Give Geography its Place
Geographers Warn of Risk to Society
PRESS RELEASE
For release during the week beginning 16.10.06
More than a hundred leading Geographers from nearly fifty different universities have warned of an increased risk of social, economic, political and environmental threats if the media continues to fail Geography.
In a letter to the Secretary for Culture, Media and Sport Rt. Hon. Tessa Jowell, MP 101 Deans, Professors, Doctors, Lecturers and Lead Teachers have warned that a strong Geography education is vital if issues such as climate change, sustainable energy, terrorism, poverty, immigration and natural disasters are to be fully understood and managed.
Organised by the ‘Give Geography its Place’(GGiP) campaign the letter to Tessa Jowell accuses the media of failing Geography despite being dependent upon the subject and its professionals for much of their news content.
“Despite being dependent on geographical skills and content, the BBC and Channel 4 have no commissioning editors for geography as they do for science, history and other subject areas. Very rarely are geographers chosen to present programmes which are distinctively geographical (Equator, State of the Planet, Journeys into the Ring of Fire, etc). Some media organisations, particularly newspapers such as the Guardian do an even greater disservice to geography by directly attacking or ridiculing the subject, even when there is the opportunity to support and promote it (e.g. the launch of the Governments’ Geography Action Plan).”
The letter to Tessa Jowell is being used to promote a new petition which is being launched by Give Geography its Place. With an emphasis on the importance of Geography for all our futures the petition is aimed at the public and especially parents. It is parents who may be most concerned about the world in which their children will live in the future and parents who should be most concerned about the quality of their children’s education.
Both the letter and the public petition directly call for the media to “employ geography editors and to produce both implicitly and explicitly labelled geography content for broadcast, in print and online.” The petition can be signed at
The letter concludes:
“Geography is in a unique position to act as a bridge between subject areas using spatial knowledge, understanding and technologies coupled with distinctive concepts to make sense of the world. It is now time for the media to take full advantage of this capacity and stop neglecting this vital subject and we would like to invite you to do everything in your power to encourage this change.”
Daniel Raven-Ellison and David Rayner, both teachers and the founders of the GGiP campaign added “If students and the wider public are to make sense of some of the biggest issues which make the headlines, it is vital that there is a greater understanding and use of geography. Modern Geography is not about being able to repeat the gazetteer of an atlas, it’s about understanding the patterns, processes and systems that connect us all to each other and to our environments. If we take international migration as an example, history and politics play their part but the complex mixture of why, how, where and when people travel are best explained through Geography.”
David Lambert, Chief Executive of the Geographical Association commented “Successful study of geography brings a rounded understanding to events and processes, and to the way the world works. The subject has the power and potential to educate, through developing with people a way of thinking that keeps the world whole and connected: the physical and the human, the social and the economic, the near and the distant, the familiar and the strange. Geography helps us contemplate our place in the world.”
“ [Geography] offers an entry into the causes and effects of conflict and poverty to town planning and water shortages. Could there be a more modern and relevant subject? Anyway beards and open toe sandals are cool now!!” Wayne Hemingway, designer and Geography graduate concludes.
Notes to editors
For interviews, further information and further quotes contact:
GGiP
Daniel Raven-Ellison at 07772 767 366
David Rayner at
Give Geography its Place
Give Geography its Place is a grassroots campaign that was established by a group of geography teachers. With the support of more than 1250 Geographers from the UK and many people from around the world, the campaign is working for Geography to be given a greater place in the media.
The campaign is led equally by the co-founders and Geography educators David Rayner and Daniel Raven-Ellison. You can find out more about the campaign at the GGiP website at
Letter to Tessa Jowell
Dear Ms Jowell,
If the media does not acknowledge the expertise of modern geographers it is increasingly putting society at risk from a wide range of environmental, social, economic and political threats.
It is vital that all young people receive a strong geography education if they are to become active citizens in a world where climate change, sustainable energy, terrorism, poverty, immigration and natural disasters regularly hit the headlines. Geography plays a unique role in education showing how the physical and human worlds interrelate and humans manage the frequent conflicts that arise as nature strikes people and people strike nature.
