Parkway Social Studies Professional Development, November 2014
Essential Question: Are We Entering Another Cold War?
Created by Dr. Paul Mack
Associate Professor (retired), Maryville University
November 4, 2014
Five Geographic Themes and Essential Questions Geographers Ask**
Location: Position on Earth’s Surface (Absolute & Relative)
Where and how will ten billion people live? (c) (e)
How does where we live affect our health? (a) (d) (f)
Place: Physical and Human Characteristics
Where and how will ten billion people live? (c) (e)
How does where we live affect our health? (a) (d) (f)
How can we best preserve biological diversity and protect endangered ecosystems? (b) (d) (e) (f)
Human/Environment Interaction: Shaping the Landscape
How can we best preserve biological diversity and protect endangered ecosystems? (b)
How are we changing the physical environment of Earth’s surface? (c) (d) (e) (f)
How are climate and other environmental changes affecting the vulnerabilities of coupled
human/environment systems? (c) (d) (f)
How are movements of people, goods and ideas changing the world? (a) (c)
How is globalization affecting income equality? (a) (c) (d) (e) (f)
How might we better observe, analyze and visualize a changing world? (b) (d) (f)
Movement: Humans Interacting on the Earth
Where and how will ten billion people live? (c)
How will we sustainably feed everyone in the coming decade and beyond? (b) (c)
How are geopolitical shifts influencing peace and stability? (a) (b) (c)
Regions: How they Form and Change
How are movements of people, goods and ideas changing the world? (a) (c) (d) (e) (f)
How are geopolitical shifts influencing peace and stability? (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) f)
How might we better observe, analyze and visualize a changing world? (b) (d) (f)
** Selected historians’ questions in parentheses: (a) cause & effect (b) change & continuity
(c) turning points
** Selected economists’ questions in parentheses: (d) what will be produced? (e) for whom will
it be produced? (f) how will it produced?
References
Balaban, Milos. “Global Power Transformations: Political, Economic and Security Dimensions.” Central European
Journal of International and Security Studies. (2012)
Bilgin, Pinar. “A Return to ‘Civilisational Geopolitics’ in the Mediterranean? Changing Geopolitical Images of the
European Union and Turkey in the Post-Cold War Era.” Geopolitics. (2004)
Chiozza, Giacomo. “Is There a Clash of Civilizations? Evidence from Patterns of International Conflict
Involvement, 1946-97.” Journal of Peace Research. (2002)
Cohen, Saul. “Global Geopolitical Change in the Post-Cold War Era.” Annals of the Association of American
Geographers. (1991)
Eisenhower, Susan. “Cold War Legacy: Not What We Did to Them, but What We Did to Ourselves.” Omni. (1993)
Flint, Colin, et al. “Conceptualizing ConflictSpace: Toward a Geography of Relational Power and Embeddedness in
the Analysis of Interstate Conflict.” Annals of the Association of American Geographers. (2009)
Haning, Trey. “Geography of War: The Significance of Physical and Human Geography Principles.” Focus on
Geography. (2009)
Gray, Colin. “How Has War Changed Since the End of the Cold War?” Discussion paper for conference on The
Changing Nature of Warfare. U.S. National Intelligence Council. (2004)
Heffernan, Michael. “Geography, Cartography and Military Intelligence: The Royal Geographical Society and the
First World War.” The Royal Geographical Society. (1996)
Klare, Michael. ”The New Geography of Conflict.” Foreign Affairs. (2001)
LeBillon, Philippe. Fuelling War: Natural Resources and Armed Conflict. Adelphi Paper 373, Routledge. Oxford,
2005.
“List of National Border Changes Since World War I.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/list_of_national_boder_changes_since_World_war_I (accessed spring 2014)
Mackinder, Sir Halford J. “The Round World and the Winning of the Peace.” Foreign Affairs. (1943)
Mearsheimer, John. “Back to the Future: Instability in Europe After the Cold War.” International Security. (1990)
Nijman, Jan. “The Political Geography of the Post Cold War World.” Annals of the Association of American
Geographers. (1992a)
Nijman, Jan. “The Limits of Superpower: The United States and the Soviet Union since World War II.” Annals of
the Association of American Geographers. (1992b)
The Geography of Conflict: The Impact of Conflict on Geography.”
http://www.rgs.org/ourworkschools/teaching+resources/key+stage+3+resources/the+geography+of+conflict/the+i
mpact+of+conflict+on+geography.htm (accessed spring 2014)
Watts, Michael. “Antinomies of Community: Some Thoughts on Geography, Resources and Empire.” Trans Inst Br
Geogr (2004)