Geography in America: Stereotype or Truth?

Introduction:

Geography is something that I have been interested in since I first laid eyes upon a world atlas. However, the consensus of the internet is that Americans are bad at geography. In this story map, I will attempt to answer whether Americans are truly bad at geography or it's just a stereotype.

The major themes I have found in my sources detail possible reasons for the negative opinion foreigners have of Americans concerning geography, and probable causes for the poor evaluation of geography in the U.S. Additionally, American politics and their influence on American geography was an integral part of my research. Finally, I researched the importance of geography for Americans.

I chose this topic because as an American interested in geography, I want to understand the stigma around American geography and the circumstances that has led to our nation's current status quo.

Annotated Sources:

1. Carylsue. (2017, July 14). Why are U.S. Students Bad at Geography? National Geographic Education Blog. https://blog.education.nationalgeographic.org/2015/10/22/why-are-u-s-students-bad-at-geography/

This Article by Carlysue of National Geographic reviews the U.S. Government Accountability Office's (GAO) report on geography education in America. According to the article, only 10 of 50 states require geography education in high school as of 2015. Additionally, the article contains a very helpful graphic that details challenges to providing beneficial geography education for K-12 students:

This National Geographic article contains an educator's perspective on the challenges of implementing geography education into the classroom. It has also contributed interesting statistics on the abysmal American geography curriculum. Finally, this source will be helpful in answering all three of my research questions and is most in line with my Story Map, as the article's insight on the improvement of the American geography education outcomes, the importance of geography, and the involvement of U.S. politics checks all three boxes.

2. CFR Editors. (2019, December 5). Americans lack knowledge of international issues yet consider them important, finds new survey. Council on Foreign Relations. https://www.cfr.org/news-releases/americans-lack-knowledge-international-issues-yet-consider-them-important-finds-new

This article by the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) highlights a survey spearheaded by the National Geographic Society in collaboration with the CFR. The survey includes a general knowledge test on geography and world affairs, as well as a poll on how Americans rate the importance of foreign affairs. Interestingly, despite only 6% of the respondent achieving a score of 80% or higher on the aptitude test, 70% of respondents believed education on international issues to be important for Americans. This self-reported dichotomy poises an interesting question: If the geography of foreign affairs is believed to be important for Americans, why do we perform so low on aptitude tests?

What this source contributes to my research: this source has brought an interesting revelation to light: Americans don't simply not care about geography, but rather are unable/unwilling to educate themselves on geography at an internationally acceptable level. Less than 30% of participants said that they learned about foreign policy in school (including college!) and the average of the aptitude test was around 50%. According to the survey, there is most certainly an interest in geography for Americans, so we cannot simply say that Americans are "bad" at geography because of lack of interest.

3. Geography: 30 reasons why it really matters. (2020). In The Royal Geographical Society (With IBG) [Press-release]. https://www.rgs.org/media/o5fdiffb/reasonswhygeographyreallymatters.pdf

This report by the Royal Geographic Society and the Institute of British Geographers displays the benefits of prioritizing a geographic curriculum in British schools. The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) exam survey listed as geography as the most important class for teaching students about climate change, and is now the 6th most popular GCSE subject. Geography is also one of the fastest growing subjects in British education, with a substantial 13% increase in students studying geography. Another important factor on why geography matters is that a majority percentage of the growth in the subject comes from disadvantaged minorities in Britain. Finally, the report introduces the idea of "professional geographers" as a benchmark of success in education.

This article is meaningful to my Story Map research due to the measurable success of British geography education and why it is important for young students. This data can be a useful comparison to model America's own geography curriculum and is a convincing argument for an overhaul of this nation's current education policies. Additionally, the presentation displays surprising racial equalities in geography education, something our nation can definitely learn from. The actualization of professional geographers legitimizes a previously undervalued subject and serves as a measurable goal for American geographic education.

4. McConnell, F. (2020). Possible futures for Geography and Geographers and Political Geography? A reading from the margins. GeoJournal, 87(S3), 373–375. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10708-020-10204-5

This peer-reviewed journal article challenges the notion of a "one-society assumption" that is coherent with western geography and what it means to coexist with political geography. Political geography describes the ever-connected nature of geography with politics, and how interconnected the two are. This article describes the possible futures of the Political Geography journal and Geography and Geographers journal, such as a post-colonial view for political geography. Thus, this article focuses on how western politics has influenced geography and why that may not be the best outlook.

Politics is an integral part of geography that contributes to our society's current outlook on geography, and this article explores political geography while discussing the future of the two aforementioned journals. This peer-reviewed article will be important for answering my second research question on how U.S. politics have influenced geography in America. Perhaps the stagnation of the geography journals could have a hand in the downfall of the public's outlook on geography in this nation. Finally, the numerous ideas on future improvements for the two articles may provide good inspiration on potential solutions.

