NEWS FROM DIVISIONS

The following article is first in a contemplated series dcaling with the snbject uf visual commnications for the geographer. The series is an outgrowth of articles and letters to the editor, dealing with the use of visual aids at Association meetings, that have appeared in recrnt issucs of this periodical.     

AMERICAN COUNCIL OF LEARNED SOCIETIES

SUMMARY

The greatest deficiency in American geography is substantive research leading to scholarly publication. By comparison, teaching much more adequately developed so that the need for improvement there is not so urgent. I am convinced however that a majority American geographers respect scholarship and are eager to see improved in quantity and quality.

One of the chief obstacles to the initiation of active research programs by many geographers is a poor development of a sense of problem.

An important stimulation to the development of personal research programs would be the organization of geographical meetings of relatively small size in which active rsesearch workers reported on their progress and findings. Emphasis could be on exchange of ideas, debating of controversial issues and the development of research programs rather than upon the reading of formal papers. Instructors in small colleges and high schools could be inspired to undertake local research problems so that they become expert on heir local areas. This was characteristic of such teachers in Japan.

Our national professional organization, including i t s annual meetings, has become so large that such a n intimate program involving ritical discussion is difficult to attain.

Up to the present time the regional divisions have not developed a consistently distinctive and important function in the national organization. Their usefulness is not comonensurate with the degree of representation which they at present have on the Council of the AAG.

It is my hope that the regional divisions may see fit to undertake this function of stimulating personal and group research as t heir main function and plan their annual meetings accordingly. I do not propose to blueprint these meetings too precisely, but I will go so far as to say that in my judgment they should be occasions for mental stretching. They shoufd be pitched at a high level so that they will attract mature minds and seriousscholars. The total effect of such meetings should be to toughen intellectually those in attendance through providing opportunities for professional debate and discussion. I would make every effort to encourage participation in these programs by both youngsters and old sters, by alert high school teachers and those in college and university faculties so that the lifting effects of the regional meetings would be felt throughout all ranks and ages. I would favor the development of field excursions provided they are planned with genuine professional values in mind; values not limited to observation alone but focused so as to stimulate controversy and healthy debate.     

Geography Education Across the Atlantic at the Geographical Association

Abstract

The Geographical Association (GA) is an international association of over 10,000 geography educators headquartered in Sheffield, England. The National Council for Geographic Education (NCGE) and the GA have similar goals. The GA's annual conferences provide an excellent opportunity to begin geography education partnerships between the NCGE and the GA. Operating exhibits and teaching workshops on geographic information systems at the last three Geographical Association conferences at universities in England afforded the opportunity to network with teachers and pave the way for future collaboration.     

ASSOCIATION AFFAIRS

Current long-range planning activities affect future characteristics and functions of the Association of American Geographers. This commentary addresses the need for such planning, describes planning issues that should be faced by the membership, and suggests some themes for future action. Several problem areas are discussed. The key debate is seen between proponents of a scholarly society and advocates of a professional association. This, in turn, raises a variety of lesser related issues, such as the program for the Annual Meeting, the role of regional divisions, academic and non-academic constituencies, and the benefits and dangers involved in Association grantsmanship. This statement by President Marcus is the first of a series to appear in THE PROFESSIONAL GEOGRAPHER on the subject of the Association's long-range planning efforts.     

A GIS research agenda

Abstract

This paper is a review of research themes in the field of geographical information systems, as identified from the evidence submitted to the Department of the Environment's Committee of Enquiry into the Handling of Geographic Information (the Chorley Committee) which reported in 1987, the papers and discussions at a workshop on research in GIS held in Edinburgh in 1987 and jointly sponsored by the Economic and Social Research Council in the United Kingdom and the National Science Foundation in the United States, and the proceedings of an international symposium on the research agenda for GIS, organized by the Association of American Geographers and held in Washington in 1987. The interpretation of and the emphases given to these themes are, however, the author's own     

APPRAISAL OF GEOGRAPHIC RESEARCH AND TRAINING PROGRAMS IN THE SOVIET UNION

Global distributions are commonly described by maps and tables which emphasize the dispersion of a distribution. The Mean Spheroidal Center (M.S.C.) defines the average location of a world distribution. It is an objectively determined point within the sphere's surface. The M.S.C. calculations are demonstrated using the world's 25 largest cities in each of four time periods.     

AN ESTIMATE OF ANNUAL GLOBAL ATMOSPHERIC POLLUTANT EMISSIONS FROM GRASSLAND FIRES AND AGRICULTURAL BURNING IN THE TROPICS

Faculty development in the fullest sense depends largely on the faculty member's learning environment. This article suggests ways in which departments can provide a context for professional growth through management of faculty assignments, professional rewards, departmental activities, and internal support. Leadership, consistency, and patience are discussed as the keys to a departmental approach to faculty development. The professional growth and productivity of its faculty members are obviously important determinants of a department's stature and hence its ability to remain viable in a period of academic retrenchment. Other elements of departmental policy that affect a unit's survival capabilities will be the subject of another article by these same authors to appear in the February issue.     

VIEWS OF THE AAG: RESULTS OF THE LONG RANGE PLANNING MEMBERSHIP SURVEY

In this issue THE PROFESSIONAL GEOGRAPHER presents the first two reports in a series on the Association's long-range planning process, which was described by Past President Marcus in May. David Morgan outlines here the results of a survey of members' attitudes on a number of important questions.     