The major UK media organisations currently fail to recognise the vital role of geography. Despite being dependent on geographical skills and content, the BBC and Channel 4 have no commissioning editors for geography as they do for science, history and other subject areas. Rarely are geographers chosen to present distinctively geography programmes such as British Isles: A Natural History or Journeys into the Ring of Fire. Some media organisations, particularly newspapers such as the Guardian do an even greater disservice to geography by directly attacking or ridiculing the subject, even when there is the opportunity to support and promote it (e.g. the launch of the Governments’ Geography Action Plan).”
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Whilst schools, colleges and universities have an obvious role to play in ensuring that this geographic entitlement is fulfilled, the major media organisations also have a responsibility to this generation and all future generations in ensuring that:
a)they recognise and publicise the vital role played by geography and geographic knowledge;
b)they actively use geographers within their organisations to strengthen public understanding of local, national and global issues.
In this letter we call for major broadcasters and newspaper publishers to employ geography editors and to produce both implicitly and explicitly labelled geography content for broadcast, in print and online.
Geography is in a unique position to act as a bridge between subject areas using spatial knowledge, understanding and technologies coupled with distinctive concepts to make sense of the world. It is now time for the media to take full advantage of this capacity and stop neglecting this vital subject and we would like to invite you to do everything in your power to encourage this change.
Yours sincerely,
For a list of people who have signed this letter see the next four pages.
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Daniel Raven-Ellison
Co-Founder of Give Geography its Place
David Rayner
Co-Founder of Give Geography its Place
Dr Nicola Ansell
Senior Lecturer in Human Geography
Department of Geography and Earth Sciences
Brunel University
Dr. Kye Askins
Lecturer in Human Geography
Northumbria University
David Balderstone
Subject Leader PGCE in Geography Education and author of Secondary Geography Handbook
Dr Camila Bassi
Course Leader, MSc Urban Regeneration
Faculty of Development and Society
Sheffield Hallam University
Jeff Battersby
Dean
The School of Education and Professional Development
The College of St Mark & St John
Thomas Biebrach
PGCE Tutor
Swansea Institute of Education
Gill Bivand Taylor
Teacher Fellow
University of Exeter
School of Education and Lifelong Learning
Alastair Bonnett
Professor of Social Geography
Piers Blaikie
Professor of Geography
University of East Anglia
Peter Bloomfield
Senior Lecturer, Geography in Education,
Department of Education,
University of Hertfordshire
Debbie Bradley
Senior Lecturer, (Geography)
Nottingham Trent University
Professor Tim P Burt
Durham University
Tony Cassidy
G.A. Consultant Teacher
Leader of Teaching and Learning
Kirk Hallam Community Technology College
David Castles
Head of Geography
Reading School
Humanities College
Professor Simon Catling
Associate Dean,
Westminster Institute of Education,
Oxford Brookes University
Linda M. Clarke
Lecturer in Education
School of Education
University of Ulster
Neil M. Coe
Geography
School of Environment & Development
The University of Manchester
Ian Cook
Senior Lecturer in Human Geography
School of Geography, Earth & Environmental Sciences
The University of Birmingham
Victoria Cook
Research Postgraduate
School of Geography
University of Leeds
Gill Davidson
Course Tutor
PGCE Geography
Oxford Brookes University
Luke Dickens
Social and Cultural Group
Department of Geography
Royal Holloway, University of London
Anna Disney
Teaching primary school humanities
Nottingham Trent University
Dr Claire Dwyer
Department of Geography
University College London
Gail Edwards
Lecturer in Education
University of Newcastle
Dr Rebecca Ellis Chimera
Institute for Social and Technical Innovation
University of Essex
Dr S W Ellis
Senior Lecturer
Institute of Education (Crewe)
Jon Fairburn
Senior Lecturer
Geography Department
Jamie Fagg
Doctoral Researcher
Queen Mary, University of London.
