ga geographymattersspring 2012

7/31/2019 GA GeographyMattersSpring 2012

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Post 16 and HE Phase Committee Spring 2012

This edition of our newsletter, Geography Matters, provides ideas, thoughts, updates and

classroom resources which will be useful for teachers and students of A-level. Sixth form

geographers share their views about A level Geography and Jenny Hill draws together the

experiences of undergraduates. Anthony Allchin offers some advice for applying to Oxbridge.

Rachel Adams gives GIS in coastal fieldwork a make-over, and Helen Hore guides us through anew stats exercise with a purpose. Emma Rawlings discusses pirates, energy and geopolitics, and

Gill Miller updates on globalisation of health.

Geography Matters is the newsletter of the Geographical Association (GA) Post-16 and Higher

Education Phase Committee and the University & College Union (UCU) Geography Section. Theviews expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the GA, the

Committee or UCU.

The Post-16 and HE Committee promotes and safeguards the study and teaching of post-

compulsory sector Geography. If you work in a school sixth-form, college or university and would

like to join the Committee, please contact us. NQTs and student teachers are especially welcome.

To find out more about the work and activities of the Committee, see the Post-16 and HE area of

the GAs website,www.geography.org.uk .

Geography Mattersis now accessible online and in colour atwww.geography.org.uk/post16, This

edition of Geography Mattershas been edited by Gill Miller,g.miller@chester,ac,uk.

The GA is based at 160, Solley Street, Sheffield, S1 4BY

GEOGRAPHY MATTERS

Contents Page

Chairs Notes: Iain Palot 2

Student Voices: promoting A level Geography, from Central Sussex College 3

Studying Geography at University: is it for me? Jenny Hill, University of the West of England 4

En route for Oxbridge Anthony Allchin, Worthing Sixth Form College 8

Using GIS to investigate coastal management for real or virtual fieldwork: Rachel Adams, 12

Wimbledon High School

Statistical Enquiry into Water and Wealth:Helen Hore, Central Sussex College 14

Piracy, supply shocks and energy security: Emma Rawlings Smith, British School, Abu Dhabi 19

Globalisation of health: : is the world feeling better? Gill Miller, University of Chester 23

Who are the Post 16-HE Phase Committee? 27
http://www.geography.org.uk/http://www.geography.org.uk/http://www.geography.org.uk/http://www.geography.org.uk/post16http://www.geography.org.uk/post16http://www.geography.org.uk/post16mailto:g.miller@chester,ac,ukmailto:g.miller@chester,ac,ukmailto:g.miller@chester,ac,ukmailto:g.miller@chester,ac,ukhttp://www.geography.org.uk/post16http://www.geography.org.uk/


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GA Post 16 and HE Committee

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Chairs notes: Plus a change, plus cest la mme chose

Iain Palt

My first Chairs Notes date from the Autumn 2000, edition when I observed that my predecessor, TimFoster had put in hisfirst Chairs Notes in 1998:

I now find myself elected to the chair at a time when geography as a discipline is under increasing

pressure.

Plus a change, plus cest la mme chose

So where are we now, as I begin a second spell as chair?

Firstly I would like to welcome the two new members to the committee, Katie Denton, a PGCE student from

Southampton University and Will Stainsby, a newly qualified teacher at the Charter School in Dulwich. Their

fresh eyes will I am sure bring a new perspective to our meetings and we all look forward to their

contribution.

Geography at Post 16 and by implication, Geography in HEIs, relies on the health of the subject at KS3,

which in turn etc., etc. and so it was important that colleagues, in all phases, contributed to the GA

consultation on the curriculum. The Post 16 HE committee have discussed the issues in some detail during

the last year.

As always examinations are under the spotlight and the media appears to comment from an often ill-

informed position. A columnist in The Sunday Times wrote about the corruption of the exam system with

examiners coaching teachers to pass their exams for fat fees. The conclusion reached was that the entire

system of public exams should be scrapped and a new system put in its place consisting of fewer, better,

and more varied examinations, no coursework, specialised awarding bodies, and better marking. This

would be achieved by the exam boards working more closely with universities who should take more

responsibility for marking and writing specifications. One suspects that all this is some way off as colleagues

in HEIs are required to focus more their research, which drives much of their funding, than getting involved in

writing A-level specifications and marking scripts.

Of more immediate concern is the quality of statistical and mathematical understanding in the Social

Sciences at A level. A recent report produced by the Royal Statistical Society highlighted the need to

improve this skill and Richard Harris from Bristol University will be hosting an initial meeting on Friday

lunchtime to sound out colleagues as part of a wider investigation into the teaching of statistics in schools

and at undergraduate level. You will, be most welcome.

My thanks go to colleagues for another excellent edition of the P16 newsletter with its now familiar range of

academic and classroom based topics. There are insights from A level students and reassurances from newGeography undergraduates. Teachers can tap into ideas using GIS in fieldwork and a stats exercise with

real purpose. And there are informative updates on the global health and geopolitics. Thank you to all my

colleagues on the committee for their help, support and encouragement.

I hope you have a useful and exciting conference. Please do not hesitate to talk to us about your P16-HE

aspirations and concerns either here or via cyber-space during the year. Your input to the various on-going

discussions is essential if we are to continue to accurately represent and support Post 16 HE geographers.


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Student Voices -Promoting A Level Geography.

Helen Hore, Subject Leader for Geography and Geology, Central Sussex College

Are your GCSE students thinking about progressing to A Level Geography? It is often difficult for

GCSE pupils to select the right A level source for themselves, as they do not know what will inspire

them or how difficult a subject will be. Here are a collection of thoughts from current A Level

students currently studying in their A2 year of A level Geography.

Laura has her own websiteand has applied to studyWildlife Photography atFalmouth.

Darius has applied to studyconservation at university,having spent several years inAustralia.

Joe plans to join his parents inAustralia and to studyGeography or Geology there.

Instead of just reading a headline in a newspaper or online, we

are encouraged to look in depth at the whole situation, its

cause, its effect and how it can be resolved. The subject is very

eye-opening as well as informative. In our current topic, we

are looking at strategies affecting food security and assessing

how sustainable they are. There is something for everyone inthese lessons, as the topics allow people to put forward their

own points of view which lead to further controversial

discussion. This subject works well with most subjects, especially

sciences. There is no longer coursework in Geography A Level

but this hasnt been a problem as I have had coursework in

other subjects.

Geography is a subject which is diverse and

interesting covering all sorts of topics, so there is

bound to be areas of interest for everyone. It has

enabled me to develop skills in research and

fieldwork as well as in writing essays, skills which

have been transferable to other subjects. I have

enjoyed biodiversity and food supply issues the

most, but I have been surprised at how many topics

which I wouldnt have thought would interestme have really inspired me! This subject is very

relevant on a local and lobal scale.

It is a very interesting subject. You look at global issues in depth under both

human and physical aspects. It is advised that you enjoy both the physical and

human sides of Geography as you study both, fairly equally. I have developed

my knowledge of hazards, climate change, migration, weather, hydrology and

the economic challenges faced by globalisation. For me, Geography goes well

with Geology, Biology and Sociology


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Studying Geography at University: Is it for me?

Jenny Hill, University of the West ofEngland [email protected]

It was a cold autumn day and I had just moved all of my gear into a very small room at the top of an old

house in Bevington Road, Oxford. My parents had said goodbye and I suddenly felt very alone and very

nervous. What had I done? This was the first day of the rest of my life had I made the right decision in

coming to university to study geography?

Lets be honest, if you are considering continuing with your geographical studies at university it can seem not

only exciting, but also a little daunting. You may well have to leave the familiar surroundings of your

school/college, the friends that you have made over a number of years, your parents, brothers, sisters, and

even your much loved pets. It is perfectly normal to feel a little worried, as well as excited, about striking out

on your own and becoming a self-styled geographer!

To demonstrate that your concerns and expectations are perfectly normal, the GA's Post-16 & HE Phase

Committee interviewed geography students at the University of Chester, the University of Gloucestershire

and the University of the West of England, Bristol to discover what they had been looking forward to and

what they had worried about in terms of leaving school and beginning their studies at university. Thestudents also explained how they felt a year or two into their university adventure, especially how studying

geography at university is different from studying geography at school/college.

What were you most looking forward to?

