CULTURAL DIMENSIONS OF ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY
Term:Fall, 2004
Course Number:GEO 3553-013
Course Title:Cultural Dimensions of Economic Geography
Course DescriptionThe primary focus of this course is on developing skills in understanding
and Prerequisites:the diverse interconnectionsthat have developed between humans, their
institutional (cultural) constructs and the physical environments (often referred to as the ‘man/land’ or ‘man/nature’ relationships’) that they inhabit. One of the most important factors that mediate human relations with the land (environment) is technology. Technology and technological change provide humans and their cultures with the capacity to use their environments more efficiently, thereby increasing the earth’s ability to support human populations at higher standards of living.
The analysis of the cultural factors that are associated with past and present spatial distribution of economic activities is a significant element in forming an understanding the human/environmental interface. The primary focus, of necessity, is on the socio-economic preconditions for and consequences of economic development. Of all of the factors necessary for the efficient allocation of scarce resources to their ‘highest and best’ individual and social uses private property rights and the rule of law rank as most important. [Note the place that they are afforded in the U.S. Constitution and the First Five Ammendments]. This course is part of the International Studies Program and there are no formal prerequisites.
Instructor:Louis A. Woods
Office Hours:Tuesday and Thursday
8:45 to 19:25; 12:15 to 1:30; and by appointment.
Phone:[904] 646-2641
E-mail:
Required Texts:None. There is no text required for this course. Rather, required readings
from scholarly journals and assigned exercises using diverse data sources
comprise the ‘learning’ experiences.
Required Readings:The course has been structured around two major themes in human
(cultural) geography: (i) the human-environment systems; and (ii) the spatial structure or dimension of human behavior. Required readings on these topics will be included in the course outline and schedule= presented below. These readings are from scholarly journals, popular periodicals and chapters from books, and selected websites.
Outside Readings:In addition to the assigned reading materials in periodicals, each student is
expected to read a total of ten (10) articles in scholarly journals (this does
NOT include: National Geographic, Newsweek, Time, Fortune, etc.) or selected chapters from approved books over the term. The articles should be selected to support research on a country in preparation for writing a short, term project. It is not enough that the articles deal with a particular
country, they should focus on cultural aspects of that country, as well, e.g., population (not just numbers, but with ethnicity, locations or geographic concentrations); religions; languages; politics; dress; foods; music, etc.. Conflicts between groups are a significant cultural dimension and should be addressed forthrightly (political correctness should be avoided at all cost). Summaries, outlines or abstracts of the articles are to be submitted to the instructor on a weekly basis (one per week), beginning with the week of September 7th. The abstracts should be submitted on 5" x 8" note-cards using a standard bibliographic form, such as, University of Chicago StyleManual or the MLA format. Several exceptional websites are: the Dallas Federal Reserve Bank ( with its Economic Insight publication; and the Mises Institute’s ( and its daily articles. They may be used for outside readings.
AdditionalEach student is expected to prepare a research design= for the final term Requirements: project (research paper) on the economics, culture or some specific aspect
of the culture of some country, other than their home country. Each student
needs to select a country and a cultural/economic topic for that country and
have it approved by the instructor. The selection process must be
completed, in written form, by September 14. Work should begin
immediately thereafter on the research design (readings on the country in
question). The first (rough) draft of the research design should be
submitted by September 30th for comment. A second draft (expanded and
improved) of the research design is to be submitted on October 21st. The
final draft of the research design is due on November 30th.
As a general rule, the basic format of a research design is provided by the
organizational pattern found in nearly all articles contained in scholarly
journals: (i) brief overview of the topic including a statement of the
purpose and/or significance of the research [why should I bother to read
it]; (ii) summary of previous research on the topic [obtained from scholarly
sources…books, articles, monographs] that provide the reader with the
background for your research; (iii) the intended methodology to be used in
conducting the research, including data sources [Census of Populations, or
other government compilations; or sample survey data you intend to gather
directly] and methods of analysis [qualitative or quantitative analysis]; (iv)
expected results based on previous research and your explicit or implicit
hypotheses; (v) bibliography.
Group oral projects:On the first day of class, nine groups of three and
one group of four students will be formed randomly. Over the course of the term, each group will be expected to prepare and present, orally using whatever visual aids that are appropriate, a summary of a selected topic.
Course Outline and
Schedule:
Materials that have been starred (*) are required readings. Other materials that are cited are suggested readings.
August 24Introduction/background/housekeeping
August 26 -Introduction to geography -- origins and scope of the discipline
Sept. 16-- ancient roots
See: H.Frankfort, et al., Before Philosophy: The Intellectual
Adventure of Ancient Man (Baltimore: Penguin, 1971)
-- Greek roots of the discipline
-Thales of Miletus (2,640 B.P. - 2,546 B.P.)
-Anaximander (2,611 B.P. - 2,547 B.P.)
