The Importance of Geographic Literacy in Liberal Arts Education

Tim Flower:

Last Thursday, Dr. Christopher Sutton, professor of geography at Western Illinois University, delivered the ninth annual John Hallwas Liberal Arts Lecture, entitled "Geography Matters! The Importance of Geographic Literacy in Liberal Arts Education."

"Everybody views the world in a geographical context," he said. "We do it all the time in our everyday pursuits."

Sutton believes that geography has escaped public interest due to a lack of mainstream understanding.

"We seem to not have a good sense of what it is, who does it, and why in the world we actually do it," he said.

At its simplest, he explained, the study of geography is devoted to further understanding the connections between humans and the world around them.

"We're interested in understanding the links between humans and their natural environment," he said. "We're interested in the linkages that exist between people, and how our connections that exist between people and cultures and governments and the economies affect one another."

Posted by Jim Zellmer at September 16, 2011 1:01 AM
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