Specializations in “Jobs in Geography”: 1990–1992*

One way to probe into the direction in which American academic geography is heading is to look at the actual demand for specializations and teaching duties as expressed by the recent jobs offered by colleges and universities. The results of this inquiry for the 1990–1992 period indicate that the most frequently requested courses were GIS, regional geography, and environmental geography. The greatest number of positions were advertised as general physical geographer or human geographer and were in departments without graduate programs. The findings suggest that preparations for the profession of “geography professor” should include the ability both to conduct focused research and to teach a diverse set of courses.     

National and Regional Trends in “Jobs in Geography”: 1980–1993

The number of “Jobs in Geography” advertised in the AAG Newsletter for U.S. faculty positions is analyzed for the 14 academic years from 1979–80 through 1992–93. Results reveal more job opportunities in the latter half of the study period, especially for tenured/tenure track positions as opposed to temporary jobs. The share of available positions open to ranks above the Assistant Professor level is smaller in the early 1990s compared to the 1980s. A distinct decline in faculty openings occurs for 1992–1993. Considerable regional variations in the job market situation are revealed.     

ON “BIOREGIONALISM”AND “WATERSHED CONSCIOUSNESS”*

A diffused but philosophically sophisticated social movement, emphasizing the importance of the sense of place and a locally responsible stewardship of Nature, has been emerging in recent years in various parts of North America. Whether “bioregionalism”is a new way of thinking about our place on Earth and our relationship to it, as some would believe, or simply the ecologic perspective familiar to geographers and environmentalists, romanticized and dressed in a new vocabulary, it deserves our attention for its adherents are kindred souls.     

MAPS AND METAPHORS OF THE “SMALL EASTERN SEA” IN TOKUGAWA JAPAN (1603–1868)*

ABSTRACT. This article examines the ways in which oceans were depicted in Japanese geographical writings and maps from the Tokugawa period. It uses these texts to understand how early modern Japanese visions of the Pacific and of maritime Asian waters constructed epistemological frameworks through which the Japanese saw their place in an increasingly complex web of regional and global connections. In the absence of actual adventure on the “high seas,” Japanese writers, artists, and mapmakers used the inventive power of the imagination to fill in the cognitive blank of ocean space. I argue that the definition of early modern oceanic space was profoundly ambiguous, a legacy that, it can be argued, left its mark on Japan's modern relationship with the Asian Pacific region.     

REPORT IN “CONPASS”

(The Consortium of Professional Associations to Supervise Studies of Special Programs for the Improvement of Instruction in American Education)