Alistair Fraser
Post-Doctoral Researcher
Geography, Planning and Environmental Policy (GPEP)
Richview Campus
University College Dublin
Dr Duncan Fuller
Northumbria University, Newcastle
Dr Peter Garside
Earth Sciences and Geography
Kingston University
Nick Gee
Tutor in PGCE Geography
School of Education & Lifelong Learning
University of East Anglia
Dr Chris Gibson
Lecturer in Social Geography
University of Wollongong
NSW 2522 Australia
Richard Greenwood
Head of Teaching and Learning, Geography
Stranmillis University College
Dr. Carl J. Griffin
Queen’s University
Belfast
Helen Griffiths
Doctoral Researcher
School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences
University of Birmingham
Alan Gilbert
University College London
Dr Keith Halfacree
Swansea University
Dr Tim Hall
Senior Lecturer
Field Chair Geography, Community and Heritage
Department of Natural and Social Sciences
University of Gloucestershire
Dr Judy Hemingway
Institute of Education
University of London
Dr Brian Hoskin, Department of Geography, College of St Mark & St John,
Plymouth
Dr Gareth Hoskins
Institute of Geography and Earth Sciences
University of Wales Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth
Alex Hughes
Lecturer in Geography
Newcastle University
Dr Annie Hughes, B.A. (Hons.), Ph.D. (Bristol)
Senior Lecturer and Field Leader in Human Geography,
School of Earth Sciences and Geography,
Kingston University
Dr. Margo Huxley
Senior Lecturer, Research Degrees Admissions Tutor
Department of Town and Regional Planning
University of Sheffield
Dr Les James
Institute of Education
University of Reading
Dr Peter Knight
Senior Lecturer in Physical Geography
Earth Sciences and Geography
Keele University
Andrew Kythreotis
Department of Geography
University of Hull
Dr David Lambert
Geographical Association
Professor Roger Lee AcLSS
Professor of Geography
Department of Geography
Queen Mary, University of London
Phil Lenten
Senior Tutor GT/OTT Programmes
School of Education
University of Hertfordshire
Sarah Lindley
Lecturer, University of Manchester
Rachel Lofthouse
Director of M.Ed Practitioner Enquiry
School of Education
Communication and Language Sciences
Newcastle University
Sara Mackian
Cultural Theory Institute
University of Manchester
Dr Fran Martin
Senior Lecturer in Geographical Education
School of Lifelong Learning
Professor Mark Maslin
Environmental Change Research Centre
Department of Geography
University College London
Dr.Larch Maxey
School of The Environment and Society
Swansea University
Dr Des McDougall
Head of Geography and Archaeology,
Department of Applied Sciences, Geography & Archaeology,
University of Worcester,
Dr Cheryl McEwan
Senior Lecturer in Human Geography
Geography Department
Durham University
Leigh McCready
Senior Lecturer in Education
Middlesex University
Dr Cathy McIlwaine
Senior Lecturer in Human Geography
Department of Geography
Queen Mary, University of London
Dr Dominique Moran
Lecturer in the Geographies of Transitional Economies
School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences
University of Birmingham
Alun Morgan
Lecturer in Education
Institute of Education
University of London
Debbie Moss
School of Criminology, Education, Sociology & Social Work
Keele University
Dr Steve Musson
Department of Geography
University of Reading
Jo Norcup
Doctoral researcher
Dept Geographical and Earth Sciences
East Quadrangle
University of Glasgow
Melanie Norman
PGCE (Secondary) Course Leader
School of Education
University of Brighton
Rory Padfield
PhD Candidate
Geography
Newcastle University, UK
Alan Parkinson
Geographical Association Teacher Consultant
Dr Martin Parsons
Institute of Education,
University of Reading
Stephen Pickering
Senior Lecturer in Education
University of Worcester
Dr. Richard C. Powell
Lecturer in Human Geography
Department of Geography
Roxby Building
University of Liverpool
Dr Charles Rawding
Edge Hill University
Steve Rawlinson
Lecturer in Geography and Environmental Education
Ashley Reid
Geography Coordinator PGDE(s)
University of Strathclyde
Department of Curricular Studies
Robert Rosenthal
Geography Curriculum Tutor
University of Sussex
Dr Stephen Roulston
Jeff Serf
Principal Lecturer
School of Education
University of Wolverhampton
Professor Brian Short
Professor of Historical Geography
Department of Geography
University of Sussex
Dr Tracey Skelton
Loughborough University
Maggie Smith
Lecturer in Geography Education
The Open University
Dr Richard Southern FRGS
Head of Geography and Environmental Sciences
Senior Lecturer in Human Geography
University of Hertfordshire
Kate Spencer BSc, MSc/DIC, PhD
Lecturer in Physical Geography
