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What Does It Mean To Study Geography

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What is geography?

geography, the study of the diverseenvironments, places, and spaces of Earths surface and their interactions. It seeks to answer the questions of why things are as they are, where they are. The modern academic discipline of geography is rooted in ancient practice, concerned with the characteristics of places, in particular their natural environments and peoples, as well as the relations between the two. Its separate identity was first formulated and named some 2,000 years ago by the Greeks, whose geo and graphein were combined to mean earth writing or earth description. However, what is now understood as geography was elaborated before then, in the Arab world and elsewhere. Ptolemy, author of one of the disciplines first books, Guide to Geography , defined geography as a representation in pictures of the whole known world together with the phenomena which are contained therein. This expresses what many still consider geographys essencea description of the world using maps but, as more was learned about the world, less could be mapped, and words were added to the pictures.

To most people, geography means knowing where places are and what they are like. Discussion of an areas geography usually refers to its topographyits relief and drainage patterns and predominant vegetation, along with climate and weather patternstogether with human responses to that environment, as in agricultural, industrial, and other land uses and in settlement and urbanization patterns.

Prepare For An International Career

Students that study geography tend to be more open-minded and show a clear interest in the world. You will typically have international opportunities throughout your degree. At Durham University, you have the option to conduct fieldwork abroad, which will help you experience other cultures and environments to help expand your global perspective. Alongside this and your academic knowledge, transferable skills and world view, you will be highly prepared for an international career and will stand out in the global employment market.

Don’t Procrastinate Don’t Cram

If you’re serious about learning geography, don’t procrastinate and don’t cram. It’s very tempting for students to procrastinate their geography studies until the day before the exam. Geography is a subject where cramming the day before an exam may work in the short term. If you’re good at rote memorization, it is possible to memorize a lot of geographical information in a short period of time using memory techniques. The downside side to cramming is that the information acquired typically only remains for a few days, or weeks, at most. If you want to really learn geography, then attend class, take organized notes, review your notes frequently throughout the term, and don’t leave your studies until the last minute. One of your goals as a geography student should be to move all geographical information you acquire from your short-term to your long-term memory, so you can remember and recall what you learn for years to come.

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From The Nature Of Geography:

The ultimate purpose of geography, the study of areal differentiation of the world, is most clearly expressed in regional geography only by constantly maintaining its relation to regional geography can systematic geography hold to the purpose of geography and not disappear into other sciences. On the other hand, regional geography in itself is sterile without the continuous fertilization of generic concepts and principles from systematic geography, it could not advance to higher degrees of accuracy and certainty in interpretation or its findings.

Reasons To Study Geography

What Is Geography, And How Did Its Study Begin?

Geography is an overlooked, but hugely relevant and important kind of knowledge. Here are our top 9 reasons why you should study geography.

You may not have paid the closest attention in geography classes in school. And who can blame you? It’s not always easy to recognize why you should study geography right off the bat. Sometimes, even adaptive, engaging web and mobile study apps like Brainscape arent enough to sustain motivation to study geography, if you dont see its relevance to your life.

So: why study geography? The truth is that geography is a highly relevant and important type of knowledge for anyone to have. Here are our top 9 reasons why you should study geography.

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What Do Geographers Do

Geographers use interdisciplinary approaches and skills to understand and respond to issues valued by communities, employers, and policymakers. For example:

How does climate change affect the way we build cities?
How does globalization influence where and how your everyday needs food, energy, waste disposal are met?
How can local knowledge and policy work together to overcome health disparities between people?

Geography at Carolina is quite diverse! Human geographers study the spatial aspects of human activity what people do, where, and why there and its effects. Physical geographers describe, model, and predict the patterns of natural features and processes, such as climate, landforms, soil formation, and water flow. Some geographers use and develop digital tools and techniques for communicating how the world works, for example, Geographic Information Systems , remote sensing, and online and interactive mapping platforms. Other geographers use humanistic and creative expression methods, such as story-telling and performance ethnography, to learn from the experiences that shape our understanding of the world.

Check out this work on Emotional Environment and algal blooms in Jordan Lake!

What Subjects Go With Geography

Geography will support the study of sciences, especially health and social sciences, like Biology, Sociology and Psychology.

Geography A-level is also a facilitating subject, which means that it can be useful for a whole range of university courses and will help you keep your options open. Find out more about facilitating subjects here.

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What Jobs Can You Get With A Geography Degree

Geography graduates have developed skills in mathematics and analytics as they study the Earths physical characteristics. Many graduates pursue careers in politics, business and education.

