52 weeks: what's your area of study?

[zubeneschamali]

Last Sunday, I was shivering in Minneapolis in negative (Fahrenheit) temps while it snowed and blowed enough at home to send dozens of cars into the highway ditches. Yesterday, I went for a run and ended up wearing just a t-shirt. Gotta love the Midwest

Comments

[beadslut]

Questions answered. I envy you the trip and the warmth. Peeectures!

[zubeneschamali]

On the bright side, you've probably already been through the coldest day, right? *knocks on wood*

[counteragent]

cool! my stepbro is a geographer in copenhagen and loves the discipline.

[zubeneschamali]

Cool! Europeans know what it's all about. :)

[dugindeep]

I knew ESRI! I feel so smrt.

I always love hearing/seeing you geek out about maps. There's such interesting history to it all!

[zubeneschamali]

Go, you!

I'm glad someone enjoys it. Besides me. /o\

[cassiopeia7]

*boggles*

So, erm . . . cultural cartographic sociological history? With a pinch of civil engineering? XD

*boggles some more*

[zubeneschamali]

It really is a synthetic discipline, which can be a strength because we're always considering the big picture, but it can also be a problem when someone says, "but that's really just history," or "that's just engineering," or "isn't that sociology?", etc. Which is why so few American universities have geography departments--once the president of Harvard decided there was nothing unique about geography and closed the department, most of the other major universities followed suit. (He also suspected the chair of the geography department was gay and wanted to get rid of him. Why can't Americans find places on a map? 1950s homophobia!)

Put another way, history is about time and geography is about space. Spatial relationships and places. Because everything happens somewhere. :D

[cassiopeia7]

once the president of Harvard decided there was nothing unique about geography and closed the department, most of the other major universities followed suit.

Apparently high schools and grade schools, too, as my nephews have no idea that Iran was once called Persia and couldn't find Singapore (or hell, San Diego) on a map if their lives depended on it. Thank you Harvard. :p

history is about time and geography is about space.

Time And Relative Dimensions In Space? Holy Hannah, you're really a Time Lord, aren't you? XDDD

. . . and yup, your discipline definitely explains the wealth of detail in your more historical fics. :D

[zubeneschamali]

*shhh* ;)

I don't think most people draw maps for their fic 'verses, no. :)

[galwithglasses]

Those geography facts are awesome. I love maps, especially topo ones and water navigational charts. There's probably a better name for those but I don't know it. If you're ever looking for something to put in your journal, a random geography fact each day would be the coolest.

[zubeneschamali]

If there is a better name for them, I don't know it.

Neat idea! I probably won't manage every day, but I can do it once in a while. :)