UNIT 1. Geography in a Changing World1. The Big Questions in Geography, Susan L. Cutter, Reginald Golledge, and William L. Graf, The Professional Geographer, August 2002
The authors have taken the challenge of science correspondent John Noble Wilford to articulate the big questions in geography. Wilford’s concern is that research by geographers is not being reported and that geographers may be missing the important questions in their research. 2. Rediscovering the Importance of Geography, Alexander B. Murphy, The Chronicle of Higher Education, October 30, 1998
Geography’s renaissance in U.S. education is the key theme of this piece. The author insists that geography be recognized not as an exercise in place names, but because it addresses physical and human processes and sheds light on the nature and meaning of changing spatial arrangements and landscapes. 3. The Four Traditions of Geography, William D. Pattison, Journal of Geography, September/October 1990
This key article, originally published in 1964, was reprinted with the author’s later comments, in the 75-year retrospective of the Journal of Geography. It is a classic in the history of geography. William Pattison discusses the four main themes that have been the focus of work in the discipline of geography for centuries—the spatial concept, area studies, land-human relationships, and earth science. New! 4. The Power of Place, Sharon Bishop, English Journal, July 2004
Key concepts in geography have found their way into the high schools through place-based education. Students study the local region and write stories and reports about the place. This approach is especially valuable in rural areas where community revitalization efforts are underway. 5. The Changing Landscape of Fear, Susan L. Cutter, Douglas B. Richardson, and Thomas J. Wilbanks, The Geographical Dimensions of Terrorism, Routledge, 2003
Since the devastating events of September 11, 2001, the world has changed. An era of expanded global terrorism has emerged. The Changing Landscape of Fear, chapter one in the book, outlines the contributions that geography can make in this ensuing conflict. New! 6. Watching Over the World’s Oceans, Keith Alverson, Nature, March 3, 2005
The immense tragedy of the December 2004 tsunami, a natural disaster of unprecedented dimensions, has called for the extension of the global warning system to include the Indian Ocean as quickly as possible. In addition, it is recognized that broader efforts be instituted to observe and study the oceans. New! 7. After Apartheid, Judith Fein, The Santa Fe New Mexican, June 13, 2005
Despite the dual problems of AIDS and unemployment, post-apartheid South Africa is an energized place. The economic sector is growing and a new sense of openness is prevalent. UNIT 2. Human-Environment Relations8. The Race to Save a Rainforest, Mark L. Clifford and Hiroko Tashiro, BusinessWeek, November 24, 2003
Logging in an Indonesian forest is planned to generate economic growth and avoid devastation of the rainforest. The scheme is described positively as “globalization at work”—the generation of profit and the avoidance of forest degradation. New! 9. Global Warming, John Carey, BusinessWeek, August 16, 2004
This BusinessWeek special report on global warming points to a growing consensus that pollution in the atmosphere through carbon emissions is the main culprit in rising global temperatures. If the process is not controlled, the effects on the planet could be severe: extensive coastal flooding as sea levels rise, more violent regional storm patterns, declining agricultural production, and widespread drought. 10. Environmental Enemy No. 1, The Economist, July 6, 2002
Coal is a widely used energy source and a prime contributor to carbon dioxide in the atmosphere—the major cause of global warming. Carbon sequestration is seen as a positive move to reduce carbon dioxide accumulations, an intermediate step toward the development of environmentally friendly hydrogen fuel cells. New! 11. A Great Wall of Waste, The Economist, August 21, 2004
Polluted mines, toxic landfills, and carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants are resulting in extensive pollution in China. Negative effects on human health, the death of rivers, declining agricultural output highlight the country’s rapid push for economic development. New! 12. The New Coal Rush, Frank Jossi, Fedgazette, September 2004
In a region of the U.S. hungry for more energy, coal is again emerging to answer the demand. Every effort is being made to insure that clean burning coal is used in new power plants to reduce air pollution. It is noteworthy that small towns in remote rural areas are vying for the plants—something that large urban places do not want. UNIT 3. The Region13. The Rise of India, Manjeet Kripalani and Pete Engardio, BusinessWeek, December 8, 2003
