Geography Courses

Stanford University President Donald Kennedy has called for a broader understanding of global interconnections and increased academic emphasis on a number of specific topics (“Civics 101: a Primary Export,” Editorial Page, June 10). Kennedy further laments that, “Such courses are now given in a handful of universities.”

To the contrary, such courses have long been available at many colleges and universities. The topics he cites make up the primary content of the standard college physical geography course offered on most campuses nationwide.

The most widely adopted textbook for this course is “Elements of Physical Geography,” 4th edition, by Arthur N. Strahler and Alan H. Strahler. The topics that Kennedy has called for can be found therein as follows: the annual energy budget of the earth (chapter 2 and pp. 517-22); primary productivity (pp. 461-4); oceanography and meteorology (chapters 3-6); the physical geography of major land masses (chapters 12 and 13); the principles of ecology and biological diversity (pp. 453-68); and the properties of ecosystems that determine their utility to man (chapters 8 and 9).

Physical geography is a common course offering and is often one of the alternatives available for satisfying the physical science requirement for general education. On the other hand, Stanford University wouldn’t know much about this. Stanford officials disbanded their geography department many years ago.

These are important areas of geographical education that President Kennedy has called for. I would hope that Stanford University might at least attempt to catch up with some of the rest of us, as they list no geography courses in their current catalogue.

RICHARD M. MacKINNON

Geography Instructor

Allan Hancock Community College

Santa Maria