Janice Monk

Women, Gender, and the Histories of American Geography

Abstract Histories of American geography have tended to concentrate on geographic thought and on the men who have been seen as major figures in research. In contrast, I examine the careers of women geographers and of professional practices in American geography in the 20th century. My approach reflects thinking in feminist studies and the social studies of science, which acknowledge the existence of multiple histories and the importance of paying attention to contexts. Before 1950, values linking prestige and masculinity resulted in the exclusion of women geographers from university professorships though they found opportunities in teacher education and outside academia. In the post-World War II era, even as higher education expanded rapidly, womens representation in the profession declined substantially, influenced by the social climate that promoted womens domesticity and priorities for recruiting men. Academic practices and the consciousness of the few women graduate students reflected this gendered culture. Whether women geographers have valued particular aspects of their work and created distinctive knowledge pose questions for further exploration. A brief look at the practices and meanings of field education over the century suggests that such experience has been important to women, even when attempts have been made to exclude their participation. There are also indications that women geographers disproportionately bring social concerns to the discipline. The paper calls for reflection on the implications of our histories for the professions future, especially for graduate education.

Women of the European Union : the politics of work and daily life

1. Placing Women of the European Union Janice Monk and Maria Dolors Garcia-Ramon 2. The Geography of Gender and Welfare in Europe Eleonore Kofman and Rosemary Sales 3. Womens Work and Everyday Life in Southern Europe in the Context of European Intergration Dina Vaiou 4. The Diverse Worlds of European Patriarchy Simon Duncan 5. An Equal Place to Work? Anti-Lesbian Discrimination and Sexual Citizenship in the European Union Gill Valentine 6. Family Policies and Working Mothers: A Comparison of France and West Germany Jeanne Fagnani 7. At the Centre on the Periphery? Women in the Portuguese Labour Market Isabel Margarida Andre 8. Contrasting Developments in Female Labour Force Participation in East and West Germany Since 1945 Jurgen Schmude 9. The Politics of Cultural Identity: Thai Women in Germany Eva Humbeck 10. From Informal Flexibility to the New Organization of Time Paola Vinay 11. City and Suburb: Contexts for Dutch Womens Work and Daily Lives Joos Drooglever Fortuijn 12. Family, Gender and Urban Life: Stability and Change in a Copenhagen Neighbourhood Kristen Simonsen 13. Regional Welfare Policies and Womens Agricultural Labour in Southern Spain Maria Dolors Garcia-Ramon and Josephina Cruz 14. Womens Integration into the Labour Market and Rural Industrialization in Spain Ana Sabate-Martinez

Foreign-born Scholars in US Universities: Issues, Concerns, and Strategies

This symposium focuses on foreign-born geographers pursuing careers in US colleges and universities. Though foreign-born scholars make up a significant portion of the US geography professoriate, little is known about their experiences, the cultural problems and legal issues they confront in the US, and policy and institutional changes that might be implemented to support them. These papers address some of these challenges—particularly in American classrooms—as well as some of the opportunities these scholars have to offer international perspectives on geographic issues to students and colleagues. While we address the situation in the US, the symposium suggests the need to consider the experiences of foreign-born academics in other nations experiencing similar growth in intellectual immigration.

Internationalising Geography in Higher Education: Towards a conceptual framework

Key issues relating to the internationalisation of geography in higher education are explored. Drawing on past experience, critical questions are posed regarding the goals, ownership, management and operation of a proposed international network for teaching and learning in geography in higher education. It is argued that those developing the network must learn from the lessons of the past, both to avoid repeating avoidable mistakes and to ensure that the network successfully achieves its intended aims.

GIS Pedagogy, Web-based Learning and Student Achievement

The authors evaluate impacts of web-based learning (WBL) for a geographic information system (GIS) course in which self-paced interactive learning modules replaced lectures to prepare students for GIS laboratory activities. They compare student laboratory, mid-term, final exam and overall scores before and after introduction of WBL, analyzing for gender differences in performance. Laboratory scores improved significantly for both males and females, though course grades did not change significantly overall for either group. Gender results show females performing better than males with either method. Most students were receptive to WBL. Future research is needed to understand what combination of graphics and text is most useful to students.

