what is it good for? see born in the usa, 16 years laterborn in the usa, 16 years later

What is it good for?

See Born in the USA, 16 years later

“Is War the Only Way Americans Learn Geography?”

James Hayes-Bohanan, Ph.D.Bridgewater State College

Earth Sciences & GeographyLatin American & Caribbean Studies

Massachusetts Council for International EducationCape Cod Community College

November 21, 2003

The Defining Geographic paradox of the late 20th Century

• The most connected and influential country in the world …

• …has a studied ignorance of that world

In other words …

This is ROME

but we do not know it

and we do not really want to know

AllEmpires.com

At the heart of a vast empire is a citizenry in deep denial of its

imperial status.

• High Military Spending

• A major aid donor, but not in proportion

• Geographically oblivious– Roper/NGS Survey– Highlights

NationMaster.comPrinceton Environmental Network

Importance of the Paradox

“… the country’s reserves of ignorance constitute a natural resource as precious as the Mississippi River or the long-lost herds of buffalo.”

Lewis Lapham, “School Bells”

August 2000 Harper’s

9/11

Nao a guerra

What could this man tell

you about each of these flags?

www.americas.org

Rogues Gallery

Future Targets?

See Human Rights Watch and CIA Factbook for reasons, pretexts, and apparent exceptions

Faculty Response

• Academic Freedom & Responsibility

• Respect for Difference

• … but challenge received wisdom

• “Fair and Balanced” vs. “Equal Time”

• Humor?

• My Iraq page

Duty to GIs?

“When you hear the President declare a war, it means … that you failed. You all are the civilians; you had the chance to demand that the government make a certain kind of decision. But when you fail, then they call on us.”

“Jake” – a career Special Ops soldierQuoted by Rosemary Bray McNatt in UU World

We are supposed to be educating citizens. This includes citizen soldiers.

Visit Center for Defense Information

No Senator’s Sons here

What is Geography?

• The World in Spatial Terms

• Places and Regions

• Physical Systems

• Human Systems

• Environment and Society

• Uses of Geography

www.ncge.org/standards

Major Geography Sources

My Geography Links page

• Matt Rosenberg’s About site

• Geography network (maps & GIS files)

• NASA Visible Earth

• Children Map Their World

• Graphic Maps

• Massachusetts Geographic Alliance

Map Resources

Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection

• Current Interest Maps

• Complete collection of CIA sheet maps

• Maps on Other Web Sites

• September 11 Map Sites

Imagine