At the undergraduate level, the Department of Geography is currently one of the departments in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) of the university. Courses in the Department lead to the degree of BA (Hons) in Geography in the English medium. The first intake of students were admitted in 1992/93 session. Earlier in 1986-91, the Department had offered a similar degree programme to three batches of students, but in the Malay medium. For others with an interest in a teaching career, students in geography may major in the subject in the BA Ed. (Hons) degree programme. This strand, which started in the 1988/89 academic session, is also open to mature students, that is, serving teachers and other government officers with the necessary entry qualifications.

The Department also offers post-graduate studies by research (thesis) leading to the degree of Master of Arts or Doctor of Philosophy within the sub-fields of physical and human geography. The Department, in co-operation with the Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Institute of Education (SHBIE), also offers a special geography package for under graduates in other disciplines who wish to teach geography in secondary schools. Earlier in the 1990 - 1993 academic sessions, the Department also assisted SHBIE in teaching geography content courses in the BA Ed. (Primary) and in the Certificate of Education Programmes. We have also assisted in conducting in-service courses on Teaching Local Studies and on Environment Problems in the INSET programme for teachers.

The Department is also very aware of its responsibility to serve the community. Towards this end, the Department has mounted courses that aim at personal and self-improvement of members of the public under the Continuing Education Programme. Our commitment to such a cause, however, is better reflected in the departmental research efforts, in staff research publications and attendance at international conferences held locally and overseas. To date, the Department has successfully hosted the international conferences in Geography in the ASEAN Region (1990), Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Application in Planning (1992), and it has organised the International Seminar on Highlighting the Geography of the Islamic World in the School Curricula (1992). In 1995 the Department hosted the International Symposium on Climate and Life in the Asia-Pacific Region (ISCLAP) jointly organised by the Department and the Commission on Climatology of the International Geographical Union (IGU). In 1997 the Department conducted a national workshop on Environmental Education in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Brunei Darussalam and the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), Bangkok.

The role of the Department of Geography in the university can be summarised as follows:

• to provide general and specialised knowledge;
• to promote the individual's intellectual and professional development;
• to meet specific skill and manpower needs; and
• to undertake research for professional and national development.

To most people, geography is essentially about places. The common sense justification for teaching it, for example in the Continuing Education Programme and in-service courses, must be to disseminate useful knowledge about the world we live in which is of interest and which has practical applications for even non-professional geographers. Although knowledge about other lands sadly may no longer engender a love for other fellow beings or promote mutual respect and international peace and understanding in most parts of the world today, within the confines of one's own country, a well-informed citizenry through some exposure to the discipline is certainly an asset.

Geography has much to offer in training and developing the intellect. In weaving raw materials into coherent patterns of relationships in space, Geography requires an understanding of the manifold complexities of spatial relationships that calls for the highest intellectual ability. Few disciplines train the students more effectively than geography 'to think visually, with accuracy and readiness' (Mackinder, J. 1906. in p.9 Min. Ed. Pamphlet No.39, HMSO, 1962). While the art of synthesis can be regarded as the pinnacle of academic training in the discipline, the emphasis on field work and various other geographical techniques and skills adds a further dimension in the development of a practical person, i.e., to be able to apply specific geographical tools to resolve problems in the real world. For example, training in Geographic Information Systems and computer applications should provide the geography graduates with an extra cutting edge to handle their professions.

A less philosophical but pragmatic claim for teaching geography in this university is to meet national manpower needs. Until employers are willing to absorb geography graduates, the main demand for those with the BA or BA Ed. majoring in the subject will be in teaching. However, the BA Degree graduates will have had the exposure and some initial training, which should prepare them as well as those from other disciplines for employment in government departments and agencies and the private sector. Traditionally, geography graduates are well suited to work as officers in government departments dealing in resource development; planning and settlement; trade and industry; transport and communication; and environmental protection and conservation. In the private sector, other than in sales and administration, geography graduates are particularly suited to travel and tourism -- one of the main industries of the 21st century.

Finally, not less important than producing graduates to meet manpower-needs, is for the departmental staff to lead the way in undertaking research on various aspects of the environment, human, cultural and socio-economic development in Brunei. Such research findings are not only valuable for teaching purposes, but can also provide useful information in the planning and development of the country.