Embracing cultural geography: an army imperative

As an instrument of national strategy, the United States Army has served the American people well for more than two centuries. Its fundamental mission has always been to fight and win America's Wars. As we have moved from the bi-polar nature of world dynamics to that of the new global neighborhood, the American Army has seen an increase in missions related to peacekeeping, disaster relief, and humanitarian actions. From a geography perspective, the Army must operate in numerous countries simultaneously. To succeed, the Army must go beyond physical accomplishments: it must interact and communicate with nations at a level of shared understanding and enthusiasm of each others culture. The American soldier must understand the cultural nature of geography as well as the physical. The hypothesis of this paper is: There is an urgent need for the men and women of the Unites States Army to have a firm conviction that people of other cultures have beliefs, value systems, and customs that result in behaviors and perceptions that may be vastly different than ours. . .and that those differences are legitimate. Beginning with mistakes made during the Vietnam war, the authors give examples, current as well as past, of cultural illiteracy on the part of the military. The role of the Army in the new world order is then addressed with emphasis on the types of missions to be expected in the 21^st Century. The authors point out that significant efforts to grasp customs of foreign countries to which Army units are deployed have been made during recent years; however, much remains to be accomplished. The solution to a lack of cultural awareness is given in the form of improvements to the Army military education system. An overview of the current training environment, with its strengths and weaknesses, is provided as a precursor to recommendations for future training. A multitiered education system is proposed in which cultural awareness education is provided at all levels of authority, from the basic training recruit to senior officers. Given that programs of instruction are already full, it will take a combination of command emphasis and innovation to accomplish the goal of inculcating cultural awareness in the American Army. The paper concludes with the position that the only way the Army can accomplish its changed global missions is by first winning its own war against cultural illiteracy.     

清朝末年吴汝纶对传播西方地学之贡献

清末,中国著名文学流派桐城派的大师,教育家吴汝纶,对传播西方地学有显著的作用。本文拟介绍吴汝纶对《天演论》的评价,并首创我国地质教育事业及有关地学的言行;其侄女吴芝瑛也曾评介早期译著《地质学》等史实。并对吴汝纶之思想特征作一简评。     

关于平息漳州“10·9”地震谣传工作的体会

本文阐述了漳州“1 0 9”地震谣传概况 ,总结了这次地震谣传的特点、发生原因及采取的措施。从这次地震谣传可以看出地震知识的宣传教育还需要大力加强 ,要加强《中华人民共和国防震减灾法》、《地震预报管理条例》等法律法规的宣传解释 ,加强如何识别地震谣传的宣传教育 ,增强群众对地震谣言的识别能力 ,特别需要向乡镇干部宣传 ,使他们能回答群众的询问 ,如果基层干部能在地震谣言出现时 ,就开始劝导解释、可能不至于发生这么大范围的地震谣传事件。     

An understanding of geography: The perspectives of English primary trainee teachers

There have been few studies of trainee teachers' conceptions of the term ‘geography’. Building on these, this study identifies a number of conceptions of geography held by primary school trainee teachers in England. Their ideas are compared with their understanding of the reasons for teaching geography to young children. Similar outcomes emerge. While a small number of primary trainee teachers see geography education as concerned with the study of places, a slightly larger group view teaching geography as developing children's sense of responsibility for the earth and its people. However, by far the largest groups of students perceive geography's role to be to develop younger children's awareness and knowledge of the environment. Additionally, a sizeable group of trainees see geography as providing knowledge about the features and countries of the world. The implications of these findings are considered for the brief geography study units which primary teacher trainees take as part of their initial teacher training programme in English higher education. The conclusion is that it is important to widen primary trainee teachers' perspectives during even the briefest of units, not least to enable them to teach the national curriculum requirements for geography in primary schools. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Geographic Information Systems: A Tool to Support Geography and Environmental Education?

Geographic information systems (GIS) education is at a crossroads in the United States. Since its inception in the early 1990s, GIS has diffused slowly into select groups of K-12 classrooms through the efforts of geography and environmental educators. However, many of the assumptions underpinning the initial period of enthusiasm for the technology are now being questioned. This paper reviews issues identified as barriers to dissemination in order to help shape and inform the next phase of GIS implementation. First, the existing arguments for GIS in elementary and secondary education in the United States are reviewed and evaluated. Second, considerations related to developing an improved pedagogical foundation for GIS are explored. Finally, implications and suggestions for guidelines for the next decade of dissemination and implementation of GIS are discussed. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

从测绘学科发展看GIS专业的学科建设

分析了GIS专业在高校蓬勃发展及测绘科技的发展历史现状及其发展前景 ,阐述了GIS专业的学科建设存在的问题。通过对学科建设及测绘学科发展的分析 ,提出了学科建设应注意的问题 :确定学科研究方向 ;明确学科发展目标 ;组建合理的学术梯队 ;建设学科的重点项目等。     

测绘专业高等专科毕业生动手能力的培养

从高等专科教育培养目标与毕业生的基本要求出发 ,阐述专科毕业生动手能力培养的重要性 ;介绍工程测量专业毕业生必经掌握的基本操作技能与动手能力培养的方法和途径 ,阐述指导教师应具备的条件等     

A Review of the Policies on the Private Colleges of China

One of the most impor tant factors impacting the development of today‘s private higher education in China is that there are not enough policies to support in.Then,the history of private higher educationin Nanjing Nationalist Government(1927-1749)is focused on.     

The role of roadcuts, quarries, and other artificial exposures in geomorphology education

Quarries and roadcuts are time-honored stopping points on geoscience field trips. Artificial exposures are good field sites for learning because of their accessibility, and the potential range of features they present for first-hand examination. On undergraduate-level field excursions, site discussions typically center on stratigraphic unit identification, correlation, depositional environments, paleontology, facies relationships, lithology, mineralogy, and/or structural features. It is rare (in my experience) for geomorphologic features and relationships to be the focus of attention, or even to receive more than passing mention. Yet, roadcuts and quarries offer much potential for learning about basic landform features, forms, and processes. This paper, with illustrated examples, discusses five general characteristics, present in artificial exposures, that offer opportunities for learning about geomorphology. (1) Roadcuts and quarries expose cross sections, not only of structure, but also of landforms, illustrating relationships between subsurface geology and the surface landscape. (2) The faces of roadcuts and quarries are anthropomorphic landforms of relatively well-known age and original form, two qualities that provide opportunities for discussing erosional modification over time. (3) These sites are generally nodes of intense geomorphic activity, useful for directly observing landform processes and their effects. The intensity of degradational and depositional processes at artificial exposures often produces (4) landform miniatures, and (5) landform analogs, both providing instructional examples or illustrations of geomorphic features. In addition to their utility to other geoscience sub-disciplines, roadcuts and quarries also offer important opportunities for students to learn about basic geomorphologic concepts, processes, and forms.     

测绘工程硕士课程个性化设置的探索与实践

为提高测绘工程硕士培养质量,实现测绘工程硕士培养目标,服务于相关测绘行业的需要,武汉大学资源与环境科学学院在强化个性化、特色性的课程设置方面做了有益的探索与实践,并取得了丰富经验.