The Earth is born 4.6 billion years ago, and it is the third planet in the solar system. After a long-time evolution, different spheres and layers such as core, mantle, crust, biosphere, atmosphere, and so forth have formed on the Earth. The surface configuration of the Earth is various, including endless mountains, vast plains, broad grasslands, desolate deserts, large glaciers, wide oceans, meandering rivers, and diverse animals and plants. After the appearance of mankind on the Earth, the population has become increasingly large, and society has developed in order until today. Human beings have never stopped exploring the phenomena, evolution laws, and causes of the Earth’s surface all the time, which have finally formed the geographical science - Geography.

In 1921, the first geography department in China has been established in Nanjing University by professor Zhu Kezhen. It has also been long recognized as the birthplace of Chinese geography and the cradle of national geographical talents. Professor Li Manchun, together with another eight professors of Nanjing University, teaches the MOOC course “Understanding Geography: Human, Land & Ocean” with historical missions, which would also be helpful to improve the geographical education, serve the national requirements, and construct ecological progress.

This course highlights interesting, scientific, characteristic and contemporary features. It aims to arouse interest among college students, would-be college students, and also the public. This course will offer general geographic knowledge, teach relevant research methods, and demonstrate major settings of geography in Chinese universities. In this process, students will change their understanding of geography from pure knowledge accumulation to research design, and gradually form suitable study plans tailored to themselves.

This course includes eight lectures:

Lecture One, “What is Geography?”, explains the concept of geography and its scientific significance.

Lecture Two, “Development of Geography”, reviews the developing process of geography.

Lecture Three to Lecture Six, teach some branch subjects of geography such as “Physical Geography, Resources & Environment”, “Human Geography, Urban & Rural Planning”, “Ocean Geography and Ocean Science”, “Geographic Information Science”, and so forth.

Lecture Seven, “Research on Geography”, introduces the general research methods of studying geography.

Lecture Eight, “Geography Undergraduate Programs at NJU”, introduces the plans of studying geography in the college, taking Nanjing University for instance.

For Chinese version, please refer to: https://www.icourse163.org/course/NJU-1001623002  ("走进地理学"MOOC)