Geographical Publications

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to examine the geography of poverty in the state of Illinois and to use these empirical results as a basis for classroom discussions and exercises intended to involve students in the current debate on poverty. Although poverty is generally associated with inner city locations, our results indicate that poverty levels are higher in rural areas, particularly those that are not adjacent to metropolitan locations. The prevalence of low-wage employment and the growing number of single-parent families in rural areas are closely linked to increased poverty. Student surveys and the presentation of data were successful in generating discussion among undergraduate students at Western Illinois University. Student comments revealed a high degree of concern about poverty and sensitivity to the circumstances of the poor.     

Cognitive and Affective Predictors of Illinois Residents’ Perceived Risks from Gray Wolves

Abstract

Increasing wolf populations are a concern for wildlife managers in the Midwestern U.S. Understanding the psychological mechanisms that contribute to public perceptions of risk will enable development of strategies that seek to mitigate these risks, and suggest where outreach efforts may facilitate acceptance of wolves. We examined the psychological factors that influence Illinois residents’ perceived risks from wolves. We hypothesized that individuals’ perceived risks from wolves were a function of their attitudes toward wolves, negative affect toward wolves, and basic beliefs about wildlife. Data were obtained from a survey of the Illinois public (n?=?784). Negative affect and attitudes toward wolves were direct predictors of perceived risks. Basic beliefs predicted attitudes and negative affect toward wolves. Negative affect predicted attitudes. Basic beliefs had direct and indirect effects on perceived risks.     

ADJUSTMENTS TO NATURAL HAZARDS: FACTORS AFFECTING THE ADOPTION OF CROP-HAIL INSURANCE∗

As crop losses from hail continue to rise, farmers increasingly rely on crop-hail insurance to mitigate the effects of hail damage. This paper examines a series of socio-economic and psycho-dynamic factors that affect the adoption decision in a relatively homogeneous agricultural region in central Illinois. The very high rates of insurance adoption found in the area indicate that adoption is based on the perceived existence of a hazard, satisfaction with insurance and its availability at acceptable costs, and the perceived lack of alternative adjustments.     

Teaching Methods,the Herbartian Revolution and Douglas Clay Ridgley at Illinois State Normal University

Abstract

Teaching methods in the 1880s and 1890s were influenced by the energies and publications of the Herbartians from Illinois State Normal University. Memorization was replaced by inductive questioning, field trips and the use of visual aids. Four men and one woman were followed by Douglas Clay Ridgley who built up the geography major and made tools for the teachers. Name recognition is now weak but much of what they taught is now accepted and practiced.     

Preview of Films

Abstract

MEKONG… A RIVER OF ASIA, Public Relations Dept., 50 West 50th Street, New York, New York, 30 minutes, 16mm, sound, color, no date. Free loan.

DAIRY—FARM TO DOOR, Charles Cahill and Associates, 5746 Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood, California 90046, 10 minutes, 16mm, sound, color and black and white, 1965. $120 and $65.

NORTH AMERICA: THE CONTINENT, Coronet Films, 65 East South Water Street, Chicago 1, Illinois, 14 minutes, 16mm, sound, color and black and white, 1965. Collaborator: Earl B. Shaw.

MODERN FRANCE: THE LAND AND THE PEOPLE (Second Edition) Coronet Films, 65 East South Water Street, Chicago 1, Illinois, 14 minutes, 16mm, sound, color and black and white, 1965. $120 and $60. Collaborator: Clyde F. Kohn.

LIFE ZONES OF THE CENTRAL ROCKIES, International Film Bureau, Inc., 332 South Michigan Ave., Chicago 4, Illinois, 21 minutes, 16mm, sound, color, 1965. $195. Produced by Walter H. Berlet.

WATER HARVESTING, LeMont Films, P.O. Box 63, Northridge, California 91323, 15 1/2 minutes, 16mm, sound, color, no date. $168.     

FARM BILL MAY MEAN FUNDS FOR GEOGRAPHICAL RESEARCH

Millicent Todd Bingham was the first and only woman to earn a Ph.D. in the Department of Geology and Geography at Harvard. A talented linguist, she published in the classic tradition of the French school of human geography. Her professional geographic career came to a halt when she elected to edit the poems and letters of Emily Dickinson, work originally begun by her mother, Mabel Loomis Todd. Bingham's efforts resulted in the publication of several books and articles fundamental to the Dickinson scholarship. She credits her geographic training for much of her literary success.     

