Searching for good practice in postgraduate education

Regional geography courses have declined in status and number at many North American universities. Yet it is regional courses which students with limited geographical education at the high school level may identify as typical geography, and thus regional courses may play a significant role in recruitment of geography majors. Regional courses on the students' country or state/province offer an excellent opportunity to showcase how geographic perspectives can enrich our understanding of the familiar, both in terms of place and discipline. This paper discusses the pivotal role a regional geography course has been given in a new university's geography curriculum, and the innovative structuring of the course so as to avoid some of the deficiencies of common instructional patterns which may deter some students from pursuing further geographic education.     

Scientific Fundamentals of Higher Geography Education in Universities and Teachers Colleges of the USSR

The geography curriculum of universities is analyzed in terms of the total number of class-hours allocated to various groups of subjects: systematic geography, regional geography, specialization courses, courses in physics, chemistry and mathematics, and education courses. It is suggested that systematic courses could be strengthened by introduction of more courses on theoretical subjects, such as the fundamentals of landscape science and the theory of economic geography. Regional courses suffer from excessive factual material and not enough discussion of general patterns and concepts. Courses that shape the specialization of geographers should be more flexible in order to reflect continuing changes in emphasis in geographic research (for example, by introduction of a course in remote-sensing techniques). A background in the exact sciences is thought to be essential for the modern geographer.     

THE GEOGRAPHY OF OCEANS AND ITS BASIC PROBLEMS

The study of oceans as a subfield of geography has gained acceptance in the Soviet Union. Some universities have introduced courses in marine geography, and geographers have participated in oceanographic research voyages. An effort is made here to define the place of a marine geography within the geographic discipline as a whole, to set the spatial limits for geographical investigations of the oceans and to suggest problem areas suitable for geographical analysis. In keeping with the Soviet dichotomy, physical and economic geographic problems are distinguished. Physical-geographic problem areas would include study of oceanic water masses; large-scale interaction between oceans and atmosphere; study of island environments, and the biogeography of oceans. Economic geographic problems would focus both on theoretical aspects, such as spatial regularities in human activities related to oceans, and on applied aspects, providing a sound basis for economic development of ocean areas.     

Facilitating spatial thinking in world geography using Web-based GIS

Advocates for geographic information system (GIS) education contend that learning about GIS promotes students’ spatial thinking. Empirical studies are still needed to elucidate the potential of GIS as an instructional tool to support spatial thinking in other geography courses. Using a non-equivalent control group research design, this study examines the effect of using Web-based GIS in a world geography course on the development of students’ spatial thinking abilities. The findings indicate that Web-based GIS activities implemented in this study significantly enhanced students’ spatial thinking skills.     

Effects of an introductory geography course on student perceptions of geography at the University of Idaho

This case study surveyed students in geography courses at the University of Idaho, investigating perceptions of geography's role in their daily lives, relevance to careers or academics, and parts of their geographic skill. Primarily, white, younger than 20, gender-balanced students in Introduction to Physical Geography and Human Geography courses comprised the study sample. A sample of 265 students formed the pre-course survey and 82 students formed the post-course survey. Pre-course, men held a more positive sense of geographic skill, while women viewed more positively geography's relevance to careers and academics. Post-course, women's agreement concerning geography's role significantly increased, outpacing men's agreement.     

Teaching critical thinking in world regional geography through stakeholder debate

Using a stakeholder debate based on a real-world case of regional construction – that of Turkey's application to join the European Union – improved students' critical thinking in an introductory world regional geography course. Such courses are a staple offering among US geography departments, and often the only exposure of non-majors to geographic thinking. A stakeholder debate highlighting regional construction, using structured learning activities and reflection on their own thinking, improved students' critical thinking. We describe the stakeholder debate and its revision after one semester, and provide data from assessment and thematic coding of students' reflection papers.     

