Yi-Fu Tuan once stated “Geography is the study of earth as the home of people”. The quote is saying that Geographers study the earth and how the earth affects humans that live on the planet. It is also saying that humans can affect the earth as well. Geography comes from the Greek roots geo and graphia. Geo means Earth and graphia is the study of. Therefore, Geography is the study or the writings of Earth. Geography is a science devoted to the study of earth and its ways. Geography developed as a science to show humans certain things on Earth, such as landforms, locations, landmarks, and other specific places or objects on maps. Most geographers can agree that geography is the study of how humans change their environment or adapt to it to …show more content…
Document 7 says “Recent world events lend a sense of urgency to geographic inquiry. Geography’s spatial perspectives help to relate economic changes in Europe, the Middle East, and other regions to the spatial distributions of cultural features...population growth and migration…”. The statement is saying that the locations of cities and countries or regions contribute or affect to other places. For example, places in the Eastern hemisphere might have the same languages. The language spreads throughout the land as migration takes place, causing languages, cultures, and religions to spread. Places might be where they are today because of the spread of those things into that region thousands of years ago. In document 8, the author states “Maps and mapping, of course, play a key role in how geographers analyze and portray the world. They are also key in introducing to others geographers’ ideas about the way that places and regions are made and altered.” From the text, you can see that the author is saying that without maps and mapping of the land, other geographers might not be able to see what other geographers see, people may not know what the world looks like. Therefore, without maps, humans would not know what the Earth actually looks like from above without going into space which is most likely impossible for most people. Geographers would not know where things are located on the surface and they would not be able to understand why places are at the locations that they
In the book “Why Geography Matters More Than Ever”, the author, Harm de Blij, discusses the importance of geography, how it can affect us in any place or any time, and why it matters. But most importantly, he succeeds to advance our perception of the world’s geography. Throughout the book de Blij highlights the many benefits of being educated about geography. He explains that it is important that we are informed about this topic so we can be more prepared for the events happening around the world. This book illustrates just how essential it is to be well-educated when it comes to geography.
The main ideas presented in “Why Geography Matters…More Than Ever!” revolve around what exactly geography is, and the implications of the subject. Geography is the study of the physical world and human actions, it also covers the affects of human actions. Geography influences a plethora of topics and geographers do research on numerous subjects. “Geographers do research on glaciations and coastlines, on desert dunes and limestone caves, on weather and climate, even on plants and animals”(7). The author stresses how underrated geography is the present times, and how the introduction of social studies have doomed the subject of geography for future generations. In a section detailing the teaching of geography
Historical geographer JB Harley wrote an essay on Map Deconstruction in 1989, in which Harley argues that a map is more than just a geographical representation of an area, his theory is that we need to look at a map not just as a geographical image but in its entire context. Harley points out that by an examination of the social structures that have influenced map making, that we may gain more knowledge about the world. The maps social construction is made from debate about what it should show. Harley broke away from the traditional argument about maps and examined the biases that govern the map and the map makers, by looking at what the maps included or excluded. Harley’s “basic argument within this essay is that we should encourage an epistemological shift in the way we interpret the nature of cartography.” Therefore Harley’s aim within his essay on ‘Deconstructing the Map’ was to break down the assumed ideas of a map being a purely scientific creation.
The Five Themes of Geography are: Location – Absolute points on a map or grid or Relative to where something may be; Place – The physical and/or human characteristics of a locations; Human/Environment Interactions – How humans have impacted the landscape or environment; Relationship between places Movement – How humans interact on the earth (i.e. how they communicate over distance (short or long)) and Regions – a unit of space that has commonalities defined by physical, human and environmental geography. The Explorers of the New World may have not known what the Five Themes of Geography were but they quickly learned. Of the five themes the ones that they all took advantage of was the physical Location and Place as they learned to navigate to and from as well as through their new environments. Over Time the explorers began to discover the relationships within their environments and original occupants of the lands as well as the regions in which they now occupied.
Geography’s Impact on Culture and Society. When studying ancient civilizations and the beginning societies of the world, the geography has shaped its story significantly. Depending on the location of the civilization, whether or not water was nearby was crucial for its survival. With trade networks, metals, foods, and languages were spread.
Human activity has major effects on geography. When studying the earth you can come to several conclusions about the geography of any particular civilization. Distribution of life in the civilization allows you to analyze whether their geography is their own destiny. Do people control their own destiny? Is geography something that people can control? Technology is really the key to why geography can be overcome by any people.
So what exactly is a geographical perspective, well according to Penn state “A geographic perspective is a way of looking at and understanding the world. When
De, Blij Harm J., and Peter O. Muller. Geography: Realms, Regions, and Concepts. New York: J. Wiley, 1997. 340. Print.
The claim being discussed here is that the only way a map or a way of representing things can be useful is if it simplifies the knowledge that the actual territory gives, that is, if it reduces the salient i...
Sociology is important because of many reasons, especially in the context of race and ethnicity. Sociology is very important to me, because it shapes and explains the way everyone thinks. There are many studies in sociology and the topic I chose was race and ethnicity. This topic relates to the experiences I had during my life. Some of the experiences that I faced were because of the color of my skin, culture, religion, and also language.
Since the beginning of humankind, the study of geography has captured the imagination of the people. In ancient times, geography books extolled tales of distant lands and dreamed of treasures. The ancient Greeks created the word "geography" from the roots "ge" for earth and "grapho" for "to write." These people experienced many adventures and needed a way to explain and communicate the differences between various lands. Today, researchers in the field of geography still focus on people and cultures (cultural geography), and the planet earth (physical geography).
This report goes into detail about the reasons social studies is a core subject in the New Zealand curriculum, how social studies has a unique role in preparing children to be active and critical participants in a changing society, defines and explains what ‘powerful social studies’ is and lastly it will explain what qualities are required of a successful Social Studies teacher. For the purpose of this report “social studies is the systematic study of an integrated body of content from the social sciences and humanities to develop socially informed and effective citizens who are empowered with knowledge and skills in a changing society” (Barr, H., Graham, J., Hunter, P., Keown, P., & McGee, J. 1997, p. 5).
When many people hear about the term “landscape”, they immediately think that it means “nature”. The natural landscape does play an important role in our society but what is more important is the landscape that we make and occupy. So, what exactly is “landscape”? The term can be illiterate in many ways but the definition given by the European Landscape Convention is perhaps the most useful and widely agreed one. It states that a landscape is ‘an area, as perceived by people, whose character is the result of the action and interaction of natural and human factors.’ This definition captures both the idea of landscape being physical like a tract of land, but also something that is mind and social shared, something that is perceived by the people. When it comes to Landscape Architecture, the International Federation of Landscape Architects says that ‘Landscape Architect conduct research and advise on planning, design, and stewardship of the outdoor environment and spaces, both within and beyond the built environment, and its
History is a series of important past events that connect with something. History is what makes people make better decisions. There are many definitions of history and everyone has their own.
Study is necessary to succeed. Study is a good way to develop our mental. Study can increase our experience and knowledge. Study can also train our mind to understand the complexities of the subject chosen and then apply that understanding in practical terms. Through study, we can learn how to discipline ourselves to do something you don’t want to do, which will help us succeed in anything in our life.