Great Soviet encyclopedia - geographical education. Geographic education Geographic education

A good specialist geographer is extremely demanded by the labor market today.

Large geofaculties are divided into 4 areas, which are interconnected only in science, diverging very strongly in their practical areas of activity: social (socio-economic) geography, physical geography, hydrometeorology and cartography. These are completely different paths further in life.

Social geography - huge and very interesting world. Depending on their narrow specialization, geographers work in the strategic, transport and marketing divisions of industrial companies and banks (geographers-industrialists and transport workers), consulting companies and economic divisions authorities (geography of investments, regional analysis and regional policy), urban planning and urban studies (geography of cities, cultural geography), external and domestic policy, agro-industrial complex, tourism and many other industries. The economic geographer is distinguished by the fact that, in addition to knowledge of the industry (economics / sociology / political science, etc.) and mastery of mathematical and field research methods, he has the skills of territorial synthesis - the ability to see the manifestations of universal patterns and local specifics in the processes taking place in a particular place.

Physical geography is a direct path to a variety of environmental projects, environmental protection, assessment of the impact of industries, engineering surveys in the design and construction of large facilities, as well as work in the field of heritage conservation, including in reserves and national parks. A physical geographer is well versed in botany, soil science, soil mechanics and geology, geochemistry, spends half of his life in the field, and the other half in processing field results and analyzing satellite images.

Cartography is a huge and growing market for online mapping services, navigation systems, cartographic support for various surveys, and, in particular, the creation of geographic information systems. Cartographers are also engaged in technologies for sensing the Earth from space. The training and work of a modern cartographer is primarily related to computer science, mathematical modeling, and map design.

Hydrometeorology is a special area of ​​research related to the study of the atmosphere, land waters and oceans. All these areas are highly mathematized and are more related to the study of physics, mathematics and computer science. Hydrologists are needed to conduct hydrotechnical surveys for the design of industrial facilities, the prevention of hazardous phenomena, the creation of reclamation systems, etc. Meteorologists and climatologists are engaged in weather forecasting, studying the processes of global climate change, forecasting dangerous atmospheric phenomena. Oceanologists study the processes occurring in the seas and the ocean: currents, waves, temperature and salinity, the interaction of the ocean and the atmosphere, ocean resources and the possibilities of their use.

Complementing Ruslan's answer:

I know that education at Moscow State University and St. Petersburg State University is quite strong and fundamental. This is a legacy from Soviet education, when at the end of school every person had at least a geographical picture of the world. Now, in Britain, I was asked several times whether such a country really exists - Kazakhstan? They thought that she was invented in the movies for the entourage. They asked in decent establishments at the reception and at the bank.

In general, at Moscow State University in the 1st year they teach a little of everything, then the student makes his choice for a specific direction. Actually, answering the question of whether this is promising, I will say yes. You are given knowledge, there are all conditions for growth, then everything depends only on the person. There are a variety of examples of what graduates have achieved (for example, Slipenchuk is a local celebrity). This knowledge seems unnecessary or outdated to anyone, but it gives a complete comprehensive understanding of how the world works. This quality is highly valued in almost all areas of employment.

Answer

Generally speaking, many have become well-known outside of geography. Here are just a few of the public:
Dmitry Oreshkin - well-known political scientist and specialist in electoral geography
Alexey Novikov - Dean of the HSE Graduate School of Urban Studies, and previously - Director of the Russian Thomson Reuters and Standard & Poor's
Leonid Smirnyagin - specialist in federalism and political geography, member of the Presidential Council under B.N. Yeltsin
Natalya Zubarevich is a leading specialist in the economics and politics of Russian regions
Rair Simonyan - head of Morgan Stanley and UBS banks in Russia
Evgeny Gontmakher - Deputy Director of IMEMO
Zhanna Zayonchkovskaya - one of the leading experts in the field of demography and migration studies
Yuri Vedenin - Director of the Institute of Natural and cultural heritage
Svetlana Mironyuk - director and editor-in-chief of RIA Novosti
and many others.

Answer

Comment

Geographic education provides a fairly wide range of opportunities. A geographer, by nature, is a universal specialist, who can be useful in completely different areas from the construction and design of everything you can think of to the application of skills in economics and politics. I have been working in cinema for 10 years, but I graduated from the Faculty of Geography, and I have never regretted it, because higher education is not only professional skills, but mainly a way of thinking, and geography structures the brain very well, teaches you to think systematically, analyze, look at all phenomena very broadly.

As you know, geography is divided into physical and economic, these are completely different sciences, physical geographers are hydrologists, glaciologists, meteorologists, geomorphologists, oceanologists and other specialists, without which no ecological expertise is possible. When building bridges, buildings, laying roads, pipelines, an assessment of a specialist is needed. Otherwise, when there are landslides, heavy rains, the river will change its course... there may be irreversible consequences.

Cartography is now developing thanks to satellite navigation, but all these Yandex maps, Google space images need to be stitched, processed and maintained by these systems. A lot of mining, forestry, agriculture (which we have almost gone) is based on geography.

In economic geography, a very promising topic - the geography of cities, branding of cities, urban planning - is also for the most part the area of ​​responsibility of geographers. Political, electoral geography - forecasting and assessing the results of elections, the political state of the regions - is very promising and extremely interesting area. In any sector of the economy, the best specialist will be the one who understands geography, geography is experience and good intuition in any area where some kind of logistics is implied. Sociology without geography is simply nowhere. Any public opinion poll because it is directly related to the specific conditions of a particular place. And it would be nice, when conducting any survey, to understand and take this into account.

In general, this is only 1% of the possibilities, of course, it all depends on the interests of a particular person. It should only be understood that a geographer is a person who prefers to judge the world by his own impressions and research, therefore the geographic department of any university is a field faculty, and the geographer's field of activity is necessarily associated with moving around the world (sometimes not in very comfortable conditions).

By the way, geographers also take root very well in film production and the near-cinema sphere, the organization of filming on location is a kind of field work with people and devices.