Some common careers for geography graduates include:

  • Geographic information system specialist
  • Geopolitical analyst

What Does It Mean To Study The Uses Of Geography

ð? What is Geography? Crash Course Geography #1

Geography is the study of places and the relationships between people and their environments. Geographers explore both the physical properties of Earths surface and the human societies spread across it. Geography seeks to understand where things are found, why they are there, and how they develop and change over time.

What are the uses of geography?

There are many more than three uses for geography, but the main benefits of this study are 1) learning about places or features in the world, 2) understanding where you are in relation to the rest of the planet, and 3) learning how borders, countries, and people have changed over time.

What is geography and how is it useful?

Geography helps us understand basic physical systems that affect everyday life: How water cycles and ocean currents work are all explained with Geography. These are important systems to monitor and predict in order to help lessen the impact of disasters.

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What Is A Liberal Arts Education

A Liberal Arts education is an approach to college learning that empowers individuals and prepares them to deal with complexity, diversity, and change. This approach emphasizes broad knowledge of the wider world as well as in-depth achievement in a specific field of interest.

It helps students develop a sense of social responsibility strong intellectual and practical skills that span all major fields of study, such as communication, analytical, and problem-solving skills and the demonstrated ability to apply knowledge and skills in real-world settings.

What Careers Can I Do With Geography

According to the Royal Geographical Society, Geography graduates have some of the highest rates of graduate employment.

Geography is great for any kind of career that involves the environment, planning, or collecting and interpreting data. Popular careers for people with geography qualifications include: town or transport planning, surveying, conservation, sustainability, waste and water management, environmental planning, tourism, and weather forecasting.

The army, police, government, research organisations, law and business world also love the practical research skills that geographers develop.

Because geographers learn about human and population development, geography can be useful for jobs in charity and international relations too.

If you’re interested in pursuing a career in geography, check out our post Career Choices for Geography Students.

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Urban And Regional Planning

Urban planning and regional planning use the science of geography to assist in determining how to develop the land to meet particular criteria, such as safety, beauty, economic opportunities, the preservation of the built or natural heritage, etcetera.

The planning of towns, cities and rural areas may be seen as applied geography although it also draws heavily upon the arts, the sciences and lessons of history. Some of the issues facing planning are considered briefly under the headings of rural exodus, urban exodus and Smart Growth.

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Handwriting Text Writing Learn Geography. Concept Meaning Study of ...

Geography can be divided into two main branches:

Physical Geography: is a branch of earth science, which looks at the natural elements of the world, including the atmosphere, land and oceans. Physical geographers study things like climate, soil, how the earth was formed and how it is changing over time.

Human Geography: is a social science that studies how humans interact with the planet and covers things like population growth, migration, how urban and rural settlements develop, how we work with animals and even how our economies are effected by the environment we live in.

Because geographers deal with the natural world and how we behave in it, their jobs can take them everywhere, from taking soil samples on the edge of a volcano to mapping a new town, charting the changes to a glacier in the arctic, or even teaching you in a comfortable classroom.

Geographers have done some pretty important things for the human race, including charting new territory, developing maps and measuring distances to help us get from A to B long before we could simply take a picture of an area from space. We wouldnt have Google maps without them. Imagine

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Geographical Information Systems Officer

If, as well as the environment, youre interested in working with data, analytics and computer systems, then this role might suit you. Geographic information systems are computerized systems used for the collection, storage, analysis, management and presentation of complicated geographical information, for example radar.

Geographical information systems officers carry out the gathering and examination of geographical data generated by GIS. The data can be applied in a variety of areas, such as defense, meteorology, oil, gas, telecommunications and transportation, to make decisions which benefit the environment.

For entry into this role, you may find it useful to have previously studied GIS as a module during your degree, and many employers also highly value a relevant postgraduate degree and/or work experience.

Geography Careers In Academia

Alternatively, you may choose to pursue a career as an academic in a higher education institution. This usually requires that you have successfully completed a PhD, or at least a research-based masters degree. Academic geography careers typically combine independent or collaborative research projects with lecturing, teaching and supervision of undergraduate and graduate students. You may have opportunities to collaborate with academics based at other institutions across the world, and to contribute to papers and books in your field of specialization.

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The Nature Of Geography

Immanuel Kant, writing some two centuries ago, may have been the first scholar to identify clearly and succinctly the unique nature of both history and geography. He observed that:

  • History organizes and analyzes events in terms of when they occurred .
  • Geography focuses upon Earth’s features and conditions by asking where they are found .

