Fred M. Shelley

Gender vs. Sex Differences: Factors Affecting Performance in Geographic Education

Abstract Much has been written about sex differences in learning, but less attention has been paid to the impacts of gender—which is socially constructed—on learning geography. This article investigates whether differences in gender influence performance on a standardized test of geography knowledge. Undergraduate students in two large clases completed a standardized inventory of gender differences and then completed a standardized test of geography knowledge. The results of our analysis of the correlation between gender traits and geographic learning resulted in somewhat unexpected results, as well as a set of complex questions for further research on learning styles in geographic education.

Pollution, Political Agendas, and Policy Windows: Environmental Policy on the Eve of Silent Spring

The objective of this paper is to illustrate that concern over environmental pollution became a significant national issue in the United States during the late 1950s, many years earlier than is typically acknowledged by environmental historians and policy analysts. Kingdons model of agenda development is used to document how air and water pollution was transformed from an issue of local concern and control to an issue of national significance during the 1950s. The analysis focuses on two case studies: the development of pollution as a political issue in the state of New Jersey; and the development of pollution as a significant policy issue in the national political arena. Political leaders both within New Jersey and nationwide linked pollution control to other contemporary concerns about urban decay and suburban growth in order to win the allegiance of undecided voters. Pollution control became part of the debate over the role of the federal government in addressing urban ills. Concern about pollution also became important in the general restructuring of the US political landscape in this period, helping to set the stage for Democratic Party activism on the environment and other issues after 1960.

The Volatile South: A Historical Geography of Presidential Elections in the South, 1872-1992

This paper investigates the historical geography of presidential elections in the South between 1872 and 1992. T-mode factor analysis of presidential election returns from the approximately 1,300 counties and county equivalents of 13 southern states is undertaken in order to identify geographical normal votes, or time periods characterized by substantial similarities in levels of support for Democratic Party presidential candidates across the region. The results are compared with previously published analyses which examine changes over time across the entire United States. The results identify the period following World War II as that in which the South emerged from its traditional Democratic Party dominance and became the vital and volatile electoral region that it is today. A region once virtually ignored in national presidential politics has emerged at the center of Americas political landscape, and in recent years no presidential candidate has moved into the White House without attaining significant Electoral College support in the South.

Metropolitan, Nonmetropolitan, and Sectional Variations in Voting Behavior in Recent Presidential Elections

as industrialization, a sharpening of class consciousness, and immigration.&dquo; Nevertheless, there remains uncertainty as to the relative salience of urbanization versus that of sectionalism in American electoral politics, since these forces have rarely been juxtaposed explicitly in empirical research designs. The thesis that urbanization has eroded sectionalism embodies a premise that national electoral mosaics the outcomes of elections viewed

Procedural justice and local democracy

Abstract Contemporary research on American local government has generally emphasized its role in public service provision. However, evidence that the provision of services has become increasingly characterized by locational conflict has led many geographers and other social scientists to question theory. Critical examination of the theory of American local democracy illustrates inconsistency stemming from its failure to distinguish a theory of government from a theory of electoral process. Our critical examination of this theory suggests that local democratic institutions must be operated and implemented in a manner consistent with a concept of social justice that is derived from societal knowledge and conditions yet is immune from influence by state institutions. This view implies that the achievement of procedural justice is of paramount importance in the reform of local state institutions. It is argued that a methodology modified from the public choice theory of constitutions but not implying an a priori conception of social justice can contribute effectively to empirical knowledge of what constitutes justice in procedure. In the last half of the paper, this methodology is applied experimentally to the resolution of two local state conflicts of contemporary importance: urban school budget retrenchment and water management. The results confirm that achieving procedural justice is indeed of central importance in the resolution of these conflicts and suggest what might constitute appropriate standards of procedural justice in these contexts.

The Electoral College and the election of 2000

Abstract The United States is one of few contemporary democracies that does not choose its chief executive officer through direct popular vote. Rather, the President of the United States is formally chosen by the Electoral College, and a majority of votes in the Electoral College is required to secure election to the Presidency. In 2000, Republican George W. Bush won a 271–266 majority in the Electoral College despite the fact that his opponent, Al Gore, won about half a million more popular votes. The Electoral College system can be conceptualized as a mechanism by which the results of separate elections in each state and, since 1964, the District of Columbia, can be aggregated to produce a nationwide outcome. It has not experienced major reform since 1804, despite the fact that many critics have regarded the system as archaic, outmoded, and essentially undemocratic. Since the early nineteenth century, more than 600 proposed constitutional amendments concerning the Electoral College system have been proposed and debated in Congress. Some would eliminate the Electoral College system altogether and replace it with direct popular vote. Others would retain the Electoral College system but change the way electors are selected or affect the relationships between popular and electoral votes in each state. Because the popular vote in Florida was very close, and because the remaining states were so closely divided, Florida proved to be the pivotal state in the 2000 presidential election. The closeness and controversy surrounding the Florida outcome has renewed efforts on the part of critics to eliminate or reform the system. However, analysis of the 2000 campaign underscores the fact that both sides based decisions concerning their campaign strategies and allocations of human financial resources in an effort to win an electoral college majority, within the constraints of the present system. It is unlikely that there will be sufficient support to overturn or reform the system through constitutional agreement in the foreseeable future.

Population, Settlement, Race, and Ethnicity in the South

Abstract Although casual observers may conclude that the Souths population is dominated by two groups—a largely homogeneous group of whites of English ancestry and the descendants of African-American slaves—such a characterization is overly simplistic. The purpose of this article is to outline the population, settlement, and ethnic geographies of the South from colonial times to the present. The final section includes speculation about future population trends in the South.

Using Sports to Teach Geography: Examples From Kansas City

Abstract This paper illustrates how sports can be used to teach geographic concepts, using illustrative examples from the Kansas City area. Given the global popularity of sport and its impacts and links to environment, economy, and culture, it is surprising that more attention has not been paid to sport as a vehicle for the conceptualization and teaching of geography. We attempt to rectify this situation using examples associated with the Negro Leagues baseball museum, the possible construction of a new sports stadium in Kansas City, and the use of sports information in conveying a sense of place.

Geographic EducationResearch and the Changing Institutional Structure of American Education

Professional geographers are paying increasing attention to the development of a research agenda concerning geographic education. In doing so, it is essential that geographers pay close attention to fundamental changes in the structure of education itself. Traditional educational methods and procedures associated with industrial society are being replaced by new and innovative modes of education that are linked to post-industrial social organization. This article explores the implications of these changes for understanding the teaching and learning of geography in the future.

The Perceived Geopolitical Importance of the Countries of the World: An Analytical and Pedagogical Investigation.

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to examine the geopolitical importance of countries of the world as perceived by American college students. During the 1995–96 academic year, students enrolled in undergraduate political geography courses at three American universities were asked to rank the geopolitical importance of the 55 countries in the world with populations of at least 15 million. Analysis of the rankings indicated broad agreement on the importance of Western Europe, Russia, China, and Japan relative to most less developed countries. Rankings were consistent among students in Nebraska, Texas, and Florida despite the substantial socioeconomic and cultural differences between student populations in these three states. In contrast to the students, professional political geographers completing the survey assigned higher levels of importance to larger but relatively less developed countries such as Brazil, Indonesia, Turkey, and Nigeria. The survey and associated writing assignment provide an effect...