Geography

This course approaches the city from an urban geography perspective. It repositions cities as a social construct, i.e., as the result of political, economic, technical, and cultural dynamics. It addresses the internal organization of cities, the mechanisms of differentiation between intra-urban spaces, and the social, political, economic, and environmental issues that this entails. Finally, it provides factual and theoretical knowledge (analytical frameworks, theories, concepts) to move from knowledge of urban facts and dynamics to an understanding of the processes that underlie them. This course opens up further study on intra-urban dynamics: processes of gentrification and impoverishment of territories, functional changes, demographic dynamics; the effects of these dynamics on urban organization and functioning: urban sprawl, spatial segmentation and mobility, theatricalization of city centers; and the construction of public problems: socially constructed identification of certain urban dynamics as problematic and requiring intervention by the authorities of the public powers. A minimum knowledge of the different types of intra-urban spaces (city center, suburbs, peri-urban areas) as well as the different types of cities and their functions is a prerequisite for the course.

This course examines concepts of justice and injustice as they apply to the social, spatial, and environmental realms—and to the intersections between them. It offers a critical exploration of the origins of these notions, the contributions of key thinkers, and the ways in which ideas of justice have circulated, been debated, and been mobilized across academic, social, and political spheres. The course focuses on applying these analytical frameworks to a range of spaces, including metropolitan areas, peripheral territories, and natural (protected) environments, in both the Global North and the Global South. From a methodological perspective, the course introduces students to actor-based analysis, critical source evaluation, and the processes of translating concepts and debates between Anglophone and Francophone academic and activist contexts.

This course examines the urbanization context, the modalities of development of cities, and the role of change agents. Topics include the theoretical and conceptual foundations that support urban geography as a subdiscipline of human geography. Students analyze different urban theories, the origin of cities, and the global context of urbanization.

The course's main topics are demography and epidemiology, with a special focus on population ageing and migration as important demographical developments in the European Union (EU). Learn to apply epidemiological methods to examine the impact of important demographical developments on public health in the EU. The course consists of three parts. In Part I, demography is introduced and students learn to describe and analyze the extent and causes of population ageing and migration in the EU. In Part II, several core epidemiological concepts and methods are dealt with, including research designs, association measures, bias, effect-modification, validity & reliability, and causal interpretation of research findings. Students familiarize themselves with these concepts by applying them to examine how population ageing and migration impact health in the EU. The role of socio‐economic differences is considered. Next to the exploration of ageing-related diseases (e.g. dementia), the course also introduces reproductive/child health. In Part III, to apply the knowledge from the first two parts to compare and critically appraise preventive measures (e.g. population screening) and public health policies for controlling negative health consequences of population ageing and migration in the EU.

This course provides an understanding of the key concepts underlying Geographical Information Systems (GIS), how Geographical Information (GI) may be defined, measured, structured and represented in a GIS, and the development of skills in the use and application of GIS through practical exercises. The course also covers the role of GI in society; the nature and construction of GI; measurement of location; principles and techniques of spatial data modelling; field-based and object-based conceptualizations of space, and their expression as spatial data structures; and concepts of spatial and non-spatial data retrieval, manipulation and analysis. Hands-on training in GIS will be provided in the laboratory sessions.

The course covers the fundamental concepts of the social geography with the purpose of analyzing the relation between society and the space. Students examine the theoretical and epistemological foundations that support social geography as a sub-discipline of human geography and apply these concepts in empirical studies.

This course covers the politics of development at various geographical scales (urban, national, and international). It also examines how partnerships and negotiations work among various participants who have conflicted, competed, and cooperated throughout the modern history of space/place making. Students learn skills to critically analyze the power relations that exist among different actors involved in development. The course asks “Who governs?” and “Who makes decisions or influences decision-making that leads to the formation of space?” Regarding the influence of decision-making, the course focuses on the politics of policy narratives and environmental discourses. Topics include What is the power in placemaking; Body Politics- Capitalizing, industrializing, and disciplining bodies; Critical Geopolitics; The geopolitics of nuclear weapons and nuclear power; The politics of memory and memory placemaking.  

This course focuses on the design and conduct of qualitative research. It explores the epistemological foundations on which different strands of qualitative research rest, introduces students to a range of techniques for collecting qualitative data, and helps students consider methodological questions related to the conduct of qualitative research. The unit encourages critical thinking about what constitutes the field and data, as well as about issues of ethics, positionality, voice, representation, and the hermeneutic location of records and data.

This course provides students an interdisciplinary introduction to climate change, using approaches from both the social sciences (history, sociology, geography, politics, economics), and the natural sciences (engineering, physics, biology). The course provides a brief look into historical and sociological causes of the climate crisis, followed by both the physical and human consequences. The course has a strong focus on potential solutions, drawing on ideas from engineering and science (renewable technology), and politics, sociology, and economics (social change).  This leaves students with a positive, action-based knowledge base on the context of the climate crisis, and current theories on how to act.