With school back in session, I’m reminded of interesting courses where a motivated professor went beyond the traditional book learning to push their personal passion for a subject, and to try and spark that passion among students. There was the exhuberant geography teacher who took the whole class into the field to help us understand urban planning, and teamed with the town to help them study the dynamics of a crowded intersection that was in need of a new configuration. That hands-on learning unlocked the whole planning process, and also the understanding that the ripple effects of bad design can be rectified.
I think back too on some of the interesting courses that were always over-subscribed because word got out about how fun or easy the courses were. On this list was a wine appreciation course for seniors or the “Rocks for Jocks” class where an ancient geology professor taught an easy course on minerals that helped many pass their science requirement.
I just ran across what has to be the ultimate introductory geography course, taught at UC Santa Barbara. The Geography of Surfing, coupled with Field Studies in Surfing has been popular since it was first introduced in 2004 by Stewart Sweeney. The class explores both social and physical science concepts such as wave generation, spatial search (for the best wave), strategic behavior when the water is crowded, and territorialism.The field study course delves into coastal engineering, hydrographic surveying, wave measurement and population distribution.
What a great way to make geography relevant and interesting! Do you know of any other interesting angles on geography or GIS education that helped spark your interests or that you deploy to spark the interest of others?
(A hat tip to Jesse Rouse for sparking this thought via a Twitter post (@kindaspatial) that asked for ways to evangelize GIS on campus.)
