Ans.

There are several good approaches to the study of human geography. One is the contrast of regional geography vrs. disciplinary geography. Because human geography is concerned with the spatial aspects of people, we can identify a given physical region or cultural area and seek to learn everything that characterizes the geography of that location or area. It will likely include the physical landscapes; the historical, economic and social elements of that location. It relates the spatial nature and variations of humans within a selected area, recognizing that the observable patterns are a product of many different processes. Thus we can study the human geography of say North America, Michigan, or of Detroit in an effort to understand all we can about these areas or regions.

Alternatively, we can study human geography from the standpoint of a single discipline, and compare and contrast the differences we see over large areas or even the entire globe. We can look at different political systems, different languages, or competing religions over continents or the globe and ask why these human elements occur in some regions and not in others. Thus a political scientist, linguist, or cultural geography may focus on the spatial differences of his or her discipline.

Another approach is to look sequentially at a top-down or a bottom-up approach. Some people like to have a comprehensive, generalized overview of human geography and then to look at successively smaller locations. Others relate strongly to their local environments and therefore, like to start with the things that they can see outside their window and they extrapolate to larger and larger areas to make it meaningful. In reality, we each have different styles of learning and each approaches may be best for different people. In reality, hybrid approaches are often used.