Welcome to GEOG 1HB3 Human Geographies: City and Economy

Winter 2014 Lecture 1

Human Geographies: City and Economy

Instructor Dr. Walter Peace Office: GSB 201 Email: peacew@mcmaster.ca Office Hours: Monday 3:30 4:30 Tuesday 10:30 11:30 (Or by appointment)

Human Geographies: City and Economy

Instructional Assistant Ms. Julia Evanovitch Office: BSB 317D Email: evanovjm@mcmaster.ca Office Hours: See Avenue

Human Geographies: City and Economy

Things You Need to Know: Reading material (Both available in Titles)
Text: James M. Rubenstein Contemporary Human Geography 2nd edition Courseware: GEOG 1HB3 Human Geographies: City and Economy (Winter 2014)

Evaluation:
Mid-term test (February 5) 15% Assignments/Labs 45% Final Exam 40%

Human Geographies: City and Economy

Things You Need to Know: Labs begin in the week of January 20th Be sure to bring your GEOG 1HB3 Courseware to every lab

Human Geographies: City and Economy

Some Advice Go to class in all of your courses! Keep up with course work in all of your courses! Ask questions in all of your courses!

My Teaching Philosophy
The value of your education lies not in its market value, but rather in the way it makes us better citizens and more virtuous individuals. To paraphrase JFK, Ask not what your education can do for you; ask what you can do for your university education. Awareness Appreciation Action

Human Geographies: City and Economy

What is geography? Geography is a flavour ____________________? The geography might be a little difficult to arrange. ____________________? Geography the study of patterns and processes on the earths surface Root words:
Geo (Greek) earth or world Graphei (Greek) to write

Human Geographies: City and Economy

Human Geographies: City and Economy

Two sub-disciplines of geography: Physical geography:
The study of patterns and processes in the physical environment e.g., landforms, climate, hydrology,

Human geography:
The study of patterns and processes in the human environment e.g., society, culture, economy, settlement,

Human Geographies: City and Economy

Urban-economic geography:
A branch of human geography dealing with patterns and processes related to cities and economic activities e.g., (1) What factors underlie urban land use patterns? (2) How are urbanization trends related to level of development? (3) Why do economic activities locate where they do?

Human Geographies: City and Economy

Human Geographies: City and Economy

Human Geographies: City and Economy

The basic concerns of the geographer: Description spatial patterns (WHAT?) Explanation spatial processes (WHY?) Interpretation spatial meaning (SO WHAT?)

Human Geographies: City and Economy

Why study geography? Geography matters! Geographers explain where things are, why they are there, and why their locations have significance. Rubenstein (2013, 4)

Human Geographies: City and Economy

Note: Other social scientists study the same subject matter (people) as human geographers; what differs are the perspectives and methods used (See Rubenstein, Chapter 1)

Human Geographies: City and Economy

Questions What is the title of this picture? Who painted this picture? When was it painted? What does the picture say about the subject?

Human Geographies: City and Economy

Title: The Geographer Artist: Johannes Vermeer Date: 1669 One interpretation:
the seventeenth century was a time of discovery, when the charting of new and unexplored worlds was a dream realized not only by adventurers and traders, but also by geographers and astronomers. So, may he be thinking about a discovery of utter importance? Is he maybe putting down his own discovery on paper, so that other ingenious (people) might be informed?

Human Geographies: City and Economy

Another possible interpretation:
Here, in a visual image that we can grasp in an instant, is a (geographer) discovering a new fact about reality in a world wide open to (an) inquiring mind.

Whats your interpretation of The Geographer? What discoveries and new facts about reality can we hope to experience in this course?

Human Geographies: City and Economy

Finally
The Map of the Day

Nova Totius Terrarum Orbis Geographica Joan Blaeu 1662

Human Geographies: City and Economy

Thank You. See you in our next class.