Human Geography, Study Guide Student Companion: Culture, Society, and Space

Authoritatively written by a geographer who has worked on every continent, Human Geography is sensitive to people of other cultures and from all walks of life.
* Focuses on key geographic concepts and puts them in practical and current perspective.
* Key issues that readers often have strong opinions about are identified and placed in geographical perspective which may often change readers views and opinions on the issues and problems.

The cover photos show two people in two places connected to a wider world through modern technology. For many, such images evoke a world of social, economic, and cultural "globalization." Yet what does globalization mean? Are the lives of the individuals on the cover, one in Yemen (front cover) and the other in the United States (back cover), converging? Can we increasingly think of ourselves as living in one world? Some might say "yes," but a look into the geographical context within which these individuals lead their lives reveals a more complicated answer. These two people live in places that have developed distinct human and physical attributes. Moreover, there is a geography to globalization itself, in that internationalized technologies, economic interactions, and cultural forms affect some places more than others. If we are to understand the complexities of the modern world, we must consider how global forces are interacting with local and regional geographies to produce the patterns and processes that are shaping our constantly changing, endlessly fascinating world.