The students were asked first of all what they had most looked forward to with respect to their university

studies before they arrived on campus. It was clear that there was both a social side and an academic side

to their expectations. Many of the students mentioned the prospect of moving to a new city, seeing new

places, and making new friends:

Gloucestershire student

There was clear acknowledgement of the increased independence they would have: UWE student

It is true that almost every decision will be yours to make, so you need to ensure that you are motivated from

the outset and able to manage your time efficiently to make the most of your independence. This sense of

freedom was also anticipated with respect to teaching and learning:

UWE student


What were you most worried about?

In terms of what the students were most worried about, very similar issues emerged once again. They were

concerned about leaving home and making new friends, fitting in, and even how stupid I was compared toeveryone else (Gloucestershire student). But, all the students went on to say that in reality they made

friends easily because everyone was in the same position and there were lots of opportunities to meet

Looking forward to meeting alot more new people from

different areas of the country... and just getting involvedwith all the social side of

things

Youve got to organiseyourself, make sureyouvegot everything you need for

the next day

I really liked the idea of beingmore in charge of my ownlearning ... being able to

choose parts of geographythat I actually wanted to

stud

I was looking forward topursuing geography further ...theres so much out there thatyou can do with geography
http://www.geography.org.uk/aboutus/committeesspecialinterestgroups/post16he/http://www.geography.org.uk/aboutus/committeesspecialinterestgroups/post16he/http://www.geography.org.uk/aboutus/committeesspecialinterestgroups/post16he/http://www.geography.org.uk/aboutus/committeesspecialinterestgroups/post16he/


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people through Freshers week, joining a wide range of university societies (such as the Geography Society),

and even through the academic ice-breaker tutorials and field trips. Additionally, there are student

ambassadors to show students round campuses during the first weeks of term, and course and halls

representatives are on-hand to help new students settle in. At many universities there is the opportunity to

join a Facebook group so you can chat to your house or course mates before you arrive on campus. All the

students concluded that it didnt take them long to settle in, with one saying it took her about an hour (UWE

student) and others, perhaps more realistically, saying it took them 1-2 weeks. There was a consensus that itwas easy to make friends whether you lived on campus, off campus, or stayed at home with parents.

The students also expressed concerns before arriving at university as to whether they would cope with

higher level study: Gloucestershire student

Chester student

Again, the students went on to say that they made the transition without too much difficulty in the end:

UWE student


The students commented that the amount and complexity of work builds up slowly over the years ofundergraduate study and you are taught skills to enable you to cope with the increased demands. These

responses match other opinions which suggest that students actually experience a greater challenge moving

from GCSE to A-level study rather than from A-level to university study.

How is university study different from A-level study?

When the students were asked how they thought university study would be different, or has actually proved

to be different, from A-level study, different styles of teaching and learning were commented upon. In

particular, the greater freedom they would have to guide their own study was mentioned:

Chester student Gloucestershire student

UWE student

The step up from A-level to degree level ... I wasworried how big the step would actually be.

The change in style of education ... its more onmyself to do my own learning

I was worried about theworkload and if it would be toohard for me to do ... but I foundthe first year a bit more relaxedthan doing A-levels. I didnthave an worries in the end

The lecturers have more time for youone-on-one to help you ... you just emailthem and go and see them and theyllhelp you

Theres morefreedom in theway you learn asopposed tobeing en forced

The main point of uniis independentlearning ... going offresearching differenttopics ... you can delveinto whatever youwant to do really

You can putyour ownperspective onwhat you want tolearn about


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This freedom was seen positively in terms of the learning experience. Geography at university is your

geography not your tutors geography:

Chester students UWE student

Additionally, students recognised both the great diversity of topics that were available to them at university

and the depth of study they now engaged in. They noted that they enjoyed the opportuni ty to study so many

different topics (Gloucestershire student) and this included allied subjects such as biology, sociology and

criminology. The students also commented upon:


What is most enjoyable about studying geography at university?

Two of the most enjoyable aspects of studying geography at university were taking part in fieldwork, both

locally and abroad, and participating in laboratory work

Chester student

There is much more opportunity to learn in environments beyond the classroom. The students talked at

length about their field experiences in a range of exotic locations ranging from Switzerland to North America

and further afield.

UWE students in the Sahara Desert during a field trip

to Tunisia

You can even be assessed in diverse ways in these

different environments. Students at Gloucestershire

talked about being assessed using podcasts, posters,

presentations, and in association with local communities

and industry. They noted that there was a great variety

of assessment types beyond written exams and essays

and this is the case now at many universities. Thissystem allows you to play to your strengths, just as you

would do in a work situation.

Another feature of university that students appreciated was the opportunity to undertake placements

between their second and third years of study. These are either paid or unpaid periods of work with

employers that usually feed into a personal development portfolio. Comments included:

UWE students

Personally, I am reallyenjoying geography atuniversity ... the depth

you go into in differentmodules is brilliant

At last youre actuallydoing solely what youwant to do

You can pick what you wantto do and gear it moretowards your interests

The depth in which we have to go into on our

own ... back everything up and find evidence

Lot more practical work with the fieldwork and

usin labs, which is uite ood fun

Nice to be able to get into the workplacebefore you actually go andlook for a job

Youve got relevant skills to go on yourCV ... it sets you apart from the rest


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Geography was viewed as future-oriented and relevant by the students:

Chester studentUWE student

UWE student

Students talked about studying new and relevant aspects of geography such as environmental

reconstruction, renewable energy, carbon footprints, natural hazard management, globalisation and

international development. Add to this an understanding of land degradation, water resource conflicts,

territoriality and identity, and poverty and global resource use, combined with a capacity to use current

technologies such as Geographical Information Systems (GIS), and you are equipped to deal with many of

the most important challenges facing contemporary societies. This has been stated by the two major

institutions supporting academic geography in the USA and the UK:

The students also understood the importance of the discipline in helping them gain a good career. Studying

geography at university develops a diverse range of knowledge, understanding and skills that can be applied

in a variety of work places. It develops the skills/qualities cited most often by employers in terms of graduate

capabilities: working effectively in a team, communicating clearly and working with accuracy. The students

commented that studying geography at university made them dynamic and adaptive graduates, employable

in a number of different professions.

To conclude, remember that university is not just about enjoying your geographical studies. It is about

making life-long friends (and memories) and deciding the kind of person you want to be in life. To conclude

my story, it wasnt long before I met up with my housemates, joined a host of university societies and didnt

want to leave Oxford! I enjoyed studying geography so much I went on to undertake a doctorate at Swansea

University and I have remained at university ever since so I can continue to teach and research. With respect

to to the more recent experiences of the geography students outlined here, you can visit the GA Post-16 &

HE Phase Committee website at http://www.geography.org.uk/11-19/universitygeography/ to access three

podcast interviews. They might well demonstrate that the excitement and concerns you experience as you

consider progressing with your geographical studies from school to university are shared by many of those

around you. Why not do as they did and give it a go?

For further reading about how to connect school and university geographies see:

Hill J.andJones M. (2010) Joined-up geography: connecting school-level and university-level geographies.

Geography, 95, 22-32.

You become really well rounded ... get allthe skills you need to do lots of differentobs

Its a very diverse subject and

touches on so many different

careers

Many of the major questions facing society

at the local, national, and internationalscaleshave very important geographic

dimensions

(Association of American Geographers)

The potential for practicing geography in

privateenterprise and government has

grown considerablyin recent years

(Royal Geographical Society - with

Institute of British Geogra hers)
http://www.geography.org.uk/aboutus/committeesspecialinterestgroups/post16he/http://www.geography.org.uk/aboutus/committeesspecialinterestgroups/post16he/http://www.geography.org.uk/11-19/universitygeography/http://www.geography.org.uk/11-19/universitygeography/http://www.geography.org.uk/11-19/universitygeography/http://www.geography.org.uk/aboutus/committeesspecialinterestgroups/post16he/http://www.geography.org.uk/aboutus/committeesspecialinterestgroups/post16he/


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En route for Oxbridge an introduction to aspects of the Oxbridgeapplication process

Antony Allchin, Worthing Sixth Form College

Whilst Oxford and Cambridge Universities continue to be the pinnacle of aspiration for many students and

their parents, the competition for places remains fiercely competitive. In my sixth-form college, I have had

responsibility for a number of years for all our Oxbridge and Russell Group university applicants (in all

subjects), and we have seen a very pleasing rise in success rates, particularly in the most competitive

subject areas including medicine. Oxbridge colleges are now under considerable pressure to widen access,

and this brief article aims therefore to offer some tips and guidance for teachers who may be less familiar

with the additional hurdles that their students must overcome to get a coveted place. Invariably Oxbridge

attracts some of the brightest students whose other choices are likely to be from the Russell Group. I have

therefore also included comment relating to these where relevant.

