Economic growth, wealth creation, outsourcing, economic inequality, resource distribution, and the uneven penetration of the global economy are phenomena that have a strong geographic base. In program 6 Alec Murphy looks at how human geography can make sense of the economic world in the global economy of the 21st Century.

Three experts (Michael Berry, Karl Gerth, and Pankaj Mishra) offer different, often surprising, perspectives on contemporary Chinese society.

Using the story of the most successful commercial brand in world history, The Cola Conquest is a revealing examination of popular culture in America and the exportation of American commercialism around the globe. Beginning its inquiry in 1895, The Cola Conquest traces the evolution of commercial supply and demand, and how this dynamic was birthed and shaped through a century of mass urbanization and industrialization. An eye opening critique of the...

Borrowing or benchmarking one national education system against another is not necessarily a remedy or the most useful analytical tool for educational reform, yet these are among the most common approaches. Begin to understand why this approach falls short as Professor Wiseman lays out his general thesis for the course..

America’s blueprint for mass education has been followed across the globe—yet international student assessments show that achievement varies sharply, with the U.S. and much of Europe typically scoring average, at best. Not surprisingly, this state of affairs has sparked anxieties about an educational crisis. Adding even more fuel to the fire: many cite a growing disconnect between what schools teach and the needs of a rapidly changing market....

How should we measure academic success? By standardized tests and school grades? By transition and mobility within an education system? See how true success in education is a delicate balance between school factors and non-school factors, which can look quite different depending on the context..

Accountability culture varies from country to country and region to region, but three common elements appear in most educational systems. Compare and contrast how access, achievement, and a combination of standards and assessments play out in the U.S. and Finland, and look at one notable exception—the consensus culture of Japan..

HUMAN GEOGRAPHY: MAKING SENSE OF PLANET EARTH presents human geography’s unique perspective. Human geography focuses on the distribution of places and human traits across the globe and their connection to one another. Presented by acclaimed geographer Alec Murphy this incredible series shot in HD reviews significant discoveries, individuals, and theories that make human geography a cutting edge science in the 21st Century.

In the 21st century, the Earth’s surface is being reshaped and reorganized on a scale unprecedented at any other time in the planet’s history. It is a change directly caused by humans. In program eight Alec Murphy investigates why geographical concepts and insights are critical to the effort to confront the challenges of our ever-changing planet as its population grows to a staggering 10 billion people in the 21st century.

Using the story of the most successful commercial brand in world history, The Cola Conquest is a revealing examination of popular culture in America and the exportation of American commercialism around the globe. Beginning its inquiry in 1895, The Cola Conquest traces the evolution of commercial supply and demand, and how this dynamic was birthed and shaped through a century of mass urbanization and industrialization. An eye opening critique of the...