Economic growth is soaring in India. Software production, information technology, computer chip design, and call-center operations are a few of the expanding sectors. India is an important player in the global economy. There are positive implications for the U.S. since Indian brainpower will fill the manpower gaps once the U.S. baby boom population begins to retire. India is the first developing country to use its brainpower rather than physical resources to expand its economy. 14. Between the Mountains, Isabel Hilton, The New Yorker, March 11, 2002
India and Pakistan are engaged in a struggle for control over Kashmir. Complicated by religious and cultural differences and the rise of an independence group, the region is the center of geopolitical unrest. 15. A Dragon with Core Values, The Economist, March 30, 2002
A regional competition has pitted Hong Kong and Shanghai, two major urban centers in China, against each other for leadership in the emerging economic growth of China. New! 16. Where Business Meets Geopolitics, The Economist, May 25, 2005
The region of the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea is taking on geopolitical significance because of the transport of oil and natural gas. Western Europe, Russia, China, and the U.S. are all showing interest in this precious commodity—so important to economic growth. New! 17. Oil Over Troubled Water, Economist.com, May 26, 2005
The Black Sea region has long been a center for local and global geopolitical maneuverings. In the era of fossil fuel transport, this is no exception. Currently, a complex pattern of interactions is emerging among the U.S., Russia, Turkey, and the countries of Europe. New! 18. Central Washington’s Emerging Hispanic Landscape, Scott Brody, Focus on Geography, Spring 2004
The region of Central Washington is enjoying dramatic economic growth in the agricultural production with irrigation water from the Columbia Basin Project. A U.S. agreement with Mexico promotes an annual legal migration of seasonal agricultural workers to the region resulting in a changing cultural landscape. New! 19. Drying Up, The Economist, May 19, 2005
Overuse of water in industry and agriculture combined with drought conditions in recent years has left China with a critical water shortage. This short article references an extensive document on the subject by John McCallister, head of AquaBiotics.com, detailing China’s water problems and their impact on economic growth. New! 20. Living with the Desert, Terry McCarthy, Time, April 4, 2005
The western region of the U.S. has been growing steadily in population for decades and the trend is certain to continue. Only recently has the notion of caring for the delicate and complex desert landscape been appreciated. Paramount to desert living is the conservation of water—not an easy task as populations continue to grow. New! 21. Deep Blue Thoughts, Sylvia A. Earle, The Aspen Idea, Winter 2004/2005
The author argues for a global strategy and practical plan of action to formulate a coherent, comprehensive, and effective ocean policy. Among the issues discussed are sustainable fisheries; expanded research on maritime environments and the sources of pollution; local, regional, and global communications and educational programs on the importance of the oceans; and enacting more effective governance of the oceans. 22. An Inner-City Renaissance, Aaron Bernstein, Christopher Palmeri, and Roger O. Crockett, BusinessWeek, October 27, 2003
Inner-city ghettos in the largest urban places in the U.S. are beginning to emerge from decades of decay. Economic growth is significant, poverty rates are falling, and the rate of population growth in the 1990s was nearly double that of the country. UNIT 4. Spatial Interactions and Mapping23. Mapping Opportunities, Virginia Gewin, Nature, January 22, 2004
A recent Nature article highlights the importance of GIS in monitoring global systems. Although the technological importance of GIS is unquestioned, the article insists that users of GIS need a deep understanding of the underlying concepts of geography. 24. Geospatial Asset Management Solutions, Damon D. Judd, EOM: Earth Observation Magazine, October 2003
GIS integrated with sound asset management systems can add greatly to the maintenance and repair of regional and national infrastructure components (highways, bridges, tunnels, dams, water and sewage facilities, airports, and transit systems). 25. Internet GIS: Power to the People!, Bernardita Calinao and Candace Brennan, GEO World, June 2002
A GIS-based Web site allowed citizens of Erie, Pennsylvania, to help choose which airport runway extension alternatives would work best. The Web site featured environmental maps, which proved useful in making suggestions for modifying this transportation system. GIS on the Internet revolutionizes how environmental assessments are conducted. 26. The Future of Imagery and GIS, Adena Schutzberg, EOM: Earth Observation Magazine, February/March 2004