The key players are of course the students themselves, so two detailed case studies from a pair of

exceptional geography students provide a view of how it all feels from an applicants perspective. Amy

Rowson and Giles Holbrook are a pleasure to teach, and I would like to place on record my gratitude for their

contributions here and a special thank-you to Amy who surprisingly failed to get a place at Oxford, but wasso willing to share her experiences to help others (Nottingham University dont know how lucky they are yet).

I asked them to focus on how things felt, writing almost in a stream of consciousness style.Interestingly, but

not surprisingly, both of these very able students highlight how stressful the process can be. It is therefore

essential for us as teachers to ensure that all potential Oxbridge candidates are made aware in advance of

just how pressured they may feel.

OVERVIEW OF THE SELECTION PROCESS

Oxford and Cambridge base their admissions decisions on a much wider range of information than all other

universities (some of which in rely only on qualifications achieved plus predicted grades). Oxbridge colleges

take into account all of the following: GCSE results, AS results (including UMS scores for Cambridge),

predicted grades, samples of written work, additional tests (particularly Oxford), the UCAS personal

statement, the UCAS reference, and of course interviews (up to 3, and at Oxford, over 2-4 days, requiring

overnight stays) There are many ways in which we as Geography teachers can help to give our students the

best possible chance of success.

THE UCAS FORM

The first thing to note is that all UCAS forms have to be completed and submitted by 15 October. At my

college I get the process well underway in the preceding summer term, with a programme of

talks/workshops/one-to-one guidance, to ensure that personal statement drafts are prepared, and plans

drawn up for appropriate work experience/reading/practical activities for the summer holiday period. The aim

of this is to ensure that students are ready early in the autumn term with a fully-rounded CV that

demonstrates commitment to and suitability for their subject area.

THE REFERENCE

The extent to which the reference is significant varies considerably between different universities. For Oxford

and Cambridge it is very important. Schools and colleges have different policies in determining how a

reference is produced and who is responsible for writing it. With declining budgets often constraining

traditional tutorial and guidance time, it can be increasingly rare for the reference to be written by someone

who really knows the student well. It is therefore crucial for Geography teachers to ensure they have a major

input into the process for anyone applying for Geography degrees. Above all, the admissions tutors are

essentially looking for convincing testimony that the student has true potential for the subject itself.

In feedback, Colleges constantly refer to the importance of the referee demonstrating personal knowledge of

the student rather than generic comments. In the past, of course, coursework offered a great opportunity towrite personal comments about a students independent learning skills and interest in a particular topic.

There are still opportunities using fieldwork evidence, particularly if we have given students the chance to


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take personal responsibility for the planning, operation, analysis and presentation stages (just like the old

coursework!). Getting to know what your students are doing outside the classroom is also really helpful

are they doing background reading? what topics are they particularly interested in? and importantly, what is

the evidence for this? Remember to keep an on-going record of useful snippets for future use. Oxford and

Cambridge are also keen on comparative comments along the lines of this is the most able geography

student we have taught.

PREDICTED GRADES

A* predictions are important. Cambridge will normally specify one A* in their offer (although not usually in

any particular subject). Oxford normally ask for AAA, but admissions tutors expect to see an A* prediction in

the subject the student is applying for. It is of course very difficult to predict A* with confidence in

September of Y13 because so little A2 work has been done. Whilst a very high AS mark is generally a good

indication, the skills required to score 90% at A2 are very different, and if we are going to be fair to the

student in our predictions (and maintain our credibility with admissions tutors!), we need to be providing

opportunities very early in Y13 to allow students to show their potential.

EXAMPLES OF WORK

Oxbridge in particular commonly ask students to submit one or two examples of marked work, which has

been done as part of the normal curriculum and has not been amended for this purpose. Their request

normally comes soon after the 15 October deadline, which can present a slight problem since ideally you

want students to be demonstrating more complex and demanding A2 work skills, whilst it is still quite early in

the autumn term. Starting the A2 programme in the 3 or 4 weeks after the AS exams in the summer term

definitely offers opportunities under slightly more relaxed conditions for progress in this direction, as well as

getting students to think about their personal statements and build up their evidence of wider reading. Both

Amy and Giles for example used assignments on water and energy which they had completed over the

summer for this purpose.

TESTS and INTERVIEWS

In many subjects, but excluding Geography, Oxford tests applicants pre-interview, requiring the

schools/colleges to oversee these. Amy (see below) had to take her test as part of the interview in Oxford,which was a written piece on a previously unseen article. Cambridge does not use pre-interview tests, and

nor was Giles given a test at interview. Instead, he was sent two articles in advance which were the subject

of interview questions. Teachers can therefore help in preparing them for this sort of challenge by exposing

them to appropriately challenging academic articles throughout the course (using for example the GA journal

Geography).

All the advice says dont over-prepare for the interview but, without exception, our students have found a

practice interview to be extremely helpful. The Oxford and Cambridge websites give lots of useful advice to

students, including recorded interviews.If youre too pushed for time to draw up appropriate practice

questions, there are a number of student websites giving lists of questions that have been used. We

provide all our Oxbridge applicants with at least one practice interview with two interviewers. For both Amyand Giles, I used one of the articles sent to Giles by Cambridge as the basis for some of the questions. I

also use students personal statements to develop many of the other questions. Students need to be taken

beyond their comfort zone, and challenged with unfamiliar ideas, and this can be quite daunting in their

Oxbridge interviews. Amys experiences record how this was done at Oxford.

PERSONAL STATEMENTS

A key weakness in many personal statements is insufficient focus on the chosen degree subject. Whatever

the university, it is critical that the majority (perhaps two-thirds) of the statement is about the students

interest in the subject and why they want to study it at university. It should look backwards at what they have

done, and look forwards to what they hope to do. Evidence of reading outside the subject is crucial, and it is

much better to reflect in some detail (within the confines of the word limit) on one or two sources, rather than

giving a bare list of many sources. This also provides possible topics for the interviewer pursue, so lying isout! It is also essential that the student has really engaged with the material.


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THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE

APPLICATION TO KEBLE COLLEGE OXFORD TO STUDY GEOGRAPHY BY AMY ROWSON

Studying Geography at Oxford University had always been a life-long dream and with the outcome

of my GCSE and AS results I realised the dream was a possibility. A few weeks after applying, the

letter confirming my interview heightened the nerves and want for my place at Oxford, the gamewas on and now I was a serious contender.

It was a Sunday when I arrived, and I found that only an hour after settling in I was due an exam

as listed on the noticeboard in the JCR. That moment of walking into the JCR made me realise just

how tough the competition was, there were about sixty interviewees present (about fifty of which

were quite obviously public school educated) and everyone knew that there were only 8-10 places

available. The exam was a challenge, a 15 page biased article arguing against the construction of

a dam in Tibet which in itself took me half an hour to read, and had to be summarised in one page

excluding bias. After the long journey Id had it was hard to concentrate.

The first interview and I was incredibly nervous as I collected my sealed envelope and sped off toread and interpret them. I was fortunate enough to have two articles, one on the intricacies of

climate change (no thank you!) and the other on the economies of cities within China (yes please!).

My first interview was a challenge, initially I was asked to summarise the article I had selected and

then began an in- depth questioning process of my understanding of the article. Following this, I

was handed two photographs, both depicting houses on stilts on flood plains. I was simply asked to

describe what the photographs showed, and although that is the most simplistic question I couldve

been asked it completely stumped me and I tried to second guess the meaning of the question.