-Hecataeus (cir. 2,500 B.P.)
- Parmenides (early 2,400s B.P.)
- Eratosthenes of Cyrene (2,240 B.P. - 2,196 B.P.)
-- Roman contributions
-Theophanes
-Strabo (2,034 B.P. 1,880 B.P.)
-Ptolemy
See: *Tozier, A History of Ancient Geography, Chapter IV, pp. 59-
74 [G84.T5]; Thompson, History of Ancient Geography [G84.T75] or Beazley, The Dawn of Modern Geography
[G84.B38].
-- Middle Ages
-Cosmas (cir. 547 A.D..)
-- Arab geographers
-Yaqubi (900s A.D.)
-Ibn Haukal (900s A.D.)
-Al Idrisi (12th Century)
-Ibn Batuta (1304-1377)
-- Modern geography
-Mercator
-B.Varen [Varenius] (Seventeenth Century)
-Immanuel Kant (1724-1804)
See: J.A. May, Kant=s Concept of Geography and Its Relation to
Recent Geographical Thought (Toronto: Department of
Geography Research Publications, University of Toronto,
1970)
-Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859)
-Karl Ritter (1779-1859)
-G.P. Marsh
See: G.P. Marsh, Man and Nature, 1964, Chapter 1, Introduction,
7-20.
-F. Ratzel
Human-environment systems -- the environment
The themes in this section of the course are at the heart of the debates over
whether or not human activities are the source of global climatic
change or whether the changes are simply a continuation of past natural patterns of climatic change. In a real sense these opposing views of man’s place and role in the physical environment, including earth history reflect the conflicting ideas of Lyell (Principles of Geology) and Darwin (Origin of the Species) vs. those of Malthus (Principles of Population) and Marsh (Man and Nature)
For an overview of the human-nature (environment) relationship from the ancient world through the end of the 18th Century, see: C.J. Glacken, Traces on the Rhodian Shore (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1967).
*Goode’s World Atlas
Introduction, vi-xii
Review, 2-59
Climate and climatic change
*Goode’s World Atlas
Physical, 4-5
Continental Drift/Plate Tectonics, 8-9
Climate, 10-11 [Climate Regions/Types & Subtypes
Precipitation, 16-17 [Zones of Precipitation]
*E. Dorf. 1960. AClimatic Changes of the Past and Present,”
American Scientist, 48 (3), 341-64.
*Hans E. Suess. 1955. “Absolute Chronology of the Last
Glaciation,” Science, 123 (3192), 355-
P.E. Damon and S.M. Kunen. 1976.AGlobal Cooling?@Science,
193 (4252), 447-53.
D.M. McLean, AA Terminal Mezozoic Greenhouse=: Lessons from
the Past,” Science, Vol. 201, No. 4354 (4 August 1978),
401-6.
-- Human population
T. Malthus and W. Godwin
P. Ehrlich, the neo-Mathusian movement and the limits-to-growth=
myth
See: P.R. Ehrlich. 1968. The Population Bomb. New York:
Ballantine Books, Inc.
D.H. Meadows, et al. 1972. The Limits to Growth. New York:
Signet Books.
*E.S. Deevey, Jr. 1960. AThe Human Population,@Scientific
American, CCIII (September),195-204. [Reprinted in: I.
Burton and R.W. Kates (eds.). 1965. Readings in Resource
Management and Conservation. Chicago: The University
of Chicago Press, 10-20.
*Julian Simon. 1999. Hoodwinking the Nation. New Brunswick,
NJ: Transactions Publishers.
*Scott Gordon. 1958. “Economics and the Conservation
Question,” Journal of Law and Economics, 1.
Aug. 27Last day for Drop/Add
Sept. 7First Article Reviews due
Sept. 14Country Selection for Research Design
Sept. 23FIRST QUIZ.
Sept. 28- Cultural & Economic Factors
Oct. 21*Lynn White, Jr. 1967. AThe Historical Roots of Our Ecologic
Crisis,@Science, 155 (3767), 1203-7.
*M.W. Mikesell. 1968. ALandscape,@ in D.L. Sills (ed.),
International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, Vol. 8.
New York: Crowell Collier and Macmillan, Inc., 575-80.
*P.W. Porter. 1965. AEnvironmental Potentials and Economic
Opportunities: A Background for Cultural Adaptation,@
American Anthropologist, 67 (2), 409-20.
*Yi-Fu Tuan. 1983. AOrientation: An Approach to Human Geography,@Journal of Geography, 82 (1), 11-4.
*F.A. Hayek. 1945. AThe Use of Knowledge in Society,” American
Economic Review, 35 (4), 519-30.
*A. Marshall, Principles of Economics, 7th Ed., Chapter II,
AFertility of the Land,@ 120-4; and Chapter III, AThe
Fertility of the Land , Continued. The Tendency to
Diminishing Returns,@ 125-43.