Modelling topographic potential for erosion and deposition using GIS

Abstract

Modelling of erosion and deposition in complex terrain within a geographical information system (GIS) requires a high resolution digital elevation model (DEM), reliable estimation of topographic parameters, and formulation of erosion models adequate for digital representation of spatially distributed parameters. Regularized spline with tension was integrated within a GIS for computation of DEMs and topographic parameters from digitized contours or other point elevation data. For construction of flow lines and computation of upslope contributing areas an algorithm based on vector-grid approach was developed. The spatial distribution of areas with topographic potential for erosion or deposition was then modelled using the approach based on the unit stream power and directional derivatives of surface representing the sediment transport capacity. The methods presented are illustrated on study areas in central Illinois and the Yakima Ridge, Washington.     

Reviews

Abstract

Wetlands of the American Midwest: A Historical Geography of Changing Attitudes, Hugh Prince, Chicago, Illinois: University of Chicago Press. 1997. 412 pp. ISBN 0226682838. $21.00 (paper).

Worlds of Welfare: Understanding the Changing Geographies of Social Welfare Provision, Steven Pinch, New York, New York: Routledge. 1997. 167 pp. plus xiv ISBN 0415111897. $20.99 (paper).

The Earth Transformed: An Introduction to Human Impacts on the Environment, Andrew Goudie, Heather Viles, Maiden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishers. 1997. 276 pp. ISBN 0631194657 $29.95 (paper).     

Clusters of Nonmedical Exemptions to Vaccination in Illinois K–12 Schools

Vaccination rates in Illinois schools are decreasing as more parents opt for nonmedical exemptions (NMEs). At the local scale, higher levels of exemptions affect herd immunity levels. Few studies have previously conducted or proposed methods to conduct local-scale spatial and temporal cluster pattern analysis. This study used vaccination exemption data from the Illinois School Board of Education’s annual Immunization School Survey for the 2003–2004 and 2013–2014 academic years. The Getis–Ord General G statistic was used to identify cluster detection by individual vaccine at the school level. The Getis–Ord Gi* statistic was used with two different parameter models to identify hot and cold spots. This study found that NMEs are highly clustered. More clusters of high and low NMEs were identified for the 2013–2014 academic year than for 2003–2004. The percentages of schools that were neither hot nor cold averaged 94.0 percent for the 2003–2004 school year and 78.7 percent for the 2013–2014 school year. NME rates in Illinois are rising. The increase in hot and cold spots is evidence that the polarity of vaccination choice is growing. As vaccination exemption rates continue to polarize U.S. society, it is essential for public health efforts to monitor and conduct local-level studies. Key Words: antivaccination, hot spot analysis, medical geography, nonmedical exemption, spatial statistics.     

Slide-Projection Techniques in the Geography Class

Abstract

The Thrifty Geographer

The Soviet Scene: A Geographical Perspective, by James H. Bater New York, London: Edward Arnold. 1989. 45 maps, 16 diagrams, 24 tables, bibliographies at ends of chapters, index. xv,304pp.ISBNO-7131-6420-4$17.95paper.ISBN 0-7131-6613-4 $49.50 cloth.

Directions in Geography: A Guide for Teachers, by Gail S. Ludwig, Alan Backler, Sarah W. Bednarz, Judith K. Bock, Mark H, Bockenhauer, JosephP. Stoltman and Frederick H. Walk Washington, D.C. National Geographic Society. 1991. $29.95. Three ring binder.

Historic Illinois from the Air, by David Buisseret University of Chicago Press. 1990. xviii, 232. (Illustrations and cartography by Tom Wilcockson)

New World New Mind, by Robert Ornstein and Paul Ehrlich New York: Simon &; Schuster Inc. A Touchstone Book, 1989. Paperback—$9.95. ISBN 0-671-69606-8 Pbk.     

Notes On Penguins

Abstract

Richard Dillon. MERIWETHER LEWIS: A BIOGRAPHY. Coward-McCann, Inc., New York, 1965 xvii + 364 pages, illustrations, index. $6.95.

James W. Simmons. THE CHANGING PATTERN OF RETAIL LOCATION. Department of Geography Research Paper No. 92. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois, 1964. x + 193 pages with table of contents, 48 illustrations and selected bibliography. $4.00.

Sam and Beryle Epstein. THE FIRST BOOK OF SWITZERLAND. Franklin Watts, Inc., 575 Lexington Ave., New York 22, N.Y., 1964. 85 pages including index and 68 pictures. $2.50.

George F. Carter. MAN AND THE LAND: A CULTURAL GEOGRAPHY. Holt, Rine-hard and Winston, Inc., New York, 1964. xiv + 496 pages with table of contents, maps, photographs, bibliography, and index. $9.95.