I was extremely pleased with the outcome of my second interview, in which I was tested on my

personal statement in which Id written about water conflicts on the River Nile. I was also given

graphs concerning the climate and rainfall in certain areas around the world relating to El Nino and

La Nina weather systems and asked my opinion on agricultural techniques in these areas based

on the climatic information given. Then I was given a graph explaining denudation rates and I had

to speculate for an explanation to the trends. Finally I was asked some quite general questions

concerning my Personal Statement. At the end of this interview a wave of relief washed over me, I

was hoped that that had concluded my time at Oxford and that I was free to go home after two

emotionally and mentally straining days, however this wasnt what occurred

After that last interview we were required to stay around, waiting for a list to determine who was

due further interviewing. My name was on that list. Initially, I was devastated, the interview process

had been so straining, but I realise now it can only have been a good thing. The final interview I feltwent very well, it was similar to the second Id had, based on graphical information but also

questions concerning what studies as a human geographer I would want to carry out.

A few weeks later however I received my letter of rejection, a brief but concise letter that admittedly

did shatter a lifes dream; but I would never say that I regret the process. I did learn a lot about

myself and I now realise that there are plenty of other extremely good universities across the

country on offer where I can pursue my geography studies.


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APPLICATION TO FITZWILLIAM COLLEGE CAMBRIDGE BY GILES HOLBROOK

If I were to identify a major element of my application to Cambridge, it would be the extremely

surreal nature of the whole process; although it is probable that I have reached this conclusion with

the benefit of hindsight. It is the myriad of obstacles an applicant is presented with throughout the

assault course application which makes it a relentless and stressful process through which an

applicant can feel completely lost and unsure of, even with a great deal of support.

For me Cambridge was always a risk and a long shot. But I was convinced I would regret not

applying and giving myself that opportunity. The first stressful stage of my application process

came long before I had actually applied. What college would I choose? My brother supposedly

selected his college at random, but with so much at stake I feltI couldnt afford to make a mistake

Regardless of what Cambridge tells you about you standing an equal chance everywhere my

selection, or rather elimination, of colleges was based purely on the number of geographers and

where I considered their demands for applicants to best favour me. I was pleased with Fitzwilliam,

2 subject based interviews, 2 submitted pieces of work, no exam/test in the application process,

and a large geography department, including the head of the Cambridge Geography faculty. The

decision over which college to choose was an unpleasant and unexpected stress. It is because

Cambridge refuses to admit that an applicant may stand a better chance at one college or another

that I found this particularly stressful, as I was innately sceptical that Kings, with its 2 geographers,

for instance, would be likely to offer a place to anyone without top A-level grades.

Preparing my personal statement and work on my two pieces of submitted work was also stressful,

but expectedly so. I was aware of the amount of work I would have to put in across these two

areas to get an offer, but when presented with Cambridges Supplementary Application

Questionnaire(SAQ) I was simply taken aback with what to write for my additional personal

statement. I found myself debating whether it was best to appear hugely passionate aboutGeography in every respect by writing a great deal in every category of the SAQ, which I

eventually settled for, or alternatively attempting to say something refreshing without attempting to

re-iterate points potentially made in my UCAS personal statement. I even remember debating

about which photo to choose for submission.

In many respects I found the interviews themselves the simplest stage of the application. Although

I spent hours reading and analysing the two reports Fitzwilliam had sent me and preparing for my

interview, once I was actually there, although stressful, it was a relief actually to be doing

interviews and to be finishing the last stage of the application process. The sheer amount of work,

effort and the relentless nature of the Cambridge application process re-assured me that I was

correct in my decision to apply, only confirmed, however, when I got my offer letter, in that I would

regret it if I hadnt. My own personal experience of the interview process, in hindsight, is as a form

of test, at each stage Cambridge makes you strive to want to go there, in the respect that you have

to overcome numerous obstacles to get an offer, let alone meet it. I am lucky enough to believe

that I still have the opportunity to go to Cambridge, but I am fully aware that I now need to make

sure I get the right A-level grades.


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Using GIS to Investigate Coastal Management for real or

virtual fieldwork Rachel Adams, Wimbledon High School, GDST

There is an expectation these days that Geography students will be making effective use of GeographicalInformation Systems to help them in their field work investigations. However yet all too often this is reduced

to a cursory screen shot of Google Earth with annotated labels. I was keen that my students should have the

opportunity to do more than this and have taken advantage of software which is freely available as well as

that which can be purchased. This account explains how some of these products can be used to help

students with their field investigations, making the outcome quicker and more interesting to achieve, and

hopefully leading to better geography. My students were investigating the relationship between land use and

sea defences in North Norfolk.

The place to start is with Google Earth, Google Maps or Bing Maps, each of which have slightly different

merits, but can be used to show aerial views. Bing Maps has the advantage of having an oblique air photo

option which may be easier for students to interpret. Any of these air photos can be annotated to showinformation about sites, including text, photos or graphs as desired (see Figure 1).

Figure 1. Extract

from student field

work using

symbols to show

defences at

different sites

superimposed on

an air photo from

Google Maps

Last year the Ordnance Survey released OS Digimaps, which gave free access to OS maps all over the

country at any scale, with some tools for analysis. (This replaced their Free Maps for 11 year olds scheme

which is now available on subscription.) By zooming in very detailed maps are available and I was able to

produce base maps for the students which they could annotate with field information as they walked along

the coast. Later they used the measurement tool to calculate distances such as the width of the beach or

distance to the nearest property from the cliff edge (see Figure 2).

Figure 2. Measuring the distance of the nearest building from the cliff edge using OS Digimaps

The advantage of using software like Aegis or Digital Worlds is that information collected in the field can be

linked to placemarks on the map. Maps showing land use or located bar charts can be produced at the push

of a button. It seemed to me that this was nearer to what examiners were looking for and in any case shouldmake the presentation of field work data much quicker and easier, enabling students to focus on the

important bit ie the analysis of their observations.


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Aegis is a GIS programme that has been available from the Advisory Unit for some years and its aim is to

make GIS easy for students. We have invested in this as a one off purchase. The field also used Aegis, so it

made sense to use this as a starting point. Wanting to bring some statistics into our evaluation of coastal

defences, I decided to set up a transect from just east of West Runton, where the land is of low value and

there are no defences, along the coast to the centre of Sheringham, where the land is of high value and

there are many defences. If data was collected from ten evenly spaced sites, the value of both land use anddefences could be ranked and Spearman Rank used as an analytical tool to see if there was a relationship.

The Centre set up an Aegis document, with the ten sites marked on the map, and these were linked to a

spreadsheet into which the students entered the data collected from the transect. Use of chart wizard in

Aegis quickly enabled students to produce a map of the area with bar charts showing the value of the

defences and land values (see Figure 3).

Figure 3. Extract from student

field work showing estimated

land values

This year we plan to put a

financial value on different types of defences so students can calculate the total cost and make the exercise

even more realistic. Showing land use over the whole area (rather than just a snapshot at each site) is more

complicated and requires making shapefiles, something I am considering doing for the coming year.

Digital Worlds is a much more sophisticated package, a slimmed down version of ArcView, an industry

standard GIS system available from ESRI. It was produced by Richard Pole and Jason Sawle who saw the

potential for its use in schools and is available by subscription. The great advantage of DW is that it has all

the data for OS maps at different scales for the whole country as well as air photos, census data and historic

maps. Using the programme is somewhat daunting, but Richard and Jason are really helpful and keen to

provide support.

There are many ways in which DW can be used for the purpose of field mapping and analysis, but last year

we made use of the historical maps layer. This is the 1851 map of the country which can be overlaid onto

either a modern map or an air photo. By making one of these semi-transparent it is possible to compare the

modern cliff edge with its position in 1851. The measuring tool can be used to calculate exactly how many

metres of cliff have been lost over the past 160 years and an average calculated. DW has a buffer tool which

can then be set either side of a line drawn on the map. If the modern cliff edge is drawn on, the buffer can be

set to see how much land might be lost if erosion rates stay the same or if they accelerate due to global

warming. Estimates can be made of how many properties might be lost over the next 25 or 50 years, and

these compared to the losses estimated on the Shoreline Management Plans available for the area.Figure 4. Using the buffer tool in Digital Worlds to estimate rates of coastal erosion

Needless to say, using modern technology to

bring field investigations into the 21st

century

is both exciting and frustrating. Becoming

familiar with different programmes and

adapting them for your needs is time

consuming, not to mention on-going issues

with actually getting computer access in

lessons. However, there is no doubt that the

outcome in terms of improved quality of fieldwork is worth the effort involved and it definitely adds a buzz from the students point of view.