The growth of GIS in recent years has been phenomenal. At the same time, data generated by remote sensing has not kept up with GIS demands. The article discusses proposals to close the gap. New! 27. Calling All Nations, Nathan Littlefield, The Atlantic Monthly, October 2004
Width of line is used in this map to represent the volume of telephone traffic between the U.S. and other countries globally. Cartographic products such as this one distill thousands of pieces of numerical information into a single graphic view. In this case the concept of accessibility is clearly illustrated. 28. Mapping the Nature of Diversity, Ed Ayres, World Watch, March/April 2003
An important mapping project showed two primary forms of information: the distribution of cultural diversity in Middle America and the distribution of forest and marine resources in that region. The maps support the hypothesis that there is a strong correlation between cultural diversity and biological diversity. 29. Fortune Teller, Ann de Forest, Navigator, October–December 2002
The author looks back at an exciting episode in the history of mapmaking. Richard Harrison’s maps of World War II regions and the changing geopolitical outcomes of that conflict are novel and refreshing. New! 30. Asphalt and the Jungle, The Economist, July 22, 2004
Ordered economic growth and greater accessibility for regions within the Amazon rainforest are the main goals of BR-163, a planned paved road from Santarem on the Amazon River to Cuiaba, capital of the state of Mata Grosso. Agricultural growth on the Mata Grosso in recent years and the prospect of developing export goods are important generators of BR-163’s construction. The idea is to promote Brazil’s growth while protecting the rainforest. 31. A City of 2 Million Without a Map, Oakland Ross, World Press Review, July 2002
Managua, Nicaragua, an urban place of over 2 million people, was struck by an enormous earthquake in 1972 that significantly disrupted the grid network of the place. The old maps were no longer useful and the city has yet to be totally rebuilt. Novel ways of giving directions from place to place have emerged and accessibility within Managua has become difficult. New! 32. AIDS Infects Education System in Africa, Bess Keller, Education Week, March 16, 2005
The incidence of AIDS and HIV in Africa continues to rise. The rates of infection are highest in the southern region of the continent as indicated on the choropleth map. UNIT 5. Population, Resources, and Socioeconomic Development33. The Longest Journey, The Economist, November 2–8, 2002
Two of seven short articles in The Economist present varying perspectives on migration. The articles contend that liberalizing migration rules would result in enormous global economic growth. 34. China’s Secret Plague, Alice Park, Time, December 15, 2003
Nearly one million Chinese are believed to be HIV positive. By 2010 that number could reach 10 million. China is working to avert a significant AIDS epidemic with help from medical experts in the U.S. New! 35. Farms Destroyed, Stricken Sudan Faces Food Crisis, Roger Thurow, The Wall Street Journal, February 7, 2005
Food shortages, continued threats of violence, rising commodity prices, and possible famine continue to plague the Darfur region of Sudan. Agricultural activity has been decimated from warfare in the area and prospects for improving conditions are not good. 36. Dry Spell, Christopher Conte, Governing, March 2003
The annual cost of drought in the U.S. is $6 billion to $8 billion, exceeding the cost of both flooding and hurricanes. Georgia’s drought early warning system is proactive, monitoring four indicators—stream flows, groundwater levels, reservoir levels, and precipitation. Drops in any one of these triggers new restrictions on water use. New! 37. Turning Oceans Into Tap Water, Ted Levin, OnEarth, Summer 2004
Desalinization of ocean water, if economically feasible, would be a boon to a growing world population and to agriculture and industrial activities globally. This article focuses on desalinization efforts in the U.S. Breakthroughs made here will have applications worldwide. New! 38. Putting the World to Rights, The Economist, June 5, 2004
A blue-ribbon panel of development experts assembled in Copenhagen in May 2004 to rank the most compelling crises facing the developing world. Not surprisingly, eradication of diseases, especially HIV/AIDS topped the list. Following closely were malnutrition, trade liberalization (especially for agriculture), and sanitation and waste. At the bottom of the list, a surprise to many, were climate issues (carbon tax and the Kyoto Protocol). 39. Mexico: Was NAFTA Worth It?, Geri Smith and Christina Lindblad, BusinessWeek, December 22, 2003
The article analyzes the overall impact of NAFTA on economic development in Mexico. Mexican assembly points, called maquiladoras, have been less successful under NAFTA. In the Mexican agricultural sector, 1.3 million jobs have been lost in the last 10 years. The loss of jobs has created a decided increase in illegal migration to the U.S.
