POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY GEOG 4712 Spring 2010 Instructing: Andrew Linke [email protected] Office: 201h Guggenheim Phone: 303.492.4371 Office hours: MW 3-4 (and by appointment) Assisting: Adam Levy Cole Akeson [email protected] [email protected] 311 Guggenheim 311 Guggenheim 303.492.3728 303.492.3279 Office hours: 3-4 M, 1-2 W (& by appt.) Office hours: 10-12 M (& by appt.) Course Introduction Political Geography is the spatial study of political processes at a variety of scales from the local to the global. In contrast to many mainstream views of political geography, however, this course does not focus on absolute location as the primary factor driving socio-economic dynamics. Instead, in this course we emphasize relative (and sometimes abstract) understandings of the spatio-temporal context within which life unfolds. Major concepts and theories from the field of international relations are included in our critique of world politics alongside topics that anchor the discipline of political geography. The course is not purely theoretical, however, and our explicit goal is to tie theory to contemporary issues and case studies. This is especially true in weekly recitation sections. The course material also does not center on a single world region. Instead, we follow a thematic approach: U.S. foreign policy, civil war in African states, political transformations in the former Soviet Union, and international political economy are all examples of topics covered in this course. We very carefully distinguish between “geopolitics” and “political geography” at the introduction of the course. From the late 19th century until today, many politicians, public intellectuals, and some academics have viewed “geography” as a resource to be manipulated for a country’s progress on the world stage. The first unit of the course covers the historical development of what students will eventually recognize as classical geopolitics. This strategist’s school of thought is readily apparent during the Cold War era, where spatial metaphors of “containment” and “domino theory” dominated the discourse of foreign affairs and statecraft. During the post-September 11th years, this form of classical geopolitics is still promoted by many commentators on international relations. The classical form of geopolitics is critiqued throughout the course as both ontologically and factually flawed. The second unit of the course introduces theories that are central to the academic discipline of political geography. Moving beyond definitions of crucial terms like ‘scale’, ‘territoriality’,and ‘place’, students will compare/contrast/debate various understandings of: critical geopolitics, the state, the nation, world systems theory, and uneven development. These theoretical models are key for providing a more nuanced approach to studying topics in political science and international relations. Above all, mainstream research within political science is often bound to an institutional framework, assuming that countries careen independently through an anarchic inter-state system. In this course, students will build upon the theories above to critique this problematic approach. Finally, in the third unit of the course, we interrogate specific themes of interest to upper division undergraduates in political science, international relations, economics, and other disciplines. In the second portion of the course we examine uneven development from a theoretical approach, for instance, but in the third unit, students will more carefully apply this knowledge to contemporary arguments about globalization and its effects on the global south. In addition to debating the impacts of globalization, students will also investigate democratization, empire, civil war, and failed states. Overall, by developing a working knowledge of the history of classical geopolitics, a familiarity with theory in political geography, and a new perspective on pressing issues in the social sciences, this course will allow students to develop a well-rounded understanding of politics in the world today. Recitation and Performance In response to student requests, the course was restructured in 1996 as a two lectures/one recitation per week format. This experiment is successful when all students come to the discussion sections having read the material, completed the ‘key terms and concepts’ worksheet, and prepared additional questions or critical comments. Mandatory recitation meetings provide an opportunity to discuss and debate materials in general and to seek conceptual clarification. Please note that recitations begin during the first week of classes. Details about the format and requirements of the research paper will also be covered in recitation. The TAs will take weekly recitation attendance, and may give small quizzes in order to assess students’ comprehension of reading material. Success in this course is a function of the well-proven formula: attendance, staying current with the readings, and asking for help when needed. Use of the lecture notes from the website is no substitute for class attendance. For each week there will be a recitation sheet posted with key concepts and definitions from the material. The mark of participation in recitation is that students bring a completed (filled in) concepts sheet for discussion. The TAs will check each week. Sources and Web-based Materials There is no text though we will read various text-like chapters as well as research articles on electronic reserve; brief supplements or web-links (i.e. The Economist articles) will be added to the homepage throughout the semester as relevant events unfold. Details on accessing the electronic files are given on the course webpage: http://www.colorado.edu/geography/class_homepages/geog_4712_s10/ Note that in the course electronic reserve file there are two folders. Many readings are in the “O’Loughlin” permanent folder, while several are located in the “Linke” folder, which we established for this semester. The title of
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