de Blij chapter 5

20/10/2012

I'm just going to go out on a limb and see if the freshmeisters want to experiment with interacting over their reading assignment. I'll just leave this forum lurking here and see if anyone bites!

33 Comments

Kathryn King

20/10/2012 04:52:41

Will you be posting a study guide? I know I ask about one for every test and quiz, but they are so helpful.

Bingham

20/10/2012 06:27:46

Hi Kathryn! I understand your concern, and I would really like to make this easier for you, but if I give you a study guide, then I would be robbing you of the chance to do exactly the kind of thinking you need to do in this class. So maybe I can give you some pointers on creating your own study guide. You would need to ask yourself:
What big point is de Blij making in this section? (and do this for each section)
What examples does de Blij use to support his point in each section? (make a list)
What words don't I know? (Make yourself a glossary of words that are new to you or that are used in new ways, such as "conurbation")
What is the main point, the "gist" of the chapter? How does that tie into the two big themes of the book?
If you do that work, I can't imagine that you wouldn't ace this test! (FYI, for those of you reading this but not commenting; letting someone else do that work and just reading it won't help you be successful, it's the process, not the result that gets this stuff in your head. Sorry, no shortcuts to learning!)

Sam Linda

22/10/2012 15:31:30

Please correct me if I'm wrong: To "gist" a section, you want to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. What is de blij's point? Why is he making this point and how does it relate to the themes of the book?

Is close to what our thought process should be when "gisting"?
Thanks.

Kathryn King

20/10/2012 07:35:56

Thanks!

Victoria Wren

21/10/2012 07:39:23

1st margin question! *yeah!*
What different answers to the problem of disorder arose in classical China?

-Legalism (dependence of moral law)
-Confucianism (education system of Han dynasty)
-Daoism (way of nature/opposite of Confucian)

Victoria Wren

21/10/2012 07:44:44

2nd margin question
Why has Confucianism been defined as a "humanistic philosophy" rather than a supernatural religion?

-He emphasized education as key to moral betterment (prescribed a broad liberal arts education)
-Family became a model for political life
-AND his teaching were practical, concerned with human relationships, effective govt., and social harmony (the educated elite had little to do with the existence of gods)

Bingham

21/10/2012 07:48:28

Great answers Victoria! One thing though, you're on the wrong forum. This is geography! :-)

Victoria Wren

21/10/2012 07:52:21

XD wow, thanks X3

Victoria Wren

21/10/2012 07:51:41

3rd margin question
How did the Daoist outlook differ from that of Confucianism?

-thought of education and earnest striving as artificial and useless
-urged withdrawal into the world of nature while Confucianism concerned with human relationships, effective govt., and social harmony
-also provided an ideology for peasant uprisings

Daryn Jones

22/10/2012 10:59:45

Hi Mr. Bingham. I was wondering what are the main things in need to know for chapter 5? Thanks!

Bingham

22/10/2012 11:41:05

Daryn, read what I said to Kathryn above.

Bingham

22/10/2012 21:58:59

Sam: To summarize is to reduce the passage to a shorter version in your own words. To gist is determine the author's point, his message. And yes, connecting it to the larger themes is the right approach. :=)

Samuel Molina

23/10/2012 11:27:08

Hey Mr. Bingham,
So I was just going through chapter 5 when I saw a point that De Blij is making: danger forms a big part in the power of place (pg. 109). He also mentioned three different types of dangers:real, perceived, and denied. I'm a bit confused to what dangers he refers to by stating these three types. Think you can help? Thanks!

Clara Foster

29/10/2012 10:29:06

I was just about to ask the same question! That answer helps a lot though, thanks Bingham!

Bingham

23/10/2012 11:40:24

Good pick Sam. De Blij is making a point about the variability of danger based on our anticipation to and our reaction to the danger. Real danger must be confronted and prepared for. Perceived danger is that which we are consciously aware of and that we can choose to recognize or ignore. Denied danger is theibiggest threat because if we refuse to admit it's reality, we are destined to suffer from the denial!

Kathryn King

25/10/2012 14:36:50

Is fatalism the belief or idea that events are decided in advance by powers beyond one's control? That's the Webster definition, but it doesn't make sense in the context. When I read, it came across as fatalism is the tendency of humans to gather in high risk areas, even with the knowlege that they are high risk areas. Also, de Blij calls fatalism a cross-cultural human trait. Does he mean it doesn't matter if you are in the core or periphery, mass groups of people will still tend to gather in places that are unsafe? If that is true, then that concept doesn't tie in with his place is powerful theme. However, would this fall under the how can the power of place be lessend? Just want to make sure I understand his message.

Bingham

27/10/2012 08:14:16

Hi Katryn! Sorry for my slow reply, I didn't realize you had posted until I got a notification about Jeremy's post.

I think you have a clear idea of fatalism and de Blij's use of the word in this chapter. It's a key concept he's communicating here, and your analysis is correct - fatalism, like exclusion, is a trait that all (or nearly all) people demonstrate regardless of their culture. This means that it transcends the core/periphery boundary. This is significant because if you think of the theme/thesis of this chapter - that environmental risk is present everywhere, but the response to risk varies from the core to the periphery - then the solution (the mitigating of the power of place) does not lie in trying to change this fundamental human trait. Instead, it lies in changing the way we set up warning systems for and otherwise prepare for environmental danger in various parts of the world, each with it's own type of risk. The exception of course is "hazards from the heavens" from which we are truly all in it together!