The Council at Work

Abstract

The field of geography education is sadly lacking in empirical data that might inform and underpin decisions about standard setting, curriculum design, materials development, teaching strategies, and assessment procedures. Large quantities of high-quality data are necessary if geography is to be successfully implemented in the American education system. This article advances four needs that, if met, would generate the data necessary to make the case for geography in America's schools. We need a new attitude towards research, a series of baseline studies, a research agenda, and a research clearinghouse if we are to make a convincing case for geography in America's schools.     

Geography,the Integrating Discipline: Explaining China's Population-Driven Geopolitics to Students

Abstract

This article demonstrates geography's role as an integrative discipline and its utility in connecting students to the world around them. A case study links China's demography and its geopolitics to the lives of U.S. students. The relationship of China's population pressures to its resulting economic growth, need for economic resources, and geopolitical efforts are examined using the concepts and holistic capabilities that are the academic strength of geography.     

ON THE SENSITIVITY OF CONCLUSIONS ABOUT THE BASES OF COGNITIVE DISTANCE

The “ecological fallacy’ inherent in two studies of the correlation of cognitive distance with objective distance and travel time is considered. The studies reach opposite conclusions using similar types of data, but both involve different types of aggregation of cognitive-distance judgments. It is shown that, under certain circumstances, correlations based on aggregate data can lead to reverse conclusions to those based on more behaviorally valid disaggregate data. Hence such aggregation is unjustifiable and, as a result, neither study's conclusions can be relied upon.     

THE MOST PERFECT EXAMPLE OF AN ALIEN ECOLOGY EVER CONSTRUCTED

Much science-fiction literature is based upon the creation and exploration of alternative environments. Stanley G. Weinbaum's short story, “Parasite Planet,”introduces an unusual environment that may be wrong in the light of recent evidence on Venus but still stimulates the geographical imagination.     

Editorials: New Associate Editors

Abstract

The Earth and How it Works: A Lab Manual and Workbook with Teaching Ideas, Projects, and Activities in Environmental Science by Philip R. Holzinger Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1985. x and 150 pp., figs., illus., photos, maps, app., biblio., and index. $12.95 paper.

Wild Horses and Sacred Cows by Richard Symanski Flagstaff, AZ: Northland Press, 1985. xv and 223 pp., photos, and map. $14.95 cloth; $9.95 paper.

The Making of the Dutch Landscape: An Historical Geography of the Netherlands, 2d ed. by Audrey M. Lambert Orlando, FL: Academic Press, 1985. xiii and 372 pp., figs., tables, photos, maps, refs., and index. $55.00 cloth.

Rating Places: A Geographer's View on Quality of Life by Susan L. Cutter Resource Publications in Geography. Washington, DC: Association of American Geographers, 1985. vi and 76 pp., figs., tables, maps, and biblio. $5.00 paper.

A Strategic Atlas: A Comparative Geopolitics of the World's Powers, 2d Rev. ed. by Gerard Chaliand and Jean-Pierre Rageau Trans. Tony Berrett. New York: Harper &; Row, 1985. 224 pp., graphs, tables, maps, and biblio. $26.95 cloth; $14.95 paper.

The Surveillant Science: Remote Sensing of the Environment, 2d ed. by Robert K. Holz New York: John Wiley, 1985. xvi and 413 pp., figs., illus., tables, photos, maps, refs., and index. $21.95 paper.     

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE AAG MEMBERSHIP IN 1982

A survey of members of the Association of American Geographers (AAG) in 1982 indicated that most were males, from middle class backgrounds, had attended public universities, held academic jobs, and had been born and educated in states bordering the Great Lakes plus California and Massachusetts. Information on characteristics and trends outlined in the study should be of value to the leadership of the AAG in making decisions relative to the future of the organization and the discipline.     

AIDS to geographic research afforded by the office of naval research

The following is a preliminary program, with some positions as yet unfilled. The final and complete program will he distributed at the meetings.     

MIGRAT: A COMPUTER-ASSISTED INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAM FOR THE SIMULATION OF MIGRATION

Primary individuals and the households that they head now compose a significant proportion of US households. This paper examines the regional and intraurban distribution of primary households. Macro-scale data from the 1960 and 1970 Censuses are used to examine the evolving regional patterns of primary individuals and households. Using intraurban data for the 1970's, the paper also examines the impact of recent rapid growth in the number of primary individuals on the spatial distribution of primary households within urban areas. Inferences are drawn with respect to the macro- and micro-scale distributions of primary individuals and households and the impact of continued growth of this subpopulation on urban form and population distribution.     

Geographic Influences in the Development of St. Louis

Abstract

Ralph and Mollie Izzard. A Walk in the Mountains, A Family's Trip Through the High Lebanon.

Wesley Calef. Private Grazing and Public Lands, Studies of the Local Management of the Taylor Grazing Act.

S. H. Steinberg (editor). The Statesman's Yearbook, 1960-1961.

E. Joseph Dreany. Alaska.

John C. and Elsie F. Caldwell. Our Neighbors in Japan.

R. J. Harrison Church. West Africa: A Study of the Environment and of Man's Use of it.

Alex Somme, editor. A Geography of Norden.