System of Geographical Sciences: Ukrainian Experience in the Context of Modern Subject Transformation)

Abstract

The subject transformation of Ukrainian geographical science demonstrates the strengthening of the monistic approach, which considers the Earth’s envelope as an integral socio-natural geosphere, in which the natural environment and man with his economic and spiritual activity are inextricably linked. Accordingly, one of the main directions of modern methodological developments is the geographical sciences systematization according to their composition and their multilevel ordering on the basis of the unity and integrity of the common object of geographical research - the landscape envelope of the Earth. The article proposes the authors’ scheme of the modern system of geographical sciences, in which the structuring of geographical researches directions is carried out according to the following basic principles: a) the system of geographical sciences is developed not in the list of relevant subjects and disciplines, but in the main areas of geographical research; b) the theoretical and methodological core of the geographical sciences system should be the direction of general integrated geographical research; c) directions of geographical researches and corresponding subject areas and disciplines are organized according to the levels of the landscape envelope structural organization and divided into global (geospheric), regional (country studies, regional studies) and local (environmental and socio-natural activities); d) the proposed systematics does not directly take into account the traditional division of geographical sciences and disciplines into basic - auxiliary - servicing.