POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY

The course aims to provide students with the main conceptual and methodological tools of political and economic geography. The fundamental objective of the course is to furnish students with the conceptual bases required for an understanding of the importance of a spatial perspective to the study of International Relations.

At the end of the course, students will have acquired the basic concepts of economic and political geography and the related terminology.
Moreover, they will be able to:
a) understand the main spatial and territorial dimensions of the actions of states and other political actors, from international organizations to local actors;
b) apply the basic concepts of economic and political geography and its terminology towards an interpretation of the evolution of contemporary politics and geopolitics;
c) to formulate and present interpretative hypotheses regarding the evolution of political and geopolitical scenarios;
d) to select the most reliable sources, to constructively criticize and analyze relevant literature;
e) represent and synthesize the acquired knowledge in an efficient and coherent way.

Basic knowledge of key concepts in International Relations.

The course engages with the key geographical questions, with particular attention to the role of spatial representations and the dynamics between space and power at a variety of scales.

Lecture schedule:
I: Cartografare il Mondo: Geografia e Rappresentazione
Geografia e cartografia (26.09)
Scoprire il mondo: geografia, esplorazioni e colonialismo (03.10)
Cartografare i pericoli: gli spazi della geopolitica (10.10)

II: Spazio e Potere
La Nascita dello Stato-Nazione e le sue Trasformazioni (17.10)
Comunità Immaginate: La Costruzione Culturale dello Spazio-Stato (24.10)
Nazione e il Territorio: Costruire ‘La Patria’ nei Luoghi (31.10)
I Confini della Nazione: Cittadinanza, Comunità, Appartenenza (07.11)

III: Spazi di Inclusione ed Esclusione
Nuove Geografie dei Confini (14.11)
Confini Interni: Il Confine Dentro (28.11)
Esternalizzazione dei Confini: Le Estensioni dello Spazio-Stato (05.12)
Città contese: Spazi di inclusione ed esclusione (19.12)

Minca, C. (a cura di) Appunti di geografia. Padova: CEDAM, 2022.
Additional material will be made available in electronic format on Moodle.

Written take-home exam, with 3 open-ended questions. Each answer is worth 10 points (out of a total of 30)

The exam aims at verifying students' knowledge of the key topics of the course, as well as their ability to use key concepts to interpret and analyze the contemporary geoeconomic and geopolitical trends, with particular attention to the changing role of states and other actors in global dynamics, and in the evolution of the international relations system.

written

The minimum passing grade is 18/30 and the maximum grade 30/30, with possible 'lode'.

The course is structured around interactive lectures, including both a frontal component and discussion moments.

Attendance is strongly recommended.

Exam registration is managed by the University electronic system and not by the instructor. ONLY students indicated on the list provided by the electronic system will be permitted to take part in the exam. For any issues, students should contact the student administration.

Ca’ Foscari abides by Italian Law (Law 17/1999; Law 170/2010) regarding support services and accommodation available to students with disabilities. This includes students with
mobility, visual, hearing and other disabilities (Law 17/1999), and specific learning impairments (Law 170/2010). If you have a disability or impairment that requires accommodations (i.e., alternate testing, readers, note takers or interpreters) please contact the Disability and Accessibility Offices in Student Services: disabilita@unive.it.

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Cities, infrastructure and social capital" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development