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PrefaceIntroduction
This seventh edition of Human Geography benefits from some format revisions suggested by helpful users of earlier versions, but retains the basic format of its predecessors. It does contain, of course, significant content changes, including revised and new tables, maps, and text, required by rapidly altering world cultural, economic, and political patterns, In all regards, however, the current edition maintains the structure and objectives of its earlier versions.Audience
Designed for students enrolled in a one-semester or one-quarter course, the text seeks to introduce its users to the scope and excitement of human geography and its relevance to their daily lives and roles as informed citizens. We recognize that for many of its readers their course in human geography may be their first or only work in geography and this their first or only textbook in the discipline. For those students particularly, we take seriously the obligation not only to convey the richness and breadth of human geography but also to give insight into the nature and intellectual challenges of the field of geography itself. Our goals have been to be inclusive in our content, current in our data, and relevant in our interpretations. These goals are elusive. Because of the time lapse between world events and the publication of a book, inevitably events outpace analysis. We therefore depend on a continuing partnership with classroom instructors to provide the currency of information and the interpretation of new patterns of human geographic substance.Organization
The emphasis on human geographic current events and interpretations builds on our felt initial obligation to set the stage in Chapter 1 by briefly introducing students to the scope, methods, and background basics of geography as a discipline and to the tools--especially maps--that all geographers employ. It is supplemented by Appendix A giving a more detailed treatment of map projections than is appropriate in a general introductory chapter. Both are designed to be helpful, with content supportive of, not essential to, the later chapters of the text.The arrangement of those chapters reflects our own sense of logic and teaching experiences. The chapters are unevenly divided among five parts, each with a brief orienting introduction. Those of Part I, "Themes and Fundamentals," examine the basis of culture, culture change, and cultural regionalism, review the concepts of spatial interaction and spatial behavior, and consider population structures, patterns, and change. Parts II through IV (Chapters 5 through 12) discuss the landscapes of cultural distinction and social organization resulting from human occupancy of the earth. These include linguistic, religious, ethnic, folk, and popular differentiation of peoples and societies and the economic, urban, and political organization of space. Chapter 13--Part V--draws together in sharper focus selected aspects of the human impact on the natural landscape to make clear to students the relevance of the earlier-studied human geographic concepts and patterns to matters of current national and world environmental concern.Among those concepts is the centrality of gender issues that underlie all facets of human geographic inquiry. Because they are so pervasive and significant we felt it unwise to relegate their consideration to a single separate chapter, thus artificially isolating women and women's concerns from all the topics of human geography for which gender concerns are relevant. Instead, we have incorporated significant gender/female issues within the several chapters where those issues apply--either within the running text of the chapter or, very often, highlighted in boxed discussions. We hope by means of these chapter clusters and sequence to convey to students the logic and integration we recognize in the broad field of human geography. We recognize that our sense of organization and continuity is not necessarily that of instructors using this text and have designed each chapter to be reasonably self-contained, able to be assigned in any sequence that satisfies the arrangement preferred by the instructor.Features
Instructor contributions and suggestions are gratefully acknowledged by the content changes incorporated in this seventh edition. The basic structure of the book and its instructional philosophy and teaching aids have, however, been retained. The chapter title page "Focus Preview" alerting students to the three, four, or five main themes of the chapter and the summarizing "Focus Follow-up" section in the end-of-chapter material remain as does our use of map and photograph captions as teaching opportunities, conveying additional information and explanation as integral parts of the text.As in earlier editions of Human Geography, chapter introductions take the form of interest-arousing vignettes to focus student attention on the subject matter that follows. The boxed inserts that are part of each chapter expand on ideas included within the text proper or introduce related examples of chapter concepts and conclusions, often in gender-related contexts. Almost every chapter contains at least one special-purpose box labeled "Geography and Public Policy" introducing a discussion of a topic of current national or international interest and concluding with a set of questions designed to induce thought and class discussion of the topic viewed against the background of human geographic insights students have mastered. Increasingly for today's students, the learning process is electronically based. We have therefore included in each chapter a preliminary guide to Internet and World Wide Web sources of information related to the contents of the chapter. We do not pretend that the references given are exhaustive or represent the best sites currently available on the given topics; we