1. THIS HUMAN WORLD An Introduction to Human Geography

2. Agenda Review course syllabus What is Human Geography? Why am I a geographer? What is Ethnocentrism?

3. What is not “real” geography? Aims to entertain Aims to promote tourism or otherwise produce a profit or benefit narrow interests Aims to confirm a sense of cultural, moral, or biological superiority on the part of the audience and observer (ethnocentrism) In its worst form, it works to decrease rather than increase mutual understanding and appreciation between groups and through space

4. “Arles at Easter. The cracked blare of small bands on cobblestone streets. Spain’s influence announces itself in small bars that serve Spanish tapas washed down with French pastis. In the Roman amphitheater, soaked in light the color of pale champagne, witness a dreadful beauty: the ballet of man and bull. Perhaps it is the swirl of scarlet cape, the suits of light that allow us to forget the gleam of steel until the end.” “Letters from France” National Geographic July 1989, p.70. National Geographic

5. Tourism promotion “San Antonio captures the spirit of Texas. Now the ninth largest city in the United States, the city has retained its sense of history and tradition, while carefully blending in cosmopolitan progress. The city has always been a crossroads and a meeting place. Sounds and flavors of Native Americans, Old Mexico, Germans, the Wild West, African-Americans and the Deep South mingle and merge. Close to eight million visitors a year delight in the discovery of San Antonio's charms.” Ninth largest city in the US? Not exactly a lie, but not really aimed at enlightening the reader, either. San Antonio Convention and Visitor’s Bureau http://www.sanantoniocvb.com/visitors/com_history.asp

6. Antiquated geography The Family Cyclopedia of Useful Knowledge (New York, 1889) “The moral condition of the lower classes [of Mexico] is frightfully degraded. Insecurity of life and property, a chronic state of revolution, and gambling and drunkenness have caused such a degeneration of the masses, that an American writer has recently declared, that the only hope of the regeneration and civilization of Mexico, is in the absolute extinction of fully seven of her eight millions of inhabitants. Among the higher classes the prospect is hardly more pleasing. Empty formalities, the haughtiness of the old Spanish Grandees, and a show of nobility are joined to intellectual insignificance, callousness of feeling, and a pride of race simply contemptible.”

7. What distinguishes today’s geographical description? Attempts to focus on understanding more than entertainment –Complex –Process oriented –Careful attention to causality Attempts to overcome ethnocentrism –A matter of attitude –Never fully achieved –Inside/outside perspective Other observations?

8. What constitutes “bad” geography? Bad geographical writing is: –Inaccurate –Irrelevant –Ethnocentric –Simplistic –Biased –Socially harmful Geographical writing (by geographers or others) that pretends to be completely unbiased is generally guilty of all of the above.

9. Subspecialties in Geography

10. Two Main Topical Divisions with many subdivisions Physical Geography Human Geography

11. What is Human Geography? 1.Human geography is one half of the discipline of geography, if it is cut up on the basis of topics 2.Geography need not be cut up on the basis of topics (the topical approach), it can also be cut up on the basis of regions (the regional approach) –To some extent, this class will use both approaches, which is a bit of a variation on my normal approach 3.Geographers also use a range of special techniques, skills, and tools, that form their own sub-specialization within the discipline (e.g. cartography, GIS, remote sensing, geodetics, etc.) –You will be acquainted with thematic mapping and cognitive mapping in this course

12. Does it get more specialized than this? Of course… Every geographer carves out his or her area of expertise At a University like UT professors must publish and publishing depends on making new discoveries (or at least new arguments) –the boundaries of the discipline (and subdisciplines) are constantly being reconsidered There are bible geographers, wine geographers, dry- land geomorphologists and even paleopedologists (people who study ancient bits of soil trapped and preserved like fossils) What about me???

13.  Each specialization in geography has its own related cognate discipline (or disciplines)  These provide theories, data, funding sources, etc.  Geography injects concepts of space, place, region, flows, mobility, diffusion, and other peculiarly “geographical” ways of thinking about things Cognate Disciplines

14. So why am I a geographer?

18. A Closer Look at Complex Causality

19. Geography of Wine What do you think causes wines from different regions to taste different? What environmental factors play a part?

20. Factors leading to regional differentiation in wines Environmental factors –Soil –Terrain –Climate Days of sunshine Frost-free days Amount of precipitation Etc. in France the concept of terroir is protected by law –A "terroir" is a group of vineyards from the same region sharing the same type of soil, weather conditions, grapes and wine making savoir-faire, which combine to give a distinctive character to the wine.

21. “Controlled origin-name” Old labels, note place names but not phrase “appellation d’origine contrôlée ”

22. Factors leading to regional differentiation in wines Economic factors shaping landuse: –The appellation controllée maximizes the profits for producing a particular kind of wine if one happens to live in a region granted a particular appellation –Why? –Prices of Champagne from Champagne (or Burgundy from Burgundy) will be elevated by the appellation –Greater return on your labor if you produce the kind of wine that is favored in your region by the appellation system –This is an economic and social (rather than just physical) factor causing certain regions to specialize in particular kinds of wines –What we call something affects how people understand and value that thing –Our understanding of the world reflects the world, but also shapes the world (by shaping our behavior)

23. Complex Causality Geography reflects the reciprocal influence of: –Environmental factors –Social/cultural factors –Individual initiative/free will Environmental factors Individual initiative/free will Social/cultural factors

24. Complex Causality Environmental factors Individual initiative/free will Social/cultural factors

25. GEOGRAPHY means… Both a way of understanding and a phenomenon susceptible to being understood