Political Geography

Course Description
This course will examine the ever-evolving relationships between space, people and power – or territory, nation and state. Over the past 350 years the territorial nation-state has become the dominant actor in world politics. The development of this role specifically looking at the origins of the state and the concept of territorial right will be central to the course. We will continue by examining state expansionism and imperialism, the challenges of interstate relations from a geopolitical perspective, and more recently, the impact of non-state actors and supra-national
institutions on state sovereignty. Understanding issues of hegemony, identity, locality, migration and how people perceive global space will be fundamental in our analysis.

Course Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Understand the history of ideas related to and general foundations of the field of political geography;
• Define the concept of a state and describe how states came about;
• Think critically about how populations are organized physically including in urban spaces and the politics that are implicit in urban development;
• Note the other non-state groups now acting in global politics and give examples of how they interact with the power of governments;
• Explain how globalization and economics have changed the international order;
• Draw conclusions about the political, economic and social aspects of international relations from a geographical perspective.