Jerome E. Dobson, the president of the American Geographical Society and a professor of geography at University of Kansas in Lawrence, has written a lengthy essay about how the discipline of geography can be salvaged and deserves its place among other disciplines. He closes with the sentence, "Geographers have been gracious in exile far too long, and now it's time to fight." What do you think? Read the essay and share your thoughts by clicking "comments" below. (Hat tip to Caitlin at Geo Lounge for this!)
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Comments
I just read this article in the recent issue of ArcNews and I was riveted. One of my main reasons for trying to attain a professional degree in geography is to help bring it back to the mainstream in social sciences.
Gobsmacking..jawdropping…I thought it was bad for Geography in the USA, but I didn’t realise HOW bad. As the essay points out, it is taught at the top universities in the UK. It is part of the National Curriculum in schools (but not compulsory beyond the age of 14). A main concern at high school level is losing out to subjects perceived as trendy, like Psychology and Media Studies. There has also been some “dumbing down” in conceptual content at school, and at university its content is so diverse as arguably to preclude any clear identity. There is also widespread public ignorance of what the subject is about, partly the fault of its lack of high profile (tv documentaries essentially about Geography are not billed as such), and the public perception from quiz shows that it is about locational knowledge. Well known historians present tv documentaries (e.g. you will probably have hear of Simon Schama), but outed geographers are rare.
I think it is time to come together, promote the Profession, give scholarsip to students for Graduate programmes.
I am planning to enroll for a graduate degree in the Geography or Environmental field in the USA but this is not encouraging maybe I will decide to go for UK institutions for the familiarity and experience.It is time we bring back Geography not my word of mouth or speech but action.
i don’t really blame you for wanting to go elsewhere to pursue your degree. more legisliation needs to be written and passed regarding educating students young and old about geography…beyond states and capitals. geography is all about relationships.
Geography may be lacking in most high profile private universities, but there are lots of outstanding geography departments in the U. S. Besides, it seems rather wimpish to cave in and let them have their way. If you really appreciate geography, go to a good geography department, get a degree, and become an activist for the discipline.