Geog 621:  Current Trends in Geography Winter 2001 -- University of Oregon Prof. Pat McDowell

Syllabus | Books & Journals | Term Paper Assignment | P. McDowell home page | Dept. of Geography

Week 4 Schedule and Assignments

Monday, Jan. 29:  Alternatives to positivism in human geography, 1970s-1980s

Reading assignment for Jan. 29:  
Johnston, Geography and Geographers, Ch. 6, 7 and 9
Jackson, P., and Smith, S.J., 1984, p. 1-11 in the Introduction of Exploring Social Geography, (London:  George Allen and Unwin).  A copy of this article is in the file box in Condon 108.  

Lise Nelson and Pat McDowell will lead the discussion.  Be prepared to discuss the following points:

• What are the principal methodological problems of applying positivist approach in research on human problems?

• What particular types of human problems are least well suited for positivist methodologies?

• What is the relationship between humanistic geography and Sauerian cultural geography?

• Why do you think some of the major figures in the Quantitative Revolution became leading proponents of a Marxist geography?

• What is meant by a realist approach?  Is the term realism used in more than one way?

• To what extent do humanism and structuralism present mutually exclusive guides to geographical research?

• What is structuration and who were the major figures in advancing structurationist perspectives?

• To what extent is geography central to the structurationist project?

• In which policy arenas are human geographers most actively involved?

Wednesday, Jan. 31:  The Geographic Information Systems Boom, 1960s-1990s

Reading assignment for Jan. 31:  

Foresman, T. W., 1998.  GIS early years and the threads of evolution.  P. 3-17 in Foresman, T.W., ed., The History of Geographic Information Systems: Perspectives from the Pioneers.  (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall).  Read p. 10-16 ("Genesis of geographic information systems," "Contributors to GIS history" and Why does GIS continue?").

Chrisman, N.R., 1998.  Academic origins of GIS.  P. 33-43 in Foresman, T.W., ed., The History of Geographic Information Systems: Perspectives from the Pioneers.  (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall).  Read all.

Goodchild, M.F., 1992.  Geographical information science.  International Journal of Geographical Information Systems 6: 31-45.  Read all.

The following three articles were published as a Forum entitled GIS: Tool or Science?" in the Annals of the AAG.  They capture some of the debate about GIS in the discipline of geography.  

Wright, D.J., Goodchild, M.F., and Proctor, J.D., 1997.  Demystifying the persistent ambiguity of GIS as a "tool" versus "science".  Annals of the Assoc. of Amer. Geogr. 87: 346-362.  Skim the whole article, but read p. 354-358 ("Three positions on GIS," "Discussion of the three positions on GIS," and "Evaluation").  

Pickles, J., 1997. Tool or science? GIS, Technoscience, and the theoretical turn.  Annals of the Assoc. of Amer. Geogr. 87: 363-372.  Skim the whole article, but read p. 367-370 ("Why are we asking whether GIS is a tool or a science at this time?," and "Geographical information science and the theoretical turn").  

Wright, D.J., Goodchild, M.F., and Proctor, J.D., 1997.  Reply: Still hoping to turn that theoretical corner.  Annals of the Assoc. of Amer. Geogr. 87: 373.  Look at this to see how Wright et al. responded to Pickles' criticisms.  

Aileen Buckley and Pat McDowell will lead discussion today.  Be prepared to discuss the following points:

• Where and by whom were the first GIS's developed?  

• What universities and departments fostered the initial development of GIS?

• What institutions other than academic departments fostered the development of GIS in the 1960s-70s?  Why?

• What kinds of problems and applications were the early GIS's developed to address?  

• What is the difference between geographic information systems and geographic information science?  What does Goodchild propose as the research agenda for GIScience?  What is Goodchild's definition of GIS research?  According to Goodchild, in what ways does GIS meet, and in what ways does it not meet, the definition of a science?

• What is the NCGIA and what is its significance to geography and GIS?  

• What are the three positions on GIS of Wright et al.?  What the implications for geography departments?  

• What are Pickles' criticisms of the content and practice of GIS today?  

• How has GIS influenced geography departments and the discipline of geography?  

• Is GIS GIScience?  

last update:  03/03/01 02:06 PM
Department of Geography, University of Oregon, Eugene OR, 97403-1251