FINANCIAL-POLITICAL 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 geographical 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) utilize the main concepts and tools of geopolitics to interpret the evolution of the international relations system in a synchronic perspective;
d) to formulate and present interpretative hypotheses regarding the evolution of political and geopolitical scenarios;
e) to select the most reliable sources, to constructively criticize and analyze relevant literature;
f) 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 dynamics and transformations of the contemporary world and the international system.
The lectures are structured around 4 broad thematic sections:
1. Space and Power: The Political and Economic Geographies of States and Nations
2. Border Geographies: New Territorialities
3. Contested Places: Spaces of Inclusion and Exclusion
4. Planetary Geographies: Spatialities of Climate Change

LECTURE OUTLINE:
1. Introduction: The 'Geographical Gaze'

I: SPACE AND POWER
2. The Birth of the Nation-State and Its Transformations
3. Imagined Communities: The Cultural Construction of State-Space
4. Nation and Territory: Constructing the 'Homeland' in Place
5. The Boundaries of the Nation: Citizenship, Community, Belonging

II: THE GEOGRAPHY OF BORDERS
6. New Border Geographies
7. Internal Borders: The Border Within
8. Externalizing Borders: Stretching State-Space

III: CONTESTED PLACES
9. Contested Places: Spaces of Inclusion and Exclusion
10. Electoral Geographies: Special 'US Elections Edition'
11. Social Movements: The Spaces of Alternative Politics

IV: PLANETARY GEOGRAPHIES
12. Geopolitics for a Burning Planet
13. The Unequal Geographies of Climate Change
14. Reactionary Geographies: Ecological Populism

15. Course wrap-up and exam revision session

Jones, M. et alia (2021). Introduzione alla Geografia Politica: Spazi, Luoghi, Politiche. UTET

Written test, with 6 open-ended questions, lasting 120 minutes. Each answer is worth 5 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.

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

Italian

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.

written

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "International cooperation" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development