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Sources: Google Maps; OS Digimaps available from Edina; Aegis 3 GIS available from The Advisory Unit:

Computers in Education; Digital Worlds GIS available from ESRI UK.

Statistical Inquiry into Water and Wealth

Helen Hore, Subject Leader for Geography and Geology, Central Sussex College

In the context of the recent report in January 2012 from the Royal Statistical Society, entitled The Future of

Statistics in our Schools and Colleges, subjects such as Geography, Biology and Psychology are accredited

for teaching statistics in a contextual way. This exercise, outlined at a workshop at the GA Conference at

Guildford in 2011, may serve to help embed spreadsheet use and statistical analysis in A Level Geography.

It uses the World Resource Institute databases, which are a rich source of statistics which can be used in

many ways in the subject.

Time, equipment and preparation

Two hours of teaching time.

Computer and internet access.

A basic knowledge of spreadsheets is useful.

A basic knowledge of positive and negative correlations is needed

Latest version of Excel, which is more intuitive than previous versions.

Objectives

1. To access on-line databases.

2. To use Excel to produce scatter graphs and calculate Spearmans Rank Correlation Coefficient.

3. To ascertain whether a relationship exists between wealth and water use and to discuss the

causal relationships involved.

Acquiring data

The World Resources Institute (WRI) Earth Trends has numerous databases for countries. The following

databases are used in this task and the first three are found on the Water Resources and FreshwaterEcosystem searchable database:

1. Groundwater Withdrawals: Percent used for agricultural purposes (9th on list)

2. Water Poverty Index (6th

one down on the list)

3. Water Withdrawals: Annual per capita (31st

on list)

4. GDP per capital (based on PPP). This database can be accessed from the menu Economics,

Business and the Environment, which is 26th

on the list.

Fig.1 Print screen of the Water Resources and Freshwater Ecosystem searchable database

http://earthtrends.wri.org/searchable_db/index.php?theme=2

Students can work in pairs to access

the databases, and depending on class

size, each student or pair should collect

data for one country. Ideally, you want

a dataset of about 15 -16 countries,

otherwise it becomes unwieldy to

manage in the time. Agree the

countries beforehand, or allow students

to choose from a predetermined list, in

order to gain a balance of development

levels and avoid small nations.Students collect the above values for

their chosen country and then add
http://earthtrends.wri.org/searchable_db/index.php?theme=2&variable_ID=18&action=select_countrieshttp://earthtrends.wri.org/searchable_db/index.php?theme=2&variable_ID=7&action=select_countrieshttp://earthtrends.wri.org/searchable_db/index.php?theme=2http://earthtrends.wri.org/searchable_db/index.php?theme=2http://earthtrends.wri.org/searchable_db/index.php?theme=2http://earthtrends.wri.org/searchable_db/index.php?theme=2&variable_ID=7&action=select_countrieshttp://earthtrends.wri.org/searchable_db/index.php?theme=2&variable_ID=18&action=select_countries


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them to a class spreadsheet. Start with groundwater withdrawals, selecting countries from this list first, as

not all countries are on this database.

Creating scatter graphs

Students will then enter their values onto a class spreadsheet entitled Water and Wealth, to create four

datasets in four columns, for the chosen nations. Students will then need to have an individual copy of thespreadsheet to work on, in order to create the scatter graphs and calculate Spearmans Ranks values. Use

the chart icon to create three scatter graphs to show the relationship between GDP and water poverty index,

GDP and water use, GDP and the amount of water used in agriculture.

Highlight the 2 datasets in columns using the control key, click on the insert tab and select scatter graph to

create the basic graph. The legend can be deleted. GDP should be on the horizontal axis. Click on the

move chart icon (top right) and move the chart to a new sheet. From the layout tab (at the top), insert a

chart title and edit the text box, then the axis titles and edit them. Click on the trendline icon to add a linear

trendline. To add names of countries, right click on a data point, then right click again to format data labels

which addstext boxes which you can edit.

With a balanced selection of countries, the scatter graphs should show:

1. A positive correlation for water poverty index against GDP (PPP per capita) Fig. 3.

2. A negative correlation for groundwater withdrawals: percent used for agricultural purposes against

GDP (PPP per capita). Fig.4.

3. No correlation for water withdrawals: annual per capita, against GDP (per capita PPP).

Fig.3 Scatter graph of Water Poverty Index against GDP per capita

Wealth and WPI

New Zealand

Australia

FranceUK

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

0 5000 10000 15000 20000 25000 30000 35000 40000 45000 50000

GDP per capita

WaterPovertyIndex

USABrazil

South Africa

Jamaica

Dom Rep

Jordan

EthiopiaNiger

E tBangladesh

GhanaKen a

Fig.4 Scatter graph of water withdrawals for agriculture against GDP per capita.

Spearmans

RankCorrelationCoefficientfor WPI andGDP percapita wascalculated as+0.84
http://earthtrends.wri.org/searchable_db/index.php?theme=2&variable_ID=18&action=select_countrieshttp://earthtrends.wri.org/searchable_db/index.php?theme=2&variable_ID=7&action=select_countrieshttp://earthtrends.wri.org/searchable_db/index.php?theme=2&variable_ID=7&action=select_countrieshttp://earthtrends.wri.org/searchable_db/index.php?theme=2&variable_ID=18&action=select_countries


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Wealth and water withdrawals for argiculture

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

0 5000 10000 15000 20000 25000 30000 35000 40000 45000 50000

GDP per capita

waterwithdr

awalsagric%

Australia

USA

FranceUK

New Zealand

South Af rica

Dom Rep

JamaicaJordan

KenyaGhana

Tanzania

CambodiaMada ascarNiger

Ethiopia

Correlation Task

1. Discuss what each graph shows and what it means in terms of any relationship between the two variables

on each scatter graph.

2. In order to determine whether a statistical relationship exists and its significance, a Spearmans Rank

Correlation Coefficient has to be calculated. Create a further column beside each dataset and rank your

values, with 1 as the highest value. Excel enables columns to be sorted. Use the data menu on the toolbar

and select sort for options. Highlight all columns, selecting each column in turn for a descending sort and

insert a column for the ranking alongside. If there are tied ranks (eg. 2 values at 4th

place), give them 4.5

each as they are sharing both 4th

and 5thposition. The Spearmans Rank Correlation Coefficient for each

pair of datasets can then be calculated. Click outside the table in a blank cell and type the following formula

into the cell, using the ranked columns. For example:

=CORREL(A1:A10,B1:B10) The punctuation marks are crucial.

Now press enter and the Spearmans Rank Correlation Coefficient is calculated for you. Establish how

strong your correlation coefficient is by using the graph below or a significance table, found in geographical

or statistical textbooks.

Fig. 5 Significance graph for Spearmans Rank Correlation Coefficient

SpearmansRankCorrelationCoefficient forwaterwithdrawals for

agriculture andGDP percapita wascalculated as- 0.72


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CorrelationCoefficient of +0.84with 18 degrees offreedom, significant

at 99.9% level


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Suggested follow-up work

1. For your chosen country, find 2 or 3 further facts on their water resources. Select water resources from the

left menu and find further data on their country profile eg total river flow p.a.

2. Summarise what we have investigated by answering the following questions:

a) Describe the relationship shown in each graph using terms such as positive and negative correlation.

b) Outline and comment on the statistical methods used and assess the strength of the correlation

coefficient.

c) Explain why these relationships exist and what factors might be responsible. Refer to theory and

examples.

d) Summarise the differences in water use between MEDCs and LEDCs as different parts of the

development spectrum.

Most geography teachers would agree that it is important that students are exposed to statistical techniques

in a contextual way so that they can appreciate and understand the purpose of statistics in interpreting

numerical data and gain confidence in handling data.

