Group Tasks

Accounts of the physical features of one country or another are accounts of place and time. It is another branch of geography to map human responses to the terrain and this brings out the relationship that people have with the land, which may vary hugely. It is a vast subject; however, it might be interesting to consider how geography affects the intellectual inclinations and distribution of the population.

In groups of 3 to 5, consider the geography of China, the U.K. and the U.S. and research the major intellectual centers of each country. See if you can draw any links between the geography of the countries and the distribution of their centers of learning. Why, for instance did London become the U.K.'s capital city: why Washington, or Beijing? Think about the two world renowned centers of learning in the U.K., Oxford and Cambridge, for instance, or the "Ivy League" Universities of the U.S., Princeton, Harvard etc., or Beijing, Qufu and Nanjing as examples.

Can we establish if and how geography influences the routes through which these (or other) centers communicated with other national and international centers? Can we say how, why and when they rose and fell relative to neighbors and competitors?

Of course, this could be a vast subject, encompassing the history of civilizations, politics as well as geography, but limit your research and discussions to consideration of how physical and political geography affects the development of networks of academics, merchants and diplomats, for this will also be a map of how communication developed in the three countries and it will form a useful and interesting base upon which to reflect on the "facts" you have been given and to deepen your awareness of the interconnectedness of all the subjects in this book.

Consider sketching the main features of your discussions onto a wall chart and annotate your drawings; then share your process and findings with at least two other groups to see how others interpret the task and what they conclude.