Probably, everyone has already heard the news about the introduction of a mandatory USE in geography. There were also many speeches by President V.V. Putin at various forums, where he openly expressed support for geography and talked about its prospects. So getting a geographical education makes sense. However, it is worth thinking about what direction we are talking about. There is a pedagogical direction ( Teacher Education) and geography (economic geography, social geography, physical geographers, geoecology, cartography, geodesy, hydrology, hydrometeorology, palegeography, paleolimnology, climatology, geomorphology, historical geomorphology, ecology, landscape science and this is not the whole list of specialties). It should be borne in mind that teacher education this moment significantly behind in its development, the old standards, not to mention the methods of teaching and the lack of field research in the curriculum and the opportunity to conduct research at school. Therefore, if you want to be a geography teacher, then you should think and think very well. Geography teachers who also travel for field studies, schools that cooperate with the Russian Academy of Sciences, with the Russian Geographical Society can be counted on the fingers. And do not think that if you come across an elite school, the best in the area, in a provincial town, then you will be given at least some prospects to work the way you want. It is quite possible that in this very "elite" school you will sit as if in a swamp and hate the university years spent studying this very promising science.

Draft educational standard - f. "Geography at school" No. 6, 1993 - the main document regulating the content and structure of the school geography course.

School geography includes physical (related to natural science subjects) and economic geography (related to humanities). Elements of other sciences are studied that are closely related both to geography and regional geography - climatology, geology, oceanography, paleogeography, demography, etc. Regional studies and cartography are unifying. The content of the courses was mainly developed in the 60s, but is constantly being improved, which is reflected in new textbooks and programs. The course is based on the logic that ensures the consistency of the formation of scientific knowledge, their expansion and deepening, the assimilation of ZUN. Logic takes into account the interdependence between the sciences that form the basis of school geography. Therefore, physical geography is studied before economics. Because when studying individual regions, they proceed from general patterns, then the study general provisions geography precedes the study of regional geography.

When studying geography, a set of methods is used. The most common is dialectical. The complex of methods includes cartographic, observation, expeditionary, laboratory analysis, experiment, mathematical and statistical methods.

Course structure:

Depending on the educational institution, profile and on the basis of the variable part, there may be changes in the curriculum.

The geography course is full of practical work that ensures activity, independence of students, develops creativity and contributes to the conscious assimilation of ZUN.

The main direction of improving the course of school geography is to strengthen the scientific character and ensure accessibility, the removal of complicated and secondary information, and the strengthening of the developmental and educational potential. (See materials of the course "Scientific foundations of school geography").

One of the principles of building a geography course is to take into account broad interdisciplinary connections. It allows not to include in the content a number of information known from other disciplines, but to rely on them. But there is a mismatch between the programs of different disciplines.

In modern geography, when determining the content, emphasis is placed on local history material and an increase in the share of environmental issues (mainly from the field of nature management and resource science).

A regional component is introduced into the programs, which is provided by the publication of textbooks and methodological guides.

A feature of the traditional program is the reflection of the structure of geographical science in the structure of school geography. It has a linear-step construction. Each course is studied for one year. Continuity between courses is ensured, the gradual complication of educational material and the formation of a knowledge system.

Geography is a discipline that simultaneously explores the problems of the environment and society, it is closely related to economics, demography and sociology. This allows us to speak about the significant role of discipline in the education, development and upbringing of schoolchildren.

The goals of geographical education are broad and varied. They are defined in three areas:

The study of geography should be as close to reality as possible, aimed at comprehending the surrounding reality, current events, and the current international situation.

One of the main tasks is to comprehend the natural and socio-economic patterns.

It is important to understand the terminology, develop the ability to work with the map.

Modern education is focused on the student, therefore, differentiated learning technologies, elements of a programmed, problematic, individual approach, student-centered learning are widely used in practice.

In the process of its expression, geography has the most “massive” manifestation in secondary geographical education, in school geography, where the main character is the teacher, who, on the one hand, is a professional geographer, on the other, acts as a conductor (preacher) of the mass geographical culture in the youth environment. Thus, the geographical culture of society and, in general, the fulfillment by geography of its various functions depend to a high degree on the organization of geographical education in school.

Assessing the role of geography as a subject in the modern Russian and Belarusian schools, experts believe that at present it provides the formation of the necessary geographical culture of students as an integral part of the general culture, which is especially important given the cultural and humanistic orientation of the entire reform of the Russian school.

It is noted that all five geography courses of the main educational institutions of the Russian Federation: the initial course of geography (6th grade), continents, oceans, peoples and countries (7th grade), geography of Russia: nature (8th grade), geography of Russia: population and economy (9 class) and economic and social geography of the world (grade 10) and all four courses of general educational institutions of Belarus: initial geography course (grade 6-7), geography of continents and countries (grade 8-9), geography of Belarus (grade 10), general geography (grade 11) - give an idea of ​​the geographical picture of the world, form geographical thinking, introduce the basic methods of geography and its language, and also actively participate in the formation of the political, economic, environmental culture of students, in the education young man as a patriot of the Motherland and an internationalist.

At the same time, it should be noted that in modern Russia and Belarus, school geography is not among the priority subjects, and attempts to somehow “infringe” it are made quite often.

Among the urgent problems of modern school geography are the following:

Improving the content of the subject by better showing the main cross-cutting areas of geographical science, its scientific methods and approaches, as well as strengthening the role of integrated country studies in the middle and general geography at the senior level of the school;

Creation of a school geography textbook that meets the increased requirements for a new generation textbook regarding its model, structure, content and form of presentation;

Raising the methodological level of school geography - the intensification of the entire process of teaching geography, which implies an orientation towards the development of the fundamental foundations of the subject and methods of acquiring new knowledge, computerization of the educational.

The system of educational geography should be built on the basis of three main principles: 1) methodology; 2) traditions; 3) experience. At the same time, one should proceed from the multidimensional nature of geography, associated with its location at the intersection of natural and social sciences, from its complexity and territoriality at the same time. This applies both to the theory and to the method and result of geography.

The first plan - multidimensionality - comes from the classical object of geography - the unity of nature, economy and population. The second plan - complexity - involves a conjugated consideration of the complex structure of objects, their multicomponent and diversified nature in physical and socio-economic geography. The third plan - territoriality - is one of the most important axioms of geography - the study of territorial (spatial) systems at the global, regional and local levels.

From the point of view of the theory of knowledge, all three plans have four levels of study and presentation: 1) descriptive; 2) empirical generalization; 3) theoretical generalization; 4) constructive.