Discourses on ‘Diversity’: Perspectives from Graduate Programs in Geography in the United States

This qualitative and contextual study explores how ‘diversity’ is interpreted by graduate students and faculty in ten departments of geography in the United States. It applies a model that considers historical, structural, psychological and behavioral dimensions. Themes addressed include issues related to gender, international origin, race/ethnicity, age, family status, disciplinary subfields and institutional location; silences persist around sexual orientation and disability. We highlight differences across subgroups of students, faculty perspectives and the approaches used in departments that have attained greater diversity, especially of racial and ethnic minorities.

Free port fallout. Gender, employment, and migration on Margarita Island.

Abstract Life on Margarita Island (Venezuela) has been transformed by the development of the free port that attracts a stream of shoppers from mainland Venezuela. The traditional agricultural, fishing, and craft economy has almost disappeared. Rural men and women have been differently affected. Men are employed in transportation and construction, but women have not taken the new jobs in free-port stores or hotels. The pattern of predominantly male emigration has reversed; men have returned to the island and women, particularly from the middle class, migrate. Lower-class women have higher unemployment rates than men. The study implies that the effects of this domestic tourism development are comparable with those of international tourism in that outsiders appear to be significant beneficiaries. Changes in opportunities on the basis of gender contrast with findings of other research on tourism in island resorts.

Graduate Education in U.S. Geography: Students’ Career Aspirations and Faculty Perspectives

The career aspirations of U.S. graduate geography students and how these are perceived by faculty and addressed in departmental curricula and programs have important implications for sustaining and enhancing geographys position in higher education in the current period of economic, political, and social change. Recent interdisciplinary research on academic socialization identifies differences in expectations between students and faculty as an important factor affecting departmental climates, completion of graduate degrees, and assessments by graduates of their preparation for the workforce. Based on qualitative analysis of interviews conducted in five doctoral and five masters departments selected to reflect a range of programs across the United States, we found considerable difference between students’ aspirations and faculty perceptions. Approximately half the doctoral students interviewed were considering careers in academia, although many were also considering opportunities in other sectors or were uncertain of their future directions. Students in masters departments were predominantly interested in careers outside academia. Doctoral faculty and curricula tended to stress preparation for research-oriented academic careers. Masters faculty generally recognized students’ aspirations and adapted curricula to meet them, especially by the provision of internship programs. We take into consideration campus location and the gender, ethnicity, and international origins of students. The results suggest improving graduate programs and advising by aligning them with student career plans and aspirations.

CHANGING EXPECTATIONS AND INSTITUTIONS: AMERICAN WOMEN GEOGRAPHERS IN THE 1970S

ABSTRACT. In 1973 Wilbur Zelinsky lamented and documented the low representation of women in American academic geography. His attention reflected the climate of the times—the challenges of the womens movement, affirmative action, and feminist activism in the professions. Drawing on archives and personal narratives, this article addresses the paradoxes and politics of womens place in American academic geography in the 1970s. As increasing numbers developed new aspirations for graduate education and professional work, stereotyping, discrimination, the lack of mentoring, and the challenges of a job market whose peak had passed presented difficulties. Yet persistence, resistance, and feminist political activism worked to advance womens professional standing and visibility, especially at the national level within the Association of American Geographers and in the development of new research and teaching on the geography of women.

Strength in Diversity: Enhancing Learning in Vocationally-Orientated, Master's Level Courses.

Postgraduate education in geography, especially at the Masters level, is undergoing significant changes in the developed world. There is an expansion of vocationally oriented degree programmes, increasing recruitment of international students, integration of workplace skills, and the engagement of non-traditional postgraduate students as departments respond to policies for a more ‘inclusive’ higher education. This paper sets the context by outlining some programmatic changes in selected countries (Australia, the UK, and the USA). The authors briefly reflect on how postgraduate ‘bars’ or ‘levels’ are defined and explore in detail what ‘diversity’ or ‘heterogeneity’ means in these new postgraduate settings. They then explore some practice examples drawn from their own experiences, recognizing that relevance will vary in other contexts. Finally they consider how diversity can be harnessed as a strength that has potential to enhance taught elements of contemporary postgraduate education in and beyond the discipline.