*W.B. Arthur. 1989. ACompeting Technologies, Increasing
Returns, and Lock-In by Historical Events,” Economic
Journal, 99, 1, pp. 116-31.
______. 1990. “Positive Feedbacks in the Economy.”
ScientificAmerican, 262 (2), 92-9.
*P.A. David. 1985. “Clio and the Economics of QWERTY.”
AmericanEconomic Review: Papers and Proceedings, 75,
2, 332-37.
______. 1990. “The Dynamo and the Computer: An
Historical Perspective on the Modern Productivity
Paradox.” American Economic Review: Papers and
Proceedings, 80 (2), 355-61.
*R.H. Coase. 1937. “The Nature of the Firm.” Economica, 4, 386-
405.
______. *1960. “The Problem of Social Cost.” Journal of
Law and Economics, 3, 1-44.
*H. Demsetz. 1967. “Toward a Theory of Property Rights.”
American Economic Review, 57, 2, 347-59.
*T.L. Anderson and P.J. Hill. 1975. “The Evolution of Property
Rights: A Study of the American West. Journal of Law and
Economics, 18,1, 163-80.
*T.L. Anderson and P.J. Hill. 1983. Privatizing the Commons: An
Improvement? Southern Economic Journal, 50, 2, 438-
50.
Sept. 30First Rough draft of Research Design Due
Oct. 21Second Draft RD Due
Oct. 26SECOND QUIZ
Oct. 28-Location, Growth and Economic Development
Dec. 2* Sir Peter Bauer’s ideas on the ‘vicious circle of poverty’
*Valavanis, S. 1955. “Lösch on Location,” American Economic
Review, 45, pp. 637-44.
Find and review material on the contributions of the following
location theorists:
H. von Thünen
A. Weber
W. Christaller
A. Lösch
W. Isard
*Alchian, A.A. 1950. “Uncertainty, Evolution, and Economic
Theory,” Journal of Political Economy, 58 (3), pp. 211-
21.
*G.W. Scully. 1988. AThe Institutional Framework and Economic
Development,” Journal of Political Economy, 96, 652-62.
*D.E. Booth. 1986. ALong Waves and Uneven Regional Growth,”
SouthernEconomic Journal, 448-60.
Nov. 8Deadline to withdraw from Fall term
Nov. 11HOLIDAY – Veterans’ Day
Nov. 25HOLIDAY -- Thanksgiving
Nov. 30Final Research Design Due/NO EXCEPTIONS
Dec. 7THIRD QUIZ
Grading:Three, equally weighted quizzes (100 points each) will comprise 66% of
the final grade. The outside readings and summaries will determine 11%
of the final grade (5 points per summary), and the remaining 23% of the
final grade will be determined by the research design.
The following aggregate grading scale will be used:
450 to 419 (100% to 93%) ...... A
418 to 387 (92% to 86%) ...... B
386 to 347 (85% to 77%) ...... C
346 to 315 (76% to 70%) ...... D
Less than 314 (69%) ...... F
LibraryScholarly journals may be found in the Periodicals Section of the library
Assignments:(The Third Level). On this same level, the Documents Section contains
government (federal, state and local) data sources. Many sources of data
for foreign countries (UN, IMF) may be available in the Reference Section
of the library on the Second Level.
WrittenThe individual article summaries will comprise one of the written
Communicationcommunication requirements in this course. Please note that the cards=
Requirements:format, particularly the Bibliographic material, should conform to those found in the Chicago Manual of Style.
OralClass participation constitutes the demonstration of oral
Communicationcommunication skills. At all times, class discussion and class
Requirements:participation is strongly encouraged. Additionally, oral presentation of the
group report/project provides for experience and developing skills in this
area.
ComputerUse of the Internet for data searches, articles from scholarly journals
Applications:and data manipulation are encouraged. The need for students to access the
instructor=s home page to download syllabi, class materials, and project
instructions serves as an additional set of computer applications.
InternationalScholarly articles and atlas materials have been selected to provide Coverage: coverage of various international issues. Lectures and handouts are used to
augment the international component of this course.
EnvironmentalExternalities/market failures, as well as government policies, are used
Issues Covered:to examine environmental issues. In addition, the regulatory response and
burden on private markets are discussed. The role of private property in a
free-market economy and its implications for economic efficiency vis-a-vis the public provision of goods and services and the projections of the Rev.
Thomas Malthus are examined in the context of the so-called tragedy of the commons=.
Academic Integrity:Each student is expected to do his/her own work on assigned activities and on all quizzes. An understanding of what constitutes plagiarism and abuse
of copyright fair use= laws is expected of each student.
Students WithStudents with a disability, as defined under the Americans with Disabilities: Disabilities Act (ADA), who may require special classroom
accommodations, should inform the instructor of any special needs during
the first week of class. Students should also contact the Office of Disabled
Services Programs (620-2769) immediately.