Queen Mary, University of London
Professor Peter Styles
Past President The Geological Society of London
Director EPSAM (Environment, Physical Sciences and Applied Mathematics Research Institute)
Professor of Applied and Environmental Geophysics
Keele University
Penny Sweasey
Head of Secondary and Post-Compulsory Education
Manchester Metropolitan University
Institute of Education
Julia Tanner
Head of Teacher CPD,
Leeds Metropolitan University
School of Education and Training
Carnegie Faculty of Sport and Education
Dr Nicola Thomas
Department of Geography
University of Exeter
Val Vannet
Head Master of Geography
Krysov Victor Vladimirovich
Russian State University of Humanities, Moscow
Paul Weeden
Lecturer in Geography Education
University of Birmingham
Dr Phil Wood
Senior Lecturer in Geographical Education University of Leicester
Dr Geraldene Wharton
Senior Lecturer
Department of Geography
Queen Mary, University of London
Ella Wiles
University of Sussex
Jennie Winter
School of Geography
University of Plymouth
Tara Woodyer
Department of Geography
Royal Holloway, University of London
Claire Whewell
Teaching Fellow
Institute of Education
University of Stirling
Dr Jamie Woodward
Reader in Physical Geography
The University of Manchester
Liz Young
Senior Lecturer in Geography
Staffordshire University
The range of the organisations that these Geographers are from include:
Brunel University
Durham University
Edgehill University
Institute of Education, Crewe
Institute of Education, London
Institute of Education, Reading
Field Studies Council
Geographical Association
Kingston University
Leeds Metropolitan University
Loughborough University
Newcastle University
Nottingham Trent University
Oxford Brooks University
Queen Mary, University of London
Queen’s University, Belfast
Russian State University of Humanities
Sheffield Hallam
Swansea University
The College of St Mark & St John
University College Dublin
University College London
University of Birmingham
University of East Anglia
University of Essex
University of Exeter
University of Glasgow
University of Gloucestershire
University of Hull
University of Leeds
University of Leicester
University of Manchester
University of Northumbria
University of Plymouth
University of Reading
University of Sheffield
University of Staffordshire
University of Stirling
University of Strathclyde
University of Sussex
University of Wales Aberystwyth
University of Wollongong
University of Wolverhampton
University of Worcester
Westminster Institute of Education
Over 1300 Geography Teachers have signed up to the Give Geography its Place campaign.
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Online Public Petition
Linked from the GGiP campaign website at
Hosted at
THE PUBLIC PETITION
This petition aims to draw support from parents and members of the public in order that young people develop the necessary geographic knowledge of the physical and human worlds and the ways that they interact to influence our daily lives. As news reports of famine, global warming, the energy crisis, transport issues, urban growth, immigration and natural disasters hit the headlines, young people need to be well informed so that they can understand these issues and give a reasoned opinion - amongst the academic subjects, only Geography gives that vital overview that develops the necessary knowledge and understanding of how we can cope with these key issues.
Geography is rightly regarded by universities and employers as a valuable academic subject to study - not because it trains you for a particular job but because it develops useful transferable skills such as analysis and synthesis and provides young people with a context for understanding issues which affect us all at work and in our daily lives. We need to encourage more students to join the quarter of million students who already opt each year to study this valuable subject. Help us to achieve this aim by showing your support.
DESIRED OUTCOME
1. To raise the public profile of Geography as an academic subject in all forms of the media (newspapers, magazines, TV, radio, the internet, advertising, etc).
2. To increase awareness of the importance of Geography and the vital role that it plays in schools, colleges and universities in preparing young people for the complexities of life in the 21st century.
3. To reach the point where major media outlets give recognition that geography is distinct and an essential part of our children’s education. The main indicator for this is that the print, TV, radio and online organisations employ key people with responsibility for explicitly geographical content and for commissioning geography works.