What is geography?
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Definitions
Parts of geography
Parts of geography in 5 themes and 6
essential elements
Jobs of geographers
Do you think like a geographer?
Misconceptions of geography
1. Definition
Patricia Gober, Past-President of
Association of American Geographers:
Geography is more than a repository
of place facts. It encompasses the
dynamic interactions that give
character to places, the spatial
organization of human activity and
natural processes on the surface of
the Earth, and the influence that
places have on a wide range of natural
and human events.
Royal Geographical Society
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/freethinking2006/pip/hcb0r -1 hour lecture why geography is essential in the future of
our world
2. Parts of geography
Common organization: Jeff Lee, Texas Tech
University
2. Parts of geography (cont’d)
Many geography
departments have this
organization
2. Parts of geography (cont’d)
2. Parts of geography (cont’d)
2. Parts of geography (cont’d)
3. Parts of geography in the K-12
World: 5 themes
Five Themes of Geography (thinking like a
geographer)
 Location: Where is it located?
Absolute
and Relative
 Place: What is it like there?
 Human Environment Interaction: How
do people relate to their environment?
 Movement: How are people, goods, and
ideas moved?
 Regions: How are areas linked together?
Relative Location
Absolute Location
Clear Placement on Geographic Grid
Five Themes of Geography: This will be
covered in detail in several lessons
for your students that help them learn
to think geographically.
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Location: Where is it located? Absolute
and Relative
Place: What is it like there?
Human Environment Interaction: How do
people relate to their environment?
Movement: How are people, goods, and
ideas moved?
Regions: How are areas linked together?
3. Parts of geography in the K-12
World: content of geography
Six Essential Elements (16 national
standards of geography)
http://www.ncge.org/publications/tutorial/standards/
THE WORLD IN SPATIAL TERMS
PLACES AND REGIONS
PHYSICAL SYSTEMS
HUMAN SYSTEMS
ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIETY
THE USES OF GEOGRAPHY
STANDARD 1: How to use maps and other geographic
representations, tools, and technologies to acquire,
process, and report information.
STANDARD 2: How to use mental maps to organize
information about people, places, and environments.
STANDARD 3: How to analyze the spatial organization
of people, places, and environments on Earth's surface.
In Arizona, this is
Concept 1
STANDARD 4: The physical and human
characteristics of places.
STANDARD 5: That people create regions to
interpret Earth's complexity.
STANDARD 6: How culture and experience
influence people's perception of places and
regions.
In Arizona, this
Is concept 2
STANDARD 7: The physical processes
that shape the patterns of Earth's surface.
STANDARD 8: The characteristics and
spatial distribution of ecosystems on
Earth's surface.
In Arizona, this
is concept 3 and
is linked to
science
STANDARD 9: The characteristics,
distribution, and migration of human
populations on Earth's surface.
STANDARD 10: The characteristics,
distributions, and complexity of Earth's
cultural mosaics.
STANDARD 11: The patterns and
networks of economic
interdependence on Earth's surface.
STANDARD 12: The process,
patterns, and functions of human
settlement.
STANDARD 13: How forces of
cooperation and conflict among people
influence the division and control of
Earth's surface.
In Arizona, this
is concept 4
STANDARD 14: How human actions modify
the physical environment.
STANDARD 15: How physical systems affect
human systems.
STANDARD 16: The changes that occur in
the meaning, use, distribution, and
importance of resources.
in Arizona, this
is concept 5
STANDARD 17: How to apply geography
to interpret the past.
STANDARD 18: To apply geography to
interpret the present and plan for the
future.
in Arizona
this is
concept 6
Great Review Online (free with
registration)
What is geography?
1.
2.
3.
Definitions
Parts of geography
Parts of geography in 5 themes and 6 elements
Now: real examples …
4.
5.
6.
Jobs of geographers
Do you think like a geographer?
Misconceptions of geography
4. Jobs of Geographers
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The U.S. Bureau of Labor latest
report:
http://www.bls.gov/opub/ooq/20
05/ spring/art01.pdf
One of the hottest job
opportunities rest in geography,
and this website is a great
portal:
http://www.geospatialcareers.net/
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The concept of GIS is very old –
Snow’s Study of London
Importance to Cities
From the BLM to the NIH
Hundreds of
Job Titles
Involve
Geography
4. Jobs of Geographers – 1/10th
of the list of job titles
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Aerial Photo Interpreter
Air Pollution Specialist for a regional air quality district
Airline Cargo Marketing Executive
Appraiser for a real estate corporation
Avalanche Specialist in a U.S. National Forest
Business Analyst in a corporation
Cartographer
Climatologist
Colonel in the U.S. Army
Community Development Analyst
Computer Mapping Specialist
Demographer
Demographic Analyst for a county
Director of Planning and Zoning for a township
Economic Development Analyst
More Examples
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Environment Planner for a state department of transportation
Environmental Scientist
Geographer at the Smithsonian Institution
Geographer at the U.S. Bureau of the Census
Geographer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Geographer for the U.S. Forest Service
