The Journal of The Korean Association of Geographic and Environmental Education ISSN:1226-511X(Print) 2586-5641(Online) 한국지리환경교육학회지

This study was conducted to reflect on the trends of changes of classification of subjects in the high school geography curriculum and explore a direction for organizing geography subjects. The main results of this study are as follows. First, geography was organized into two types of subjects—compulsory and elective subjects—during the period from the syllabus period to the 5th curriculum. Beginning in the 7th curriculum, geography is an elective subject, while subjects of special course are replaced by elective subjects in general high schools. Second, subjects of social studies were expediently organized for each curriculum period regardless of the nature of subjects in different areas or the characteristics of their content system. In the three areas of social studies, there were changes in the organization of subjects and the subject names in each period. In contrast, the organization of geography into two subjects—Korean Geography and World Geography—has been fixed. Finally, from the perspective of powerful disciplinary knowledge theory, the case of China’s geography curriculum, which constitutes various subjects based on the research field of geography, was examined. And based on this, a direction and a plan (draft) for organizing geography subjects encompassing general and special course subjects were presented.