Diversity scientific geography determines the content of school geography. Thus, the mechanism for selecting scientific material, based on the methodology of geography, involves the acquaintance of students with a variety of GIS, component-by-component, sector-by-sector and territorial groupings of phenomena on the earth's surface, with some formalized theories and models (at least at the level of the classical constructions of standard theories) and, finally, solution of various tasks and assignments as close as possible to reality.

The structure of school geography should be determined by didactic requirements universal for the process of cognition, which can be summarized as follows:

The cyclicity of learning, which brings to life the phenomenon of the spiraling of the cognitive process within the framework of the laws of dialectics;

Repetition in move learning historical development knowledge, which corresponds to the category of unity of historical and logical. In this regard, the system geographical disciplines should correspond to the development of knowledge from ordinary knowledge through systematic undifferentiated and analytical to system-synthetic knowledge;

The course of knowledge from near to far and return to the beginning in a form enriched by the process of cognition. Geographic education provides ideal opportunities for the transition from studying one's own region across the whole world - again to one's own region, i.e., "near and far" here, unlike other educational disciplines, acquires a literal meaning.

The most important requirement for improving school geography is the methodologization of this academic subject in the spirit of the above principles.

Geography (of all secondary school courses) should be considered in accordance with the methodological idea of ​​the center of geographical science: there is a certain territory with its own material content - a place; each place has its own component and sectoral features that make up the potential of the territory; the presence of a potential difference leads to spatial relationships. Full information there is a description about the place; characterization of features gives an image of the place; all spatial connections tend to smooth out features, which is why there is a movement of matter, energy, values ​​between places: the movement of rock masses, heat and moisture, information, the transportation of materials and people, the transmission of electricity, the transfer of capital, etc.

The system of school geography, created on the basis of three foundations - methodology, tradition and experience, is designed to "reconcile", at least at this stage, theorization with regionalization, general geography with regional studies, perform its general educational function and satisfy, if not individual, then perhaps group interests of the transitional period in the development of the country.

4. Prospects for the development of geographical science

In conclusion, let us turn to possible prospects, forecasting the development of geographical science in the first decades of the 21st century.

Almost a quarter of a century ago, considering the prospects of geography, famous domestic geographers wrote about the growth of the constructive, transformative role of science:

«... new role Geography now consists not so much in the further knowledge of the world around us, but in its purposeful transformation in the interests of all mankind. Having determined its role and place in the development of this grandiose task, having chosen the most correct ways to solve it, our old science will secure a “second youth” for itself;

“The prospects of geography largely depend on whether geographers can boldly and effectively theoretically comprehend the global and territorial manifestations of the connection between natural and socio-economic processes. Will they be able to put at the disposal of society not only the entire arsenal of facts and empirical patterns revealed by many existing and emerging geographic sciences, but also help the process of “geography” of all sciences by combining an abundant number of facts into a coherent theory? Will they be able today to understand the laws of development of their science in order to control its actions? Will they be able to quickly use the objectively developing integration impulses in geography?

As you can see, many complex questions have been raised that remain relevant in our time. The need for further development of integration processes in geography is quite obvious. Predicting, at least in general terms, the development of our science, it should be emphasized that in the coming "age of synthesis" in scientific knowledge as a whole, synthesis in geography is absolutely necessary. Therefore, the first forecast is the strengthening of those branches of geography, those of its directions that will connect the study of various natural and socio-economic phenomena to the greatest extent in the way that life connects them in reality and will connect them.

Will it exist in a few decades unchanged modern system geographic sciences? In any case, it will lose its current "rigidity", the categorical division into parts. The system of geographical sciences will become much more flexible, its individual parts will “overlap”, connect, completely new “fields of integration” will arise, areas of combination of different geographical sciences, as well as “fields of integration” between geographical and adjacent to them (and then non-adjacent) sciences.

In an interesting article on the geography of the future, A.D. Armand raises the question of possible ways of development of geography in the era of informatization. In his opinion, the emerging trends make it possible to predict a radical transformation of geographical knowledge in the near future. The question arises: will geography survive at all in an environment oversaturated with information? Professional geography will become even more professional, but will it remain as a school general education discipline hardly anyone can predict. In the near future, it is possible to foresee the transformation of some sections of geography into consumer goods. The ability to quickly collect a wide variety of information should give rise to a series of electronic atlases that display in real time the location of not only traffic jams (which is already practiced), but also such indicators as air pollution, water pollution in rivers, lakes and seas, crime levels, political tensions , exchange rates, market prices, deforestation and reforestation, drug and alcohol production and other information. The geography of current risks of natural, man-made, human, space origin, risks for people, Agriculture, transport, financial investments. Geography becomes the geography of fast-moving processes and, thus, one of the levers in the processes of management and self-organization, social evolution.

Perhaps our descendants will witness the emergence of information geography, which deals with the description of the accessibility of various media to the population, the geographical division of labor between different media and professional information, the information susceptibility of the population, the availability of educational institutions, etc.

The geography of the future will increasingly be forced to deal not so much with real space as with various virtual spaces. At the same time, cartographers will have to transform a familiar geographical map in the most unexpected way, so that areas, distances, angles, colors, and conventions on this map corresponded not to geographical, but to some mental reality.

Contrary to expectations, our science, having become oversaturated with numerical information, has not become more accurate than before. The automatic collection of information from space and by ground means not only did not help to find formulas for general quantitative patterns, but rather, on the contrary, showed a variety of subtle, continuously changing dependencies that govern nature and society.

The example of weather forecasts is instructive in this respect. The advent of powerful computer systems processing huge amounts of digital data has not revolutionized the accuracy of predictions. The veracity of short-term forecasts has frozen at around 80-85% and does not promise progress. In the transition to long-term climate forecasts, not only the magnitude of changes, but also the trend itself, the sign of future shifts are the subject of discussion.

