a list of what the most frequently used textbooks. I'm trying to get a sense of whether this is a good fit and would like to know what textbooks are standard for Human Geography studies so I can get a better idea of whether Human Geography is the right path. I'm not as interested in the GIS/tech side of geography and want to focus on research that combines some urban anthropology to assess human interaction within cities and how different neighborhoods evolved and self-identify ethnically, politically, etc.

 

Thanks,

 

Marty

[mybattleship]

Honestly, I don't think there's going to be significant differences between an MA in Anthropology and an MA in Geography for these topics. There's a lot of overlap between the two disciplines. I think any good department (in anthropology, geography, sociology, etc) is going to be drawing on ideas and scholarship from a variety of disciplines. I would suggest keeping an open mind, developing a project a little more robustly (maybe something site specific so as to help guide your thinking), and then tracking down professors who are doing similar work regardless of their disciplinary orientation.

Edited June 30, 2015 by mybattleship

[went_away]

With your international and cross-cutting work interests (NGO, development, natural disasters, humanitarian aid), you'd probably be best off at a top international affairs program. Check out the Fletcher MALD degree; from what I hear you can pretty much pick and choose from the courses, so you'd be able to self-design a degree focused on human geography, development, Asia, and the like. Also, Fletcher is very strong in the NGO/nonprofit world (can be seen as a good or bad thing). This is a very competitive field, so your best chance at an offer is to go to the best school you can and get a decent sumer internship.

 

Disclaimer: I graduated from Fletcher, but not from the MALD degree (sometime wish I had done the MALD though!).

[zenslakr]

You are asking the wrong question. If you are wondering what Urban Geography is like, you should google syllabi. Sounds like you would be interested in programs like Berkeley or University of Washington, which are strong on Urban ethnography and Asia.