Geography programme notes

Here are some more detailed notes (based upon one of the text books) that I made last year with the synthesis at the end which I would like to discuss at the next meeting (posted by Rob M , Lyon):

OIB Terminale Geography Programme 2005

Global geography

The programme to be followed by the OIB is that of the Te L, ES (BO Feb 7-11 2004) which, according to the French ministry, is subdivided into three parts to facilitate a study of geographical regions and processes on different scales. The aim is to provide the students with an appreciation of socio-economic (geographical) divisions on a global scale and the processes by which they are linked. The three parts being:

1. A Globalised world

2. The three major global areas of economic power

3. The worlds in the path of development

Two text books “l`espace modial” (Jalta, Joly, Reineri, 2004, Magnard and Knafou, 2004 Belin) propose the following structure (including teaching time) and examples.

1. A Globalised world (10h):

A. Globalisation and interdependence

Questions:

Globalisation, a new organisation of the world?

Is globalisation responsible for economic decline? (case study Argentina)

Can globalisation be the road for development (case study Ireland)

How does migration reflect the globalisation process?

i) Definition/ History

ii) Manifestation: Global exchange

• Migration of people

• Movement of commodities

• Movement of capital

• Connections: Maritime/ aerial/ telecommunications

• Cultural Exchange

iii) Actors

• Nation States

• Global organisations: UN, IMF, World Bank, WTO

• Transnationals

• Trading Blocs

• Non-governmental Organisations

iv) Location

• Triad

• Global cities

• Privileged sites

Case studies: EU, major pole of global economy

EU, major global agricultural power

London, global city

Rotterdam, the first European maritime port

B) Counter-globalisation

Question: The world, between uniformisation and diversification

• Cultural Diversity/Alternatives

• Regional Trading Blocs

• Regional and global instability

• Counter-globalisation movement

• Environmental threats

2)The three major global areas of economic power (22hours)

a) The United States: A global superpower

Questions: USA, the only superpower?

i) Characteristics

• Military

• Economic: Production of goods and services/ financial/ trans-nationals

• Soft Power: Culture

• Brain Drain

• Structural: Global/ regional organisations

Problems

• Economic weaknesses

• Dependence

• Inequalities

ii) Internal Organisation

Question:

• Growth poles/ centres of innovation

• Communication structure

• Migration patterns

Case studies : California

Innovation as the origin of a new geography of industry

The Atlantic Seaboard

• Interface between USA and the world

Case studies: N.E USA « Main Street America »

Megalopolis: New York

b) East Asia: Region of economic expansion

Questions:

To what extent does Shanghai represent the renewed Asia?

To what extent has the Chinese dispora lead to the harmonisation of Asia?

• Economic characteristics: GNP; HDI; Economic Growth; Trade

• Conditions and characteristics of development

• Role of Japanese model

• Asian Crisis

Case studies

Coastal China: Workshop of the world

Singapore: first of major Asian ‘hubs’.

Japanese megalopolis: characteristics and problems

c) European Union

Questions:

What is the global strategy of the European car industry?

Is Slovakia a European Tiger?

• Trade

• Migration

• Multipoles

• Core/periphery

• Role of the EU in the world

Case study: Rhinelands

3) The worlds in the path of development (18 hours)

a) Inequalities of Development

Question One or more souths?

Has globalisation lead to the marginalisation of Africa?

Sao Paulo, is it typical of LEDC urban development?

Is globalisation responsible for the development of inequalities?

Do illegal activities benefit from globalisation?

i) North/South Divide

• History

• Indices

• Unity or diversity

ii) Development Strategies

• Development theories

• One or More Souths?

• Sustainable development

Case study: One or more Brazils?

Aids, the plague of the South

Case studies: Relationship between development and the environment

Inequality of development and global agricultural trade

b) Mediterranean: North/South Interface

Q: Is the Mediterranean a barrier or an area of exchange?

Jerusalem, is it typical of the cultural differences in the Mediterranean?

• Divergence/ Convergence through Exchange

• Inequalities

• Exchange : Goods ; Capital ; Migration ; Tourism

• Political alliances/ common concerns

• Politics of development

Case study : Souse, a tourist area.

c) Russia: An area of re-composition

Q: Does the recent transformation of Moscow reflect developments in the whole country?

Tchetchnia: Does the war illustrate the limits of democratic construction in Russia?

Why is Russia no longer a superpower?

• Economic redevelopment

• Demographic crisis/ social inequalities

• Political system

• Transport system

• Regional inequalities

Synthesis

The approach is basically regional, studying aspects of economic geography primarily the distribution of economic resources (labour, raw materials, capital, industrial sectors and communication links). The focus is on the spatial organisation of these phenomena through the study of and the subsequent production of stylised schematic maps. In addition urbanisation and migration are studied on a regional level with relation to the case studies mainly in connection with developments in the economic environment.

The interesting developments in this new programmes are:

• The discussion of issues normally through case study examples.

• The analysis of documents in the presentation of a case study

‘Specification’

Normally each section participating in the OIB adds its own “specification” to the French programme as outlined above. In the case of the Anglophone section our proposal has been to develop the subsection on the “inequalities of development” in order to allow a more in depth study of issues, themes, perhaps even countries in the LEDC. Suggestions of themes could be:

Demography/ migration

Agriculture

Urbanisation

Management of resources

Otherwise our choice could be to develop the study of MEDCs through the selection of regional studies or themes:

1. Urbanisation:

Urban structure/ evolution

Role of cities in regional /global development

Urban problems

2. Migration

Regional/ global patterns of migration

Free movement of people as a characteristic of development

3. Industry

New International division of Labour

Location of industry

4) Characteristics and importance of selected region (US Atlantic Seaboard, The Rhine, Tokyo megalopolis) in the globalised world.