Sure, silly maps can be really amusing, but with the growing importance of issues such as climate change, migration, environmental degradation, spatial epidemiology, and inequalities, you could say that geography has become one of the most relevant subjects you can study.
The UK's Royal Geographical Society, for example, is certain that geography helps us to explore and understand space and place, recognizing the great differences in cultures, political systems, economies, landscapes, and environments across the world, and exploring the links between them.
"Geography also provides an ideal framework for connecting and bringing together other fields of knowledge," the organization wrote on its website.
"Geography is, in the broadest sense, an education for life and for living. Learning through geography – whether gained through formal learning or experientially through travel, fieldwork, and expeditions – helps us all to be more socially and environmentally sensitive, better informed, and more responsible as citizens and employees."
And while you could argue that these folks are biased, geography students can back up their words; they find their courses enjoyable and interesting.
The 2020 National Student Survey, which is completed by final-year students in every UK university, revealed that 88% of the respondents studying geography were satisfied with the overall quality of their course; higher than the 83% national average for all respondents.
Furthermore, an analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) also noted that Geography students are more likely to complete their degree than students of most other subjects. The dropout rate among students is the third lowest across all subjects.
I wonder, have any of these maps made it to their classes?
