歴史的街道を対象とした自然地理学的な講義の提案 : 関東平野の中山道を事例として <原著論文>

筆者が所属する群馬大学教育学部社会専攻では,地理よりも歴史に興味をもつ学生が多い。これらの学生は,小学校・中学校の教員に採用されると,学校で地理的な内容を教えることになることから,地理的な見方・考え方の意義について大学時代に認識してもらう必要があると考えた。本稿では,筆者が数年間行っている,近世五街道の一つ中山道を事例とした,地理的な見方・考え方な視点を重視した自然地理学的な講義の内容について紹介した。

講義の内容は,1)関東平野の中山道周辺の地形の起源や成り立ち,2)街道のルートと地形条件の関係の特徴,3)街道沿いの地形と人々の生活の関係の3 点を,受講生に理解させることを意図している。講義中,地図作業を行うことや,群馬県内の中山道を歩くフィールドワークを実施し,地理的な見方・考え方について総合的な理解を得られるよう配慮した。

アンケート結果によると講義への評価が高いことから,この講義によって地理的な見方・考え方の意義を一定程度認識させることができたとみなしうる。

Most undergraduate students about to join the social studies department in the faculty of education learned Japanese history or world history during high school, and therefore they tend to take less of an interest in geography than in history. However, when they are teachers they will have to teach all aspects of social studies, including geography. There is therefore a need for a specific geographical curriculum for an undergraduate course that enables students to understand the significance of the geographical perspective.

In this paper, I propose an example of a physical geography curriculum related to the famous historical highway Nakasendo, which connected the capital city Edo (the former name of Tokyo) to Kyoto for about 260 years starting from A.D. 1600. Most students are familiar with this highway, so I imagine that they would have a greater interest in a geographical curriculum that includes it. The aim of the proposed curriculum is to enable students to understand 1) the characteristics of the geomorphological conditions on and around the highway, 2) the origin and process of landforms along the highway, and 3) the interaction between landforms and human activity in the days when the highway was used. The curriculum also contains map work and fieldwork taking place along part of the highway.

The results of an anonymous questionnaire completed by students show that this curriculum is highly favored, suggesting that it is has the potential to help students understand the significance of the geographical perspective.