Geography?

[zapfino]

<p>Any idea why geography has such a low status in American colleges and universities?
Its status as a discipline seems much higher in British universities. In the US, over the years, geography depts. were discontinued at Michigan, Northwestern, and Chicago. While Berkeley, UCLA, and other top public universities have geography depts, most of the top private universities do not.</p>

[Here_to_Help]

<p>It may be because it has become more of a subset of geology in many American schools.</p>

[rjkofnovi]

<p>It’s a shame that this seems to be the case zapfino. I believe that it has happened because geography is such a broad field of study incorporating many different disciplines. With a geography degree, you really get a true liberal arts education. Unfortunately, in this era off specialization, it might be just too generalized for most universities to afford to continue it without feeling redundancy in courses taught in other departments.</p>

[applicannot]

<p>Well, human geography (most schools offer a concentration in either some form of human geography or some form of geographic methods) has been eclipsed by Language/Area Studies, Urban Studies, and International Studies (although Affairs and Relations are more politically oriented). They’re more specific majors, but they encompass the same ideas as human geography. I’m imagining that the geographic methods courses have become more geology/earth science oriented. I think most of the schools I’ve looked at still have a Geography major, but at many, students are required to double major/take a strong minor.</p>

[diontechristmas]

<p>I think our major is a combined Geography and Urban Studies program.</p>

[bluebubbles]

<p>There is a geography major at GW!</p>

[osucowboys]

<p>I know next year I’ll be taking geography to fulfill one of my gen ed requirements for science. A lot of “non-technical majors” like poly sci or journalism take geography as an easy science course instead of something like Physics or Biology that is more involved…</p>

<p>Anyone can look at a map. (And I guess I’m going to find out next year if it’s really as easy as I hope…)</p>

[diontechristmas]

<p>Ummm it’s not that easy. You’re probably thinking of topography and cartography.</p>

[tk21769]

<p>According to Rugg’s, selective schools that offer Geography majors include:</p>

<p>Colgate
Dartmouth
Hopkins
Macalester
Michigan
Middlebury
Minnesota
Sarah Lawrence</p>

<p>Chicago offers (or has been offering) a “Geographical Studies” major. Lots of cool-sounding courses in the online catalog. It’s not about to discontinued, is it? That would be a shame.</p>

[osucowboys]

<p>

Ummm it’s not that easy. You’re probably thinking of topography and cartography.

</p>

<p>Ok. And I think I know what classes I am taking. I’m just explaining what I heard from an academic adviser whose job it is to advise Political Science majors…meaning he specializes in minimalizing math and science.</p>

[diontechristmas]

<p>I know, but I’m saying it’s not just memorizing places on maps.</p>

[rjkofnovi]

<p>Michigan does not offer a geography major anymore.</p>

[zapfino]

<p>Some subfields og geography seem to be covered in other depts, such as climatology and aspects of environmental geography and geomorphology in earth science depts., biogeography in biology depts., spatial analysis in urban planning, and GIS in a variety of depts. That still leaves entire areas such as regional/area geography, cultural/social geography, etc. not covered in other depts. I’m not in geography but it seems there were interesting theoretical developments in that discipline, and as I mentioned it thrives in Britain and many US universities----just not in some of the top universities. </p>

<p>As for U Chicago, aren’t their course offerings just the remnants of what was once an full, independent dept.?</p>

[rjkofnovi]

<p>^^^Also political geography and geopolitics, marketing geography, etc.etc.etc. As I stated before, geography is so broad, it covers many other disciplines.</p>

[applicannot]

<p>

I know next year I’ll be taking geography to fulfill one of my gen ed requirements for science. A lot of “non-technical majors” like poly sci or journalism take geography as an easy science course instead of something like Physics or Biology that is more involved…

</p>

<p>Are you sure you’re taking geography to satisfy a science requirement? Human geography is a social science. Geographic information is like a technology class. GEOLOGY is definitely a science class, though.</p>

<p>

Four historical traditions in geographical research are the spatial analysis of natural and human phenomena (geography as a study of distribution), area studies (places and regions), study of man-land relationship, and research in earth sciences.[3] Nonetheless, modern geography is an all-encompassing discipline that foremost seeks to understand the Earth and all of its human and natural complexities—not merely where objects are, but how they have changed and come to be. As “the bridge between the human and physical sciences,” geography is divided into two main branches—human geography and physical geography.[4][5]

</p>

<p>Physical geography as a science would be a huge stretch - it’s more of a study. I’m kind of interested in where you go to school. I wish I was headed toward a school where geography = science. I suck at science; it would make my life a lot easier. Does personal finance = math as well? I could totally pass that.</p>

[giddey_up]

<p>Texas State University in San Marcos, TX, has a Geography Dept that they are pretty proud of. Nice school in a nice town. On their web site, they have an Alumni Business Card Directory that is very interesting - many work for city water departments, environmental companies, etc. Here is a link: [Alumni</a> Business Card Directory : Department of Geography : Texas State University](<a href=“http://www.geo.txstate.edu/resources/internship-jobs/business-cards.html]Alumni”>http://www.geo.txstate.edu/resources/internship-jobs/business-cards.html)</p>

[barrons]

<p>Wisconsin still has a top Geography dept. </p>

<p>[Geography</a> Department Overview](<a href=“http://www.geography.wisc.edu/department/overview.htm]Geography”>http://www.geography.wisc.edu/department/overview.htm)</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.geog.psu.edu/news/nrc.html[/url]”>http://www.geog.psu.edu/news/nrc.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

[osucowboys]

<p>

Texas State University in San Marcos, TX, has a Geography Dept that they are pretty proud of. Nice school in a nice town.

</p>

<p>Texas State is not a nice school in a nice town… and San Marcos is just a suburb of Austin with a thousand strip malls. Comparatively…it sucks compared to Austin. Because you can’t avoid that comparison if you’re 20 minutes out from downtown Austin, that means it sucks.</p>

[barrons]

<p>The girls at the former SWTSU were always pretty hot. LBJ went there. They filmed “Piranha” there. John Sayles is cool.</p>

<p><a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piranha_(1978_film[/url])”>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piranha_(1978_film)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

[giddey_up]

<p>I dunno, cowboy, I think that is a little harsh. My impression of San Marcos is of a small, classic Texas town with the county courthouse in town square surrounded by little storefronts with awnings over the sidewalks. The campus is very hilly, shaded with trees, and a river runs by it. Lots of new construction on campus with a new student center, closing streets for pedestrian malls. I’m quite familiar with Austin. I took a tour of Texas State last summer, and found that the surroundings and atmosphere on and around campus reminded me of what UT Austin was like 35 years ago.</p>