Rediscovering Geography

New Relevance for Science and Society

Editor: National Academies Press
ISBN: 9780309076791
eISBN Pdf: 9780309577625
eISBN Epub: 9780309176477
Lloc de publicació: United States
Any de publicació digital: 1997
Mes: Març
Pàgines: 260
DDC: 507
Idioma: Anglés

Descripció

As political, economic, and environmental issues increasingly spread across the globe, the science of geography is being rediscovered by scientists, policymakers, and educators alike. Geography has been made a core subject in U.S. schools, and scientists from a variety of disciplines are using analytical tools originally developed by geographers.

Rediscovering Geography presents a broad overview of geography's renewed importance in a changing world. Through discussions and highlighted case studies, this book illustrates geography's impact on international trade, environmental change, population growth, information infrastructure, the condition of cities, the spread of AIDS, and much more.

The committee examines some of the more significant tools for data collection, storage, analysis, and display, with examples of major contributions made by geographers.

Rediscovering Geography provides a blueprint for the future of the discipline, recommending how to strengthen its intellectual and institutional foundation and meet the demand for geographic expertise among professionals and the public.

Rediscovering Geography
Copyright
Foreword
Preface
Contents
Executive Summary
- THE PERSPECTIVES, SUBJECT MATTER, AND TECHNIQUES OF GEOGRAPHY
- GEOGRAPHY'S CONTRIBUTIONS TO SCIENTIFIC UNDERSTANDING AND DECISION MAKING
- STRENGTHENING GEOGRAPHY'S FOUNDATIONS
1 Introduction
- CONTEXT OF THE REPORT
  - Changes in Society
  - Changes in Relationships Between Society and Science
  - Changes in Relationships Between Society and Geography
  - Changes Within Geography Itself
- SCOPE OF THE REPORT
- CONTENT OF THE REPORT
2 Geography and Critical Issues
- ECONOMIC HEALTH
- ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION
- ETHNIC CONFLICT
- HEALTH CARE
- GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE
- EDUCATION
- CONCLUSION
3 Geography's Perspectives
- GEOGRAPHY'S WAYS OF LOOKING AT THE WORLD
  - Integration in Place
  - Interdependencies Between Places
  - Interdependencies Among Scales
- DOMAINS OF SYNTHESIS
  - Environmental-Societal Dynamics
    - Human Use of and Impacts on the Environment
    - Environmental Impacts on Humankind
    - Human Perceptions of and Responses to Environmental Change
  - Environmental Dynamics
    - Biogeography
    - Climatology
    - Geomorphology
  - Human-Societal Dynamics: From Location Theory to Social Theory
    - Societal Synthesis in Place
    - Space, Scale, and Human-Societal Dynamics
- SPATIAL REPRESENTATION
- GEOGRAPHIC EPISTEMOLOGIES
4 Geography's Techniques
- OBSERVATION
  - Field Observation/Exploration
  - Remote Sensing
  - Sampling and Choice of Observations
- DISPLAY AND ANALYSIS
  - Cartography
  - Geographic Information Systems
  - Geographic Visualization
  - Spatial Statistics
- CONCLUSIONS
5 Geography's Contributions to Scientific Understanding
- INTEGRATION IN PLACE
  - Geography's Subject Matter
    - Example: Environmental-Societal Dynamics
    - Example: The Distinctiveness of Place
  - Geography's Relevance to Issues for Science and Society
    - Example: Complexity and Nonlinearity
    - Example: Central Tendency and Variation
    - Example: Economic and Social Health
    - Example: Environmental Change
    - Example: Conflict and Cooperation
- INTERDEPENDENCIES BETWEEN PLACES
  - Geography's Subject Matter
    - Example: Spatial Economic Flows
    - Example: Human Migration
    - Example: Watershed Dynamics
  - Relevance to Issues for Science and Society
    - Example: Complexity and Nonlinearity
    - Example: Form and Function
    - Example: Conflict and Cooperation
    - Example: Human Health
- INTERDEPENDENCIES AMONG SCALES
  - Relevance to Issues for Science and Society
    - Example: Population and Resources
    - Example: Environmental Change
    - Example: Economic Health
    - Example: Conflict and Cooperation
- SPATIAL REPRESENTATION
- REFLECTIONS ON GEOGRAPHY'S CONTRIBUTIONS TO SCIENCE
6 Geography's Contributions to Decision Making
- ARENAS FOR DECISIONS
- REGIONAL AND LOCAL DECISIONS
  - Urban Policy
  - Water Resources
  - Retail Marketing
  - Dispute Resolution in the Courts
- NATIONAL DECISIONS
  - Energy Policy
  - Economic Restructuring and Competitiveness
  - Technological Hazards
  - National Floodplain Policy
  - National Information Infrastructure
- INTERNATIONAL DECISIONS
  - Responding to Global Environmental Change
  - Global Economic and Political Restructuring
  - Technology, Service, and Information Transfer
  - Hunger
- SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
7 Strengthening Geography's Foundations
- STRENGTHENING GEOGRAPHIC RESEARCH IN SELECTED AREAS
  - Disequilibrium and Dynamics in Complex Systems
  - Broadening the Concept of Global Change
  - The Local-Global Continuum and Movement Across Scales
  - Comparative Studies Using Longitudinal Data
  - Impacts of New Geographic Technologies on Decision Making
  - Geographic Learning
- PROMOTING GEOGRAPHIC COMPETENCY IN THE GENERAL POPULATION
  - Geographic Competency Among Primary and Secondary School Students
  - Geographic Competency Among Community and Technical College Students
  - Geographic Competency Among College and University Students
  - Geographic Competency Among Those Outside the Education Establishment
- IMPROVING THE TRAINING OF GEOGRAPHERS IN COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES
  - Improving Interactions and Outreach
    - Interaction Among Subspecialties Within Departments
    - Interaction Among Specialists Working in Different Universities
    - Diversity in Students and Perspectives
  - Improving Teaching and Learning
    - Interactive Learning Technology
    - Regional Knowledge and Expertise
    - Field Exploration and Discovery
    - New Geographic Technologies and Data Sources
8 Rediscovering Geography: Conclusions and Recommendations
- IMPROVING GEOGRAPHIC UNDERSTANDING
- IMPROVING GEOGRAPHIC LITERACY
- STRENGTHENING GEOGRAPHIC INSTITUTIONS
- TAKING INDIVIDUAL AND COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY FOR STRENGTHENING THE DISCIPLINE
- RECOMMENDATIONS
- SUMMARY
References
Appendix A Enrollment and Employment Trends in Geography
- EMPLOYMENT TRENDS IN GEOGRAPHY, PART 1: ENROLLMENT AND DEGREE PATTERNS
  - Background
  - Degree and Enrollment Trends
  - Geographic Education Initiatives
  - Future Supply Characteristics
  - Summary and Conclusions
  - Literature Cited
- EMPLOYMENT TRENDS IN GEOGRAPHY, PART 2: CURRENT DEMAND CONDITIONS
  - Recent Graduates
  - Convention Placement Service (CoPS)
  - Summary and Conclusions
  - Note
  - Literature Cited
- EMPLOYMENT TRENDS IN GEOGRAPHY, PART 3: FUTURE DEMAND CONDITIONS
  - Academic Job Market
    - Retirements
    - New Faculty Hiring
  - Precollegiate Geography Teachers
  - Bureau of Labor Statistics Projections
  - National Economic Trends
  - AAG Sponsors
  - Summary and Conclusions
  - Literature Cited
Appendix B Professional Organizations in U.S. Geography
Appendix C Biographical Sketches of Committee Members
Index