Bibliography

http://earthtrends.wri.org/searchable_db/index.php?theme=2 WRI Earth Trends database on Water

Resources and Freshwater Ecosystems, accessed 11/2/2012

http://earthtrends.wri.org/searchable_db/index.php?theme=5 - WRI Earth Trends searchable database on

Economics, Business and the Environment, accessed 11/2/2012

portals.wi.wur.nl/files/docs/ppme/Water_poverty_index.pdf explains calculation and use of WPI, produced

by Centre for Environment and Hydrology, Wallingford, accessed 13/2/2012

http://geographyfieldwork.com/SpearmansRank.htm- significance graph from Barcelona Field Study Centre,

accessed 13/2/2012

Porkess R, 2012, The Future of Statistics in our Schools and Colleges, published by the Royal Statistical

Society.
http://earthtrends.wri.org/searchable_db/index.php?theme=2http://earthtrends.wri.org/searchable_db/index.php?theme=2http://earthtrends.wri.org/searchable_db/index.php?theme=5http://earthtrends.wri.org/searchable_db/index.php?theme=5http://geographyfieldwork.com/SpearmansRank.htmhttp://geographyfieldwork.com/SpearmansRank.htmhttp://geographyfieldwork.com/SpearmansRank.htmhttp://earthtrends.wri.org/searchable_db/index.php?theme=5http://earthtrends.wri.org/searchable_db/index.php?theme=2


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Piracy, supply shocks and energy securityEmma Rawlings Smith CGeog, British School Al-Khubairat, Abu Dhabi

Piracy

Watching the Volvo Ocean Race fleet speed into Abu Dhabi on New Years Eve 2011 at the end of leg two,

should have marked the end of 20 days of strenuous sailing from Cape Town. But for the first time in the

history of the round the world race, the six boats were taken out of the water and transported past Somalia,

the African country with the longest coastline, in a bid to keep the sailors and the boats safe from the threat

Piracy is a lucrative business in a country with few jobs. According to figures from the United Nations

International Marine Organisation, Somali pirates earned 93m in 2011 an average of 3m a vessel. This

money is the only source of income for the pirates, some of whom are former fishermen who lost their

businesses when foreign trawlers plundered Somali waters and took advantage of the countrys lack of

effective government. The international response to the increasing threat of piracy off the Somali coastline

was to send a 25-nation European Union and NATO coalition force, to patrol the 3.2 million square miles of

ocean between the Gulf of Aden and the East African coastline. The pirates have responded by moving

further north into the Arabian Sea and south into the Indian Ocean, often travelling over 1000 miles from

home.

in order to obtain ransom payments for the crew, vessels and valuable cargo.

of piracy. In 2010, 1181 seafarers were kidnapped, many of whom were held hostage in bases such as Eyl,

Figure 1. Map of the Middle East

http://worldbirds.eu/zpmap/map_of_middle_east.htm

Figure 2. Piracy off the Somalian coast

http://www.historyguy.com/somali_pirate_attacks.htm
http://worldbirds.eu/zpmap/map_of_middle_east.htmhttp://www.historyguy.com/somali_pirate_attacks.htmhttp://www.historyguy.com/somali_pirate_attacks.htmhttp://worldbirds.eu/zpmap/map_of_middle_east.htm


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the Middle East

The roots of the failure of Somalias state ie in the clan -

based uprisings of the Somali Civil war, which saw the

regime of Mohamed Siad Barre overthrown in 1991.

With an estimated income of $600 (CIA, 2011) and abottom of the table ranking on the Global Peace Index,

Somalia is now one of the poorest and most violent

states in the world.

The lack of formal governance particularly in the south

of Somalia, which includes the ports along the eastern

seaboard, has allowed the piracy industry to flourish.

The instability in Somalia exacerbated the recent drought conditions and in July 2011 the UN declared

famine, for the first time in 30 years, in two regions of Somalia. The drought affected up to 9.5 million people

across the Horn of Africa. The situation was so dire that half the Somali population required food aid for

survival. Even though aid agencies were refused entry to the Islamist militia al-Shabab controlled south,conditions improved by early December as some aid trickled through to those in need and the rains fell early.

According to the auditors of the Transitional Federal Government, who control only a small part of the

country, bilateral aid to the regime totalled $75.6 million for 2009/2010 but only $2.875 million (four per cent)

could be accounted for (Pham, 2011). The International Crisis Group described the government as inept,

increasingly corrupt and hobbled by President Sharifs weak leadership. International goodwill towards this

government is waning (ibid).

In August 2011, a growing African Union (AMISOM) force managed to push al-Shabab out of the capital

Mogadishu, allowing a sense of ease to fall on the city. More recently the towns of Badhadhe and Baydhabo

have come under government control. Famine, piracy and the rising threat of terrorism, from al-Shabab

joining forces with al-Qaeda, are significant events which have forced a response from the international

community. In February 2012, the British Government held a much anticipated Somalia:London Conference,

with the agenda of re-establishing a strong Somali state. However the functioning Puntland and Somaliland

regions in the north oppose such a move. International politicians highlighted that decisions on Somalia's

future rest with the Somali people. This is however, at odds with the conference delegate list, since Al

Shabab hailed by Hilary Clinton as terrorists and the Eritreans both major players in Somalia, were not

invited to the talks (Harper, 2012).

Piracy is one threat to energy insecurity, but it is not the

only one. Geopolitical tensions are building up between

Iran, an oil production hotspot, and the US due to the

perceived threat of a military element to Irans expanding

nuclear program. Last year, 20 per cent of Irans oil

exports ended up in the European Union. From the 1st

of

July 2012, the European Union will follow the US by

placing an embargo on Iranian oil imports preventing any

company from buying oil from Iran. China, the largest

purchaser of Iranian oil, is taking this opportunity to

increase oil supplies; paying in gold to circumvent the

recent sanctions imposed on Irans Central Bank which

prevent trading in US dollars.

Tehrans rhetoric should be cause for concern for the oil producing countries of the Middle East who use the

Straits of Hormuz as an energy pathway to Europe. 90 per cent of Arabian Gulf oil is transported by tankerswhich have to navigate slowly through this narrow 45 kilometre wide waterway opposite the Iranian coast.

Flows through the Straits are estimated at around 15-17 million barrels per day (bpd). To close this

Figure 3. EU and NATO forces protecting shipping in

Supply shocks Figure 4. Destination of Iranian oil. (CIA 2011)


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pinchpoint would cut global oil supplies by one fifth and trigger a significant global oil shock. As I write this

article, the trading price of Brent crude oil has already reached a 43-month high at US$ 128.40 a barrel and

financial markets twitch with anticipation of supply disruption.

Alternative energy routes seem to be the most

obvious solution to political instability and potential

retaliatory action in the Middle East. However, thebuilding of oil pipeline infrastructure is very costly and

time consuming. A national pipeline due to open this

year to transport oil from the Habshan oilfields of Abu

Dhabi to the bunkering hub and oil storage terminal of

Fujairah on the Gulf of Oman, has been planned to

bypass the Straits on the journey to global markets. It

should, according to the UAEs oil minister, be

transporting 1.5 million barrels daily by June 2012;

this represents just ten per cent of the oil transported

through the Straits. Many more such pipelines would

Iran has built up an arsenal of Qader cruise missiles, Ghadir miniature submarines and mines much more

powerful than those deployed in the wars of the 1980s. The threat that Iran can strangle the Straits of

Hormuz is real. Whether Iran would actually cut off their own oil revenues by blocking the Straits, especially

since such actions would force an international military response is difficult to foretell. The aircraft carrier

USS Abraham Lincoln has entered the Arabian Gulf, escorted by British and French naval forces as a

precautionary move. A United Nations Atomic Energy Agency inspection team is waiting for the go ahead to

inspect the military site of Parchin, at the same time that satellite images show trucks and earth-moving

vehicles at the site, south of Tehran. Political talks between the EU and Iran are back on again all in the

hope that it is not too late for diplomacy.

And possible futures...

The 1973 oil crisis shocked many oil importers to change their energy policy. The U.S. is set to cut

imports by a half, to 6 million barrels of oil per day (bpd) between 2000 and 2035 (The Oil Drum,

2012). This is possible because new technology is being used to improve energy efficiency;

American fossil fuel reserves are being tapped to increase domestic output, including the shale

fields; and imports are increasing from reliable, politically stable allies such as Canada. In contrast,

China will see a rise in oil imports from 1 to 11 million bpd in the same time-frame, with a less secure

future.

The Middle East and North Africa region is heavily dependent on oil exports for growth and

development. Exports fell by 30.7% in 2009, due to the global economic crisis (EIA). Exports would

be hit again if the Straits of Hormuz were closed.

Unprecedented growth in global energy demand is leading to price hikes in key commodities.

