Geography

Remote learning and national lockdowns threaten Geography more than other disciplines. Fieldwork and out of classroom experiences are vital in bringing our subject to life, and so finding ways to be innovative and dynamic despite the Covid restrictions has been a key challenge facing our department over the past two academic years. For the Sixth Form, we brought in Barry Cullimore, fieldwork expert and digital data connoisseur, who introduced our students to cutting-edge analysis tools that ensured our investigations continued to pack the usual academic punch that we expect in the department. For the Lower School, new schemes of work on Black Lives Matter and ‘Movement and Migration’ have captivated our students as we continue to sprinkle our lessons with gold-dust from contemporary society, economics, and geopolitics.

The half-termly newsletters keep students up to date on opportunities for geographical enrichment outside school, whether through museum visits or television documentaries, and I have been staggered by the student uptake in our school competitions. Students have written on topics as far-reaching as virtual reality, the Ukraine-Russia conflict, corruption, and COP-26, whilst the school’s inaugural COP-26 climate conference was truly inspiring, showcasing the next generation of environmentalists who the school are so fortunate to host every day. More recently, it has been fantastic getting students out of the classroom to a lecture day in central London and to a rivers investigation day in Surrey. With some excellent international residentials in the pipeline, it is a very exciting time to be studying Geography at Emanuel.

Studying ‘Black Lives Matter’

Black Lives Matter, also known as BLM, is now studied by Year 9 in Geography lessons. I believe that it is important that we learn about this, as it is a global issue directly affecting our generation. The Black Lives Matter movement was formed in response to numerous deaths of black individuals as a result of police brutality and racially motivated violence. The most famous of these deaths was the shocking killing of George Floyd, who died in police custody in Minneapolis in May 2020, an event which captured the world’s attention. The whole movement started with a hashtag, #Black Lives Matter, in 2013. By 2020, it escalated to protests all around the world against racial inequality and violence.

The Black Lives Matter community aims to make change and bring about equality for black people, who simply want to be respected and not judged by the colour of their skin. Organisers say the movement’s mission is to ‘eradicate white supremacy and to build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities’. We have learnt how the movement seeks to make vital changes in society, confronting discrimination that has become almost inbuilt within law enforcement, particularly in the USA. The movement represents an opportunity for all people, irrespective of class, political background or race, to collaborate against institutional racism.

Studying BLM from a geographical perspective means that we are looking at the impact of this movement across three sectors: politics, society, and economy. Through politics, we understand this is a fight to attain legal justice and rights in our time to create a better future.Through society, we have learned that institutionalised racism affects the way that people behave and are represented in the world. And through economics, we have seen that we need to give equal opportunities to everyone, as biased systems only widen the gulfs between the privileged and those in greater need. The consequences and impact of this movement are going to change our lives, and the lives of generations after ours, and Geography helps us understand how this important movement is set to shape the world around us.

Sixth Form Geography Lecture Day 2021

Anticipation and excitement were in the air as we bundled onto the train at Clapham Junction, heading for a riveting lecture day at the Emmanuel Centre in Westminster.

On arrival, we were introduced to captivating, renowned speakers who explored crucial geographical theories with a present-day lens. It was fascinating gaining an academic and theoretical perspective on contemporary geopolitical events surrounding China and Russia from political geographer Alasdair Pinkerton. This fueled my curiosity about how the subject of Geography has a large impact in this new technological age of politics. More importantly, Mr Harris’ question was commended by the lecturer for being insightful and pertinent, identifying how the presence of economic superpowers impacts global stability and security.

The well-known geography writer Danny Dorling delivered an eye-opening critique of the economic globalisation that continues to connect people and countries across the world.Through a more physical lens, Jenni Barclay gave enthralling comments on volcanic activity, and how communities can mitigate hazards in the 21st century. This made me wonder how this new era of warning and prediction systems can reduce damage done to contemporary society.

These talks gave us Sixth Formers an insight into the geographical minds of acclaimed academics, which made us further question the geographical problems in the world today.

Joshua

Green City Projects: Summer 2020

During lockdown and via remote learning, Year 8 pupils were challenged with designing their own green and sustainable city to include housing, green energy production, places to grow food, transport links, businesses, and areas for nature to thrive. The results were truly inspiring!

Geographical Book Reviews

One very talented geographer in Year 7, Macsen (7MM), has been delighting us all with his reviews of significant recent geographical literature. Macsen’s extremely impressive reading is seeing him engage with important contemporary geographical issues. First he read The Almighty Dollar by Dharshini David, and he was struck by how the book ‘takes you on a journey of one single dollar from the US to China, China to Nigeria, Nigeria to India and more’, while ‘teaching you a little about foreign direct investment, or FDI, which occurs when corporations invest in countries’. He then read Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall, which he considers ‘an absolutely amazing geo-political book’. Macsen enjoyed how the book ‘focuses on the impact of Geography on countries and regions, such as how Russia does not have a powerful navy because its ports freeze over in the winter, or how the UK has the best of both worlds by being an isolated island but close enough to the continent to allow trade and prosperity to spread’. He then moved on to another book by Tim Marshall: Divided. A more challenging read, Macsen was nevertheless intrigued by how the book ‘discusses the many divides in modern society, whether it be race, religion, or class’, and how Marshall ‘explores the rise of nationalism and how humans in some societies are almost returning to tribalism with ideas of us and them’. The Geography department wishes to congratulate Macsen on his superb reading, and we can’t wait to hear about what he reads next!

Tectonics Project

Also during online learning, as part of their study of tectonics, Year 7 pupils were given the challenge to create a 2D or 3D representation of either an earthquake, a tsunami, a volcanic eruption, or to design an earthquake-resistant structure. Pupils were encouraged to use materials found in their homes and we were hugely impressed by the range of their creations. Highlights included food art, animations, videos, and visual displays.