This book is a physical geography problem solving and critical thinking skills development handbook. Throughout the book, the reader explores typical and challenging problems -- all fully solved, illustrated, and clearly written -- found in a college introductory course in physical geography. Ultimately, this book is a handbook on how to solve problems; designed for both the college student and the person who just wants to know.
This handbook is recognition of the need to better integrate physical and human geography. It combines a collection of work and research within the new field of Critical Physical Geography, which gives critical attention to relations of social power with deep knowledge of a particular field of biophysical science. Critical Physical Geography research accords careful attention to biophysical landscapes and the power relations that have increasingly come to shape them, and to the politics of environmental science and the role of biophysical inquiry in promoting social and environmental justice. The Palgrave Handbook of Critical Physical Geography lays out the scope and guiding principles of Critical Physical Geography research. It presents a carefully selected set of empirical work, demonstrating the range and intellectual strength of existing integrative work in geography research. This handbook is the first of its kind to cover this emerging discipline and will be of significant interest to students and academics across the fields of geography, the environment and sustainability.
This ism-busting text is an enormously accessible account of the key philosophical and theoretical ideas that have informed geographical research. It makes abstract ideas explicit and clearly connects it with real practices of geographical research and knowledge. Written with flair and passion, A Student′s Introduction to Geographical Thought: Explains the key ideas: scientific realism, anti-realism and idealism / positivism / critical rationalism / Marxism and critical realism/ social constructionism and feminism / phenomenology and post-phenomenology / postmodernism and post-structuralism / complexity / moral philosophy. Uses examples that address both physical geography and human geography. Use a familiar and real-world example - ‘the beach’ - as an entry point to basic questions of philosophy, returning to this to illustrate and to explain the links between philosophy, theory, and methodology. All chapters end with summaries and sources of further reading, a glossary explaining key terms, exercises with commentaries, and web resources of key articles from the journals Progress in Human Geography and Progress in Physical Geography. A Student′s Introduction to Geographical Thought is a completely accessible student A-Z of theory and practice for both human and physical geography.
Geography teachers and school library media specialists will find this resource indispensable for providing classroom lessons and activities in critical thinking for geography students in grades 7-12. It is filled with over 75 primary source Internet sites covering such topics as Places and Regions, Physical Systems, Human Systems, Environment and Society, and the Uses of Geography, and will be an invaluable tool in helping teachers and librarians meet the standards set forth in the 1994 publication Geography for Life: National Geography Standards. Each site is accompanied by a site summary that describes the site contents and usefulness to geography teachers and school library media specialists. Site subjects include: Urban Landscapes, Volcanoes and Earthquakes, Weather, The U.S. Census, and the World Wildlife Fund Global Network. The questions and activities that follow are designed to develop critical thinking skills for both oral and written presentations. An appendix of additional geography resources includes Internet addresses for approximately 25 sites relating to maps, primary sources, and critical thinking. This will provide teachers and librarians with even more resources for developing lessons to help each student meet all 18 of the National Geography Standards.
Geographic Thought An accessible and engaging introduction to geographic thought In the newly expanded Second Edition of Geographic Thought: A Critical Introduction, renowned scholar Tim Cresswell delivers a thoroughly up-to-date and accessible examination of the major thinkers and key theoretical developments in the field. Coverage of the complete range of the development of theoretical knowledge—from ancient geography to contemporary theory—appears alongside treatments of the influence of Darwin and Marx, the emergence of anarchist geographies, the impact of feminism, and myriad other central bodies of thought. This latest edition also includes new chapters on physical geography and theory, postcolonialism and decoloniality, and black geographies. The author emphasizes the importance of geographic thought and its relevance to our understanding of what it means to be human and to the people, places, and cultures of the world in which we live. This new edition contains: New examples throughout consisting of contemporary research from a wider range of geographical contexts and by geographers from diverse backgrounds Comprehensive explorations of physical geography that combine updated coverage from the first edition with brand new material Updated discussions of spatial science and quantitative methods that include considerations of the role of place and specificity in quantitative work In-depth examinations of the Anthropocene, the uses of assemblage theory, and the emergence of the GeoHumanities. Perfect for students of undergraduate and graduate courses in geographic thought, Geographic Thought: A Critical Introduction will also earn a place in the libraries of students and scholars researching the history and philosophy of geography, as well as practicing geographers.
Geographical Thought provides a clear and accessible introduction to the key ideas and figures in human geography. The book provides an essential introduction to the theories that have shaped the study of societies and space. Opening with an exploration of the founding concepts of human geography in the nineteenth century academy, the authors examine the range of theoretical perspectives that have emerged within human geography over the last century from feminist and marxist scholarship, through to post-colonial and non-representational theories. Each chapter contains insightful lines of argument that encourage readers towards independent thinking and critical evaluation. Supporting materials include a glossary, visual images, further reading suggestions and dialogue boxes.
With its unique approach, Visualizing Physical Geography 2nd Edition captures the reader's attention and demonstrates why physical geography is relevant to them. It relies heavily on the integration of National Geographic and other visuals with narrative to explore key concepts. New emphasis is placed on environmental issues, such as climate change, overpopulation and deforestation, from a geographical perspective. Readers will appreciate this approach because it vividly illustrates the interconnectedness of physical processes that weave together to create our planet's dynamic surface and atmosphere.
This Handbook provides an essential guide to the study of resources and their role in socio-environmental change. With original contributions from more than 60 authors with expertise in a wide range of resource types and world regions, it offers a toolkit of conceptual and methodological approaches for documenting, analyzing, and reimagining resources and the worlds with which they are entangled. The volume has an introduction and four thematic sections. The introductory chapter outlines key trajectories for thinking critically with and about resources. Chapters in Section I, "(Un)knowing resources," offer distinct epistemological entry points and approaches for studying resources. Chapters in Section II, "(Un)knowing resource systems," examine the components and logics of the capitalist systems through which resources are made, circulated, consumed, and disposed of, while chapters in Section III, "Doing critical resource geography: Methods, advocacy, and teaching," focus on the practices of critical resource scholarship, exploring the opportunities and challenges of carrying out engaged forms of research and pedagogy. Chapters in Section IV, "Resource-making/world-making," use case studies to illustrate how things are made into resources and how these processes of resource-making transform socio-environmental life. This vibrant and diverse critical resource scholarship provides an indispensable reference point for researchers, students, and practitioners interested in understanding how resources matter to the world and to the systems, conflicts, and debates that make and remake it.
This book explains how the concepts of geography can teach young people to think geographically, deeply and ethically. Thinking Geographically demonstrates how the concepts of place, space, environment and interconnection teach students new ways of perceiving and understanding the world, the concepts of scale and time teach them ways of analysing the world, while the concepts of sustainability and wellbeing show them how to evaluate and reflect on what they observe, and all eight concepts develop their higher order and critical thinking. To further support teachers, this book includes a chapter on how to teach for conceptual understanding, as well as two chapters that illustrate the application of geographical thinking to an understanding of the effects of land cover change and the problem of regional inequality. Rich with practical examples, this book is an essential resource for geography teachers, whether already teaching or studying to become one, and for those who teach therm.