The following processes will influence the development of the system of geographical sciences in the future:

1) "biologization" of all geography;

2) "humanization", including strong "economization";

3) "mathematization", which, in particular, will enter geography through the strengthening and qualitative modification of cartometric works;

4) "chemicalization" of geography, i.e. deep penetration into the essence of migration processes chemical elements in the environment, in the chemistry of its pollution, in the achievement of future technology that will change the cycle of substances in nature;

5) automation of the collection of geographic information and its processing, in particular information about our planet coming from orbiting satellites and spaceships;

6) transition from scientific analysis to solving the problem of managing territorial systems studied by geographical sciences;

7) deep introduction of cartometric methods into science and practice, their wide use, especially for its territorial organization, for managing complex processes.

Such "biologized" "fields of integration" will grow rapidly, such as, for example, the already existing (but, unfortunately, not yet developed in our country) bioclimatology. It can be assumed that geogenetics will be created, the first ideas in the field of which were expressed by N.I. Vavilov. The connections of the geographical sciences can also be diverse. On the verge of ecology and economic geography, for example, the American scientist W. Isard created mathematical ecological and economic regional models.

The humanization of geography is inevitable. This is one of the natural and progressive processes. It is difficult to enumerate the possible “fields of integration”, such as economic climatology, economic hydrology, economic erosion studies, etc. Obviously, the formulation of economic problems in various areas of geographical sciences will take other forms, but it is absolutely necessary, and none of these sciences cannot evade such objective necessity.

Young professionals will have to carry out in their lives those integration processes that are spoken of as promising. And in this regard, together with Yu.G. The Saushkins would like to wish them several important qualities for a geographer:

1. Great general scientific philosophical culture. A geographer cannot remain in the realm of empiricism, cannot be a "dealer". The humanization of geography as a whole makes especially great demands in this respect.

2. Combinations of interest in one's specialty with interest in general geographic theoretical achievements and, in particular, in theoretical geography.

3. Combining knowledge in the field of domestic science, which needs to be studied especially deeply, with knowledge in the field of world science. A good command of at least one of the foreign languages ​​is extremely important for a geographer.

4. Courage in posing and solving scientific and practical issues, one might say even stronger - insolence in this regard, quick thinking. Unfortunately, we are sometimes too slow and therefore we lag behind in solving the most important problems.

5. Continuous work in improving what N.N. Baransky called "geographical thinking" - the connection of historical analysis with spatial. The geographer creates a picture of a dynamic, evolving map. Such a multidimensional perception of the map is very difficult, but a professional geographer must, as a result of constant work, overcome the difficulties of geographical thinking.

6. Mastering modern precise methods of research, including mathematical methods, modeling of geographical phenomena and processes, based in research on efficient technologies based on the development and implementation of various types of geoinformation systems, including integrated ones, synthesizing methods for testing traditional geoinformation systems and materials from remote aerospace surveys.

7. Be a good, disciplined, observant field researcher. New research methods, including remote sensing, not only do not exclude field research, but make it even more important.

8. Combinations of the ability of field research with the ability of an experimenter and, further, with the ability of a designer. The geographer is the constructor of the environment, directing its development. He is the organizer of the territorial life of society.

9. Constant communication with practice, with real life in all its complexity. There is a figurative expression "to fall to the ground." For the geographer, it becomes literal, since in the phenomena occurring on the earth's surface, he draws the necessary material, builds his generalizations on it, and draws conclusions.

“The geographer does not have to be a walking encyclopedia, but he must develop an encyclopedic curiosity in himself,” - in these words of an outstanding French geographer, the first woman to become a professor - the world famous university- Sorbonne, Jacqueline Beau-Garnier made a lot of sense. There is a peculiar professional geographical view of the world. “Geography,” writes Beau-Garnier, “to me means something more than just a profession: it is rather a way of understanding the world. The geographer evaluates his surroundings in a very peculiar way: for example, a vast mountainous region awakens in him not only the enjoyment of aesthetic value, but also an interest in the structure and phases of evolution that form it. The slums of the city not only arouse compassion and horror, but also make it necessary to reveal the historical and social roots of such miserable living conditions. The geographer does not just look and observe - he automatically seeks to understand what he sees. Direct field experience of studying land and people - an integral element of the geographer's profession - allows him to understand the lives of other people and more scrupulously evaluate own life... The geographer's sphere of interest is directly the living world, not only enriching his experience, which gives him information, but, I dare say, inspires him.

5. The international cooperation in geography

In the 70s of the XX century. SOUTH. Saushkin wrote that the isolation of national scientific schools from world science brings great harm and retards their development. This was said when the main trend in the analysis of the theory and methodology of geography was, rather, not a comparison, but the opposition of Soviet geography to bourgeois geography, i.e., practically the rest of the world geographical science.

World scientific progress constantly proves that no matter what field of knowledge we take, progress is possible only on the basis of close interaction and mutual enrichment of national scientific schools, active and effective cooperation of scientists from different countries. The necessary prerequisites for the formation of such cooperation in world geographical science began to take shape in the last decades of the 19th - early 20th centuries, which was associated with the growth of the social prestige of geography.

Among these prerequisites are:

1) an increase in the number of professional geographers and the establishment of departments of geography in a number of universities (in Germany, France, Russia, etc.);

2) the formation of university geographical schools, of which the most famous at that time were: the anthropogeographic school of F. Ratzel (University of Leipzig, since 1866), the geomorphological school of A. Penk (University of Vienna, since 1888), the school of geography human P. Vidal de la Blache (Sorbonne, since 1897);

3) expanding the promotion of geographical knowledge, increasing the number of geographical journals, etc.;

4) creation of international groups of scientists conducting research on certain scientific problems.

The global significance of geography gave rise to the idea of ​​international cooperation of scientists "on an ongoing basis", which was realized in the convening of international geographical congresses (IGC).

The first International Geographical Congress took place in Antwerp in 1871. In total, during the years 1871-2012. there were 32 such congresses, and they contributed to the exchange of experience and ideas, the results of the most important research, the development of scientific and educational geography and its social functions.

The experience of the IGC led, in turn, to the idea of ​​creating the International Geographical Union (IGU), which was formed in 1922. Its first members were France, Belgium, Great Britain, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Japan, and Poland soon joined. In 1956, the USSR joined the IGU, and since 1992 Russia has become its successor, which plays an active role in the IGU, in its governing bodies, activities of commissions and working groups.

