Staff Profile
Dr Pauline Couper
Associate Professor in Geography, Associate Head: Geography and Liberal Arts
As a geographer I exemplify the broad and eclectic nature of the discipline. My publications span geomorphology, philosophy of geography, cultural geographies of nature, outdoor adventure and geography, and research and teaching in Higher Education. I thus resist the labels 'human geographer' or 'physical geographer', preferring to identify as a geographer.
I studied at Worcester for my PhD in geomorphology, which I completed part time whilst also working in Earth heritage conservation. I then took up a lectureship at Plymouth Marjon University, teaching across geography and outdoor adventure education programmes (2002 to 2014), and taking on some research management responsibilities. I joined York St John University in 2014 to lead the new provision in Geography.
I have a Postgraduate Certificate in Learning & Development in HE from the University of Exeter. I am a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (with Institute of British Geographers) and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
- School – School of Humanities
- Email – p.couper@yorksj.ac.uk
- Phone – 01904 876 805
- Research - View my work in RaY
Teaching
Through my teaching I am to enable students to think about the world using multiple different perspectives, and do geography for themselves. I have taught on modules across the undergraduate programmes, but at present most of my teaching is on the second-year Geographical Thought module and first-year Earth Systems and Geomorphology. I also supervise undergraduate dissertations. I appear occasionally in other modules, including on the Liberal Arts Foundation Year.
Research
My current research focuses on the cognitive, embodied and socio-cultural dimensions of field research in geomorphology. This is an investigation of how field science works in practice, that seeks to articulate aspects of research normally left unwritten.
More broadly, my interests lie in knowledges of nature (from the scientific to the experiential) and philosophy of geography. My doctoral research in geomorphology was very much based in scientific knowledges of nature, but more recently I have explored embodied and affective encounters with nature on land and sea through outdoor activities. I am also interested in Geography as a discipline - a collective enterprise, or shared set of practices, to know the world. I have always been drawn to thinking about the big abstract ideas and assumptions that we make as geographers, from ideas about how landscape change works to assumptions about what exists and what constitutes knowledge.
Publications
Books:
Couper, PR (2015) A Student’s Introduction to Geographical Thought: Theory, Philosophy, Methodology. London: SAGE.
Book Chapters:
Couper, PR (2022) Positivism. In Ballamingie, P & Szanto, D (eds) Showing Theory to Know Theory: Understanding Social Science Concepts Through Illustrative Vignettes. Open Educational Resource, Rebus Community / Carlton University.
Couper, PR, (2020) Epistemology. In: Kobayashi, A (ed), International Encyclopedia of Human Geography (2nd ed), vol. 4. Elsevier. 275–284.
In refereed journals:
Couper, P (2023) Interpretive field geomorphology as cognitive, social, embodied and affective epistemic practice. The Canadian Geographer. https://doi.org/10.1111/cag.12821
Porter, S & Couper PR (2021) Autoethnographic stories for self and environment: reflective pedagogy to advance ‘environmental awareness’ in student outdoor practitioners. Journal of Adventure Education & Outdoor Learning. https://doi.org/10.1080/14729679.2021.1935284
Couper, PR (2017) The embodied spatialities of being in nature: encountering the nature/culture binary in green/blue space. cultural geographies. 25 (2): 285-299. doi: 10.1177/1474474017732978
Couper, PR (2017) Visibility and invisibility in, of, and through textbook production. Area. 50 (1): 43-45. doi: 10.1111/area.12398/
Couper, PR & Porter, S (2016) ‘Environmental awareness’ and rock climbing: changing pedagogies to enhance pro-environmental graduate attributes. Journal of Geography in Higher Education 40 (2): 207-221.
Couper, PR & Yarwood, R (2012) Confluences of human and physical geography research on the outdoors: an introduction to the special section on ‘Exploring the Outdoors’. Area 44 (1):2-6.
Couper, PR & Ansell, L (2012) Researching the outdoors: exploring the unsettled frontier between science and adventure. Area 44 (1):14-21.
Couper, PR & Stoakes, G (2011) Introducing SandRA: visual representation of the research/teaching nexus as a tool in the dissemination of a new research strategy. Higher Education Quarterly 65 (1): 94-105.
Couper, PR; Dawson, C; Lea, S & Spencer, L (2009) ‘Learning to sing together’: developing a community of research practice through dialogue. Critical & Reflective Practice in Education.1 (1)
Couper, PR (2007) Fluvial geomorphology and semiotics: a Wittgensteinian perspective of the ‘divide’ between human and physical geography. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers 32 (3): 279-294.
Couper, PR (2004) Time and space in river bank erosion research: a review. Area 36 (4): 387-403.
Couper, PR (2003) Effects of silt-clay content on the susceptibility of river banks to subaerial erosion. Geomorphology 56 (1-2): 95-108.
Couper, PR; Stott, TA and Maddock, IP (2002) Insights into river bank erosion processes derived from analysis of negative erosion pin recordings: observations from three recent UK studies. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 27 (1): 59-79.
Couper, PR and Maddock, IP (2001) Subaerial river bank erosion processes and their interaction with other bank erosion mechanisms on the River Arrow, Warwickshire, UK. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 26 (6): 631-646.
Contribution to published conference proceedings:
Couper, P. (1998) The RIGS Questionnaire. In Oliver, P.G. (ed), Proceedings of the First UK RIGS Conference. Herefordshire and Worcestershire RIGS Group, Worcester. pp 209-216.
Others:
Stoakes, G & Couper, P (2012) Visualising the research-teaching nexus. In Miller, A & Strong, J (eds), What is Research-led Teaching? A Multi-Disciplinary Perspective. London: GuildHE. pp11-16.
