GEOGRAPHY*

概要

Face-to-Face Classes. Nowadays geographical contents become part of our everyday life. A simple visit for example to Google Earth shows the diversity of the earth landscapes. Many today are familiar with maps by finding location and place to go with Google Maps or even with the smartphone (such as iPhone for example). GPS (Global Positioning System) technology is increasingly in use for location services. The telecommunication technologies with the Internet and social networks are changing the way we live, communicate with others people, and the representation of the space we have. But what people think of Geography? This course will introduce geography as a science. The objective is to develop a comprehension of the main elements of the field of geography. It will present both Physical Geography related to natural environments and landscapes, and Human Geography, which covers people and the cultural landscapes. Students will be given the opportunity to explore the importance of a geographic perspective in understanding contemporary life with up-to-date examples from the climate change and global warming, the natural disasters, the ocean pollution, the impact of the urbanization and the mega cities, the influence of culture on human affairs, to the international relations including recent topics in the news (global economy, international migrations and refugees status, religion, and conflicts such as the Gaza, Sudan, Ukraine war, the new geopolitics in the world, the new Americanism, China). Theories in Geography combined with real world situations will be presented at the local, regional and world level. Students are expected to participate as active learners (active learning), responsible for guiding and contributing to the content of the course (discussion, presentation) under the guidance of the professor and whenever possible using their own backgrounds, knowledge, and experiences (for example living in a different country or place). All the contents and requirements for this course will be inserted in the Moodle (Course: Introduction to Geography). Discussion Forum will be opened on the Moodle for student’s contribution.

目標

1. Students will be equipped with a substantive knowledge of geography as a science, including its leading concepts, theories, themes, tools among others; 2. To learn fundamental concepts in geography such as location, place, region, and the human/environment interaction; 3. Students will learn about the cartographic principles and gain skills to read and interpret maps; in addition, students will be introduced to the analysis of spatial data; 4. Investigation of what are the impacts or changes of globalization, ethno-cultural nationalism and socioeconomic changes in cultures, global food system functions, agriculture, development; 5. Understand the relationship between Geography and others academic disciplines; 6. To be better equipped with the skill of thinking critically about the issues that affect peoples and places in the world; 7. At the end of the course students will be have a kind of “mental map” of the world, understand the basic relationships between humans and the natural environments they occupy, grasp the concept of region, understand the important of movement, and realize as well the importance of having a geographic perspective. 8. Developing skills for active learning is an important component for this course.

授業外の学習

• The total preparation time for each class should be 190 minutes. • Preparation of class materials and reading assignments (60 minutes). • Work on class assignments (50 minutes) • Reading two news articles (from the newspapers corner in the Library of Sophia University) related to course contents (10 minutes) • Review class lecture and answer the questions at the end of the book chapter (70 minutes) • Additional time may be needed in the period for the study of the exams.

所要時間: 190 minutes