The International Geographical Union consists of three components: the General Assembly of delegates of the member countries of the International Geographical Union, which meets every four years and whose decisions are fundamental for the activities of the Union; the Executive Committee, consisting of the President, eight Vice Presidents and the General Secretary; Commissions and working groups that carry out and coordinate the current work of geographers from different countries in all major areas of geography. The working languages ​​of the IGU are English and French.

Currently, the IGU includes 87 countries. Goals of the IGU:

1. Promote the study of geographical problems;

2. To initiate and coordinate geographical research requiring international cooperation, to promote their broad scientific discussion and publication of their results;

3. Ensure the participation of geographers in the work of international organizations;

4. Contribute to the improvement of the collection and dissemination of geographic data and documentation both within and between IGU member countries;

5. Facilitate the holding of International Geographical Congresses, regional conferences and specialized symposiums, the topics of which correspond to the goals of the Union;

6. To take part in any other forms of international cooperation in order to promote geographical research and the application of its results in practice;

7. Promote international standardization and unification of methods, nomenclature and symbols used in geography

The main directions and problems of the development of world geographical science were reflected to one degree or another in the programs of the Moscow Conservatory, which, from the very first congresses, were continuously becoming more complicated and expanded. At the second Moscow Conservatory, only sections of mathematical geography, hydrography, physical geography (which was then interpreted very broadly - from geology to zoology), historical geography, economic geography and "didactics" (that is, educational geography) were active. A number of years later, at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, the 6th, 7th and 8th CIMs were already distinguished by a certain strengthening of scientific problems, the share of theoretical reports increased, specialized commissions from among scientists from different countries were developed, which were engaged in topical research and practical programs. During this period, increased attention was paid to the development of geographical education, to the methods of teaching geography.

In the second half of the XX century. some new common features: the structure and topics of congresses are becoming more diverse, especially in social geography and geoecology. There are more and more practitioners among the IGC participants who understand the role of geography and use the results and opportunities geographical research. Of particular note is the XXIII MGK (1976), since it was held for the first time in the USSR country, in Moscow. This congress was characterized by a wide range of topics, a large number delegates (more than 3200 from 57 countries), high theoretical level and excellent organization. Its program (unlike a number of previous MGKs) was aimed to a much greater extent at summing up the results of the development of geographical science in the modern world. It contributed to the combination of highly specialized interests with the identification of integration areas and the main constructive tasks of geographical research.

Considering the significance of such world forums of geographers from different countries, let us dwell in somewhat more detail on the content of the work and the ideas of the last two international geographical congresses. The XXVIII IGC was held on August 4-9, 1996 in The Hague. Much attention at the Hague Congress was paid to major regional problems, and this indicates that regionalism retains its pivotal role in the system of geographical sciences.

It is no coincidence that the congress, held in the Netherlands, was held under the motto "Land, Sea and human activity". The outstanding importance of coastal regions in the territorial structure of the world economy and in general in the life of mankind predetermines the growing role of geographical science in the study and preservation of natural and natural-economic systems in the contact zone of land and the World Ocean, in the sustainable development of this zone.

The Hague Congress demonstrated the important role of geographical science in discussing and solving global problems of mankind. He showed the active humanization of geography and the need to integrate natural, economic and environmental issues.

The next, XXIX IGC took place in 2000 in Seoul. Its motto "Live in diversity" involves the establishment of harmonious relations between different ethnic groups, cultural traditions, between the past and the future, developed and less developed countries, and finally, between man and nature. The concept of "diversity" in the era of globalization can form the core of a geography that can connect a society of scientists with the whole world. Commitment to global homogenization is replaced by notions of importance and diversity surrounding nature and peoples.

In August 2004, in Glasgow, one of the oldest cities in the United Kingdom, the regular 30th congress was held, organized by the International Geographical Union (IGU). Its motto is "One Earth - Many Worlds". At the meeting of world geographers in August 2004 in Glasgow, more than 2,000 delegates from at least 100 countries were registered. Actually, the delegates and speakers of the congress represented not countries, but scientific centers, academies, universities, institutes and laboratories. Before the speeches, the speakers indicated not the country from which they came, but to which scientific community (no matter how big or small) they belonged to. This is a sign of the internalization of science.

About 40 delegates arrived from Russia and the CIS countries: from Moscow State University. M.V. Lomonosov, St. Petersburg University, Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Siberian and Far Eastern Branches of the Russian Academy of Sciences, scientific and educational centers of Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Georgia.

In accordance with the permanent commissions and study groups of the International Geographical Union, 32 thematic sections have been formed. Among them: "Dynamics of economic space", "Climate change", "Coastal systems", "Geoinformatics", "Natural disasters and risks", "Geography of health and environment", "Land degradation and desertification", "Modeling of geographic systems" , "Stability of systems", etc.

Much attention was paid to the world forum of geographers. geopolitical topics. Many reports dealt with the problems of disputed borders between states, as well as political and economic changes in countries of all continents. Particular attention was paid to the prospects for sustainable development of the countries of the world, and the preservation of diversity in the context of globalization.

It was noted at the Congress that recently there has been a noticeable process of humanization of geography. New directions appear in it, which are reflected in the reports at the congress: the geography of tourism, leisure, culture, art ... Ethical geography was the topic of the plenary report of Liz Benoli from the Institute of Geography, located in Edinburgh. The study of the diverse interrelations in the world as a source of stability and the formation of ethical norms in the relationship of man with nature is the main task of this new direction in geography.

Great interest was shown in topics related to the patterns of global climate, the diversity of regional climates, weather contrasts caused by warming on the Earth in recent decades, and the forecast of future climate changes.

At the Congress, it was especially emphasized that practically everywhere on Earth degradation of lands suitable for economic activity is observed: the processes of karst formation, soil cover destruction and desertification are intensively developing.

Due to the fact that for 2005-2014. The UN has scheduled a "decade of education for sustainable development", the Congress paid special attention to the problems of school and higher geographical and environmental education of the population.

The work of the Congress, despite some shortcomings in the organization, proved to be very fruitful. She showed that, having entered the third millennium, world geography has taken a worthy place among other sciences, exploring not only natural, but also globally changing economic, political, social, and cultural processes on Earth. Modern geography contributes to the preservation of natural and cultural diversity on Earth in the context of globalization, as the basis for sustainable development.