Couper, P & Stott, T (2006) Field safety training for staff in Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences in HE: establishing a framework. Teaching Earth Sciences 31.2
Couper, P & Stott, T (2006) Field safety training for staff in Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences in HE: establishing a framework. Planet 16: 4-8
Couper, P & Stott, T (2006) Field safety training for staff in Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences in HE: establishing a framework. Unpublished Project Report (copies sent to all Geography, Earth & Environmental Science departments in HE, and all relevant HE subject organizations).
Jones, CV and Couper, PR (2001) Accessing a database revolution. Earth Heritage 15: p 7.
Couper, PR; Morris, L and Thornhill, RM (2001) Herefordshire and Worcestershire RIGS Group Five-Year Plan Presentation. Earth Heritage. 14: p 5.
Couper, PR (1999) Finding what RIGS Groups are made of. Earth Heritage 11: p 8.
Conferences
Conference presentations:
2023 Emotion work in physical geography fieldwork: revealing the burden. Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) Annual International Conference, London.
2022 Convenor: Teaching Geographical Thought in the World: Purposes, Practices, Experiences discussion panel, Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) Annual International Conference, Newcastle.
2021 The first decade of the HPGRG Undergraduate Dissertation Prize. RGS History and Philosophy of Geography Research Group 40th Anniversary Symposium, online (Sept 2021).
2021 ‘Getting your eye in’: the language-practice of seeing landforms in geomorphology. Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) Annual International Conference, London (Sept 2021).
2018 (with Ben Garlick) Gardening with the remains of “a living archive”: The Humberhead Peatlands as Anthroposcenic, Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) Annual International Conference, Cardiff (Sept 2018).
2018 Being in nature: challenging the myth of human mastery. Nature Connections, Derby (June 2018).
2017 Doing geographical research: a social and physical activity. Guest lecture, Geography Department, University of Bergen (Sept 2017)
2017 ‘Geography is what Geographers do’: a Wittgensteinian reprieve. Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) Annual International Conference, London (Aug 2017).
2016 Panel discussant in session titled The publication and utilization of geography textbooks, convened by Tim Hall & James Sidaway, Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) Annual International Conference, London.
2015 Nature & Culture: The problem of Geography’s human/physical ‘divide’. 64th Lovatt Lecture, University of Worcester.
2013 (with Su Porter) Self-awareness, environmental awareness and rock climbing: using auto-ethnography to enhance graduate attributes in an Outdoor Adventure Education degree.Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) Annual International Conference, London.
2012 (with Julie Evans) The experiences of CREST’s part-time research students. Presentation to CREST Research Leads, CREST/GuildHE, London.
2013 (with Julie Evans) The part-time doctoral experience. Meeting the Needs of Part-Time Postgraduate Students, UK Council for Graduate Education, London (08/02/13).
2013 The ‘research/teaching nexus’. ‘Securing external funding for research’ – Arts & Humanities. CREST Research Skills Seminar, Plymouth College of Art (02/07/13).
2012 (with Tim Hall) convening session titled ‘When is a geographer not a geographer? The security of Geographers’ identities through change’ (sponsored by the History & Philosophy of Geography Research Group and the Higher Education Research Group). Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) Annual International Conference, Edinburgh.
2011 Academic language-games and the problem of the ‘research/teaching nexus’. CREST Education Seminar, GuildHE, London (seminar convenor).
2009 (with Richard Yarwood) Current research and researching currents: perspectives on the Great Outdoors from human and physical geography. Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) Annual International Conference, session on “The Great Outdoors?” convened by Couper and Yarwood (supported by the Rural Geography Research Group).
2008 (with Gaynor Pollard, Sue Lea, Colin Dawson & Lisa Spencer) Learning to Sing Together: Developing Researcher Identities. Marjon Learning, Teaching & Research Conference.
2007 The River System as a Semiotic Scalar Hierarchy. International Conference on Complex Systems, Boston (MA).
(with Geoff Stoakes) Research and Scholarly Activity: Implications for a Teaching-Led Institution. Marjon Learning, Teaching & Research Conference.
2006 (with Geoff Stoakes) Introducing SandRA – implications for practice. 3HEIs Change Champions Event: Encouraging a scholarly, strategically aligned approach to teaching. North East Wales Institute, Wrexham.
With a little help from SandRA: integrating institutional, (individual) lecturer, and student perspectives on research and teaching in Geography. Royal Geographical Society Annual International Conference.
What’s the meaning of this? The language-games of human geography and physical geography. Royal Geographical Society Annual International Conference.
2005 Measuring the ‘where and when’ of river bank erosion. Royal Geographical Society Annual International Conference.
2001 Poster presentation: Subaerial river bank erosion – an underestimated erosive force. British Geomorphological Research Group Annual Conference.
2000 River bank erosion and soil particle size. British Geomorphological Research Group Postgraduate Symposium
1998 Poster presentation: The RIGS questionnaire. First UK RIGS conference.
1998 Investigating the influence of soil particle size on river bank erosion. British Hydrological Society Postgraduate Symposium
Professional Activities & Memberships
I am active member of the geographical academic community. I am a member of the Royal Geographical Society's History & Philosophy of Geography Research Group (HPGRG) and Geography and Education Research Group (GeogEd). I am a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG), Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, and member of the Society of Authors. I have served as external examiner and on validation panels.
Qualifications
Postgraduate Certificate in Learning & Development (Exon), 2004
PhD: River bank erosion & the influence of soil particle size (Coventry), 2001
BA (Hons) Geographical Studies (Coventry) – first class, 1995