Zoe A. Thralls, Edward L. Biller, and William H. Hartley. THE WORLD AROUND US, REVISED EDITION. Harcourt, Brace, and World, Inc., New York, 1965. 512 pages with table of contents, list of maps, pictures, reference section, glossary, and index. $5.80.     

Reviews

Abstract

Around the World Program: Malta, Japan, Australia, Madagascar, Switzerland, and Fiji, Hilary Lambert Hopper, series ed. Fort Pierce, Florida: McDonald and Woodward Publishing Company. 1996

Atlas of World Geography, Brett R. Gover and Ann T. Natunewicz, eds. Chicago, Illinois: Rand McNally and Company. 1996 (revised 1999 printing). 176 pp. ISBN 0528177900 (paper).

The New Comparative World Atlas, Charles G. Lees, Jr., ed. Maplewood, New Jersey: Hammond Incorporated; 1998. 96 pp. ISBN 0843771003 (paper).

Political Geography: A New Introduction, Richard Muir, New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc. 1997 316 pp. Maps and figures. ISBN 0470237449. $39.95 (paper)

The Southern Black Belt: A National Perspective, Ronald C. Wimberley, Libby V. Morris., Lexington, KY TVA Rural Studies, 1997. 49 pp. Illustrations, maps ISBN 0-9649746-2-2.

The Rural Landscape, John Fraser Hart, Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press 1998 408 pp., figures, illustrations, graphs, tables, bibliography, index. $35.95 cloth.     

Book Reviews

Abstract

Educational Foundations of Trade and Industry.—Fabian Ware. 7 × 4 1/2, in. New York, D. Appleton & Co., 1901. Pp. xiv + 300. Price, $1.20.

Observations and Exercises on the Weather.—Laboratory Work in Physical Geography and Meteorology by James A. Price, A.M., Instructor in Physiography in the Fort Wayne High School, Indiana. 10 × 8 in. New York, American Book Co., 1902. Pp. 60. Price, 30 cents.

Harriman Alaska Expedition.—Two volumes. 10 × 7 in. New York. Doubledar, Page & Co., 1901. Pp. xlii + 184-200; 15 landscapes in color lithography, 25 color lithographs of birds, mammals and flowers, 85 photogravures, all full-page; 240 pen drawings in the text, and 5 maps. Text by John Burroughs and eleven others. Price, $15.

A Laboratory Manual of Botany.—Outlines and Directions for Laboratory and Field Work in Botany in Secondary Schools. Otis W. Caldwell, Ph.D., Professor of Botany in the Eastern Illinois State Normal School. 7 × 5 in. New York, D. Appleton & Co., 1902.

Grammar School Geography.—Alexis Everett Frye, recently Superintendent of Schools of Cuba. Large quarto, cloth. Boston, Ginn & Company, 1902. Pp. viii + 195 and 8. List price, $1.25.     

Books in Brief

Abstract

Edgar T. Thompson and Everett C. Hughes, Editors. RACE—INDIVIDUAL AND COLLECTIVE BEHAVIOR. Glencoe, Illinois: The Free Press, 1958. Also London: Collier-Macmillan, Ltd., 619 pages, bibliography, index of contributors. $7.50

THE WORLD BOOK ENCYCLOPEDIA. Fiftieth Anniversary Edition. Chicago, III.: Field Enterprises Educational Corporation, 1966. 20 volumes.

John C. Bollens and Henry J. Schmandt. THE METROPOLIS: ITS PEOPLE, POLITICS, AND ECONOMIC LIFE. New York: Harper and Row, Inc., 1965. xvi + 643 pages, with table of contents, maps, bibliography and indexes. $7.50.

Kirtley F. Mather. THE EARTH BENEATH US. New York: Random House, 1964. 320 large pages (8 1/2 × 11 inches), 240 photographic illustrations (116 in color), index. ($12.95) $15.00.

J. R. V. Prescott. THE GEOGRAPHY OF FRONTIERS AND BOUNDARIES. New York: Hillary House Publishers, Ltd., 1965. 190 pages. $3.00.

Virginia M. Rowley. J. RUSSELL SMITH, GEOGRAPHER, EDUCATOR, CONSERVATIONIST. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1964. 247 pages. $6.00.     

Book Reviews

Abstract

Longmans' New School Atlas.-George C. Chisholm and C. H. Leete. New Edition. Longmans, Green & Co., 1901. PIS. 40. Index.

