POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY GEOG 4712: Summer 2006 Instructor: Marco Antonsich Office: Guggenheim 301 Off Hrs: MW 4-5pm Email: [email protected] Class meets: MTWRF 2.30-4:05PM Guggenheim 205 http://www.colorado.edu/geography/class_homepages/geog_4712_s06/ This course examines political, economic and social aspects of international relations from a geographical perspective. This course has an integrative character and requires basic knowledge about international affairs and current events. Students are invited to regularly read a substantive newspaper (e.g. The New York Times), magazine (e.g. The Economist) or online news website (e.g. http://news.bbc.co.uk/). This course will not engage in a systematic survey of regional issues and conflicts. Instead, past and contemporary developments in the world politics are used to illustrate the concepts and theories from the lectures and readings. The course is divided into three parts: 1. Geopolitics: formal and practical. This part introduces the students to the major thinkers of Western geopolitical thought, their theories and visions (formal geopolitics). As a way to understand the application of geopolitical reasoning to foreign politics (practical geopolitics), the case of the United States and its geopolitics during and after the Cold War will be analyzed. 2. State, Nation, Territory, and Identity. This part addresses the state as a geographical entity, theories of nationalism, and processes of de-nationalization of territories. Europe will be used to illustrate infra- and supra- national challenges to the nation-state. 3. Globalization. This part focuses on issues of global economic and political change brought about by the internationalization of markets, international mobility of people, and outsourcing of manufacturing production. A world-system theory will be used for interpreting specific case-studies. Course readings: • Peter J. Taylor and Colin Flint, Political Geography. World-Economy, Nation-State and Locality. Harlow, UK: Pearsons Educ. Limit., 2000 (4th edition). • Additional readings will be posted weekly on the course webpage or sent to students via email. Students will be responsible for integrating material coming from lectures with material coming from the readings. Grades are assigned on the basis of three non-cumulative exams and weekly quizzes: Midterm 1: 30% Midterm 2: 30% Final: 30% Quizzes: 10%NOTE: • Email is considered an official means of communication by the university. It is your responsibility both to ensure that you are on the instructor’s email list, and to check your email regularly. • Attendance is required, and vital to your success in this course. It is not the Instructor’s responsibility to provide students with information they have missed due to unexcused absences. • Absolutely no make-up exams or quizzes will be given without a written excuse from a doctor or without some other valid reason for absence, such as observance of a religious holiday. Please inform your instructor within the first two weeks of the semester if you will be missing any part of this course due to religious obligations. The university policy on religious observance can be viewed at: http://www.colorado.edu/policies/fac_relig.html • Any student may dispute a grade they receive in this course within one week of receiving that grade. If the student and the instructor cannot reach an agreement on the matter, the question will be referred to a third party – a faculty member in the Geography Department who has experience teaching this course. • If you qualify for accommodations because of a physical or learning disability, please submit to the instructor a letter from Disability Services within the first week of the semester so that your needs may be addressed. Contact: Disability Services at 303-492-8671, www.Colorado.EDU/disabilityservices. • Behavior: Students and faculty each have responsibility for maintaining an appropriate learning environment. Students who fail to adhere to behavioral standards may be subject to discipline. Faculty have the professional responsibility to treat students with understanding, dignity and respect, to guide classroom discussion and to set reasonable limits on the manner in which students express opinions. University policies on behavioral standards can be viewed at: http://www.colorado.edu/policies/classbehavior.html and also at: http://www.colorado.edu/studentaffairs/judicialaffairs/code.html#student_code • Honor Code: Violations of this policy may include: cheating, plagiarism, aid of academic dishonesty, fabrication, lying, bribery, and threatening behavior. All incidents of academic misconduct shall be reported to the Honor Code Council ([email protected]; 303-725-2273). Students who are found to be in violation of the academic integrity policy will be subject to both academic sanctions from the faculty member (a failing grade in the course) and non-academic sanctions (including but not limited to university probation, suspension, or expulsion). Information on the Honor Code can be found at: http://www.colorado.edu/policies/honor.html and at http://www.colorado.edu/academics/honorcode/ • The University of Colorado Policy on Sexual Harassment applies to all students, staff and faculty. Sexual harassment is unwelcome sexual attention. It can involve intimidation, threats, coercion, or promises or create an environment that is hostile or offensive. Harassment may occur between members of the same or opposite gender and between any combination of members in the campus community: students, faculty, staff, and administrators. Harassment can occur anywhere on campus, including the classroom, the workplace, or a residence hall. Any student, staff or faculty member who believes s/he has been sexually harassed should contact the Office of Sexual Harassment (OSH) at 303-492-2127 or the Office of Judicial Affairs at 303-492- 5550. Information about the OSH and the campus resources available to assist individuals who believe they have been sexually harassed can be obtained at:
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