Methodological Principles of the Curriculum of a Geography Faculty

The chairman of the Department of General Physical Geography and Paleogeography reviews the history of the curriculum of the Geography Faculty and proposes reforms. These are designed to train geographers for both academic and applied research, to provide a sound specialization against a background of general geographic courses, to make appropriate use of the exact sciences, to reduce the number of lecture hours and encourage more independent work by students, and to encourage geophysical, geochemical and other cross-disciplines to insure an integrated approach to geography.     

历史地理学的学科属性辨析

文章从学科属性、历史根源及客观现实等方面剖析了历史地理学科命名上的名实不符问题。认为历史地理学的研究应回归到研究社会历史与地理环境关系的轨道,现实的历史地理学研究内容应归属于地理历史学的学科范畴,指出了研究社会历史发展与地理环境关系的重要性与必要性。     

Beyond Knee-Jerk Environmental Thinking: Teaching Geographic Perspectives on Conservation,Preservation and the Hetch Hetchy Valley Controversy

Attention to scale, use of space and connections between places and regions are general, yet distinctive, geographical concepts that may be employed in introductory level human-environment geography courses to distinguish them from other environmental studies offerings. This article demonstrates how attention to the aforementioned concepts provides fresh insight into the notions of exploitation, conservation and preservation for many environmental studies students. Furthermore, it is suggested that the Hetch Hetchy Valley controversy, commonly used in many US environmental studies textbooks to demonstrate the difference between conservation and preservation, is actually quite problematic when critically assessed from alternative geographic perspectives.     

试论高校地理专业人文地理学的教学改革

依据7所高校地理专业课程设置的分析,可以发现我国高校地理专业人文地理学课程体系基本形成,《人文地理学》、《经济地理学》、《中国地理》、《世界地理》等课程成为人文地理学的核心课程。各高校根据自身特点,通过多种方式和途径,开设了涉及目前人文地理学发展较为成熟领域的课程。《人文地理学》的课程性质决定了它在人文地理学课程群中的总括地位,该课程的教学重点应该在于阐述人文地理学的基本理论、基本方法。课程性质和教学重点对教材提出了要求,我国不同时期出版的教材各具特色,但随着高校地理专业人文地理学课程体系日趋合理,《人文地理学》教材应与《人文地理学》课程性质和功能相一致。人文地理学外业实践教学不可或缺,但目前仍较薄弱,有待加强。人文地理学外业实践教学应以人地关系地域系统理论为指导思想,选择较为典型、富有代表性的地域进行。     

Teaching economic geography in UK higher education institutions

Abstract

This paper examines how the changes in the last decade in economic geography have been reflected in the courses taught in the UK and assesses the impact of recent changes in teaching styles and methods on how the subject is taught. It summarises the findings from a survey of 50 UK Geography Departments. The paper covers three main topics: the significance of economic geography in UK degrees courses; the characteristics of introductory economic geography courses; and the issues involved in the teaching of economic geography.     

论地理策划本质及实施要点

地理学和地理教育需要顺应国家经济发展的形式,在理论与实践层面不断创新,尤其是在应用层面将人文与自然要素结合起来,建立一个符合市场运作需求的综合理论体系。地理策划是策划人通过创新性思维和理念,发现、发掘、提升和实现地理系统要素价值的过程,是地理研究成果转化成价值的关键环节。它不仅包括区域性课题,还包括广泛的地理要素和地理事件的价值发现与创造过程。通过对地理策划关键问题的梳理,构建了地理策划的基本理论框架,以使地理学更直接地面向市场。     

地理学史几个问题的探讨

本文论述地理学基本研究传统与地理学现代化进程的关系;从历史的角度,审视地理学发展迟缓的原因;认为地理学改变落后状态的希望在于地理学的综合发展方向。本文着重讨论了钱学森教授有关地理综合的理论和方法。     

Problems of Long-Term Geographic Prediction

A program of geographic prediction up to the year 2000 is proposed for inclusion in the teaching and research plan of the Geography Faculty of Moscow University. Three aspects are distinguished: (1) specific forecasting of changes on the face of the earth and in the use of resources, (2) the elaboration of methods of geographic prediction, and (3) prediction of future trends in the science of geography. The three key factors in specific geographic prediction are the hydroclimatic, the anthropogenic, and the resource factor. The principal method of prediction should be the study of chain reactions, of cause-and-effect relationships, allowing for flexible multivariate forecasts. In the science of geography, periods of differentiation and integration are found to have alternated at periods of 25 to 30 years. The most promising tendencies in geographic research are the hydroclimatic approach, the new synthetic disciplines, economic geography, and integrated mapping of geographic phenomena.     

