For my tenth post of the semester, I thought I'd finish with a few personal thoughts about why I decided to study geography. I graduated from college many years ago, went on to law school, have taught in a law school and have lectured at and been the faculty planner at legal education programs in a variety of subjects. I have been published in national journals and local newspapers, and continue to write fiction and non-fiction on many topics. This is to say that I am not studying geography for the 3 credits, or to satisfy a degree requirement, or because it is a requirement for a program which I hope to complete. I have taken 4 courses at HACC in the last few years and all of them have had one defining connection: I knew next to nothing about the subject. There are other subjects taught here that I would enjoy studying -- philosophy, finance, English, to name a few -- but I already know a fair amount about those. So I decided to devote my limited free time to learning new things and expanding my intellectual horizons. Hence, World Geography -- a field in which I was nearly a total novice.
I still am not an expert, far from it, but the exposure to new fields is always broadening and this one has been no exception. I now know where Singapore is. I know about the Japan Model, and I know why deserts are often near mountain ranges. I haven't mastered Google Earth but I know that it exists and that it has functionalities which I never suspected.
So why study geography? Some answers are here, but my personal answer is simply that new thoughts stretch your mind in unexpected directions. Thanks to all who made this class a worthwhile experience.
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