From August 12 to 15, 2008, the XXXI International Geographical Congress took place in the capital of Tunisia - Tunisia. The congress was attended by 1205 people from 75 countries. His program was very extensive. main topic congress was: "Let's build our territories together." In turn, it was divided into 8 main sub-themes: Territory as an object of geography; Strategic approaches to the territory; Geography as an applied science; Globalization and Territories; New technologies and territories; Territory and environment, territorial planning and sustainable development; Territories: zones of contact or rupture; Reconstruction of the territory in geography.

The Russian delegation in Tunisia consisted of about 20 people from the Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Moscow), Moscow and St. Petersburg Universities, the Pacific Institute of Geography of the Far East Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Vladivostok), the Institute of Water and Environmental Problems of the Far East Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Khabarovsk) and other organizations.

Within the framework of numerous sessions, meetings, sections, more than 800 reports were made on the most different topics- from paleogeography and global climate change to territorial sustainable development, tourism and geography education. Naturally, it was impossible to listen to all the speeches, so the forum participants worked in accordance with their preferences. Greater interest was aroused by the reports presented at the special session on International Year planet Earth. These are the speeches of Prof. Yukio Himiyama (Japan) - on the assessment of global environmental problems and the contribution of geography to their solution; prof. Haniel ( South Africa) - about conflicts of nature management, etc.

The reports devoted to the evolution of geographical knowledge were also interesting. Yes, prof. T. Wilzinski (Poland) stressed the need for further development of such a branch of geography as the history of geographical knowledge, not only over the past centuries, but also modern geographical research in a rapidly changing world.

It is regrettable that the reports devoted to the history of the development of geographical knowledge almost do not reflect the major achievements of Russian scientists from the CIS and Russia. For example, the report of British geographers on the development of regional studies does not even mention the well-known developments of scientists from the CIS and Russia on TPC, economic zoning, geosystemic concepts.

Practically all Russian participants of the Congress made their reports, which were generally met with interest. Great attention was drawn to speeches on the history of geographical research in the field of regional development; modeling the dynamics of spatial systems; environmental and economic analysis; regional problems of sustainable development; mapping; land use, etc.

The congress showed that geography has a sufficient field for the activities of scientists from many countries. The International Geographical Union is successfully functioning. The point of view about the exhaustion of geography as a science (“everything has long been discovered”) can be safely considered unfounded. The study of geographical structures and systems, the study of the processes of their natural and anthropogenic dynamics are the most important fundamental tasks of modern geographical science.

The 32nd International Geographical Congress was held in Cologne, Germany, from August 26 to 30, 2012. More than 2400 geographers from 80 countries of the world took part in its work. The high attendance of the Congress, combined with the innovative program, provided an excellent opportunity to meet and exchange views and ideas.

An unusually large delegation at the Congress was also from Russia - about 90 people. It consists of scientists-geographers from Moscow State University numbering more than 30 people, including only young scientists - up to 35 years old - 11 people.

Justifying the slogan of the Congress "Closer to the Earth", the Congress was held on the territory of the University of Cologne, which is not only the oldest, but also the most advanced scientific institution in Germany. During the work of the Congress, many sections worked in various areas of geography. The sections on geographical education, globalization processes, sustainable development, rational nature management, socio-economic problems, and landscape science enjoyed the greatest interest.

Of particular note is the youth section, where young specialists, including students, could present their scientific reports. As in previous conferences, this section featured a delegation from Finland, consisting mainly of students from Finnish universities. Young guys had the opportunity to present interesting scientific reports, but what is probably the most important thing, they were introduced to the "big science", to the ability to discuss on an equal footing with venerable scientists. And these contacts took place not only in the classrooms of the University, but also during friendly cocktails and numerous scientific excursions around Germany and neighboring countries.

During the work of the Congress, decisions were made organizational matters. In the entire history of the IGU, Soviet and Russian scientists have never been elected to the post of president of the IGU. And at this Congress, for the first time, the head of the laboratory of geopolitical studies of the Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Professor Vladimir Aleksandrovich Kolosov was elected President of the IGU.

International cooperation of geographers is developing in various forms, including their participation in the implementation of international research projects (programs), in the work of various commissions and working groups of the IGU. So, back in 1965-1974. work was launched on the International Hydrological Decade initiated by UNESCO (with the active role of the relevant commission of the IGU). Since the 70s, the UNESCO environmental program "Man and the Biosphere" has been operating, in which geographers are also involved. Since 1977, within the framework of the UN, the program “Combating desertification through integrated development” has been operating with the significant participation of geographers, including Russian ones. In 1986, the international geospheric-biospheric program "Global Changes" was created, and very soon it was realized that this program, in essence, is demo-ecological and its logical conclusion should be the study of human response to changes in the natural environment.

As an example of one of the new international projects of cooperation between geographers, we note the project of the map “The state of the environment in the world”, put forward by scientists from Russia, Germany and South Africa, the creation of which will be most complete if the efforts of scientists from different countries are combined.

Cooperation of geographers from different countries is carried out within the framework of governmental and non-governmental programs under the auspices of UNEP (United Nations Environment Program), other UN agencies related to nature protection and nature management, through the exchange of students, graduate students, scientists and teachers. Of no small importance is the bilateral cooperation of geographers of our country and other countries.

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EARTH SCIENCES

UDC 378; 91:372.8

GEOGRAPHY AND GEOGRAPHICAL EDUCATION

© 2010 Aliev Sh.M.

Dagestan State Pedagogical University

The article discusses the role and importance of geographical science and geographical education in the development of the state, society and personality.

The author of the article discusses the role and the importance of geographical science and geography education in the development of the state, the society and personality.

Key words: power, geography, geographical society, science, education.

Keywords: power, geography, geographic society, science, education.

The Russian Geographical Society is the oldest scientific and public organization, which was founded in 1845 by the highest order of Emperor Nicholas I. Subsequently, it has always played an important role in solving the most important problems facing Russian state. For a long time (from 1845 to 1917) the Russian Geographical Society bore the title of Imperial. Now it is again experiencing the rise of its

values ​​and prestige as an extremely important public structure for the Russian state. In 2009, Sergei Shoigu was elected the new president of the Russian Geographical Society (RGS), and Prime Minister of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin became the chairman of the board of trustees.