Both history and geography, then, are methodologiesunique ways of thinking about our world and its events, conditions, patterns, and consequences. If “When?” is the realm of history, then “Where?” is the primary focus of geographic inquiry.

But what is “spatial analysis”? When most people think of space, they associate it with astronomy, not geography. In a geographic context, “space” is defined as a portion of Earth’s surface. Location, place, area, region, territory, distribution, and pattern are all closely related spatial concepts.

Geography Course Entry Requirements

What is Physical Geography? Crash Course Geography #4

A qualification in geography will definitely help your application for further study, but its not always a requirement.

If youre studying physical geography, a science qualification could support your application. For human geography degrees, subjects like politics and sociology will help.

Many universities look for the right type of character, rather than the right academic background. So, you should demonstrate an open mind, along with a passion for problem-solving and analysis in your personal statement. And, of course, a strong interest in the natural and man-made world.

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Course Structure And Assessment Methods

An undergraduate-level geography degree will usually last three or four years, depending on the country of study, while masters programs take one or two years. Teaching methods will include lectures, seminars and field work, often involving extended trips to different locations. As geography is such a broad subject, students have the opportunity to choose from a wide variety of optional modules. This doesnt necessarily mean simply choosing between physical geography or human geography often its possible to combine elements of both. Assessment is based on exams, course work, and field work projects. At the end of the course, students are usually expected to write a dissertation on a topic of their choice.

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Five Themes Of Geography

The Five Geography Themes began as a framework for making geography accessible to children from kindergarten to high school. They describe a simple, effective method for parents and educators to teach children about geography and how it relates to nature, civilization, and other topics. More: Five Themes of Geography Explained

Though the National Geographical Standards replaced these themes in 1994, they remain a simple and effective way to teach children about geography.

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What Do You Learn In A Geography Degree

Modules may include topics on rivers, sustainability, environmental modelling, the physical environment, the politics of climate change, the making of the modern city, political geography and geopolitics, economic geography, coastal and estuarine environments, environmental hazards and energy resources.

Geography degrees often include field trips, with institutions offering fieldwork in a range of different countries to immerse students in local environments so they can apply knowledge learned in class. Trips may also enhance independent research and group skills. Many units are based on assessments carried out as part of a field trip, while lots of universities have links with overseas institutions in order to widen the range of potential fieldwork destinations.

The study of geography hones observational and analytical skills, the ability to take in vast quantities of information and also think critically, and the capacity to understand continuity and change in a range of contexts based on a broad knowledge base.

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The Relationship Of Physical Geography To Human Geography

Why is Geography not considered an Earth Science?

In an Introduction to Geography classes , a fellow instructor likes to stress the point that physical and human geography are completely separate disciplines and that there can be NO mixing between the two. In fact, he makes a big deal that they must write this down, and put stars by it in their notes as this important point will most certainly be on the test. He then stops and lets them think about this statement as they dutifully write it down.

Now, you might be thinking that this contention that physical and human geography are completely separate and can never be mixed seems nonsensicaland you would be correct. Eventually, a few of the students start to grin and perhaps a bold one might challenge the instructor .

The instructor then gets to point out to the students the fallacy of such a contention and makes the point that physical and human geography, like the sides of a coin, are absolutely inseparable. We know that physical systems can have enormous impacts on human systems . We also know that human impacts on the environment have been great. As humans have always modified the surface of the planet to scratch out a living or to build great civilizations .

Here is the fundamental contention that justifies this whole course:

Required Reading

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Reasons You Should Study Geography

Usually, people are under the wrong impression that geography does not offer many job opportunities, and there are no jobs for a geographer. They think that studying geography does not yield any tangible benefits, so what is the point in pursuing the subject in school or college? This may be valid to some extent, but the truth is that it is beneficial to study geography. A knowledge of geography can offer career opportunities in fields like emergency management and business location systems. Let us discuss the reasons why you should study geography.

Understand Your Planet

Geography helps you understand things associated with your planet. If you know geography, it will be easier to understand problems like global warming, climate change, El Nino, desertification, and issues related to water resources. If you study political geography, you can comprehend global political problems among different countries, cultures, and regions. News channels provide news about things happening all over the world.

Know About the Geographical Regions

Be an Enlightened Global Citizen

Besides knowing about your planet and the people of various regions, you can also be a well-educated global citizen. By studying geography, you will learn how to do research, think critically, and communicate your thoughts to others. Your knowledge of the subject will help you convey your ideas independently through writing or any other means.

Significance of Geography

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