Dear Readers,
GeoCurrents will resume its regular publication schedule this week. Several changes have been made on the website. Most important, advertising is being eliminated, as GeoCurrents is transitioning into a non-revenue-generating mode. This change is primarily being made so that the website can be integrated into my teaching schedule, allowing me to avoid any potential conflicts of interest. For the next several months, I will be teaching a one-unit lecture course on the history and geography of current global events, which will be connected with a three-unit undergraduate seminar on the same topic. As a result, GeoCurrents posts during this period will focus more closely than usual on major stories in the news. I also hope to post more work written by my students, as I find it is a shame that most student papers are never read by anyone other than the instructor. Good work deserves to be shared more widely than that.
I have contemplated discontinuing the discussion feature, as the commentary often veers into matters of personal opinion unconnected with the actual post in question. I have decided, however, to retain this feature as it is for the time being. I would request, however, that commenters stay on topic and try to keep mere matters of opinions to a minimum. Substantive comments, however, are most welcome, especially those that correct any errors found in the original post!
Tomorrow’s post, written by a former student, looks at problems connected with GDP mapping. Subsequently, I hope to write several posts on maps pertaining to the Islamic State.