A - LEVEL GEOGRAPHY STUDY PACK

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION TO “A” LEVEL GEOGRAPHY 1.1 CHAPTER OBJECTIVES After studying this chapter students should be able to: 1. Define what Geography is 2. Explain what Geography is 3. Explain the branches and scope of Geography 4. Outline the structure and form of the “A” Level Geography Examination 5. Explain the examination Assessment objectives Page 15 A Level Geography Study Pack 1. INTRODUCTION TO A LEVEL GEOGARPHY Welcome to the “A” Level Geography course. Geography at “A” Level, like any other “A” level subject, is a big jump from your “O” level studies. A practical approach to the subject would be more appropriate at this level. See the exercise below. 2. KICK OFF EXERCISE Read the short account given below and then critically think about all the questions which are raised at the end of the account. There is no doubt that our world today is facing a crisis! Land degradation, pollution in water, air and on land; global warming, acid rain, destruction of the ozone layer, melting ice caps, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, typhoons and cyclones; disruptions of nuclear installations, civic and religious unrest, belligerent nations, disease pandemics, famines, the liquidity crisis, diminishing and unequal distribution of resources, corporate greed and centralization, gender inequality etc, all affect the human being living over the face of the earth. Ironically, most, if not all the problems, result from anthropogenic (human) activities. It would appear that the human element, once introduced into a pure natural environment, disrupts the ecological balance and upsets sustainable living in a number of ways. This is what we are sure about today. But our earth has always been changing-as if it is restless! The changes have a direct impact on the peoples of the earth, its flora, fauna and their constant struggle to adjust and survive. Have you ever considered what causes these changes, how they come about, why they occur, how they occur and what effect they have in the survival struggle of the earth’s living organisms? Geographers have answers to these questions. This may sound too bold a statement to make but its implication is that the scope of Geography is so wide and so rich and varied that there is no subject in the curriculum that Geography does not have something to teach about. See the branches of Geography in number 7 below. 3 In the whole of your life, where do you see Geography coming in, especially its knowledge and skills taught and demonstrated at “A” Level? Geography is woven in the fabric of the whole world around you, your survival in that world and your duty in ensuring that your world can carry on supporting your survival. You see Geography correlated with virtually all your other subjects in the curriculum. Because of the nature of Geography, there is a richer selection of careers than in any other single subject. See the diagram in number 6 below, showing the link between Geography and some other disciplines in your curriculum. Page 16 A Level Geography Study Pack 4 As an “A” Level Geography student, what would you suffer if you were not to learn this subject thoroughly right from the start? The “A” Level, Geography syllabus is a very long syllabus. Virtually every topic introduces peculiar geographic terms, jargon, concepts, skills and values which you must attempt to master. The “A” Level course is a huge jump from “O” Level work; it actually forms a very firm basis for university studies or any further studies in Geography. Besides, you will not get a good pass at the end of your course if your knowledge and skills are weak. A good pass in Geography at “A” Level can qualify your entry into certain disciplines at University where you may not have the direct subject pass pertinent to the entry into those courses. The reason is that “A” Level Geography deals with a variety of concepts and skills that relate to other subjects. Again see number 6 and number 7 below. To a very large extent, Geography is a science, whose methods of study and research are those used in natural sciences (Chemistry, Physics, Biology) and other sciences. If you study Geography thoroughly at this level, you will gain the basic knowledge and skills that students get in the other sciences. 1.2 The Definition of Geography The word “Geography” first came from an ancient Greek scholar, Eratosthenes (276- 194BC). Geo–means earth and graphien means to write. Therefore “Geography” literally means to write about the earth. You can immediately see that this is a very limited definition of Geography. The definition of Geography is a bit elusive, although we all agree that it is a science concerned with places, especially the earth’s surface as the space within which the human population exists. Below are some definitions given by a few experts together with some comments on the subject. Please note that the mode of citation used below indicates the year of publication of the book or the view and the page where the information is found in that publication. The two details are separated by a colon. Richard Hartshorne (1959) He wrote that: Geography is concerned with providing accurate, orderly and rational descriptions and interpretations of the variable character of the earth’s surface. Johnstone et al (1981:175) They submitted that Geography is: “the study of the earth’s surface as the space within which the human population lives.” Small and Witherick (1986:89) Wrote that: “Geography comprises the study of the earth’s surface as the home of the human race. But how much Geography is the science of spatial distribution and spatial relationships, how far it is concerned with the interaction between people and their physical environment, and to what extent the study of the region is the focus of the subject, these Page 17 A Level Geography Study Pack are all matters of debate. The fact that Geography is located at the interface between the natural sciences, adds to the difficulty of arriving at a definitive definition.” Monkhouse (1965:137) Submitted that: “Geography comprises the study of the earth’s surface in its areal differentiation as the home of man; how much it is a science of distributions; physical and human, how much man in his spatial setting, is the crux, and to what extent the study of the region is the core of the subject, are all matters of debate. The geographer seeks to describe how the diverse features have come to be what they are, and to discuss how they influence the distribution of man with his multifarious activities. Geography, standing as it does, transitionally, yet centrally, between the natural sciences, the social studies and the humanities, is thus in its concept and content an integrated whole.” Today scholars agree that Geography is an all-encompassing discipline that, foremost, seeks to understand the earth and all of its human and natural complexities not merely where objects are, but how they have changed and come to be. Geography has been called “the world discipline’ and “the bridge” between the human and the physical science. Hence Geography has two main branches as shown below.