Geography 15-041-578                                                      Professor Wolf Roder

History and Philosophy of Geography                                                            

Winter Quarter 2001

REQUIRED TEXT: R. J. Johnston, Geography and Geographers 5th ed. (1997).

Also many xerox handouts and short pieces.

Link to Course Bibliography

 

TENTATIVE OUTLINE OF ACTIVITIES

Date

Chapter

Topic

Jan 3-5

none

What did Einstein mean by geography is "far too difficult"?

Jan 8-12

1

A look at Economics as a "science?": How does geography compare?

 

2

Geography as an academic discipline and Hartshorne and Pattison.

Jan 15

 

MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY: no class

Jan17-19

3

What were the roots of modern geography before 1945?

 

 

What is "scientific method" and what does it mean to geography?

Jan 22-26

 

A history of geography from its origins in classical antiquity to the beginning of the modern period of science in 1859; why that year?

Jan/Feb.29-2

4

What role does space play in scientific theory?

 

5

What is spatial theory, and what is "countering the spatial separatist theme"?

Feb 5- 9

6

Positivism, neo-positivism, and other ideas in epistemology.  What is humanistic geography? Is it the same as historical or cultural geography? Are you a humanistic geographer? Why?

Feb 12-16

7

Is there a revival in physical geography? What is new?

 

8

What can geographers usefully contribute to the scientific endeavor?

 

 

What are radical, structural, and liberal geography?

Feb 19-23

9

Is there a new "regional" geography? What is the paradigm of human geography? Quod sequitur?

 

Feb/Mar 26-2

none

Shotgun seminar or reports

 

 

Reports

March 5- 9

 

Shotgun seminar or reports

 

 

All papers are due

March16

 

Friday, 10:30 - 12:30 FINAL EXAMINATION

 

(1) Text and handouts need to be read before the class period so that you are ready to discuss the matters covered.  Participation in class is a requirement and will affect grade.  (2) Each student will select several books from a list, write two to three page reviews and be prepared to report verbally.  Model for reviews (length, style, etc.) will be the book reviews published in the Professional Geographer; examine several such reviews.

 

As a young man my fondest dream was to become a geographer. However, while working in the customs office I thought deeply about the matter and concluded that it was far too difficult a subject. With some reluctance, I then turned to physics as a substitute.

Albert Einstein (1879-1955), Unpublished Letters