Think like a Geographer

As part of Cardinal Newman College’s Interfaith Week, the Geography Department took 72 students and four staff members to the Westleigh Centre at UCLan for the Confucius Institute’s second annual Sino-British Human Geography Conference. The students participated in a number of lectures on diverse topics such as:

• The importance of learning a foreign language (particularly Chinese) in the development of trade links and therefore as an aid to economic development;
• The rise of global tourism, and particularly the rise of international tourism into and out of China and its links to economic development;
• The issue of water scarcity in China, looking at demand versus supply and the complex and varied solutions being put into place, including the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River;
• Caves, which are the last unmapped region of the world, and linking to this to the idea of “doing” Geography, rather than just “learning” Geography

A Level Geography Tutor Emma Thompson, reflects on these lectures,

‘All of these lectures included maps, graphs, photographs and 3D imagery which really helped to open our minds to the rapid and extensive changes that China and indeed the world has experienced over the last 30 years, and more importantly, to the changes that are still to come. The lectures were aimed at encouraging  students to “think like a Geographer”; to see and analyse the world in detail.’

Following the lectures students were treated to performances including traditional Chinese song, dance and music performed by students from the Beijing International Studies University Art Troupe.  This was an amazing experience and gave us all an incredible insight into the talent and skills that many young people possess.