Aditi Mehta

Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream

Department of Geography & Planning and Urban Studies Program, Faculty of Arts & Science

Disciplinary Area: Social Sciences
Considerations for Undegraduate Research: Course and Curriculum Design Training

In her course URB342: Qualitative Research in Urban Studies, Professor Aditi Mehta teaches undergraduate students a different qualitative research method each week including participant observation, mapping, photography, soundscapes, and interviewing. Throughout the semester, students practice these various methods in a public space of their choice to design research projects. Through this process, students develop questions and arguments about the public space, and reflect on the knowledge production process.

Professor Mehta has created an interactive, digital map that showcases the local stories her students have collected through their research, sharing the narratives and visual elements from the last five years. The idea is to have students from the course contribute their research to the map each year for others in future cohorts to learn from and build on. It’s also a way for the Urban Studies Program to share student research and a resource for other scholars studying public space in Toronto.