According to the International Energy Agency, oil prices rose by 30% in 2010 and a further 40% in

2011. Recent oil price rises will continue to affect economic development in most oil importing

countries, as household energy bills and petrol prices continue to rise. Industry will try to pass on

these rising energy and petro-chemical costs to consumers. Food prices are likely to surge causing

inflation, and eaving less money in the pockets of consumers and a greater possibility of riots and

social unrest.

be required to complete the task. Figure 5. Oil storage at Fujairah. Image: E Smith


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1. Follow the journey of the Volvo Ocean Race at

http://www.volvooceanrace.com The fleet cross the

finishing line at Galway in the first week of July 2012.

2. Create a piracy map from news headlines and

compare it to the 2012 IMB Piracy map athttp://www.icc-ccs.org/piracy-reporting-centre/imb-

live-piracy-map

3. Compare the sources of imported energy for America

and China using data from the U.S. Energy

Information Administration database at

http://www.eia.gov

References:

CIA Factbook (2011) https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/so.html

Harper, M. (2012) Will the world help or hinder Somalia? Available online athttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-17144557 (last accessed 9 March 2012).

One Earth Future Foundation (OEF) (2011) The Economic Cost of Somali Piracy 2011 Available online at

http://oceansbeyondpiracy.org/sites/default/files/economic_cost_of_piracy_2011.pdf (last accessed 9

March 2012).

International Energy Agency (2011) World Energy Outlook Report 2011. Available online at

http://www.iea.org/weo/docs/weo2011/factsheets.pdf (last accessed 9 March 2012).

Pham, P. (2011) Assessing the Consequences of the Failed State of Somalia Washington, D.C. Atlantic

Council [Accessed on 04.03.2012 http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/112/pha070711.pdf]

The Oil Drum (2012) America's changing energy choices Available online at

http://www.theoildrum.com/section/drumbeat (last accessed 9 March 2012).

______________________________________________________

Classroom Activities

Figure 3. Available online at http://tinyurl.com/7s5mwkw Author: C. Newsome: U.S. Navy

Figure 6. Available at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Puma_Volvo_Ocean_Race_2011.jpg

Figure 6. Puma Volvo Ocean Race


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Globalisation of Health: is the world feeling better?

Gill Miller, University of Chester

Globalisation connects people, places, industries and services, and health is no exception. There are several

contexts in which health is inter-connected around the globe from diseases and drugs, institutions and

organisations, to health professionals and tourists. We sometimes take time to reflect on the merits or

otherwise of globalisation, and this article is no exception. Is the globalisation of health good news?

Disease goes global

Diseases have always been capable of spreading around the world, but their impact was more limited in the

days of slower travel, which gave viruses time to die out before people reached their destination. An early

major pandemic was Spanish Flu in 1918 19, transmitted by soldiers sailing home after World War 1,

carrying flu on ships and spreading it in each port of call. During 2009, the Swine flu pandemic spread the

HINI virus much more rapidly from Mexico to locations as far apart as Japan, Australia, Chile and the UK. Air

travel enabled the virus to be carried to different continents while travellers were still infectious.

If you would like to track diseases globally and locally go tohttp://healthmap.org

HIV/AIDS has become a classic example of the globalisation of disease. Emerging from Africa in the 1960s,

it spread easily and rapidly by people travelling to North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australia. A

lack of understanding of the disease and any preventive actions has also emphasised the importance of

raising awareness of HIV in all communities across the world.

Figure 1: The spread of HIV across Africa between 1988 and 2003

Source:http://www.avert.org/history-aids-africa.htm

The Western world must take some responsibility for the global spread of some non-communicable

diseases. As societies in the developing world aspire to become more western, their diets are changing to

include more protein and more processed foods. Consequently the West is exporting d iseases such as

obesity and diabetes. While it is certainly true that there are benefits for many people in the developing world

in having access to a more balanced and varied diet, the risks of over-nutrition are also increasingly

evident, especially as urban areas expand and fewer households produce their own food.

Global health players

Individual nations, such as the UK, monitor the global disease scene carefully to ensure that they can protect

their populations from unwanted imports of newly emerging diseases which can be drug-resistant.

Infectious diseases may be seen as a national security threat and governments seek to collaborate

internationally to protect themselves nationally.

There are many international institutions and organisations concerned with health issues and this makes the

global health landscape very complex (Figure 2). There are 40 bilateral donors, 26 UN agencies, 20 global
http://healthmap.org/http://healthmap.org/http://healthmap.org/http://www.avert.org/history-aids-africa.htmhttp://www.avert.org/history-aids-africa.htmhttp://www.avert.org/history-aids-africa.htmhttp://www.avert.org/history-aids-africa.htmhttp://healthmap.org/


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regional funds, and 90 health initiatives. There are also major NGOs which focus on health such as Medicine

Sans Frontires, OXFAM, Save the Children, Care International and CAFOD.

Figure 2 The complexity of the global health providers.

Global Health Watch 2 2008 p 212

World Health Organisation (WHO)

The WHO was founded in 1948 as part of the United Nations family of global

organisations. Its mandate is the Attainment by all peoples of the highest possible

level of health, defined as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being,

and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, WHO 1948.

The aim of the WHO is to support the health needs of all 192 member states which fund the organisation. Ittakes the lead in coordinating and directing global health targets. WHO has been criticised for trying to do

too much with too few financial resources. Neither the 3 by 5 programme for HIV, nor the Global Plan to

Stop TB was achieved because of funding shortfalls.

One problem in a large organisation is getting agreement on how the money is spent. There is a lack of

consensus on how global health improvements should be prioritised. In the WHO, the largest donors have

the most influence on spending. Some member states, such as the US, pay only a proportion of their

contributions directly to the WHO, preferring instead to finance special programmes in which they have a

particular interest.

As with many international /UN organisations, politics interferes with decision-making. The WHO has been

criticised for its partnerships with global pharmaceutical firms because it is supposed to be independent.Some countries want the WHO to have a stronger focus on poverty reduction to improve health

The World Bank

The World Bank has many aid programmes which address poverty reduction and include

support to build national health systems. Health initiatives in the developing world are often

part of these programmes. The bank spent US$14 billion in 2005 on health initiatives, compared with the

WHO spending of US$4.2 billion (2008).

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

The largest and most influential charity in the world, the Gates Foundation spent over

US$3billion in 2008. This dwarfs other foundations such as Wellcome Trust, Rockefeller and

Ford Foundations (Figure 3).


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Figure 3: Funding on global heath by major private sourcesThe Gates Foundation spends most of its money

on research in the areas of malaria, HIV/AIDS,

immunisation, reproductive health and other

infectious diseases. The sums of money are huge

but there are reservations within the health

community. While no one doubts the benefits ofthe health aid investments made, it is the Gates

family themselves who decide what health needs to focus on, rather than national governments or the WHO.

Decisions are not transparent or accountable to anyone. This potentially undermines the choices of Ministers

of Health in developing countries around the world. Gates has certainly raised the profile of health and the

health needs of the poor and it has galvanised action in several areas, but perhaps the Gates Foundation is

too powerful and influential.

Global Health Initiatives

A further group of global health players are the global initiatives. These are funded in various ways by

governments (e.g. DFID), foundations (e.g. Gates, Rockefeller Foundations), pharmaceutical companies

(e.g. Pfizer, Roche), World Bank and the WHO. These initiatives have been established to coordinate effortsaround one single health issues and involve huge sums of investment.

Figure 4: Global Health Initiatives

Global Health Initiatives Major partners Main funders

Global Alliance for

vaccinations and

Immunisation (GAVI)

UNICEF, WHO, World Bank, Gates, CSOs,

public health institutes

International finance facility.

Gates, ODA

Global Fund to fight Aids,

TB and malaria (GFATM)

UNAIDS, WHO, World Bank, Stop TB, Roll

Back malaria, bilateral donors, Gates, CSOs,

recipient governments

Gates, ODA

Roll Back Malaria UNICEF, UNDP, WHO, World Bank,

ExxonMobile, GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis, BASF,

Gates.

World Bank, GFATM, ODA

Stop TB WHO + several hundred universities, pharma,

biotech & vaccine companies, foundations,

governments.

WHO, ODA

International Aids Vaccine

Initiative

Over 20 from different sectors Gates, World Bank,

Rockefeller, corporate

donors

Medicines for Malaria

Venture

Several including Gates, Africa Matters Ltd,

GlaxoWellcome, Clinical Trials Partnership,

Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Tsukuba Research

Institute

Gate, Rockefeller, ODA,

pharmaceutical

corporations, Wellcome

Trust.

