Geography Awareness Week
November 14 – 19, 2023
Geography Awareness Week (GAW) is a nationwide celebration sponsored by the National Geographic Society. In accordance, the Geography Department and the Tennessee Geographic Alliance sponsor a weeklong series of events to highlight the “Power of Geography.” Activities scheduled include opportunities for undergraduates to explore Geography as a major and to learn about potential career paths.
Each year more than 100,000 Americans actively participate in Geography Awareness Week. Established by presidential proclamation more than 30 years ago, this annual public awareness program organized by National Geographic Education Programs (NGEP) encourages citizens young and old to think and learn about the significance of place and how we affect and are affected by it. Each third week of November, students, families and community members focus on the importance of geography by hosting events; using lessons, games, and challenges in the classroom; and often meeting with policymakers and business leaders as part of that year’s activities. Geography Awareness Week is supported by year-long access to materials and resources for teachers, parents, community activists and all geographically minded global citizens.
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
GEOGRAPHY AWARENESS WEEK
“In 1987 the US Government, with help from the National Geographic Society, declared that the thrid week in November would be Geography Awareness Week. What I like to be able to tell people about Geography is that it’s a way of looking at the world and gaining understanding. And this isn’t just about knowing where countries are. This is about understanding how we exist as a single global community.” —Alex Tait, The National Geographic Society
FEATURED UT EVENT
“Making Room: Cartography as a way of writing” (Featuring Guggenheim Fellow Dr. Margaret Pearce)
What if you practiced cartography not as tech, but as writing? How would that change the work you contribute in the world? In this time of inattention and complacency, writing through cartography can be a powerful intervention and antidote. Dr. Pearce will take a deep dive into two recent projects that deal with topics many people would rather avoid thinking about: the profiting of universities from expropriated Indigenous lands under the Morrill Act, and the U.S. government’s violent expulsions of Ho-Chunk and Myaamia governments and citizens from their homelands.
Thurs., Nov. 16 | 4:10pm–5:30pm | Strong Hall, Rm 101
Events
