Geography in the World of Social
Studies
Social studies as a discipline embodies the essence
of humankind—where people live, how they are organized, how they change,
and how they prosper... An educated citizenry is the key to a successful
democratic society. Therefore, it is imperative that South Carolinians
acquire a comprehensive and connected understanding of the human experience.
Social studies is vital in helping students to
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Social studies helps students understand their roles
as social beings.understand who they are and how they relate to their communities,
the nation, and the global society;
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understand why and how they participate as citizens,
both individually and as groups;
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understand how the past, present, and future are interconnected;
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understand cultural diversity; and
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meet the challenges of the world of work.
Social studies is the integrated study of human
experience for the purpose of promoting active participation in a diverse
yet interconnected world. Social studies combines the disciplines of anthropology,
archaeology, history, philosophy, economics, geography, government and
political science, psychology, religion, and sociology in a systematic
way to help students understand what it means to be human and how, as human
beings, we are members of society.1
As we study World Geography this year, we will be
examining the world based upon standards established by the State
of South Carolina Department of Education. We will examine the histroy,
government, and economics in various world regions based upon the Social
Studies Curriculum Standards for ninth grade.
1 ( From South Carolina Social
Studies Curriculum Standards, 2000.)
Geography as a Discipline
"Geography is the study of spatial aspects of human
existence. . . . Geography has much more to do with asking questions and
solving problems than it does with rote memorization of isolated facts.
[It] is an integrative discipline that brings together
the physical and human dimensions of the world in the study of people,
places, and environments. Its subject matter is the Earth's surface and
the processes that shape it, the relationships between people and environments,
and the connections between people and places. "2
2(From Geography for Life, National
Geography Standards, 1994. (c) National Geographic Research &
Exploration, 1994, on behalf of the American Geographical Society, Association
of American Geographers, National Council for Geographic Education, and
the National Geographic Society.)
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Geography
for Life: National Geography Standards were written with the collaboration
of several professional organizations involved in geography education and
published in 1994 by the National Geographic Society. A list of the 18
standards is available here.
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The
Five Themes of Geography: Location, Place, Human-Environment Interaction,
Movement, and Regions have been the traditional way of organizing geographic
content. The National Geographic Society suggests activities related to
each theme.
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