GEOG 1410
Practice Questions for December 2013 Exam
Lecture 1
1. What is the difference between place and space?
By definition, a place is both an objective location that is unique and interdependent with other places as well as a subjective concept tied with personal emotion and meaning, created through human experience. On the other hand, spaces are more abstract and are not associated with any social value or connections.
2. What is the defining component of globalization? Explain.
The defining component of globalization centers on the increasing interconnectedness and interdependence between places around the world through social, cultural, economic, political, and technological change. Such changes inevitably alter the human experience of place and space and leads to shifts of thinking from one population to the next. Over time, cultures begin to overlap and influence each other and this influence plays immense roles in the development of independent nations’ political and economic systems as well as the well being of their people.
Lecture 2
3. Define “chorology” and the importance of a “chorological view” to Geography.
Chorology is defined as “the study of regions and spaces”. The modern discipline can be traced back to 18th century philosophers: Immanuel Kant believed all knowledge could be divided into either geography (classifying things according to space) or history (classifying things according to time). Geography was seen at first only in terms of exploration as an instrument of colonialism and imperialism. The goal of a “chorological view” is to have a comprehensive understanding of characteristics of spaces and regions. Therefore chorology can be considered as a specialization within geography that allows us to describe spaces and regions through the observation of their particular traits.
