North American Geography for
Teachers
GCU 676
School of Geographical Sciences
Arizona State University
Why North America?
• Geographers study Realms
– Use physical, human, and technical skills
– Realms divided into Regions
• Regions share spatialness
– Apply spatial perspectives to Regions
• Large OR small areas
– E.g., world, country, state, county, city, AND
any noun or adjective
• E.g., anthropogenic susceptibility of AIDS
worldwide OR in a specific neighborhood OR
within a specific ethnicity OR …
Area Studies
• Strong tradition in geography
• Learning all there is to know about an area
• Traditionally, area specialist knew
EVERYTHING about their Area
• Nowadays nearly impossible in a Region
– Tendency to focus on smaller and smaller
areas
Area Specialist?
• 50 years ago, “Latin American
Geographer” = THE authority on Latin
America
• Now? Example:
– Latin America  South America  Cono del
Sur  Peru  Andean Peru  Urabamba
Valley  Indigenous Crop Use  Indigenous
Crop Use in Pisac  Potatoes ( Solanum
chacoense)
Regional Science
• Region:
– In most instances, a geographical area
smaller than the nation in which it is found
• E.g., a city, a county, a group of counties or a state
– Can defy governmental boundaries
• E.g., watershed, labor market area
– Social & economic models must adapt
national-scale concepts and incorporate
physical features of the landscape
Basic Regional Science Today
From Loveridge, S. 2000. http://www.rri.wvu.edu/loveridgeintroregsci.htm
Regional Science?
• Multi-disciplinarity can enhance analyses
– But “Too many cooks…”
• No real “home”
– Found in other disciplines (except at Cornell)
• What level to write the material?
– E.g., time-compression might be elementary
for advanced geography students but entirely
new for advanced economics students
• Is NOT Geography (but use concepts)
Logistics of GCU 676
• Assessment different than 671-674
– See the document AssignmentStruc676.pdf
• Smattered with readings and group
discussion questions
• ARGUS resource:
– http://www.csiss.org/learning_resources/content
/argus/
• Related Books and WebSources
• Online Textbook:
– http://usinfo.state.gov/products/pubs/geography/
Readings & Discussion Question
• Readings:
– Patterson, William. 1964. The Four Traditions of
Geography. Journal of Geography Vol. 63 no. 5: 211216.
– Robinson, Lewis J. 2002?. A New Look at the Four
Traditions of Geography. Journal of Geography Vol.
75 no. 9: 520-530.
– Ingold, T. 1993. The Temporality of Landscape.
World Archaeology, Vol. 25, No. 2, Conceptions of
Time and Ancient Society. pp. 152-174.
Would you consider Geography to be a “regional
science” or an “areal science” or a “spatial
science”?