Geography revealed its potential and contributed to the solution of the most complex problems facing the country in very difficult years for it. So it was during the periods of development of Siberia and Far East, industrialization, during the Great Patriotic War. Her contribution is tangible in almost all spheres of the life of our state.

Now, on the eve of the 65th anniversary of the Victory, we must say frankly that geographers have made a huge contribution to the victory over the enemy with their research. During the war years, up to 1 billion prints of maps were compiled and published. During these years, on the initiative of geographers, military-geological detachments were created. Hydrologists provided the military with information about rivers, reservoirs and lakes, the timing of their freezing and opening. This and many other data were used to select and carry out the most important military operations. The information of the meteorologists was invaluable. In the troops, the need for knowledge of a geographical nature was very high. Headquarters at all levels needed to comprehensively study the territories in which they had to operate.

Academician A.E. Fersman, vice-president of the USSR Academy of Sciences, chairman of the commission for geological and geographical services of the Red Army, emphasized that the war forced a radical change in the assessments that different sciences had. Among the first, he named geography, which was previously considered primarily a descriptive science. In the Second World War, it came to the forefront among those sciences that prepared strategic, tactical and operational decisions practically on the battlefields. Further, he notes that “... geography is not at all a science about individual facts of the world around us. Geography is the science of connections, of the deepest relationships that exist in nature between individual phenomena and the person working in it.

During the period of cardinal socio-economic changes that occurred after the collapse of the USSR, the role of geography was unfairly and unjustifiably underestimated. The potential of geographical science turned out to be not in demand, and geographical education was severely infringed. For example, the most important aspects of economic and social geography, which humanitarian geography has developed over the centuries, are now taught in universities as purely economic specialties. The same can be said about political geography, in last years"grabbed" by political scientists. Meanwhile, the importance of geography, geographical research and geographical education around the world is constantly growing. Geography is directly related to the provision of competent and adequate responses to modern challenges of a technological, socio-economic, political and environmental nature, which are becoming louder and louder.

V.V. Putin, speaking at the congress of the Russian Geographical Society, emphasized: “Neither political changes nor other tensions of the 20th century could interrupt the work of the Russian Geographical Society. This is another evidence of the importance and enduring significance of those issues that are dealt with by domestic geographical science.

Geography is one of fundamental sciences on which knowledge of the world is based. The main object of geographic research is the environment in all its diversity and complexity of changes as a result of increasing, many times more complex anthropogenic impact.

Nevertheless, many still identify geography only with discoveries and descriptions of previously unseen lands. But geography has long delved into the study of the most complex problems of the interaction of nature and society. It is on this path that this science acquires new perspectives. Modern geography is a system of knowledge consisting of three blocks of sciences - about nature, society and economics. Geographers have always held in high esteem the technology that currently provides remote sensing of the Earth and the improvement of cartography.

The main reason for the "renaissance" of geographical thought is the recognition at the global level of the imbalance between natural environment and society. The concept of sustainable development offers aspects such as rational use natural resources, an efficient economy and a just society. For the balanced development of this triad, which ensures human life at different territorial levels, planning and certain restrictions on the quantitative growth of environmentally detrimental industries are necessary.

Balanced development at the local level (village, city, district) largely depends on the degree of involvement of the local population in the implementation of state and international development programs. An important factor balance is culture, including the ethnic culture of land use. The main motto of sustainable development - "think globally and act locally" - should be directly implemented through school and university geographical education.

The role of geography in the preservation of biological, ethno-cultural and economic diversity is invaluable, and this poses the most serious tasks in the field of geographical education.

The motto of the International Geographical Congress - "To live in diversity" - is especially relevant for Dagestan. This is one of the main slogans of the future of mankind. It implies a harmonious relationship between different ethnic groups and their cultural traditions, industrial and less developed countries, the city and countryside, man and nature.

In the last decade, the role of political geography and geopolitics has grown dramatically. Dagestan found itself in new geopolitical conditions. The role of the geographical study of state borders, border regions, and national diasporas has increased. The study of the identity of nations, peoples is becoming the core task of geographers dealing with international relations, development of urbanization, rural areas, migration and tourism activity of the population.

Serious attention of geography is now riveted to the issues of informatization. A new direction of geographical science emerged - geoinformatics. A variety of geoinformation systems are being developed, which are actively used in solving the problems of socio-economic development of various territories and water areas. The importance of geoinformation systems in territorial planning, regional planning and monitoring of the state of the environment is especially great. Such systems are successfully used in the study of landscapes, in thematic planning, mapping, environmental modeling, as well as in educational geography. The number is growing electronic bases data, electronic atlases and maps are compiled.

One of the priority activities of the Russian Geographical Society and its Dagestan branch is the education of young people, instilling in them a geographical culture aimed at preserving the natural and cultural heritage of our country and our republic.

Assessing the potential of the geographical community, Prime Minister V.V. Putin noted: “The creation of a powerful information and educational field around the Russian Geographical Society will allow involving the maximum number of citizens into the orbit of its activities, will help develop and popularize geographical science, the scientific and environmental consciousness of the nation.” Further, the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation said: “The Russian Geographical Society has every opportunity to become a platform for dialogue between society and the state, to promote the unification of specialists of various profiles and just people who love our country.”

In his keynote speech at the congress, the President of the Russian Geographical Society, the head of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Russian Federation, Sergei Shoigu, outlined the following as the main activities of the Russian Geographical Society: dissemination of geographical information about Russia, namely: the creation of popular science films, television projects, books and teaching aids; scientific research, the creation of youth branches of the Russian Geographical Society, etc. “We must become an organization that brings together politicians, entrepreneurs and everyone involved in the study of environmental protection, economic and social development of the territory,” said S. K. Shoigu.

In January 2010, in the conference hall of the Dagestan State Pedagogical University the Republican scientific and practical conference was held, organized by the Dagestan branch of the Russian Geographical Society and dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the Geographical Society of Dagestan, where keynote speeches were made by: Eldarov E. M. - Chairman of the Dagestan branch of the Russian Geographical Society, Gasanov Sh. Sh. - Professor DSU, Aliev Sh M. - Dean of the Faculty of Geography of the Dagestan State Pedagogical University, Ataev Z. V. - Vice-Rector for Scientific and Innovation Activities of the Dagestan State Pedagogical University, Cherkashin V. I. - Director of the Institute of Geology of the Dagestan Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Muduev Sh. S. - Head of the Department of the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Dagestan, Bukreev S. A. - Chairman of the Moscow Regional Union for the Protection of Birds of Russia, etc.

