Geography

"Economic Geography" is a major component of geography, which is the most developed sub-discipline in most National Geographic Science Systems. The development and characteristics of economic geography, on one hand, are closely related to the development of economic activities. On the other hand, they are greatly influenced by geography, economics and other related disciplines. As an independent discipline, economic geography has only a history of over a hundred years. However, its origin and development can be traced further.

This course introduces students to key geographical debates, theories, and concepts. Students gain a broad understanding of the interaction between human societies and the spaces in which they exist, looking at a range of economic, cultural, social, and political processes at a variety of scales. The course explores four key themes: environment; colonial afterlives; bodies, identities, and difference; and people and mobility. Through these themes students examine why geography matters to a series of contemporary debates and concerns, including globalization, climate change, social inequality, capitalism, and the future. A variety of local, national, and international case studies are used to examine these substantive issues and to consider issues of social justice, values, and ethics. 

This is a problem and knowledge based course that offers a unique insight in the linkages between peoples’ recreational use of nature and the sustainable management and planning of nature areas in the Anthropocene. The course deals with practical and theoretical aspects of planning, management, and governance of outdoor recreation with strong focus on balancing use and protection of nature. From a management point of view, it discusses how to deal with visitors and users of nature areas. The course has an international set-up and includes examples and cases from Denmark and other countries. Outdoor recreation is an integrated part of multiple policies, e.g. forest and afforestation policy, public health policy, municipal landscape planning, urban green space planning, agricultural policy, rural development, nature policy, and protected area management. These different policies, planning, and management fields form the basis of the course. Hence, a multitude of recreation environments are in focus, including urban green space recreation, forest recreation, countryside recreation, protected area visitation, wilderness recreation, and coastal and marine recreation. The following themes are included: visitors’ values, norms, attitudes, experiences and behaviors; conflicts between user groups; monitoring of visitor flows; accessibility and availability; children and nature; pro-environmental behaviors; and nature-based integration.  The planning and management focus includes: novel and traditional visitor monitoring; strategies and tactics in management of visitor flows; use and protection of nature; protected area management; volunteering; zoning and multifunctional approaches. In a sustainable development perspective, outdoor recreation connects people and nature, and thereby offers insight into social-ecological interactions and dynamics that are central to sustainability science. The course relates to Sustainable Development Goals 3 (good health and well-being), 10 (reduced inequalities), 11 (sustainable cities and communities), 14 (life below water), and 15 (life on land).  

This course has two aspects. The first is to increase students' understanding of more technical issues of geospatial data management and the underpinning geospatial databases necessary for GIS to be useful. The second is to develop practical skills and understanding of GIS by using it in a more extensive applied project, which takes the form of a work-based task (a "virtual placement") where students assist a virtual company to respond to client requirements for GIS analysis.

From Roman traders to modern commuters, millions of people have lived in the same few square miles where students now study. In this course, students form into groups with fellow Liberal Arts students and stage an investigation into some of these London lives. Students begin an interdisciplinary exploration of the history and culture of London and are introduced to some essential skills and methods of academic study that students use throughout the course. Students form into groups and enquire into an aspect of London, past, or present. Guided by a tutor, students seek to answer questions by engaging not only with primary and secondary readings and resources for study within King’s, but with the streets and spaces of the city itself. They present their findings via a digital portfolio and a group presentation. As students come to see by the end of this course, London - in all its struggles and achievements - is a fascinating microcosm of the wider world; and as such, an ideal laboratory for the study of Liberal Arts.

This course examines the social, cultural and economic processes that have shaped and transformed cities over the last several decades. It considers the impacts of these transformations on the people living in urban areas and whether they enhance or hinder the opportunities of different social groups in the city, and what this might mean for our global efforts to meet the UN SDG, especially goals 5 (gender equality), 10 (reducing inequalities) and 11 (sustainable cities and communities). Through the use of case studies, students will explore notions of difference, encounter and inequality in the city. Students actively participate in geographical enquiry through independent research on difference and diversity in the city. This courses utilizes active and action-orientated pedagogies to work with students to build their own knowledge of the city and urban experiences and to develop a range of graduate attributes to enable students to be confident researchers, effective communicators of geographic knowledge and socially responsible global citizens who understand the complex nature of social life and inequalities in cities across the globe.

This course introduces and develops a financial geography perspective, understood as the study of the spatiality of money and finance, and its implications for the economy, society, and nature. It introduces students to the complexity and controversy of financial globalization, vocabulary of finance, drawing on research relating to the global financial system, financial centers of London, New York, Shanghai, and Singapore, and their geographical footprint. 

This course introduces critical approaches in human geography to understanding the relationships between landscapes, power, and society. The critical approaches applied in this course stem from ideas within cultural, political, and social geographies which centralize the role of power in socio-spatial dynamics, and how power produces complex relations between society and the landscapes we inhabit. Critical approaches in human geography provide a framework to understand society and landscapes as carrying multiple meanings. Students examine society as composed of knowledge, institutions, community dynamics, representations, discourses, inclusions/exclusions, material aspects, and more. Similarly, landscapes are explored in terms of nature, bodies, the imagination, digital realms, technology, everyday experiences, and other dimensions. These various perspectives demonstrate how power imbues landscapes and society with various meanings, and how ideas in human geography can critically analyze the co-production and experiences of landscapes, power, and society.

In this course, students explore the intersection of environmental geography and Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) to address the grand challenges facing our world. This course equips students with the knowledge and skills necessary to design, implement, and advocate for NbS that effectively contribute to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). By understanding the intricate relationships between natural systems and human development, students are prepared to create innovative solutions that promote environmental sustainability, economic viability, and social equity – key concepts in environmental geography.

This course provides students with a foundation in geographical data, mapping, spatial analysis, and writing skills. It explores the organization and manipulation of geospatial data, cognitive mapping, and basic statistics, and addresses locational considerations (e.g. coordinates and space), map projections, and map design. It also introduces technological tools and methods available to map, analyze and disseminate geographical information. The course is mainly tutorial-based but includes lectures and local fieldwork, providing an interactive and applied learning environment to explore technical and technological geospatial methods and approaches. In doing so, it enhances students’ geospatial awareness and provide them with skills to examine relationships, interactions, and interdependencies between human and physical components of the environment.