Changing Horizons in Geography Education - HERODOT Network ...

Climatology, and Biogeography, to indicate a few) were lost. The influence of FrenchRegional Geography (Vidal de la Blache) affected Spanish Geography during thesecond half of the 20 th Century.During the 1980’s, in my opinion, there was an important change in the mentality ofthose in universities, as well as in society as a natural consequence. Greater specialization,adapted to the new times and a more specific labour demand influenced eachother. The answer to this is demonstrated in the new curricula, which is much morefragmented. From the Geography and History degrees (with three common yearsand then two of specialization in which it was possible to be chosen by: Geography,Ancient and Middle Ages History, Modern and Contemporary History, History of Artand Prehistory and Archaeology), came three new degrees (Geography, History andHistory of Art), without common bridges or classes. For example, in Geography therewere no longer studies of History, not even a general history of Spain. There weresimilarly no studies of History in History of Art or Geography in History either.The definitive rupture of the Humanities is now delivered in this way, at leastin university education. However, almost in a contradictory way, there has nowappeared, for the first time in Spanish university history, a Humanities degree. This,in general, is a reminder of the old studies in the faculties of Philosophy and Letters.This degree has not had much take-up; it has been developed only in few universitiesand it has been seen, by many, as the kind of degree for those people who want to dosomething at university, but without an aim or certain career. It thus has developedas a kind of “general culture” degree.It is necessary to also say that the reforms of beginnings of the 1990’s impliedan important formal transformation in Spanish universities with an atmosphere ofwide debate in the academic world. Semesters were introduced as the organizationalform, as opposed to annual classes; European credits would be the measurementsystem; the Erasmus program filled our classrooms with university students fromother countries and allowed mobility for many Spanish students, Europe began to bea different reality. This “formal transformation” however was not accompanied bya parallel process of educational renovation. In many cases, the old annual classeswere divided into two, I and II, and in others, the programs were reduced. But theold formula of the class based on the skilful lesson of the professor, stayed almostintact. This has been lost time when reform might also have included renovating thelearning and teaching approaches.The professional geographer and the interdisciplinary sciencesThe new reforms impelled by the process of “European convergence” force us toopen the debate about educational innovation. At this moment, the proposal of theSpanish Consejo de Coordinación Universitaria (Council of University Coordination)reduces the number of degrees by half, from over 140 to little more than 70.Some of the new degrees will disappear, as is the case of the Humanities, and inothers they will become combined (History of Art would become united to History).Geography is not affected, but the proposal made by the Spanish geography departments(led by the Association of Spanish Geographers -AGE) to create a degree in175