The participants of the conference perceived the changes in the leadership of the Russian Geographical Society with great hope and optimism. Now they associate a lot with the specific decisions of the extraordinary congress of this society, which, frankly, was held on the personal initiative of V.V. Putin. The conference emphasized the need to unite the efforts of the geographers of Dagestan, to significantly strengthen the role of geographical science and education in the republic.

The Dagestan geographical community hopes that, like the rest of the Russian Geographical Society, it will find support from the government of Dagestan. Leading entrepreneurs, scientists, journalists, public figures republics. The fate of Dagestan geography is, in fact, the fate of Dagestan itself with its diverse and extremely complex problems of interaction between society and nature, waiting for their competent study and solution. Only with such support will Dagestan geography be able to gain a second wind and open a new page in its history.

The question of establishing the Board of Trustees of the Dagestan Branch of the Geographical Society remains open. I believe that there will be patriotic citizens, businessmen, our famous countrymen and representatives of the Dagestan diasporas who will express a desire to support the Dagestan branch of the Russian Geographical Society. The main idea of ​​the Dagestan branch does not differ from the main idea of ​​the Russian Geographical Society - it is to attract the best minds republics to the study of their native land and the people living on it. And this main idea geography will never lose its relevance.

The place of geography in the system of knowledge in modern Russia differs from that in other countries of the world. Abroad, much attention is paid to the development of social

geography. In Russia, geography is still more "natural". Unfortunately, the presence of these two wings, which are perhaps the main strength of geographical science, when it comes to education, turns against it. And it all starts with educational standards, where attempts are made to "absorb" geographical disciplines into integrated courses "Natural Science" and "Social Science". This, of course, is unacceptable. The hours allocated for geography at school have been reduced to a minimum. Geography is treated as a secondary subject. It is no coincidence that V.V. Putin noted: “In all schools there used to be geographical circles, now there is nothing of this. We must think about how to revive this work in the new conditions.”

Geographic education is the cornerstone of the social formation of the individual and the education of civic identity. Geographical competence is the key to the development of a generation - citizens of Russia. Implementation of economic and social development our country largely depends on how much the student has knowledge of the territory.

In addition to the sphere of education, as noted above, geographical knowledge is important for solving the problems of international politics, state and municipal government, environmental protection, tourism development, integrated territorial planning, land management, territorial organization of the population and economy. Equally important is geographical knowledge in Everyday life and to improve general level human culture.

The possibilities of geographical education in explaining the new positioning of Russia and Dagestan in the modern world are very great. The Faculty of Geography, like the entire Dagestan State Pedagogical University, was one of the first in Russia to switch to an innovative development path, expressed in the transition to a two-level education - bachelor's and master's programs. There is not a simple mechanical rearrangement of disciplines, their division into levels, but a conceptual rethinking of the entire system higher education, entailing a revision of already established views not only on curricula, but also on essential aspects of the development of geography. And here both an appeal to Russian geographical traditions and a comparison with the directions of development of geographical science and geographical education abroad are inevitable.

The Faculty of Geography of the Dagestan State Pedagogical University is the only educational institution in the republic that graduates teachers of geography and masters of geographical education. The transition of the faculty to a two-level education led to the unity of geographical science and geographical education. The Faculty created the Geographical Atlas of Dagestan, published fundamental research on the physical and economic geography of the republic. Scientists-geographers, on the basis of their research, created educational and methodical complexes for universities and schools. Published in 2002 tutorial"Geography of Dagestan" for the 9th grade took 3rd place in the competition of regional textbooks in Russia and the CIS countries, published in 1995-2004. At the faculty, together with the Geographical Society of the Republic, a great scientific potential has been accumulated, constant research is being carried out in a whole range of relevant areas of geographical knowledge.

In the current Russian undergraduate model, geography is integrated only with biology and chemistry. This is just an integration model designed to strengthen the natural science branch of geography. Other models of integration with social science disciplines are possible, such as economics, history, political science, foreign languages and others. Similar models have been successfully tested in university training abroad. As far back as the beginning of the 20th century, the outstanding French geographer Elise Reclus said about the connection between history and geography: “Geography is nothing but history in space, just as history is geography in time.”

The Faculty of Geography of the Dagestan State Pedagogical University and the Geographical Society of Dagestan, within the framework of the Year of the Teacher, announced by the President of the Russian Federation, in May holds an All-Russian scientific and practical conference on the topic "Geographical education and development of the region". The following issues will be discussed at the conference: school geographical education in the education system at present stage; innovations in geographical education; geographical education and sustainable development of the territory; geographical knowledge is the most important component of human culture; geographic education and regional socio-economic development; geographical education and environmental protection; the role of geography in patriotic education youth; issues of preparing students for passing the exam by geography.

Abstracts of the conference reports will be published in the proceedings of the Dagestan branch of the Russian Geographical Society. The resolution of the conference will be brought to the next congress of the Russian Geographical Society, which will be held in September 2010. The decisions of the conference will also be sent to the Education Committee of the People's Assembly of the State Duma of the Russian Federation and the People's Assembly of the Republic of Dagestan, to the educational authorities of the republican and municipal levels, to the publishing houses of geographical literature, the media, including the journals "Geography at School" and " Geography and Ecology in the School of the 21st Century”, to the newspaper “Geography”. Geography teachers, geographers, ecologists, representatives of government bodies, other interested persons from the republic and neighboring regions, as well as all those who are interested in geography and geographical education, nature and its protection will be invited to the conference.

Notes

1. Putin V. V. Speech at the congress of the Russian Geographical Society on November 18, 2009 IKL: http://premier.gov.ru/events/news/8292/ 2. Fersman A. E. Geography and war // Science and life. 1942. No. 11-12. 3. Shoigu S. K. Speech at the Congress of the Russian Geographical Society November 18, 2009 IKL: http://tvtorrent.ru/forum/all_1/topic_997/