Geographer, Consulting
Geographer in a corporation
Geographic Specialist at the U.S. Department of State
GIS Analyst in a corporation
GIS Program Manager for a county dept of information and
administrative services
Land Use Planner for a city
Yet More Examples
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Map Librarian
Meteorologist at the U.S. National Weather Service or on
Television
Meteorologist, Television
Planner, County – City – Urban – Transportation - Region
Planning Information Director for a county
Ranger in a U.S. National Park
Real Estate Research Analyst for a corporation
Resources Planner for as state
Teacher
Transportation Planner for City – County - State
Transportation Planner for a county transit district
Water Resource Specialist for a state environment department
Zoning Administrator
5. Do you think like a geographer?
Yes, if you want your students to be
aware of a growing field that is
founded on a basic need: to understand
Earth and its changes.
5. Do you think like a geographer?
Yes, if you enjoy being outside and
thinking about how nature and people
connect.
Mt. Everest region: avoiding building
homes where landslides occur
Coastal California: building homes
where landslides occur and re-occur
5. Do you think like a geographer?
Yes, if you are interested in solving real
problems, that move from place to place.
Macedonia: Woman’s March
School
in
Sudan
5. Do you think like a geographer?
Yes, if you are interested in solving real
problems, that spread across Earth.
Cyber Café, Benin
5. Do you think like a geographer?
Yes, if you are interested in solving real
problems, that connect people and
environment.
Understand changes in attitudes
Preserves, Phoenix
5. Do you think like a geographer?
You are interested in "big" questions
about Earth: Why is this city here and
why does it grow, fail, decay the way it
does?
5. Do you think like a geographer?
You are interested in "big" questions:
Why does it landslide here and why do
Californians ignore these risks. Laguna
Beach 1978 and again in 2005
5. Do you think like a geographer?
You are interested in "big" questions about
Earth: Worries over global warming, and yet
people keep coming to Phoenix?
5. Do you think like a geographer?
Yes, if you share the view that knowledge
should connect together, rather than be
isolated pieces.
5. Do you think
like a
geographer?
Geography is to
place like history
is to time.
Geography
focuses on
connections of
topics that make
places special.
5. Do you think like a geographer?
6. Misconceptions about
Geography
Number 1 misconception. That geography
focuses on country names and capitals...
and that the geography bee will follow you
through life....
Place names are to geography like...
- memorizing birthdays are to historians,
- the alphabet is to interpreting
Shakespeare,
- a phoneme is to reading comprehension
- picking the right color is to art
go to www.youtube.com
& search for these titles
Knowing states, countries, capitals are
important:
•but geography is more than memorizing facts
•Not many geographers can name all the
countries or capitals off the top of their head…
•Maps: A common tool used by geographers to
organize, display, and analyze their findings or
other data
•Where things are is an important question in
geography, but leads to deeper questions of “why”
and “so what?”
Geography combats notions like this!
Misconceptions about Geography
2. That geography has nothing to do with
key life choices such as:
long commutes
urban trends
Misconceptions about Geography
2. That geography has nothing to do with
key life choices such as buying condos
houses in places known to flood and crack
Misconceptions about Geography
3. That geography has nothing to do with
enriching the vacations you take…
Hawaii Trip: Do you
stay at the cheap hotel
facing the trade winds
or the more expensive
condo on the
rainshadow side?
Does global politics affect
where you feel safe
when you save up to
travel internationally?
Misconceptions about Geography
4. That other academic standards focus
on environmental issues...
No! Geography is the central subject that
explores and connects on how people
affect the environment and how the
environment affects people.
Misconceptions about Geography
5. Geographers only make maps... Yes we
do. Computers can make mistakes!
Misconceptions about Geography
5. Geographers only make maps... yes... We
do, but... not only. The ways we portray
spatial data can get exciting
Example of new cartographer: Rob Edsall at ASU and Mark
Harrower at Univ of Wisconsin
http://www.geography.wisc.edu/~harrower/history_animation.html
Internet is ideal
Misconceptions about Geography
6. Some well intentioned folks think that
geography can be taught within history by
just showing maps...
[can a geography
class teach
History just by
showing a
timeline?]
Misconceptions about Geography
7. Geography only teaches boring stuff and
not why the great masses in America (and
those avoiding geography) maintain silly
notions about our world...
for evidence…
Google video
‘American
Geography’
Misconceptions about Geography
8. Learning about cool places in cool
movies, about the places you drive on
near to home, and far away, how our land
changes, has nothing to do NCLB and
annual yearly progress.
Conclusions
 Geography
focuses on the themes of
space and place, of how to think
spatially
 College geography is exploding with
student opportunities in employment
 Geographers think in terms of the core
classes you will take (physical, human,
techniques), but still with a focus on
regions (world, North America)