1

Why Geography MattersAlexander (‘Alec’) MurphyDepartment of Geography

University of Oregon

2

Inaugural Summer Institute – July 1997

Working with the

College Board/ETS

1999-2000 AP Human Geography Development Committee

Alexander B. Murphy, University of Oregon, ChairMona Domosh, Florida Atlantic UniversityLarry R. Ford, San Diego State UniversityDavid Lanegran, Macalester CollegeDebbie Lange, A&M Consolidated High SchoolMartha Sharma, National Cathedral SchoolJohn Trites, Horton District High SchoolAdrian Bailey, Dartmouth/University of Leeds, Chief Faculty Consultant

ETS Consultants: Barbara Hildebrant, Uma Venkateswaran

3

Dave Lanegran (Macalester), Rickie Sanders (Temple), Roger Downs (Penn State), Robert Dulli (NationalGeographic Society), Chair: Alec Murphy (Oregon)

Donald Stewart, PresidentThe College Board (1986-1999)

184,663

2017 – 199,756

2018 - > 210,000

2019 – c. 233,000

4

5

6

John Snow – mapping of choleracases in London, 1854

International Migration

7

Challenging Simplistic Assumptions

Cairo

8

Muscat

9

Repairs of an armored car from No.1 Company in Iraq, British

Royal Air Force, 1923

Advisors for the British administration on a picnic near Baghdad with King Faisal I, 1920

10

Bosnia – Proposed Partition

From Murphy, 1994

Anticipating Problems

11

Another View of the Bosnian Peace Plan

(From Murphy, 1994)

National Fire Occurrence Data Base http://www.fs.fed.us/fire/fuelman/From Bartlein et al., 2008

12

K. O’Brien, R. Leichenko, et al. "Mapping Vulnerability to Multiple Stressors: Climate Change and Globalization in India," Global Environmental Change, 14:4 (2004): 307

P. J. Bartlein, S.P. Harrison and K. Izumi, “Underlying Causes of Eurasian Mid-Continental Aridity in Simulations of Mid-Holocene Climate,” Geophysical Research Letters, 44:17 (2017): 9022.

Shedding Light on Outcomes(and their causes)

Portland, Oregon

Urban Growth Boundary

13

Derek Watkins, New York Times, February 21, 2014

14

The Brexit VoteNew York Times

Blue = remain

Reddish-brown = leave

15

Source: http://www.plannersweb.com/sprawl/place-tn.html

Advancing the Cause of a Liberal Education

16

Vertebrate species

1. Fostering Greater Awareness/Understanding of the Wider World

17

http://kai.sub.blue/en/africa.html

(or is it?)

Travel time to major cities (in hours and days) and shipping land density

D. J. Weiss, A. Nelson, et al.

18

2. Challenging Stereotypes

19

1939

20

21

3. Preparing Students for Meaningful Participation in a Democratic Society

22

“The paucity of geographical knowledge means there is no check on misleading public representations about international matters,” said Alec Murphy, a professor of geography at the University of Oregon.”

4. Broadening Horizons and Fostering Curiosity

23

Amazon Rainforest (Source: Global Environmental Facility)

Demonstration in Afghanistan (Source: Foreign Policy)

“Knowing something is a prerequisite to caring about it.”

24

Mumbai, India

ãFouberg, Murphy, & de Blij, Human Geography, Wiley, 2015

Humen, China

Northern Togo

Suburban Phoenix, Arizona

25

493

26

6th edition, 1999

11th edition, 2015

9th edition, 2009

10th edition, 2012

. . .

27

28

DailyGeo is AGS’s answer to today’s headlines, delivered with a geographic twist. It is a short, digital news blast highlighting the ubiquitous nature of geography’s role in headline stories.

Comprised of 3 main sections:“Where in the World”

“Thumbs Up”“GeoQuestion”

Occasionally, it includes one of the following special sections:

“Maps Do it Better”“A Cartographer’s Quandary”

“The Arternative World”

Why sign-up?• Unique visual tool to begin class• Informative maps supplement every story• Highlights geography in today’s headlines• Intriguing Geo trivia questions• Delivered advertisement-free at no charge,

straight to your inbox Monday to Friday

https://ubique.americangeo.org/daily-geo/

Thank You