Travelling down the road to postdisciplinarity? Reflections of a tourism geographer

Like many other forms of scholarship in geography, tourism geography has evolved as a distinct subfield of inquiry within the discipline, although the contributions of tourism geographers are perhaps more readily acknowledged in the multidisciplinary realm of tourism studies. I trace the evolving relationship of tourism geography to both the discipline of geography and to the field of tourism studies. In doing so, I reflect on such influences as the role of institutions, paradigm shifts, technology, and other factors that affect the creation and management of geographic knowledge in the twenty‐first century. The intent of this article is two‐fold: first, to appeal to geographers for greater recognition of the importance of tourism as a quintessential component of geographic study that in today's world warrants integration into core aspects of geographic enquiry; second, to use current debates within both tourism studies and geography to reflect on issues of disciplinarity, interdisciplinarity, transdisciplinarity, and even postdisciplinarity.     

A Measurement Theory for Time Geography

Hägerstrand's time geography is a powerful conceptual framework for understanding constraints on human activity participation in space and time. However, rigorous, analytical definitions of basic time geography entities and relationships do not exist. This limits abilities to make statements about error and uncertainty in time geographic measurement and analysis. It also compromises comparison among different time geographic analyses and the development of standard time geographic computational tools. The time geographic measurement theory in this article consists of analytical formulations for basic time geography entities and relations, specifically, the space–time path, prism, composite path-prisms, stations, bundling, and intersections. The definitions have arbitrary spatial and temporal resolutions and are explicit with respect to informational assumptions: there are clear distinctions between measured and inferred components of each entity or relation. They are also general to n- dimensional space rather than the strict two-dimensional space of classical time geography. Algebraic solutions are available for one or two spatial dimensions, while numeric (but tractable) solutions are required for some entities and relations in higher dimensional space.     

Internationalizing Professional Development in Geography through Distance Education

This paper assesses the value and relevance of geography education in the realm of professional development. It explores the potential of distance education to support lifelong learners through courses or modules that operate across international boundaries and incorporate materials from local and global contexts. The authors argue that Internet-enabled distance education offers the potential to extend access to many prospective students who are unlikely or unable to participate in full-time residential courses, and that distance education can facilitate international collaboration among educators and educational institutions. A case is made for an internationalized programme of study for continuing adult education, as opposed to the primary, secondary and higher education sectors that are the focus of most existing geographical education programmes. Next, the authors document the ways in which recent commitments to internationalizing teaching and learning in geography have brought us to the point where professional development of lifelong learners is demonstrable, particularly in the fields of geographic information technologies and teacher professional development. They outline some of the main challenges that must be addressed if the potential of distance education as an enabling tool for professional development in geography is to be fulfilled: specifically, collaborative development and delivery of curricula and the articulation of quality assurance standards and certification agreements among participating institutions.     

SOME OBSERVATIONS ON GEOGRAPHIC EDUCATION IN AMERICAN UNIVERSITIES

The basic elements of geographic education in American universities are considered, including the number of geography departments, number of students specializing in geography, and the number of teachers. The teacher-to-student ratio, the nature of geographic specialization, and some features of the educational process are outlined, using the Department of Geography of the University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign as an example. Some new trends in the development of American geography are brought out, such as the growing interest in physical geography and in research on domestic matters, and a greater emphasis on applied geography. (The translation is by R. Bruce Wood, University of Illinois, Urbana/Champaign.)