Editorial - Teaching Geography in Bulgaria's Universities

Abstract

Geographical education is beset with problems, of which the main symptoms are self‐perpetuation, inbreeding, mimicry, parochialism and political strength. These symptoms relate to the fact that what geographers research and teach is often partial.in its emphasis on conventional geographical wisdom, irrelevant In its removal from the real world, and uncoordinated. The solution lies in first defining the nature and purpose of geographical education, then reorganis ‐ing the subject, both in school and tertiary education. In the latter the result would be fewer courses based on conventional geographical skills, but more where the subject would provide a sound educational framework for citizenship, and sometimes introduce more vocational training.     

Tutoring Relevant Geography: A People's Geography Project initiative

UK geography departments are now reaching the stage where, in light of social change and growing competition for students, the need to offer a degree programme that is relevant to the needs and expectations of students is a real urgency. Drawing on the People's Geography Project, an initiative from the USA, this paper details the experiences of the author in teaching relevant geography in first-year undergraduate tutorials. The paper contends that by providing an opportunity for students to engage in contentious debate and to adopt a political position, students are encouraged to approach issues from a critical geographical perspective, demonstrate the relevance of a geographical perspective in contemporary issues, recognise the conflicting interests from competing discourses and reach a possible, just solution to social problems. This paper reports on the choice of topics, the forum of debate and assessment through alternative coursework styles, and it analyses the learning of both geographical and transferable skills through a People's Geography tutorial programme. The degree of relevance perceived by both the students and the tutor is evaluated, and suggestions are made for further development of a People's Geography approach.     

Geographers in Their Ivory Tower: Academic Geography and Popular Geography in Paris 1931

Abstract: French academic geography achieved remarkable success during the 1920s making Paris an appropriate location for the XIIIth International Geographical Congress to meet in 1931. These scholarly activities were counterpoised by expressions of an exotic 'popular geography' at the great Exposition Coloniale staged in the French capital at the same time. At the Congress, French academics displayed their research achievements in denudation chronology, rural settlement studies and cartography, extending their work from the Hexagon to parts of the Empire. Patronage by leading professors in Paris and Grenoble clearly played a vital role in shaping the discipline. The location and content of excursions for visiting scholars also highlighted French achievements and suggested what remained to be done. Scrutiny of activities at the XIIIth IGC reveals a profession whose official pronouncements appear isolated from the momentous economic and political changes triggered by global depression at that time.     

Geography and representation: introduction

Simulation games have a long history in education and are well suited to learning about negotiation, power, relationships and uncertain outcomes. This paper reflects on the experience of using a semester-long simulation game to introduce postgraduate students to development policy. It focuses on three issues identified in the literature—realism, the role of staff and assessment—and maintains that the risks and uncertainties associated with simulation games are beneficial in ensuring effective learning about policy.     

Literary Geography: A Bibliography

The American scientist, explorer, and conservationist John Wesley Powell (1834–1901) represents, in many ways, a counter to 19th-century imperialism in the arid West: an approach to westward expansion that was more sensitive to failure and more eager to see the West secured in the hands of a self-organized agrarian community. Toward that end he sponsored a mapping project to show how settlement might be based on watershed alignments and conserve the vital resources of the region. That projects is still relevant to nations that are trying to understand how to govern their relations with the natural environment.