What is Human Geography?

Prior to this course, my understanding of and exposure to the field of Geography was rather limited. I thought of geography as little more than something that has to do with maps. I enjoyed looking at maps and was thankful for the work of geographers (where would I be without GPS and google maps? Lost. That's where.)

Geography is however, much more relevant, meaningful and complex than "just google maps". As a discipline, human geography seeks to explain not only where things are but also why things are. Human geographers combine natural and social science to try to answer the big questions: who are we, where did we come from and where are we going? (Rubenstein, 2013)

At the heart of human geography is the principle of connectedness. People do not develop in isolation. Rather, we grow and develop within various spheres of influence: we are shaped by other people, past and present, and by our physical environment.

When we think like geographers, we see the interactions between the myriad features that make us who we are as individuals, members of local communities and citizens of the world.