This core course introduces you to spatial thinking and data-oriented approaches in geographic research while enhancing your skills in quantitative methods and GIS. You'll reflect on how these methods address societal issues and their connections to important theories in Human Geography. This course builds on the quantitative methods and spatial analysis modules from the Human Geography and Planning bachelor’s programme.

Delve into human geography's nature and the role of geographers in society, through the exploration of various perspectives like Marxism, feminism, and post-structuralism. Get equipped with tools to analyze articles independently, contribute to debates, and shape your thesis and future professional path as geographer. Core questions ponder the characteristics of human geography, geographers' roles, constraints they face, and the societal use of geographical expertise, encouraging critical reflection on future societal roles after graduation.

This course teaches you to reflexively assess the use of GIS systems, cartography, Big Data and large-N quantitative methods in academia, public policy and the private sector. It will present theories on knowledge production, data and information use about broader societal issues. Such issues may include questions of surveillance, geopolitics, colonialism, the (mis)use of algorithms and AI, social media, personal data ownership, the right to the city, and the statistical politics of policy research. Beyond this, the role of data and spatial analysis in considering alternatives and futures will also be discussed.

In Block 3, the Human Geography programme offers two capstone projects: Geofocus and Future Societies Lab. You will select one. Geofocus, commonly a fieldwork-oriented course abroad, offers you an opportunity to collect spatial data in the field. Future Societies Lab allows you to engage and co-create with societal and policy actors and is followed together with planning students. It has a focus on sustainability issues.

While methods courses commonly cover limited basic design principles, this course aims to teach you advanced methods and techniques in effective data visualisation of geographical and statistical data, while thinking critically on the impact of visualisation choices. The course develops skills related to communicating research results to both academic and non-academic audiences.

The master's thesis is the final part of the MSc Human Geography, integrating knowledge and skills from the program. Working in thematic groups, you will delve into projects aligned with core courses, engaging in group and individual meetings with supervisors.