Geography

This course is a survey of current world geography and the relationship between society and the environment. Topics of study include: techniques for analyzing geographic information; resources, risks, and environmental problems; the demographics of overpopulation and migration; geographical plot techniques; urban spaces; networks and transportation systems; the geographic dimension to globalization; geopolitical theory; and current territorial conflicts.

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the complex geographies of gender roles, relations and identities and different type of feminisms in the global South. As well as exploring the theoretical approaches to gender and development thought, and especially different types of feminist thought, the course also examines a series of axes of diversity in relation to people’s lives in the global South. It examines changing social and economic aspects of development on women’s and men’s (and where research exists on trans and non-binary) lives in relation to household transformations, population mobility, poverty, employment, sexualities, gender-based violence, and development policy and practice.

This course is an introduction to political geography. Topics covered include power and states, nationalism, collective mobilization and social movements, elections, and democratization.

This course explores the complex relationships between economic development, poverty, and the environment. Over five, inter-related themes, the course covers a range of critical natural resource and environmental issues in low-and middle-income countries, that is, issues at the interface of environment and development. Using concepts and analytical tools grounded in applied economics, primarily environmental and development economics, the course begins with an examination of the relationship between poverty and environmental change related to resource use, and the role of population growth in this relationship (theme I). It then moves to a discussion of the design and implementation of policies to effect change in conservation and/or development outcomes, in weak institutional settings (theme II). A key institution is that of property rights, with common property playing an important role in resource management and conservation (theme III). Some key conservation and poverty alleviation efforts attempt to address market failures associated with the demand for, and supply of, food and energy (theme IV). While food and energy are typically supplied in rural settings, changes in the extent and compositiion of demand are associated with rapid urbanization, trade, and sectoral shifts in the economy (theme V).

The course examines the interrelationship between humans and nature, with a particular emphasis on how social power relations produce and change socio-physical conditions. The course starts from the premise that nature and society are not separate, but intimately interwoven. They are mutually intertwined and co-evolving. The course draws on a variety of critical theoretical perspectives (Marxist, post-Marxist, feminist, post-colonial) and illustrates the argument with a series of case studies. 

This course examines a range of challenging and controversial population issues facing the world today, including population growth, ageing, the COVID pandemic, immigration, the growth of megacities, the fertility crisis and environmental degradation.

The prime purpose of the Advanced GIS course is to widen your knowledge and skills in the practical – foremost analytical – application of Geographical Information Systems using raster models and spatial network models. As a consequence, a substantial part of the course consists of practical assignments in which participants train their skills in GIS analysis. At the same time, start your own analytical GIS project on planning a new road in Friesland. The practical assignments are partly integrated with the project. Work together with one or two fellow students, directly applying your new skills in the project. The project is concluded with two reports on progress and outcomes (maps, charts, etc.).

Hydrological systems such as river catchments represent a fundamental component of our landscapes. The environmental and hydrological processes which operate in river catchments influence important ecosystem services such as water supply, the provision of high water quality, and high (flood) and low flow regulation. The effective management of these systems is dependent on our scientific understanding of these processes and their dynamics. This course covers the key principles of hydrology and catchment systems and introduces key principles for monitoring and managing catchment systems.

In this course, students will approach, from an interdisciplinary, critical, practical, and reflective perspective, territories that, possessing some degree of heritage identification, must coexist with tourism. It provides students with the analytical and assessment tools for studying heritage and touristic aspects. The course methodology and assessments seek that students working in teams formulate strategies of sustainable development of urban heritage territories that serve a touristic purpose.

The course analyzes the concepts and models of urban systems from the perspectives of geography, sociology, architecture, spatial economics, and location theory. It then delves into the current dynamics of urban problems and the potential solutions proposed for these processes. Furthermore, readings will be offered on the relationship between the city and the regional, global, and local contexts. The course concludes with the study of advanced contemporary topics such as territory and power, and the social construction of the city.