Source: Global Health Watch 2, 2008 p214 CSO Civil society organisations

ODA Overseas development assistance

Figure 4 illustrates some of the initiatives and the complicated net of partners and funding.

These initiatives are also criticised for lack of coordination, duplication and fragmentation of activities. Where

do national governments stand in relation to these global agencies? What contribution do health ministries

make to their national health agendas? Development aid for health is on offer, but for specific purposes. How

can national health systems be strengthened and supported if aid is restricted to particular health agendas?

Pharmaceutical companiesPharmaceutical companies are at the core of advances in global health. They research and sell generic and

branded medicines and have a reputation for making healthy profits from high drug prices (Figure 5). They

Value of internationalhealth grants (2006)US$ million

Gates Foundation 3,000Wellcome Trust 42Rockefeller Foundation 15.7Ford Foundation 7.5


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have been criticised for their concentration on western health needs over those in the developing world,

where sales are much less profitable. There are debates about the research costs of new drugs and their

eventual costs on the global market. Some developing countries, such as Brazil and South Africa, have

negotiated generic drug deals for HIV/AIDS patients. This has had a major impact by making antiretrovirals

affordable for all patients who need them.

Figure 5: The 12 largest pharmaceutical companies 2010

Source: Annualreports 2010-2011

Global Health

medical tourism

There are economic opportunities to be developed in medical tourism (Figure 6. Governments from Poland

to Budapest to Brazil and Thailand hope to benefit from foreign exchange by actively promoting health

tourism. In Malaysia, many private clinics are well-equipped with highly trained, specialist medical staff. They

offer cosmetic surgery, dental implants, eye surgery, transplants and cardio-vascular surgery for a fraction of

the cost in the Europe or the US. India is also encouraging its diaspora to return to India for a similar range

of small scale as well as sophisticated surgery.

Figure 6: Global health tourism.

The dark side of medical tourism is illegal

and dangerous, a growing, unregulated

trade in organ trafficking. Poor and

vulnerable people are persuaded to sell

body parts such as kidneys as a desperate

measure to reduce their household poverty.

Global Health Workers

The National Health Service in the UK has a

large workforce from overseas including

277,000 doctors from India, Pakistan, and

South Africa, as well as Australia. These

professionals are welcome in the UK to

meet national health service needs, and they often send remittances back to families. The disadvantage is

that their home countries have lost key personnel and skills which are needed for their own populations. This

leaves a country continually struggling to provide the health services which it needs in order to develop. In

Ghana, 50% of trained nurses have left the country within ten years, to work mainly in Canada, US or UK.

The global economy hosts many thousands of international companies.Private health firms are no exception and many operate in several

countries. The role of foreign firms in providing health care may becontroversial at times.

Rank Company Country Total revenue US$

1 Johnson & Johnson United States 61.90

2 Pfizer United States 50.01

3 Roche Switzerland 47.35

4 GlaxoSmithKline United Kingdom 45.83

5 Novartis Switzerland 44.27

6 Sanofi France 41.99

7 AstraZeneca[ UK/Sweden 32.81

8 Abbott Laboratories United States 30.76

9 Merck & Co. United States 27.43

10 Bayer HealthCare Germany 22.30

11 Eli Lilly United States 21.84

12 Bristol-Myers Squibb United States 18.81

Health enquiries advertised on Health-Tourism.com:

Someone from United States contactedPanamafor Hernia Repair

Someone from AustraliaMalaysiafor Botox laser treatments

Someone from KosovoTurkeyfor Colorectal Cancer

Someone from Canada contactedArgentinafor Cosmetic Surgery

Someone from Saudi ArabiaGermanyfor Maxillofacial Surgery

Someone from Bangladesh contactedIndiafor Brain Surgery

Someone from Bulgaria contactedIsraelfor Glaucoma Surgery Specialist

Someone from United States contacted Thailandfor Hair TransplantSomeone from United States contactedCosta Ricafor Neurology

NHS row: should foreign

companies be allowed to

run hospitals?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnson_%26_Johnsonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pfizerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoffmann%E2%80%93La_Rochehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GlaxoSmithKlinehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Novartishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanofihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AstraZenecahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbott_Laboratorieshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merck_%26_Co.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eli_Lilly_and_Companyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristol-Myers_Squibbhttp://www.health-tourism.com/panama-medical-tourism/http://www.health-tourism.com/panama-medical-tourism/http://www.health-tourism.com/panama-medical-tourism/http://www.health-tourism.com/malaysia-medical-tourism/http://www.health-tourism.com/malaysia-medical-tourism/http://www.health-tourism.com/malaysia-medical-tourism/http://www.health-tourism.com/turkey-medical-tourism/http://www.health-tourism.com/turkey-medical-tourism/http://www.health-tourism.com/turkey-medical-tourism/http://www.health-tourism.com/argentina-medical-tourism/http://www.health-tourism.com/argentina-medical-tourism/http://www.health-tourism.com/argentina-medical-tourism/http://www.health-tourism.com/germany-medical-tourism/http://www.health-tourism.com/germany-medical-tourism/http://www.health-tourism.com/germany-medical-tourism/http://www.health-tourism.com/india-medical-tourism/http://www.health-tourism.com/india-medical-tourism/http://www.health-tourism.com/india-medical-tourism/http://www.health-tourism.com/israel-medical-tourism/http://www.health-tourism.com/israel-medical-tourism/http://www.health-tourism.com/israel-medical-tourism/http://www.health-tourism.com/thailand-medical-tourism/http://www.health-tourism.com/thailand-medical-tourism/http://www.health-tourism.com/costa-rica-medical-tourism/http://www.health-tourism.com/costa-rica-medical-tourism/http://www.health-tourism.com/costa-rica-medical-tourism/http://www.health-tourism.com/costa-rica-medical-tourism/http://www.health-tourism.com/thailand-medical-tourism/http://www.health-tourism.com/israel-medical-tourism/http://www.health-tourism.com/india-medical-tourism/http://www.health-tourism.com/germany-medical-tourism/http://www.health-tourism.com/argentina-medical-tourism/http://www.health-tourism.com/turkey-medical-tourism/http://www.health-tourism.com/malaysia-medical-tourism/http://www.health-tourism.com/panama-medical-tourism/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristol-Myers_Squibbhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eli_Lilly_and_Companyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merck_%26_Co.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbott_Laboratorieshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AstraZenecahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanofihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Novartishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GlaxoSmithKlinehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoffmann%E2%80%93La_Rochehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pfizerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnson_%26_Johnson


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BUPA (British United Providence Association) has ten million members in

195 countries, plus 23.2 million served by its partner organisation, Health

Dialog in the US. BUPA has acquired private health clinics in Australia,

New Zealand, Ireland and the Middle East as well as building up a

clientele in China.

ConclusionThere are many aspects to the global health debate. The huge sums of investment enable new technologies

and drugs to be developed. Global organisations have the money and finance to make a significant impact

on specific diseases, which helps millions of the poorest and most vulnerable people.

As the world gets smaller, diseases travel faster. People move to countries where they can use their medical

skills in well-equipped surroundings and earn more money. Tourists can travel easily to address their health

problems and overseas medical investment can provide local employment opportunities.

Does global health need to be controlled? What role should governments have in setting their own national

health agendas? Is it best to focus on single issue health problems or would money be better invested in

improving integrated l primary health systems in the developing world?

Does the globalisation of health make the world feel better?

German company

involved in talks to take

over NHS hospitals

Who are the Post16

HE Phase Committee?

Iain Palt Chair

Alan Marvell Vice-Chair, University of Gloucestershire

Jenny Hill Secretary, University of the West of England

Helen Hore Treasurer, Central Sussex College

Gill Miller Newsletter editor, University of Chester

Rachel Adams Wimbledon High School, GDST

Anthony Allchin Worthing Sixth Form College

Mick Dawson University of SurreyKatie Denton PCGE Student, University of Southampton

Bob Digby GA President 2012

Liz Elam Abbey College Manchester

Richard Kotter Northumbria University

Simon Oates Bancrofts School

Glenys Owen-Jones, Outsight Learning

Peter Price Charterhouse School

Emma Rawlings Smith British School, Abu Dhabi

Will Stainsby Charter School, Dulwich

ga geographymattersspring 2012

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