Geography In Modern America Analysis

Geography Crisis in Modern America Today in the United States, there is an alarming and ever growing problem present. The people of the United States are among the worst in the world when tested over geographic literacy. In his address, Peirce Lewis, the president of geography at Pennsylvania State University, states that the majority of Americans are immensely uninformed about geography. He goes on to say that geography can be split into a subject matter and a profession. Subject matter, as its name suggests, is the material that is often taught in schools and recalled by individuals. A profession in geography, however, requires the individual to have an exceptional understanding of geography and be able to apply it in the world. In his account, Lewis addresses the three aspects that are crucial to developing geographical understanding as improving public competency, creating a passion for the earth, and refining geography education in schools. According to Lewis, the public’s lack of understanding geography is not for a lack of interest. He states that indifference does not attribute to the geographic illiteracy as much as most would think. Also, he
In Lewis’ interpretation, strong aesthetic recognition brews emotion, and intellectual description helps procure strong thought. When talking about aesthetic recognition, Lewis points out that the aesthetics of the earth have the sheer power to provoke emotions without stirring intellectual thought. He goes on to claim that American geographers often lack this feeling of aesthetic fulfillment because they often pay more attention to high technological opportunities and imaging that the public yearns for. Trying to counteract this effect, Lewis proposes that geographers learn to present their knowledge through a medium that society deems desirable and can understand, such as television or