From the authors of the textbook:
(Human
Geography in Action by Kuby, Harner, and Gober,
John Wiley and Sons, 2002)
Human
Geography in Action comprises 14 stimulating,
hands-on chapters that challenge students to collect,
manipulate, display, and interpret geographic information
(NOTE: we will not do all 14 chapters in this online
class). Each freestanding activity enables hands-on
experience with a few basic concepts in human geography
including: maps and scale, culture and region, diffusion,
spatial interaction, age-sex pyramids, economic
specialization, development, agriculture and
globalization, urban hierarchy, neighborhood
characteristics, urban sprawl, segregation, nations and
states, and environmental change. We have chosen a set of
activities that demonstrate the kinds of questions that
geographers ask and the myriad ways they go about
answering them. Our goal is to help students develop the
geographic perspective and problem-solving skills that
will prove valuable to them in the long run in their
other courses, in their careers, and for lifelong
learning.
The idea of doing geography rather than reading about
it makes Human
Geography in Action an alternative to the
strictly lecture-oriented course and its accompanying
reading-centered textbook. Another key difference between
the standard human geography text and Human
Geography in Action is our focus on essential
concepts rather than the never-ending cavalcade of facts
in the typical introductory text depth rather than
breadth. Using the standard course syllabus in human
geography as a framework for Human
Geography in Action, we focus in on the basics
five to ten of the most important ideas in each chapter
keeping the background material useful but brief, and
keeping Human Geography in Action true to our goal of
offering an active learning curriculum. We believe
strongly that it is more valuable to teach students how
to think and solve problems geographically than to cover
every topic in the typical human geography textbook. As a
side benefit, we think you will attract more new
geography majors as a result.
