GEOGRAPHICAL GEOGRAPHICAL QUESTIONSQUESTIONS

““If you would be a real seeker after truth, If you would be a real seeker after truth, it is necessary that at least once in your it is necessary that at least once in your life you doubt, as far as possible, all life you doubt, as far as possible, all things.” things.” • Rene DescartesRene Descartes

““Judge of a man by his questions rather Judge of a man by his questions rather than by his answers.” than by his answers.” • VoltaireVoltaire

CONCEPTQUESTIONS

CAUSALITY QUESTIONS

PROCESS QUESTIONS

LOCATION QUESTIONS

More abstract

More concrete

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Location questionsLocation questions

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Where is it?Where is it? Where am I? Where am I? Where is the Where is the

world’s highest world’s highest mountain?mountain?

Where are tennis Where are tennis shoes made?shoes made?

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What is What is therethere?? What’s at 10° N, What’s at 10° N, 40° W? (abs. loc.)40° W? (abs. loc.)

What country lies What country lies between Russia between Russia and China? (rel. and China? (rel. loc.)loc.)

What kind of What kind of farming occurs in farming occurs in Canada’s Nunavut Canada’s Nunavut province?province?

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Where is Where is everything? (of a everything? (of a particular kind)particular kind)

Locational Locational questions are questions are embedded in the embedded in the map-making map-making processprocess

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Process questionsProcess questions

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What makes one place What makes one place the same or different the same or different from another place?from another place?

How is Brazil How is Brazil different different from from Argentina?Argentina?

How is Brazil How is Brazil the same as the same as Argentina?Argentina?

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What makes one What makes one place the same or place the same or different from different from another place?another place?

(Culture)(Culture) Why is Why is calling someone calling someone “proud” a “proud” a compliment in TX compliment in TX but a complaint or but a complaint or criticism in KS?criticism in KS?

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Why is something Why is something important in a important in a certain place?certain place?

(Ethnicity)(Ethnicity) Why Why does it matter so does it matter so much in Canada much in Canada whether your whether your ancestors came ancestors came from France?from France?

(Folk culture)(Folk culture) Why Why is the tomato, a is the tomato, a New WorldNew World crop, so crop, so important in Italian important in Italian cuisine?cuisine?

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How did it get How did it get there?there?

(Religion)(Religion) Why is Why is Indonesia an Indonesia an Islamic country?Islamic country?

(Language)(Language) Why do Why do some people in some people in Louisiana speak a Louisiana speak a kind of French?kind of French?

(Agriculture)(Agriculture) How How did potatoes get to did potatoes get to Ireland?Ireland?

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Causality questionsCausality questions

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What is the effect What is the effect of a difference of a difference between places?between places?

(Religion)(Religion) How How does Catholicism does Catholicism affect the birth rate affect the birth rate in Southern in Southern Europe?Europe?

(Politics)(Politics) How does How does the China-Taiwan the China-Taiwan conflict affect US conflict affect US foreign relations in foreign relations in East Asia?East Asia?

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What is the effect What is the effect of a difference of a difference between places?between places?

(Economics)(Economics) How How have rich and poor have rich and poor countries in the countries in the European Union European Union been affected been affected differently by differently by conversion to the conversion to the Euro?Euro?

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What is the effect What is the effect of a difference of a difference between places?between places?

(Business/culture)(Business/culture) What should business What should business people know about the people know about the difference between difference between American and American and Japanese culture?Japanese culture?

(Health/culture)(Health/culture) Why Why are there so many are there so many more health problems more health problems in the southern part of in the southern part of the US?the US?

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What is the effect What is the effect of a difference of a difference between places?between places?

(Politics/Religion)(Politics/Religion) What would be What would be necessary for necessary for democratic democratic governance to diffuse governance to diffuse more rapidly into more rapidly into Islamic countries?Islamic countries?

(Law/Social (Law/Social psychology)psychology) How does How does the frequent the frequent imposition of the imposition of the death penalty in Texas death penalty in Texas affect violent crime in affect violent crime in this state?this state?

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Conceptual questionsConceptual questions

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What is the nature What is the nature of a space or of a space or place?place?

Describe/map the Describe/map the “space” of social “space” of social relations in relations in HoustonHouston• layout of roads, layout of roads,

buildings, etc.buildings, etc.• activity patternsactivity patterns• social groups and social groups and

their interactionstheir interactions• various perceptions various perceptions

of the cityof the city

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What is the nature What is the nature of a particular of a particular space or place?space or place?

Describe/map the Describe/map the InternetInternet

Describe/map a Describe/map a particular group’s particular group’s “virtual place” on “virtual place” on the Internetthe Internet

Describe/map a Describe/map a child’s perception child’s perception of his/her home, of his/her home, neighborhood, city, neighborhood, city, nation, & world.nation, & world.http://www.cybergeography.org/atlas/topology.html

In short…In short…

Geographers ask certain kinds of Geographers ask certain kinds of questions ranging from concrete to questions ranging from concrete to abstractabstract

These questions usually lead to borrowing These questions usually lead to borrowing of information and theories from cognate of information and theories from cognate disciplinesdisciplines

Geographers employ both information and Geographers employ both information and theories somewhat differently, however, theories somewhat differently, however, since their objective is to understand since their objective is to understand spatial processes and patternsspatial processes and patterns