Human Geography Places and Regions in Global ContextGeographic LiteracyWhy Places MatterSlide 4Why Places Matter – Places are socially constructedPlaces are socially constructedWhy Places Matter - ScaleMetaphors for scaleScaleSlide 10PowerPoint PresentationSlide 12Studying Human GeographySlide 14GIS exampleLocation, absolute and relativeCognitive Location or “mental map”Spatial InteractionSpatial DiffusionRegionsFormal Region – Mormon religionFunctional Region - StatesLandscapes – human productsLandscapesOrdinary landscapesSymbolic landscapeSense of PlaceSlide 28Human Geography Places and Regions in Global ContextChapter 1: Geography MattersGeographic LiteracyThe National Geographic-Roper 2002 Global Geographic Literacy Survey*:•Americans performed poorly on general world locations: only 62% knew where Russia was located; only 52% knew where Cuba was located; only 17% knew where Afghanistan was located.•Nearly one-third of American respondents believed that the United States had a population between one and two billion people. •Only 23% of global respondents could name four countries that possess nuclear weapons.•Considering religion, 38% of global respondents did not know that Christianity had the most adherents worldwide, around two billion people.* www.nationalgeographic.comWhy Places Matter•Geography matters because it is specific places that provide the settings for people’s daily lives. 1)Places provide certain opportunities and constraints on life:•Urban versus rural2)Places also form part of our identities•Where we are from is a big part of who we areWhy Places Matter•Places and regions are highly interdependent.Why Places Matter – Places are socially constructedPlaces are socially constructedWhat (and where) is the South?Why Places Matter - ScaleGeographic Scales - Global OverlapWorld RegionsStates• De jure (legally established) territoriesSupranational Organizations• European Union (EU)• North American Free Trade Association (NAFTA)• Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Spatial ScalesThis diagram shows some of the principal scales that are commonly the focus of geographic research.Metaphors for scaleScale as a ladderScale as ‘nested’ dollsScale•Studying the ‘global’ at the scale of the local•Mercedes in Alabama.Why Places Matter•Places are dynamic (human-environment interactions)•The environment forces people to adapt in certain ways. In turn, people modify and adjust to their environment in ways that meet their needs.•This two way interaction produces an always changing landscape.Studying Human Geography1. Observation•Interviews, participant observation, laboratory experiments, remote sensing2. Visualization/representation•Maps, charts, narratives, diagrams3. Data analysis•Patterns, themes, comparisons, models•Spatial and regionalStudying Human Geography•Geographic Information SystemsGIS example•Nielsen PRIZM consumer mapLocation, absolute and relativeCognitive Location or “mental map”Spatial InteractionThe effects of changing transportation technologies in “shrinking” the world in terms of travel time. Time-Space ConvergenceSpatial Diffusion•Disease outbreaks, technological innovations, political movements, clothing styles.•All originate in specific places and spread to other places and regions.Regions1. Formal•High degree of homogeneity for particular traits •Language, race/ethnicity, geomorphology, agriculture…2. Functional•Variability in traits, but overall coherence to structure•Political, economic, socialFormal Region – Mormon religionFunctional Region - StatesLandscapes – human productsLandscapes1. Ordinary (or Vernacular)•Everyday, mundane lived-in landscapes2. Symbolic•Representation of values, inspiration, imagined communityOrdinary landscapesSymbolic landscapeSense of PlacePlace: a space with meaning (shared and unshared)1. Lifeworld•Taken for granted patterns and contexts for everyday living 2. Intersubjectivity•Process building shared meanings that are derived from sharing common patterns and life experiencesSense of