Interview with 23/24 GeogEd Dissertation Winner: Emily West

What inspired you to choose your dissertation topic and how did you narrow down your focus?

My dissertation topic was inspired by British Sign Language modules I had taken in my second and third year of my degree. From the British Sign Language modules, I felt that it would enable me to learn a beautiful language and contribute towards an inclusive society, being able to communicate with others. Continuing this module into my final year, I found myself thinking more and generating questions, from why British Sign Language is not taught in schools to all from a young age, how do Deaf people feel in their environment, and how is the world built and socially constructed. I felt like these questions were coming from a geographical mindset which I had built up over the three years of the course. I noted this and my eagerness to understand and question, and it was from this where British Sign language became the focus of my dissertation. Knowing that I wanted this to be my focus, I had started to blend some of these questions from a Geographical perspective and concepts which I had built up over the years, of which there were many! When looking back to my first year I realised how much I had enjoyed the aspects of childhood and education within the Geographies of Global Change module. It took many mind maps, and many situations of one step forward and then two steps back before I reached the focus of my dissertation, which blended British Sign Language with Geographies of education, more specifically the space of education.

How did you find the dissertation experience? What were the highs and lows (challenges and rewards)?

The dissertation experience was very rewarding. Even though there were some difficult moments, these are the moments that actually make the dissertation process. It means you have to really push through. It makes you appreciate the support from others, from friends going through the same process, family who listen to some of your crazy ideas, and from academic tutors who have a wealth of knowledge about the process. The dissertation experience has rounded me as a person both academically and personally. The dissertation is not a streamlined process, in the fact that you cannot just pluck an idea out of thin air and run with it.  I encountered many walls at each stage of the process, from starting with an idea that I was prepared to run with after reading literature, to realising this was not feasible. I then had to carry out lots more work with literature to identify my new focus. I think this was the biggest challenge but also simultaneously the biggest reward as it has truly helped shape my mindset, that no matter in life when you face these challenges and ‘dead ends’ that you can always work around it, you can build bridges. 

Researching something that I found interesting was an experience I will be forever grateful for. The most rewarding part was the opportunity to learn more about the Deaf community and what a beautiful language it is. 

What advice would you give other undergraduate students undertaking a (Geography and Education) dissertation?

Firstly, choose a topic for your dissertation that you do genuinely have an interest in. Putting your focus into something that you enjoy researching and find interesting definitely makes the process easier.

Try to clearly identify which perspective you will identify education from, and keep this in mind throughout the process as it is super easy to deviate from your focus when you find the various theories, concepts and perspectives of education and geography. 

Read, listen, talk and note. Read the different literature that is available, read different articles, review different videos. Finding readings related to Geographies of Education and education and space, was key in maintaining my focus of the dissertation. Listen to those with knowledge about the process, listen to those who have first-hand experience with your topic. Talk to others, talk to friends, celebrate your wins like finding a useful reading, or that you have completed the draft of your questionnaire. Vent to your family, vent about the difficulties of finding people to interview. Talk out loud when you have ideas, note these down. Having a notebook to write down words, phrases and ideas. Having a notes page in your phone to jot down anything that may come to mind, this is especially useful when you are in the middle of doing your food shop and then something randomly but brilliant springs to mind!  These all stem ideas and will most likely formulate your dissertation.