Geography: Methods & Materials

Ohio Northern University Fall 2013 Introduction

Roots of the discipline

 Geo / graphy: “description of the earth.”  study the location and distribution of features • Geographers

identify

,

analyze

, and Earth’s surface. (scientific method)

interpret

the distribution and arrangement of features on the • They also study the relationship of humans to their environment, which includes both physical and cultural features.

Geography: oldest of the sciences?

At the dawn of humankind, people made crude sketches of geography on cave walls and rocks. These early maps documented and communicated important geographic knowledge our ancestors needed to survive: What is the best way to get from here to there? Where is the water at this time of year? Where is the best place to hunt animals? Our ancestors faced critical choices that determined their survival or demise, and they used information stored in map form to help them make better decisions.

SOURCE: “Understanding Our World,” in Essays on Geography and GIS, ESRI 2012, p. 52.

Five themes in geography *

1. Location 2. Place 3. Human-Environment Interaction 4. Movement 5. Region *The Geography Education National Implementation Project (GENIP) a consortium of the Association of American Geographers (AAG), the American Geographical Society (AGS), the National Council for Geographic Education (NCGE), the National Geographic Society (NGS ) - Geography for Life: National Geography Standards, Second Edition

Five themes in geography

1. Location Most geographic study begins with learning the location of places. Location can be (1) absolute or (2) relative.

 

Absolute

place.

location provides a definite reference to locate a

Relative

location describes a place with respect to its environment and its connection to other places. ( Europe ) 1 _2_3_4_5_ 6 _ 7 _ 8 _ 9 _ 10_ 11 _ 12 _13_14 7/12

Five themes in geography

2. Place  describes the human/physical characteristics of a location.

a. Physical characteristics include a description such things as the mountains, rivers, beaches, topography, and animal and plant life of a place.

b. Human characteristics include the human-designed cultural features of a place, from • • • • land use and architecture to forms of livelihood and religion to food and folk ways to transportation and communication networks.

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Five themes in geography

3. Human-Environment Interaction • This theme considers how humans adapt to and modify the environment. • Humans shape the landscape through their interaction with the land; this has both positive and negative effects on the environment. ( determinism ) 1_ 2 _3_4_ 5 _6_7_ 8 _9_ 10_ 11 _ 12_13_ 14 5/12

Five themes in geography

4. Movement Humans move, a lot! In addition, - ideas, - fads, - goods, - resources, and - communication… all travel distances. • This theme studies movement & migration across the planet.

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Five themes in geography

5. Region   divides world into manageable units for geographic study. Regions can be (1) formal, (2) functional, or (3) vernacular.

1. Formal

regions

• • Homogeneity (sameness) prominent

Boundaries

not always clear: Law of Sea ? Anomalies ?

2. Functional regions / spatial systems system: set of objects & their mutual interaction o

core / periphery

relationships 3. Vernacular regions are perceived regions, such as "The South," "The Midwest," or the "Middle East;" they have no formal boundaries but are understood in our mental maps of the world 1_ 2 _3_4_5_ 6 _7_8_ 9 _ 10 _ 11 _ 12_ 13 _14 6/12