Geography - an introduction
Geography is the study of place, space and the environment. A geographer investigates the character of places, the distribution of phenomena across space, biophysical processes and features, and dynamic relationships between humans and environments.
Geographers ask questions about why these phenomena and relationships are like they are and how they could be; how societies and environments are connected to one another; how and why they change; and how and why their characteristics vary across time and space at different scales. Geography answers questions spanning the local to the global, in the past, present and future.
Geography is fundamentally interdisciplinary. It is one of the few disciplines that encompass very different ways of knowing, from the natural and social sciences and the humanities. Geographers are therefore uniquely equipped to understand and address critical problems facing the world. Geographers are motivated by issues such as social and environmental justice, and the efficient, equitable and sustainable use of resources.
Geographical thought develops knowledge and understanding from three complementary concepts:
The first is the concept of place. Geographers explore what places mean, how people shape places, and how places shape our lives. This brings many areas of geography together in an encompassing approach to understanding the characteristics of, and relationships between localities, cities, regions, countries and continents.
The second concept is environment. Geographers investigate biophysical environments encompassing terrestrial, marine and atmospheric systems. These investigations include the nature, dimensions and causes of environmental change; the reciprocal relationships between the environment and people; the resources biophysical systems provide and their sustainability.
The third concept is space. Geographers examine how, why and with what effect diverse phenomena vary across the surface of the earth. Geographers understand space to be configured by the movement and organisation of people and materials as well as being a location for social and material action.
Geographers ask questions about why these phenomena and relationships are like they are and how they could be; how societies and environments are connected to one another; how and why they change; and how and why their characteristics vary across time and space at different scales. Geography answers questions spanning the local to the global, in the past, present and future.
Geography is fundamentally interdisciplinary. It is one of the few disciplines that encompass very different ways of knowing, from the natural and social sciences and the humanities. Geographers are therefore uniquely equipped to understand and address critical problems facing the world. Geographers are motivated by issues such as social and environmental justice, and the efficient, equitable and sustainable use of resources.
Geographical thought develops knowledge and understanding from three complementary concepts:
The first is the concept of place. Geographers explore what places mean, how people shape places, and how places shape our lives. This brings many areas of geography together in an encompassing approach to understanding the characteristics of, and relationships between localities, cities, regions, countries and continents.
The second concept is environment. Geographers investigate biophysical environments encompassing terrestrial, marine and atmospheric systems. These investigations include the nature, dimensions and causes of environmental change; the reciprocal relationships between the environment and people; the resources biophysical systems provide and their sustainability.
The third concept is space. Geographers examine how, why and with what effect diverse phenomena vary across the surface of the earth. Geographers understand space to be configured by the movement and organisation of people and materials as well as being a location for social and material action.
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Careers through Geography
Geography graduates are qualified to understand the world as an integrated whole. They use a powerful mix of geographical and interdisciplinary skills to solve a range of problems. They can analyse and synthesise complex environmental, economic, social and political information to enable a geographical understanding of humans, environments and the dynamic relationships between them. Geography graduates are skilled in a range of research techniques, which can include fieldwork, survey design, statistical analysis, spatial data analysis (including Geographic Information Systems), and other forms of qualitative and quantitative analysis. They are proficient at retrieving, synthesising and communicating information, as well as managing data and drawing on different sources of knowledge. These skills and attributes make Geography graduates highly employable in a wide variety of fields across both government and non-government sectors. Fields of employment include: - Agriculture and natural resources management - Community development - Conservation and heritage - Education - Environmental planning, monitoring and management - Environmental science - Hazard/disaster management - International aid and development - Mapping and cartography - Market research and analysis - Remote sensing - Tourism management - Watermanagement and resources - Weather and climate |
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