Advocates for geographic information system (GIS) education contend that learning about GIS promotes students' spatial thinking. Empirical studies are still needed to elucidate the potential of GIS as an instructional tool to support spatial thinking in other geography courses. Using a non-equivalent control group research design, this study…

In this study done at a community college in South Florida, the achievements of students who spoke English as their second language who had attended their K-12 education outside the United States in their home countries, in a U.S. college course on world geography are compared with the achievements of students in the same classes who spoke English…

PlacesOnLine.org is a Web portal that provides easy access to high quality Web sites that focus on places from around the world. It is intended for use by a wide range of people, including professional geographers, teachers and students at all levels, and the general public. This article explores the potential uses of PlacesOnLine as an…

The dependency concept, historical approach, contemporary problems and illustrations, and West Indians abroad are discussed to show how the Commonwealth Caribbean can serve as an effective area for a teaching approach that stresses an integrating, extraregional view of geography. (Author/ND)

Offers a rationale for increased teaching of global economic geography, identifies its natural constituencies, and defines the scope and content of such undergraduate courses. Concludes that such courses offer a good way to help internationalize undergraduate education in the United States in addition to providing an opportunity to highlight…

Describes geopolitics as the branch of geography that explores the relationship between geographical realities and international affairs. The essential task of the discipline is to identify those geographical circumstances that explain the power interests, the character, and the behavior of nations. Includes a lesson plan that introduces students…

Every map depicts both objective realities and subjective elements and is a rich resource for studying the geographic knowledge and values of mapmakers and their societies. This paper considers cognitive mapping research and describes how world maps reflect world images. Cognitive mapping is defined as a process that allows people to acquire,…

Explains a large basic course on world regional geography. Introduces students to 10 maxims about the many factors that help define a place's character. Student reactions to the maxims were found to be largely positive. (Author/SOE)

In global history courses and in western civilization courses Europe might be better treated as a subcontinent or, better yet, as a coastal, peninsular, or even insular phenomenon. This would be more consistent with both its geography and its history. H. J. Mackinder argued that until the 15th century Europe was powerfully shaped by repeated waves…

In response to recent concern about geographical illiteracy, a survey designed to determine specific knowledge about the locations of bodies of water, countries, and cities was distributed to 158 elementary education majors at the University of South Dakota (Vermillion). The results of the survey revealed: (1) only 65 percent correctly located the…

Over ninety citations comprise this bibliographic survey on beginning college geography textbooks intended as: 1) a book selection and reference tool for librarians and teachers, 2) a bibliography for curriculum development for teachers and administrators planning and organizing new geography courses; 3) a reference for teachers searching for…

Describes in detail a person-centered approach to a college-level world geography course taught at St. Lawrence University (NY) which bases instruction mainly on the interests of students. Discusses how this method has enhanced the learning of world geography and helped professors avoid the pitfalls of content-centered, syllabus-oriented,…

The drawing of schematic maps from memory is a useful instructional technique for providing students with a conceptual mental framework of world geography. (DE)

By plotting economic and population data on maps and coordinating the data on a scattergram, introductory world geography students work with the concept of spatial association, learn to identify geographic problems, and become familiar with world political units. (JR)

Afghanistan and its people are not well known or understood by the United States, yet many U.S. people now consider the U.S. and Afghanistan to be at war. How is it possible to know the enemy? This book offers a complete, but not exhaustive source of information about Afghanistan, the land and its people. The book is intended as a guide for anyone…