5. Aaron David Miller (2023). The link between geography and U.S. foreign policy has grown more complex. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. https://carnegieendowment.org/posts/2023/04/the-link-between-geography-and-us-foreign-policy-has-grown-more-complex?lang=en

Aaron David Miller, who has served as Department of State for several U.S. administrations, talks about the drawbacks of the geopolitical heavyweight the U.S. has become. He argues that the U.S. has faced virtually no existential threats to its sovereignty in the past 200 years, and the result of this peace is a nation with no clearly defined foreign policy. For example, the reaction of the U.S. populace to our nation's involvement in the Vietnamese War quickly soured. He also argues that our absolute security allows us to maintain a liberal view of war, as our naive aspirations of aiding Ukraine against the Russian dictatorship come from a nation that has never experienced these realities. Finally, he debates that the protection of a nation's homeland is the greatest achievement a country can have, and our success has led to an infantile and naive outlook on foreign policy based on "monsters to destroy." However, Miller also mentions that our childlike outlook can help us be a force of good for the world:

This compelling article provides a multiple of reasons for current state of foreign affairs in the U.S. I will also base my argument of my second research question on Miller's ideology of U.S. politics. I have learned a lot from this article about political geography, and it has given a direction for my second research question and my Story Map as a whole. Finally, I think my perspective on America's black and white, us versus them foreign affairs have shifted from a place of superiority to a place of naivety.

6. Vitale, E. (2024, October 16). How does polarization impact US foreign policy? (By J. Tama). American University. https://www.american.edu/sis/news/20241016-how-does-polarization-impact-us-foreign-policy.cfm

Political polarization is an important issue to address when covering U.S. foreign policy, as party affiliations can interfere with foreign policy even in the upper echelons of the government. Polarization refers to the divide between the Republican and Democratic parties in America, and in political bodies juxtaposed with members of both parties, often political affiliation and pressure will undermine personal beliefs on foreign policy. On one hand, polarization has led to multiple viewpoints on foreign policy but also weakening the link between the president and Congress. According to Tama, the drawbacks of polarization greatly outweigh the benefits. For example, The US's stance on climate change depends drastically on the current president, as the shift from President Obama to Trump saw a dramatic switch of our stance. Even recently, Trump backed the U.S. out of the World Health Organization (WHO), which stands in stark contrast to President Biden's motives before him. Effectively, political polarization has characterized the U.S. has a loose cannon that can be hard to predict, and our foreign policy is just as irrational due to the political divide. It is ironic that the land of the free is currently shackled by political affiliations, and unable to reach a foreign policy consensus.

Although not inherently tied to geography, political polarization is an important topic when it comes to geography in America due to its implications. This article on Jordan Tama's opinion on foreign policy has contributed information about the connection between geography and politics and will be helpful in writing my conclusion. I have learned that polarization and politics have created the current state of U.S. geography, and changes must occur for the progress of our country.

7. Allnutt, L. (2008, April 8). World: Americans fail geography, but are other nationalities better? RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. https://www.rferl.org/a/1068259.html

My final annotation comes full circle back to my first research question: are Americans bad at geography? In this 2008 article, journalist Luke Allnutt attempts to find out if other countries are any better at geography than Americans. First, the National Geographic Roper poll found that 63% of Americans were unable to find Iraq on a map, despite the U.S. attention towards Iraq during this time period due to current events. Even more surprisingly, this failure of geographic knowledge extends to even American's knowledge on their own country: fewer than 50% of participants were able to locate the states of New York and Ohio on a map. According to Allnutt, international students in Prague performed much better on geography polls then their American counterparts, but their status as international students may have skewed the results. National Geographic vice president Terry Garcia believes that the American's lackluster abilities in geography is simple: "Pretty much after the 7th grade here in the United States, geography isn't taught." More factors that may have led to this geographic knowledge disparity is travel and foreign language. In a 2002 survey, it was found that over 70% of participants in the highest scoring countries had traveled internationally in the past three years. Meanwhile, only 20% of American participants had traveled internationally in the past three years, and I speculate that the percentage would be even lower in the current era. The final and what I think is the most important contributing factor mentioned is the isolated geography of America.

This article has helped me consolidate my findings and will be instrumental in answering my first research question. This source also reinforced my previous beliefs on why Americans are bad at geography due to isolationism and poor education on Geography. I was surprised to learn that the American participants were unable to even find the well-known states of New York and Ohio on a map, as I was hesitant to believe that our ineptitude extended to our own geography. This statistic just further emphasizes the need for the complete renovation of the American geography education system.

Conclusion:

After the completion of my research, I have learned that my research questions are very broad and that there may be many different ways to approach them. As far as importance, the article by Aaron Miller has shifted my perspective on U.S. foreign policy, as I can look more critically at the decisions past regimes have made. My eyes have also been opened to the fact that U.S. geography education is almost nonexistent; it is eerie that such an important topic is considered by many to be not worthy of inclusion in public education, and it is a shame that many, including myself, have not realized the importance of geographic education. Finally, I have changed my perspective on geography from a fun past-time quiz or self-challenge to an important part of how I view and interact with the world, and the impacts of geography on other sectors of education.