The World Almanac and Encyclopedia.-The New York World. 20 × 14 cm. New York, 1902. Pp. 540. Paper, 25 cents. Cloth, 50 cents.

The: Illinois Glacial Lobe.-Frank Leverett. Being the thirty-eighth Monograph of the U. S. Geological Survey: 20×23 cm. Washington, the Government Printing Office, 1899 (1901). Pp. xxi, 817. Price $1.60.     

Introduction: Geographic Contributions to Agrobiodiversity Conservation

Abstract

Since the period of bank deregulation in the 1980s, deferred deposit loan operations, better known as payday lenders, have become commonplace in the landscapes of many American cities. At the same time, traditional banking facilities have become less common, especially in the inner city. Growing disparities in the type of and accessibility to credit in the inner city has generated calls for greater regulation to curb practices by payday lenders that critics claim disproportionately affect poor and minority consumers. Payday lenders argue that they serve communities neglected by traditional banks. This article analyzes the site-location strategies of banks and payday lenders in metropolitan Louisiana, and in Cook County, Illinois, and finds that disenfranchised neighborhoods are simultaneously targeted by payday lenders and neglected by traditional banks. The implications these findings have for public policy and for ongoing discourses on the urban condition, race, and class are briefly discussed.

     

Individualized Learning in An Open Geography Classroom

Abstract

In the last few years a great deal of educational literature has been devoted to the concept of individualized learning in an open classroom, i This approach is based on the premise that students are capable of analytical and creative thought when given the opportunity to work on their own initiative and at their own rates. It is an alternative to the traditional teacher-centered classroom and is justified by the belief that the student learns more effectively when he is interested; that the student develops greater responsibility; that the slower, generally passive student is brought into a position of active participation in the learning process.

Little has been written about the applicability of such an approach to the field of geography. Interest in this method prompted the author to experiment with such a program in her own classes during her first year of teaching. This article describes the results of individualized learning in two ninth grade physical geography classes conducted at Western Illinois University's Laboratory School.     

Recent Publications

Abstract

J. Stanley Clark. The Oil Century—From the Drake Well to the Conservation Era. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, Oklahoma, 1958. 280 pages. $3.95.

Olin T. Mouzon. International Resources and National Policy. Harper &; Brothers, 49 East 33rd Street, New York 16, New York, 1959. 711 pages with bibliography and index. $7.50.

Fanny Davis. Getting to Know Turkey. Coward-McCann Inc., New York City, 1957. pp. 1–64. $2.50.

Freda M. Buchanan. The Land and People of Scotland. J. B. Lippincott Company, East Washington Square, Philadelphia 5, Pennsylvania, 1958. 128 pages with table of contents, index, photographs, and map. $2.95.

William Spencer. The Land and People of Turkey. J. B. Lippincott Company, East Washington Square, Philadelphia 5, Pennsylvania, 1958. 128 pages with table of contents, photographs, index, and map. $2.95.

Clyde F. Kohn. The United States and the World Today. Rand McNally &; Company, P.O. Box 7600, Chicago 8, Illinois. 1957. xiii and 254 pages. $3.50.

George W. Hoffman and Viola Hoffman. Austria. The Fideler Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1958. 160 pages with illustrations, glossary, index, and table of contents.

Jacob H. Schiel. Journey Through The Rocky Mountains and the Humboldt Mountains to the Pacific Ocean. Translated and edited by Thomas N. Bonner. The University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, Oklahoma, 1959. 111 pages with index. $3.75.

Erick Berry. The Land and People of Finland. J. B. Lippincott Company, East Washington Square, Philadelphia 5, Pennsylvania, 1959. 126 pages with index, illustrations, and table of contents. $2.95.     

The Urban Settlement Patterns of Disadvantaged Migrants

Abstract

Disadvantaged migrants to metropolitan areas are segregated by race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status within the residential areas of central city poverty neighborhoods. Whereas black migrants are generally restricted to ghetto space, regional cultural similarities and feedback in the social communication network are important to the residential location of lower class whites. The urban settlement patterns of a sample of recent disadvantaged white migrants to Indianapolis, Indiana, vary from the clusters of migrants from Appalachia and the South to the more dispersed pattern of migrants from Indiana, Illinois, and Ohio, and other metropolitan areas. The residential location of migrants from Appalachia and the South is geographically restricted by cultural constraints, and heavy reliance upon a limited network of friends and relatives in the housing search. However, the sociocultural resources of the Midwest group and the previous urban experience of metropolitan migrants increase the range of housing opportunities in Indianapolis that are available and known to them.