Geography

This course introduces students to the social dimensions of climate and climate change. The course takes a critical analysis of the dominant international process to mitigate climate change emissions, comprising of the IPCC, UNFCCC process and the Paris Accord. We will explore the different ways in which climate knowledge is constructed and how climate is represented and articulated in society. Existing discourses of climate change are placed in an historical perspective, and alternative aims for climate change mitigation explored. The course begins with a history of the discovery of climate change and an outline of the global governance regime for climate mitigation, as manifested through the Paris Agreement, UNFCCC process, and the IPCC reports. We will then critically analyse this process, by discussing the assumptions that underpin it, the unintended consequences of action to fight climate change, and alternative measures and outcomes that are not covered within the UNFCCC process.

This course gives an overview of political geography's historical and contemporary treatment of the questions of territoriality, state, and nation. Topics include nations and nationalism, and boundaries and territorial disputes, and students explore how territoriality, nation, and sovereignty are viewed in developing regions of the world. 

This course provides an introduction to the sub-discipline of urban geography. It explores the distinctive contribution that geographers have made to the analysis of cities and urban life. The course outlines the economic and social origins of urban life, exploring the relationship between population density, size, and diversity that characterise cities. The course systematically outlines how contemporary cities can be interpreted as economic spaces, social spaces, and political entities. It also explores the different ways that urban geographers and others have framed their research into cities and urban environments. Given that cities – for all their attractions and strengths – are frequently defined by their dysfunction and inequality, the course examines how such poor outcomes are generated. It also explores the kinds of policy programmes that might be capable of generating more liveable and equitable cities. The course takes a selfconsciously international perspective, encouraging participants to read widely about the diversity of cities that form the focus of urban geographical thinking today.

The course enables students to gain a broad understanding of ten important environmental issues that have emerged during the Anthropocene, the science that underlies them, the various management and mitigation options and technologies, and how this links to policy. Topics include (as representative samples, which may change): deforestation, desertification and agricultural intensification, biodiversity loss, urbanization, pollution, ocean acidification, loss of polar environments, maintaining sustainability and ecosystem services, and understanding ecological systems and resilience.

This course is about the geography of social change in Africa. It is designed to build on the second year course Development Geography, but there are no prerequisites. The course analyzes the different factors that shape spatial differences in development indicators across Africa. The course allows students to explore the diversity of forms that the geography of social change in Africa takes. As such the course investigates the impacts of history, politics, sociology, and economics on spatial patterns of development. The course uses postcolonial theory as an analytical framework. This entails reflecting on the ongoing legacies of colonialism not only in terms of empirical institutions, practices and norms but also in relation to the production of knowledge and ideas. The course relies heavily on wide independent reading, including reading from disciplines beyond geography.