Geography emerged as an academic discipline in British universities in response to demands for trained teachers of the subject in the country's burgeoning secondary schools and their curricula formed a seamless transition from one to the other. In the 1960s a major shift in the nature of the academic discipline -- often termed the 'quantitative…

Explicitly qualitative research has never before been so popular in human geography, and this article hopes to encourage more graduate students and faculty members to undertake the teaching of qualitative geography. The article describes one such course for graduate students, highlighting its challenges and rewards, and focusing on exercises…

The article offers a description of a one semester college-level course in cultural geography. The outline is based on six themes--cultural analysis in geography, cultural universals, perception of the cultural environment, cultural diffusion, folk culture and popular culture, and humans and the land. (DB)

College seniors in a geography of marketing and distribution course learn about spatial optimizing techniques by participating in a freight distribution game. Students plan the distribution of confectionery from two factories in England to 20 wholesale and retail customers in Scotland. The team that designs the lowest cost system wins. (RM)

Guided design involves an instructor in developing a problem that students are expected to solve and then leading them, step by step, through the problem to its solution. This teaching method was used to help students explore how individuals, small groups, and then larger numbers of people in larger areas interact to form the Muncie (Indiana)…

A college course in the geography of agriculture presents a unique opportunity for an integrated study of economic, physical, and human geography. A teaching model which uses a systems analysis approach is presented. (RM)

Described is a method of lecturing in which the lecture period is divided into a number of segments. Only some segments involve the lecturer talking. In others students discuss topics or complete exercises. An example of such a lecture on aspects of Christaller's central place theory is described. (Author/RM)

The paper presents a course outline intended for use in a one semester geography of religion course on the college level. Geography of religion is interpreted to include all aspects of the impact of religion on cultural, political, and economic geography. Objectives are to emphasize distributional aspects of religion and religious phenomena,…

A distance perception survey was used to get college students enrolled in a human geography course involved and interested in the topic of perception. Students were asked to arrange 12 European capitals in sequence according to their distance from Amsterdam. Survey results are presented. (RM)

The geographies of Hollywood are multiple, contradictory, ephemeral and tangible. Our preconceived conceptions of space and place play a dynamic role in what elements we tend to focus on when discussing the cultural industry of American cinema. This essay uses Hollywood as a metaphor for the American film production industry and a historical…

Students in an honors urban class collected architectural data on all residential buildings constructed prior to 1950 in the city of La Puente, California and made recommendations regarding the preservation of certain structures. The project is described. (RM)

Introduces this special issue of "Journal of Geography" focusing on the teaching of Advanced Placement (AP) human geography. States that essays were developed by members of the AP Human Geography Development Committee focusing on areas in the human geography course outline which are included in the appendix. (CMK)

Activities that an intermediate grade teacher used to make geography relevant to her students are described. The students researched their own family heritage. To learn about another culture, they adopted a country and did library research concerning the country's economy and culture. (RM)

The Small Area Statistics (SAS) are a standard set of census statistics for small areas throughout Great Britain. The SAS are a valuable teaching resource with many different applications. As an illustration, how the SAS were used to prepare college students in an urban geography course for fieldwork is described. (RM)

Describes a teaching experience in which a unit on environmental issues was added to a college-level human geography course. Asserts that environmental topics are not well-integrated into most geography courses. Concludes that the students enjoyed the experience but suggested that the environmental topics be integrated throughout the entire course…