Topic 1

Thinking Like a Geographer

Goals | Outcomes | Notes

Goals:

to answer the question: What is geography?
to define the key component of regional geography
to understand why it is important to know more about the geography of Texas

By the end of this unit you should know about...

the two perspectives of geography
geography's five themes, six key concepts, six essential elements, and eighteen standards
- for a diagram showing the relationships among these perspectives, themes, and concepts, click here
why geographers study regions
- Can you answer this test question?
the key components of regional geography: patterns, processes, and relationships

Outline Notes

Remember: this is the barest of outlines. You need to attend class and supplement these notes in order to be successful in Geography 305. These notes are provided as a response to student requests.

What is Geography?

Two perspectives/ five themes/ five key concepts/ eighteen national standards

Why do geographers study regions?

Regions serve as exemplars: a specific example to lend substance to generalizations.
Regions serve as anomolies: how a part of Earth's surface differs from the norm.
Regions may serve as analogs: studying one helps to understand the characteristics of other, similar regions.
Regions modulate and affect other regions: in order to understand change over time.
Regions serve as pieces of a jigsaw puzzle: reducing complexity.

More about regions.....boundaries are fuzzy....there are different types of regions

Key Components Of Regional Geography

Patterns: factual base, human and physical characteristics, what is where

Processes: why things are where they are, how a region functions, e.g., processes of economic development, migration, urbanization

Interrelationships: links between patterns and processes.

Understanding a region demands appreciation of all three of these components.

A good website to help you learn more about geography is...

The Virtual Geography Department

A couple of good sources for current information about Texas are our newspapers, especially the Houston Chronicle, the Austin American Statesman, and the Dallas Morning News.

Geography of Texas Home Page