Changing Horizons in Geography Education - HERODOT Network ...

“instability”, “inequality”, “fragmentation”, “conflict” or “transitory problems”,although there is also a more aseptic or even positive vocabulary of terms suchas “territorial mutations and new horizons”, “highly defined national identities”,“perspectives for economic growth” and “potential for endogenous development”.Recurrent, absent and new themesThe geopolitical, economic, social and environmental changes in Europe, alongwith the role and relationship of Europe to the rest of the world are introducing newconcerns and interests that little by little are reflected in educational content.Generally, the most classic themes observed include: physical framework, characteristicsof the population, economic activity and organisation of space. Amongthe newer ones, the most recurrent are: individualisation of European space, conceptof Europe, geopolitical framework, construction of the European Union and thepolitical space of Europe, nation-states and nationalism, environment, in-migration,and regional inequalities.Paradoxically, a number of contemporary concerns are not particularly visible: theethnic, linguistic and religious diversity of Europeans and the general recognition ofotherness (issues of gender, sexuality, poverty and marginalisation). In this sense,the Spanish panorama shares with other countries (Kitchin, 1999) a slowness in theincorporation of post-modern, post-structuralist and feminist ideas and a criticalgeography focus into academic syllabi.Meanwhile, there is also a clear need for critical geography to be incorporated intosyllabi in a more obvious way, particularly for the development of critical skills andattitudes in students, as a means of improving their capacity for the contextualisationand formulation of evaluations of their environment.Neither is there a very strong presence of the socio-political and economic positioningof Europe in the world, nor of the relationship between Europe and othergeographical areas. In particular, when other geographical regions appear, these aredeveloped areas with which Europe maintains a relationship of economic exchange.The relationship between Europe and less developed countries rarely appears insyllabi.There are few examples of specific places mentioned in the syllabi, those cases inwhich they do appear is when the lecturer uses the territory as a case study (“TheSwedish Nordland, for example). However, we are aware that in some universities,case studies are included on specific territories through not previously detailed inthe description of the course-content.Final ThoughtsThe analysis of the different syllabi leads us to conclude that the main objectiveis to transmit knowledge about Europe more than to “europeanise” the students.Nevertheless, issues related to the European construction or the space of the EuropeanUnion are emphasized. This can be understood as an implicit will to make thestudents face and understand the present European context.233