Geography

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale program. The course is intended for advanced level students only. Enrollment is by consent of the instructor. The course focuses on the global challenges that the planet's population has been facing since the second half of the twentieth century. Among these, the critical relation with natural resources and with the concept of development and, above all, climate change, with its connections to territorial development, ecological risk, food security and the consumption of natural resources. At the end of the course, the students have acquired the theoretical and empirical tools to critically analyze the global strategies of climate resilience and cooperation and the relation between climate change and tourism. They also have acquired the ability to work in groups and develop class discussions. They are able to communicate both in expert and non-expert groups the global dynamics connected to climate change, globalization, poverty, development and tourism. Climate change offers the opportunity for a multidisciplinary analysis and, during the course, the many topics connected to the phenomenon are discussed, using mainly a geographical approach which means having a focus on territorial impacts, policies, and responses. The course concentrates on three main aspects of the phenomenon. PART 1 introduces climate change as a global phenomenon, with its natural and anthropogenic root causes, positioning it inside the wider perspective of environmental degradation and pollution and analyzing the global debate between climate change activists and deniers. In this respect, several activities are carried out, such as group work, presentation, and class discussion. PART 2 analyzes the Kyoto Protocol and the Post Kyoto adaptation and mitigation strategies, with a focus on the policy-making process but also trying to include it in a theoretical framework of adaptation, PART 3 covers climate change and mobility, including the connections between climate change and environmental crisis with migration and tourism.

This course introduces students to cartographic theory and mapmaking via using digital technology. Topics include basic characteristics of maps; the function of general reference maps, charts, and thematic maps; major map projections;  generalization principles; qualitative and quantitative attributes at point, line, and area; general design principles; color and typography; map compilation; reproduction and copyright issues; understanding of types, sources, and meanings of spatial and other geographic data and their relevance in geographical research and practice.

This course offers a broad introduction to key debates within economic geography. It explores the geographies of production and global production networks; the re-centering of economic geography through engagement with the Global South and development; the centrality of uneven development in capitalist economic social relations; the connections between globalization and local socio-spatial relations; and alternative or diverse economic practices that challenge neoliberalism. The course challenges students to understand how economic processes of valuation, production, consumption, and exchange play out in practice in time and place.

This foundational course combines theoretical and conceptual thinking from human geography and ways to analyze and understand the reciprocal relationships between humans and their environments, both natural and built. The learning materials are designed to introduce students to key themes and concepts that relate to human/environment relationships seen from the perspective of human geography and related social sciences, ranging from the complex and evolving relationship between society and nature to the significance of urban design for human wellbeing. Students work in small groups to further explore the weekly themes through discussion and practical exercises.

The primary goal of this course is to understand Earth’s geologic and surface processes with respect to landscape formation, functioning, land degradation, and human impacts to the environment. The course features an integrative systems approach while introducing fundamental concepts from Earth science disciplines (physical geography, geology, geomorphology, hydrology). A guiding principle is to investigate why, how, when, and where materials, landforms, and natural resources are created, degraded, and changed by the action of tectonics, gravity, water, winds, and waves from high-mountain settings to the coastal zone. Introduced concepts are reviewed in the context of a range of potential topics, such as plate tectonics, volcanism, rocks and minerals, soils, climate, mass wasting, karst, water resources, river systems, coastal processes, and associated natural hazards.

The course includes compulsory field trips to the environs of The Hague to learn how concepts reviewed in class apply to what is commonly perceived as "the abiotic environment". Field activities include the training of observational and sampling skills. Basic laboratory analysis of soil and/or sediment samples introduce students to testing methods and reporting on self-produced environmental information.

This course examines spatial analysis and GIScience applications of spatial data handling for built and natural environments within the context of theoretical frameworks for understanding human-driven and physical phenomena. Topics include climate change, air pollution, healthcare access, transportation, and 3D game worlds.

Geographical Information Systems (GIS) is a computer system designed to collect, manage, edit, analyze and present spatial information. This course introduces the basic concepts and methods in mapping, spatial analysis, and GIS that enable students to make use of GIS software to study social phenomena. The following concepts are covered: an introduction to cartography and GIS; map design and visualization; map projections and spatial representations; GIS project design and implementation; collection and management of spatial data; spatial analysis and statistics; network analysis; qualitative GIS; uncertainty and how to deal with it; and open source data and software. A series of seminar exercises enables students to make practical use of GIS with hands-on experience. Throughout the course, students learn how to develop spatial research questions and how to conduct spatial analysis using ESRI ArcGIS Pro software and different open-source alternatives. A group project integrates the concepts covered in the lectures with experience from the seminars to explore a current research question.