hope, however, they will be useful starting points for student exploration and for instructor-supplied corrections and additions. This current edition of Human Geography continues our practice of identifying new terms and special usages of common words and phrases by boldface or italic type. Many of these are included in the Key Words list at the end of each chapter and defined in an inclusive cross-referenced glossary at the end of the text. Each chapter also includes other repeated pedagogical aids. Summary reiterates the main of the chapter and provides a bridge to the chapter that follows. For Review contains questions that direct student attention to important concepts developed within the chapter and that may serve, if the instructor chooses, as the basis for written assignments. Selected References suggests a number of book and journal articles that expand on topics presented within the chapter.Appendix B at the end of the book is a modified version of the Population Reference Bureau's 2001 World Population Data Sheet containing economic and demographic data and projections for countries, regions, and continents. Although inevitably dated, these provide a wealth of useful comparative statistics for student projects and study of world patterns. Finally, Appendix C, a single-page "Anglo American Reference Map," provides name identification of all U.S. states and Canadian provinces and showing the location of principal cities.What's New in this Edition
A great deal of new or expanded text has been incorporated in this seventh edition of Human Geography, including revised considerations of how maps show data and fundamentals of GIS in Chapter 1. Part I benefits from new material on stimulus diffusion; globalization and cultural convergence; gender and migration; and the population impact of AIDS. Part II revisions and additions include immigrant language contributions, migration and ethnicity impacts, and changing national and world demographic patterns. Part III incorporates new or reconsidered treatments of the intensification of agriculture and the green revolution; changing trends in world trade flows; post-Fordist, just-in-time, and flexible manufacturing processes; world industrial patterns; and tourism as a tertiary activity, while major revisions of central elements of the urban and political geography chapters help restructure Part IV. These and many other text changes are supplemented by totally new or extensively revised and updated content and "public policy" boxed discussions in all chapters and by more than a score of new and revised maps and graphs and updated tables and statistics.Packaging Opportunities
Many helpful, inexpensive supplements are available for packaging. Check with your McGraw-Hill sales representative for specific ISBN information and pricing. All of the following items are available at a significant discount when packaged with Human Geography:
- Allen: Student Atlas of World Geography
- Allen: Student Atlas of World Politics
- Dorling/Kindersley: EyeWitness World Atlas CD-ROM
- Fuson: Fundamental Place-Name Geography
- Getis: You Can Make a Difference: Be Environmentally Responsible
- Pitzl: Annual Editions - Geography
- Rand McNally: New Millennium CD-ROM (windows only)
- Rand McNally: Atlas of World Geography
Acknowledgements
It is with great pleasure that we again acknowledge our debts of gratitude to both departmental colleagues--at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and at both San Diego State University and the University of California, Santa Barbara--and all others who have given generously of their time and knowledge in response to our requests. These have been identified in earlier editions and although their names are not repeated here they know of our continuing appreciation.We specifically, however, wish to recognize with gratitude the advice, suggestions, corrections, and general assistance in matters of content and emphasis provided by the following reviewers of the manuscript for this edition.- Frank Ainsley, University of North Carolina - Wilmington
- Jeff Allender, University of Central Arkansas
- David Anderson, Louisiana State University-Shreveport
- A. Steele Becker, University of Nebraska - Kearney
- Margaret Boorstein, C.W. Post College
- Henry Bullamore, Frostburg State University
- Susan Davgun, Bemidji State University
- Daniel Donaldson, University of Central Oklahoma
- Roy Doyon, Ball State University
- Richard Grant, University of Miami
- Harold Gulley, University of Wisconsin-Osh Kosh
- J. Douglas Heffington, Middle Tennessee State University
- Andrew Herod, University of Georgia
- John Hickey, Inver Hills Community College
- Bella Bychkova Jordan, University of Texas-Austin
- Michael Kelsey, Aims Community College
- Paul Larson, Southern Utah University
- Jose Lopez, Minnesota State University-Mankato
- James Lowry, East Central University
- Ralph Meuter, California State University - Chico
- John Milbauer, Northeastern State University
- David Nemeth, University of Toledo
- Karen Nichols, SUNY-Geneseo
- Walter Peace, McMaster University
- Neil Reid, University of Toledo
- James Saku, Frostburg State University
- Wendy Shaw, Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville
- Thomas Tharp, Purdue University
- George White, Frostburg State University
We appreciate their invaluable help, as we do that of the many other previous reviewers recognized in earlier editions of this book. None except the authors, of course, is responsible for final decisions on content or for errors of fact or interpretation the reader may detect.A final note of thanks is reserved for the publisher's "book team" members separately named on the copyright page. It is a privilege to emphasize here their professional competence, unflagging interest, and always courteous helpfulness.
JDF
AG
JG
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2002 McGraw-Hill Higher Education