The Art and Science of Geography: Integrated Readings

This book is designed to fulfill a major gap in the taxtbook literature for students preparing for a professional career in geography as a field of higher learning.  It provides a lucid guide to the spirit and purpose of geography as a scientific enterprise through specially written text and selected readings.  The book is divided into 16 chapters grouped into five parts.  Part I named Spirit and Purpose, includes chapters on the nature of geography, geography as a professional field, geographical vs sociological imagination, and tasks of geography as a social science.  Part II deals with the Conceptual Structure of geography and contains chapters explaining fundamental concepts like geographical facts, spatial distribution and areal association; location, regionalization and interaction; and historical mind and the practice of geography.  Part III discusses Models of Geographical Inquiry and includes chapters on the pattern-processes model, the behavioural model, organization and ecosystem as geographical models, and geography and the teaching of the environment.  Part IV deals with some issues in Geographical Methodology and includes chapters on geography and the scientific method, approaches to regional analysis, and holistic and reductionist approaches to geography.  Part V called continuity and Change discusses changes in the philosophy of geography, and the essence of geography as a field of learning.  This book should educate the student and stimulate the mature professional to think about geography as a fundamental science.