Definition
Most geography textbooks define geography as the study of the earth ("geo" = "earth" and "graphy" = "study of"). Most students think that geography is memorizing the locations of countries, capitals, rivers, etc. Geography is really much more than this. I think it is best to remember that geographers try to answer three questions:
Read:
The Spatial Perspective
Geographers can study anything that has a significant spatial component. Geographers concentrate on the "where" and by doing this they may be able to gain a better understanding of what is being studied than if the "where" were ignored. This is the "Spatial Perspective" that is peculiar to the study of geography. This perspective is useful in a wide variety of fields and therefore you have a wide variety of sub-disciplines in the field of geography (like political geography, cultural geography, physical geography, etc.). Businesses use geography when they decide WHERE to locate a new plant. Real estate developers use geography when they decide WHERE to build a new housing development. You have used geography when you decided WHERE to look for a job, or WHERE to go on vacation, or WHERE to go to school. If the WHERE is important, then geographers can study it.
History Analogy
History and Geography are quite similar. When historians study a topic they focus on the WHEN. Hence you can have subjects like the: history of war, the history of sports, the history of comic books, etc. Geographers can study these same issues, and virtually anything else, but the geographer's perspective is SPATIAL, rather than TEMPORAL like the historians. Hence there can also be the geography of war, the geography of sports, and the geography of comic books. What geographers add to such topics is the spatial perspective.
MAPS: primary tool to see the spatial perspective
Maps allow geographers to better see spatial relationships. They are the fundamental tools of the geographer. Appendix A (page A1) of your textbook explains some basic mapping concepts. It would be beneficial for you to read these few pages since these online lectures will incorporate hundreds (yes, hundreds) of maps. You may be spending more time studying the maps than you will reading the "lecture".
Place-name geography, the memorization of locations on maps, is an important component of this geography course. Just like knowing how to read is necessary before one studies Shakespearean literature, knowing certain map locations is necessary before one studies geography. But if you know how to read it does not mean that you understand Shakespearean literature. Also, if you only know map locations, you definitely do not know geography. You may know the WHERE, but not the WHY THERE, and the WHY DO WE CARE.
Two Common Misperceptions
There are two common misperceptions about geography. The first I have discussed above. Geography is not just place-name geography. The more important, and more fun, components of the study of geography are the WHY THERE and the WHY DO WE CARE.
Also, geography is not static. Geography is about CHANGE. The movement of people, goods, ideas, pollution, and even NFL football teams immediately catch the geographer's eye. WHERE are they going? WHY are they moving? And WHY does it matter? As we progress through this course, pay attention to these, and many other, changes.
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There are two basic approaches to the study of world geography. The REGIONAL approach studies the many characteristics of each region (or realm) of the world. This is the approach of your textbook and the main approach used in this course. SYSTEMATIC geography, on the other hand, studies one issue and looks at its spatial variations in all parts of the globe. College courses in systematic geography include: physical geography, economic geography, cultural geography, political geography, etc.
The introductory chapter of your textbook introduces you to some of these systematic issues. (Note: Chapter 1 is NOT the first chapter of the textbook. The "Introduction" is a chapter in itself - and a very important chapter.) Before we begin our study of regional geography, we will concentrate on four systematic topics: physical geography, cultural geography, economic geography, and historical geography. these will be the 4 THEMES of GEG 101 ONLINE!
As you look at the maps below, try to begin to see how these two approaches to geography are interconnected and overlapping.
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REGIONAL GEOGRAPHY Realms |
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SYSTEMATIC GEOGRAPHY Historical geography: |
Our textbook is divided into 12 regional chapters (plus the systematic Introduction to make a total of 13 chapters.) The world is large and there is a lot to learn. In order to guide our study of such a large amount of material I have found that if we concentrate on four systematic areas [4 Themes and 12 Realms] - what I call the "4 Themes" - and apply these themes to each region (realm) the quantity of material becomes more manageable.
Therefore, we will begin by getting acquainted with the four themes. Once we have gained some basic understanding of these issues, we will "apply" what we know to each realm or chapter. In other words, for each chapter we will concentrate on only four topics: the regional and physical geography, the cultural geography, the economic geography, and the historical geography of each realm.
If you look at the READING ASSIGNMENTS, the VOCABULARY, and the OBJECTIVES of each chapter listed in your Study Guide (for example: East Asia, or South America) you will see these they are organized according to our four themes. You will also encounter the themes on all exams. THEY ARE IMPORTANT!
Any one chapter in your textbook could easily be turned into a whole course. In order to organize this vast amount of information, in each chapter we will focus on these four themes: (1) the regional and physical geography, (2) the cultural geography, (3) the economic geography and, (4) the historical geography of each realm.
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Let's do a little exercise to gain a better understanding of the spatial perspective of geography. In this exercise we will learn WHERE most people live in the world and try to figure out WHY they live there. This is an objective of each realm that we will be studying, for example see: Sub-Saharan Africa, or South America. This exercise may also help us answer the question: WHY SHOULD I CARE?.
EXERCISE: Where people live and why?
Click here to see a map of where people live in the world. Each red dot on the map represents a lot of people, so the more red dots, the more people. Try to describe WHERE most people live. (STOP! You should actually DO THIS before reading on. Look at the map and try to find a few areas where population is more concentrated) You should see three areas of greatest population density.
Now let's turn to the question of WHY THERE? Study each of the following maps and compare them with the map of where people live. (You may want to go back and forth several times for each map.) Can you come to any conclusions of what type of physical landscapes attract the most people? (STOP AGAIN! Actually do it. After studying the maps, WRITE DOWN the physical characteristics that help explain where population concentrations are often found.)
Students in previous classes have identified 5 criteria that help explain where people live:
These criteria should be memorized and "applied" to each realm (chapter) that we study. When I say "applied", I mean that we will see if they help us to remember where the population is concentrated. In some realms these five criteria are very helpful and in other realms there are some exceptions to the rule. In any case, the activity of thinking about where people live and why will help us to understand the realm being studied. We will do this in every realm (chapter).
WHY DO WE CARE? This question seems obvious to me. The need for food, clean water, shelter, etc. increases with population and many people in the world lack adequate amounts.
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