New Delhi, June 16: Geography is the study of the relationship between man and nature. And now with this relationship becoming an issue of concern all
over the world, there is a great demand for geographers, who can guide through various developmental projects, use and create the best technology to track natural resources and prepare the world against natural disasters and calamities.
BA (Hons) geography is offered in 10 colleges in Delhi University and if the faculty is to be believed, the popularity of this course has only risen in the past few years. The course is offered in Kirori Mal College (KMC), Miranda House, Dyal Singh College, Kamala Nehru College, Bhagat Singh College (morning), Bhagat Singh College (evening), Shivaji College, Aditi Mahavidyalaya, B R Ambedkar College and Swami Shraddhanand College.
Eligibility
Students from any stream can opt for this course. But for those, who did not study geography in class XII, there will be a deduction of 2-3% in the aggregate. Last year, the cut-offs for this course remained below 90% in the first list. It was the highest at Kirori Mal with the first cut-off ranging from 86% to 89%. It was 84%-85% in Miranda House last year. The first cut-off for BA (Hons) geography remained between 75% and 80% in most other colleges. It dropped by 3% to 7% before the colleges closed admission for this course.
Said Seema M Parihar, faculty member, department of geography of KMC: “Geography offers a blend of science and social science. Any student confused between humanities and science can opt for this course. You do not need any background knowledge of geography to pursue a degree course in the subject.” She added that the geography curriculum in schools focusses only on physical geography, however, the bachelors course is a lot different.
Course Content
Geography is a practical subject. A student of BA (Hons) geography has to do practicals, make project files and digital presentations. The course covers maps and scales, demography, environment and disaster management and different software required by geographers. The papers in the first year include geomorphology (physical geography), climatology and oceanography, geography of population, and a practical paper in general cartography (the study of making maps). In the next two years, the students learn about environment, geography of south Asia, statistical methods, remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS).
The course in geography was updated three years ago. According to Parihar, the curriculum needs to be updated again now as the natural conditions and technology are changing fast. The course entails a few field trips also. “We have taken our students to Bhutan and Nepal to show them gorges, rifts, sedimentary rocks and other geographical features,” Parihar said.
Road Ahead
Since only a handful of schools and colleges offer geography in the city, the number of geographers is usually less than the demand for them. With corporates and PSUs undertaking huge developmental projects, they require a dab hand in remote sensing, GIS and environment management. “Though a graduate in geography is fit for a job, most of our students prefer to go for higher studies in architecture as they study urban planning during the course. Many of them also try for civil services. In fact, many students from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar come to DU for geography (Hons) keeping civil services in mind,” Parihar said. She added that there was also a great shortage of school teachers for geography. So, a BEd after this course could open opportunities in teaching.
—Agencies–