Although it may not be immediately apparent on how what I have learned can be applied to class, I believe that my research has changed my perspective on the geopolitical components of America and allows me to see what we have covered in class in a new light. For example, my opinion on the imports of agriculture like bananas from Colombia are now influenced by what I have learned about American foreign policy, and the many case studies I have seen from class now have new meaning to me. Ultimately, I believe my research for my Story Map has enriched what I have learned in this class and given me a variety of perspectives on geography and the political implications of America's geopolitical status.

After the extensive research I have done on my Story Map topic, I can say that Americans are bad at geography. However, this is not the result of blind ignorance: rather, the complex geopolitical position of the U.S. combined with a black-and-white foreign policy has led to a nation where education in Geography is not seen as necessary. Our nation's status as an invincible superpower has blinded the eyes of the government in regard to educating citizens on geography: why educate the people on geography if we believe we are a virtuous superpower? If we have not faced existential threats in 200 years, what is the point of learning about other countries and cultures if they pose no harm to us? I remember hearing that Germany still educates young children on the mistakes made in WWII to prevent history from repeating itself, yet the only history we teach in America is the victories of the country. Only recently have we even begun to acknowledge the suffering of Native Americans under the white man's rule. The point I am trying to make is that the global north perspective is inherently connected to American supremacism, and to recognize our bias is the first and most important step in reimaging geography education in this nation.

Politics have had a tremendous impact on the population's geographic knowledge. In Jordan Tama's literature, he mentions how political polarization and partisan decisions have led to an inconsistent foreign policy amidst a power struggle between President and Congress. More importantly, politicians have overseen the downfall of American geography education while countries like Britain are experiencing the benefits of a substantial and equitable geography education. American geography education is a simple issue on paper, but with politics and government funding muddying the waters, it seems unlikely that any real changes can be made, and there is no guarantee that political polarization will not undo any progress made towards these goals. Finally, Geography matters for Americans due to the unique state our country is in, where we have been virtually untouchable since our independence. Our naivety in foreign policy is also our greatest strength: we genuinely can act as a force of good globally. But on an individual level, Geography matters for Americans due to the educational and career opportunities it provides, and other educational systems like the British system serve as important examples and the potential demographical benefits geography can bring for Americans. Thanks for reading this far! I have one last question to ask: when was the last time you immersed yourself in educating yourself on geography? Do you think, that after reading my story map, even this small step can be impactful?

Finally, I want to wrap up this project with one last image: what geography education in our country could look like. Due to the variability and leeway of State laws, it is entirely possible that even one state could mandate Geography education for children and the outcome of this decision could spread to the entire country. Despite all the doom and gloom that I have found in my research, I still have hope that things can change.

Image Citations:

1. Kloss, K. (2016, June 21). 10 Fascinating Truths about famous landmarks in America. ELLE Decor. http://www.elledecor.com/life-culture/travel/g3121/famous-landmarks-facts/
2. Arpi, & Arpi. (2022, December 26). 30 fails that’ll make you feel much better about your knowledge of geography - Vicious kangaroo. vk.am. https://vk.am/blog/58991.html
3. MSN. (n.d.). https://www.msn.com/en-in/health/health-news/what-the-us-withdrawal-from-who-means-for-global-health-security/ar-AA1yvOb6
4. Khurana, A. (2023, December 15). Culture in The US: Language, Traditions, People, Customs & Etiquettes - Leap Scholar. LeapScholar. https://leapscholar.com/blog/culture-in-us-language-traditions-people-customs-etiquettes/
5.  https://i0.wp.com/blog.education.nationalgeographic.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/geography-challenges.jpg?ssl=1  - Geography Education Graphic
6. Gallup. (2019, October 25). U.S. Adults’ Knowledge About the World. Council on Foreign Relations. https://www.cfr.org/report/us-adults-knowledge-about-world
7. Geography: 30 reasons why it really matters. (2020). In The Royal Geographical Society (With IBG) [Press-release]. https://www.rgs.org/media/o5fdiffb/reasonswhygeographyreallymatters.pdf
8.  WallpaperCave. (n.d.). Political Geography Wallpaper. WallpaperCave.   https://wallpapercave.com/w/wp3154568 
9. Female Soldiers work with women of Afghanistan. (2011, August 30). www.army.mil. https://www.army.mil/article/64513/female_soldiers_work_with_women_of_afghanistan
10. U.S. is polarizing faster than other democracies, study finds. (2020, January 21). Brown University. https://www.brown.edu/news/2020-01-21/polarization
11. National Geographic Roper 2002 Global Geographic Literacy Survey Conducted by Roper ASW for. (n.d.). https://slidetodoc.com/national-geographic-roper-2002-global-geographic-literacy-survey/
12. Michael Dumas, mdumas@al.com. (2011, May 19). State alliance seeks to continue geography programs. Gulflive. https://www.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-living/2011/05/state_alliance_seeks_to_contin.html