RESEARCH

Current research being performed by the Institute of Geography is related to the interests of employees of its specific Departments and their scientific domains, and concerns the specialisations offered by the Institute to students. These include:

• physical geography (including, most importantly, geomorphology, climatology, meteorology and hydrography),
• geology,
• sustainable development and environment shaping,
• social and economic geography (including demography, settlement, agriculture, industry, services),
• regional geography,
• geography of tourism,
• entrepreneurship,
• spatial management,
• geoinformation and cartography,
• methodology of teaching geography, natural   sciences and entrepreneurship.

The Institute of Geography has a long-standing tradition of organising annual scientific   conferences. Every year in October, the Entrepreneurship and Spatial Management Department, in collaboration with the Industrial Geography Commission of Polish Geographical Society and other partners organises cyclical international conferences devoted to entrepreneurship, accompanied by Conventions of Entrepre- neurship Teachers. Another reoccurring cycle of international conferences organised by the Department is devoted to broadly understood geography of industry and services. The conferences are held every year in early December. In addition, conferences on teaching geography and various subjects of natural science at different levels of education are organised on a regular basis by the Didactic of Geography Department. The Institute of Geography also co-organises sessions of The Lelewel’s Society Research Group dealing chiefly with the identity of geography, its social role and the rank it occupies in the education system. The scientific development of the Institute is demonstrated in numerous publications and own scientific periodicals:

• Annales Universitatis Paedagogicae Cracoviensis Studia Geographica – http://annalesgeo.up.krakow.pl/,
• Studies   of   the Industrial  Geography Commission of the Polish Geographical Society (in collaboration with the IGC of the PGS ) – http://prace-kgp.up.krakow.pl/,
• Entrepreneurship – Education (in collaboration with Nowa Era publishing house) – http://p-e.up.krakow.pl/,

Research work on teaching methods finds its practical application in numerous textbooks and teaching aids prepared by the Institute’s employees. Institute staff is also active writing textbooks and school handbooks, as well as exercise books, teaching syllabuses and preparing teacher’s guides and  multi-media discs concerning geography and entrepreneurship.