Jeremy Maislin link

27/10/2012 04:42:18

Hey Mr. Bingham I'm somewhat confused on defining some of these words. Fore example, when I was looking up the word robustly it gave me the definition of the word robust, which I didn't think fit into the context of the sentence. The definition of robust was "full of strength", but the sentence was talking about the airplane travelers increasing robustly, I'm just wondering what the best way of finding the definition of a word you know used in a different way would be.

Bingham

27/10/2012 08:22:32

I feel you Jeremy! De Blij is an eloquent dude, and sometimes he's a little clever with his word choice. He's trying to be as descriptive as possible and use words to carry meaning on several levels. This can lead to some confusion among inexperienced readers of academic writing. On the other hand, de Blij sets great examples for you for the variations in the use of language. Remember, he speaks six languages, so he brings a lot to our language.

Anyway, you are going to run in to that problem when you look up words, you are going to have to infer the other forms of the word in the context in which he uses the word. If airplane travel is "growing robustly" then he simply means it's increasing at a strong and steady rate. The word carries implications about the strength and inevitability of growing air travel for a long time to come - you know, the continuing pace of globalization.

Kate Ham

27/10/2012 10:13:12

Mr. Bingham,
I know that de Blij makes a clear point in the chapter that globals are ignoring the disasters striking the locals. That seems to make sense, but what I don't get is there aren't any examples of this. For what happened in communist China, they refused international aid. This also happened in Islamic Iran and in Kashmir (they had some help). So I don't understand how this supports de Blij's point because it seems to be the fault of the stubborn locals. Am I misunderstanding something?

Bingham

27/10/2012 11:30:11

Great point Kate! It means you are thinking clearly about the argument and are understanding de Blij well. You actually hit on a test question!

You are correct, the governments that have power over locals are often the obstacle to humanitarian intervention. Remember, de Blij says, "the state" remains today as “the cornerstone of international structures and systems”, the entity that exerts the most control over human movement. I think that you can press the definition of "movement" to include the ability to say "yes please" to offers of help from the core. Maybe you are equating a "place's" government with the people who live in that place. They are not the same thing and de Blij wants you to see that as part of the problem.

This means you may need to adjust of what you understand of de Blij's point. Also, he's trying to be balanced when he points the finger at non-core entities. Most of the book is a call to action for citizens of the core (you, the reader) to exert what influence they have over their government to act with the geographic realities in mind, in perspective.

Anyway, keep going, your mind is humming along nicely!

Conny Egozi

27/10/2012 12:49:33

For the Power of Place test, do we need to know things like the diameter of the asteroid that hit Arizona, or do we just need to know that it hit Arizona 50,000 years ago?

Bingham

27/10/2012 12:50:28

That's a really great question because it means you're thinking in the right way. I think you have it right, where, when, a name and why it's important. That's the level of detail for each event.

Jackson Hassell

28/10/2012 06:14:29

Mr. Bingham, I have your class third period, but missed class on Friday due to illness. I've been digging through your website, and have found very little saying what I missed: review Physical Geography Test, and discuss Chapter 5. Is that all?
Also, in class you said that the Chapter 5 test was to be on Friday, but was the calendar says that it is on Tuesday. Could you please clarify? Thanks!

Bingham

28/10/2012 06:18:31

This is more an missed question than a forum post. You missed the test and the review for the chapter five test which will be Monday or Tuesday.

Kathryn King

28/10/2012 10:21:06

on page 118, in the first paragraph, does de Blij basically mean that the more important a place is to the rest of the world, the more people will want to help it if something bad happens to it? Also, if a place is less important, but something drastic happens to it, people will respond at a much slower pace right?

Anna White

29/10/2012 12:26:51

That is what I got from it. I basically understood that the more financial, business, or trading "interest" the global core has in a country or region, the more likely they are to help out and get on their good side. If that is wrong then we're both wrong. :)

Samuel Molina

28/10/2012 12:31:29

On the examples of countries not accepting international aid in the occurence of a disaster (pg.119-120), why would the countries try to hide the suffering of its people from the rest of the world? I got De Blijs examples (China, Iran, Pakistan) and tried to pair them with the causes that he listed in pg.120 (political discord, ideological competition, suspicion, corruption, indifference). I think China, with its communist society, would go with corruption, but the causes for Iran and Pakistan rejecting aid are still unclear to me...

Anna White

28/10/2012 15:39:57

I think Iran and Pakistan are along the lines of suspicion and political discord, if I understand that term correctly, because Iran specifically denied help from America, therefor limiting the help they would recieve. In Pakistan they limited the types of help they recieved from us because they suspected us of smuggling in weapons and taking advantage of their situation.

Anna White

29/10/2012 12:31:57

Hey guys, I haven't joined a study group yet for power of place, sorry Mr. Bingham I know you told us to, but I was wondering if there were any currently active and looking for members, or if there were others like me just looking for a group. Please post if you have one. If not I'm thinking of creating one. Let me know if you want to join.

Lillian Evans

29/10/2012 16:18:46

Hey, if you end up making one or finding out about another, could you let me know? I would love to try to be in one. I could also help you start the group if you wanted me to..
Thanks

Shine Bright Like A Diamond

29/10/2012 15:50:14

Wait I know that I already asked this question but I just wanted to make sure that there are two types of mobals. There are the mobals that move from place to place because they have mobility and then there are the mobals that are forced to leave from a natural disaster. Then there are the locals that flee from a country or continent such as war and they don't count as mobals?

Bingham

3/11/2012 10:41:15

Four....if you must know. :-) I'll put up a new forum for that Sunday. So make any posts there.

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.

de Blij chapter 5

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