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The Geographic Perspective: Social Science Aspects

The Geographic Perspective: Social Science Aspects. Jill S. M. Coleman, Ph.D. Department of Geography Ball State University: Muncie, IN. Geography: Defining the Discipline. What is geography? What topics do geographers study? What makes geography different from other disciplines?.

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The Geographic Perspective: Social Science Aspects

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  1. The Geographic Perspective:Social Science Aspects Jill S. M. Coleman, Ph.D. Department of Geography Ball State University: Muncie, IN

  2. Geography: Defining the Discipline • What is geography? • What topics do geographers study? • What makes geography different from other disciplines?

  3. Geography: Defining the Discipline • Geographia (Greek origins) • Geo (earth) + graphein (to describe or write) • To write or describe the surface of the earth • The study of the spatial arrangement and association among elements on and/or in contact with the earth’s surface • Explaining the “big picture”

  4. Geography: Defining the Discipline • Three defining questions… • What is located where? • Why are things located where they are? • What is the significance?

  5. Modern Geography: Traditions • Spatial distributions of physical and cultural features • Relationship between people and the environment • Existence and evolution of regions • Physical characteristics of the earth

  6. Geography: Defining the Discipline • Linkage with the physical sciences and social sciences • Interdisciplinary • Variation across space • Degree of human impact assessment

  7. Human Geography • Study of the relationship of human beings and their activities (past or present) to the surrounding environment and the consequences of these interactions • Focuses more on… • The cultural characteristics of a place • The processes that influence or shape that place • The interconnectedness of those places

  8. Tools of the Trade • Visual Representation • Cartography • Remote Sensing • Geographic Information Systems (GIS) • Qualitative Techniques • Surveys • Personal Interviews • Spatial Quantitative Methods

  9. Patterns and DistributionsExample: Cocaine Export & Distribution Economic Geography

  10. Patterns and DistributionsExample: 2003 West Nile Virus Incidence Medical Geography Biogeography Climatology

  11. Patterns and DistributionsExample: 2007 West Nile Virus Incidence Medical Geography Biogeography Climatology

  12. The Geographic Perspective • Understanding the ways in which humankind perceives and interacts with the Earth’s surface, its resources, and its people • Geography lies at the intersection of both social and physical sciences • Explain the processes that give rise to spatial distributions---it’s not all about maps! • Geographic landscapes are social creations

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