Geography

This course is an introduction to political geography. The course explores what political geography is, the key concepts, its subject matter, and why political geography is needed. Topics such as knowledge and power, representations of the other, nationalism, states and territories, globalization, feminist geography, and human-environment relations are covered. A key aspect of the course is to introduce critical thinking in relation to subject matters but also the production of knowledge. A fundamental question emerging from the course is thus what is the role of geography in an increasingly complex and intertwined world.

This course introduces the idea that space is lived and experienced as part social and cultural life. Drawing from the arts, food, sports and film, and/or other related topics, the course delves into critical developments in social and cultural geography and provides students with the foundational knowledge to read advanced courses in the sub-discipline. It introduces methodological approaches which include ‘ways of seeing’ and ‘landscape as text' and is critical to understanding the human/culture and environment/space relationship.

The course introduces fluvial (river), estuarine, and coastal environments from a geomorphic systems perspective. Geomorphology is the study of landforms, and the materials and processes involved in landform formation and change. The principal geomorphological focus of this study is the river catchment, which includes valley hillslopes, river floodplains, and river channels themselves. The course also considers links to transitional waters (e.g. estuaries) and geomorphic process environments found in the coastal zone. Students learn about the key themes and approaches employed by geomorphologists to understand these settings, and they gain an understanding of the variety of landforms found in a range of catchment and coastal settings.

There is little disagreement that far-reaching societal, technological, political, and economic transformations are required if we are to avoid the worst effects of global, anthropogenic environmental change. What form these transformations should take and who should take responsibility for them are, however, far from settled. This course considers some of the key conceptual debates and environmental conflicts arising in this context. Examination of these debates and conflicts demonstrate the contested and uneven nature of environmental change and the measures sought to address these changes. The course helps students develop a more nuanced, critical, and multi-disciplinary understanding of environmental change and the different, often contested, ways of responding to such changes. The course consists of weekly interactive lectures/seminars, guest lectures, and set readings. Lectures introduces students to key concepts and perspectives drawn from the broad field of political ecology. Each week part of the class is set aside for students to develop their research projects. These projects focus on a key area of environmental contestation in Ireland through a political ecology lens.

What makes planet Earth so remarkable? Our planet is shaped by many interacting environmental systems operating from atomic through to global scales. Understanding the science of these systems is central to developing an advanced knowledge of the physical environment. This course explores fundamental Earth surface systems (e.g. tectonics, atmosphere & oceans, landscape development, climate change), focusing on core concepts, processes, their significance within a broader environmental context and their relevance to the human species.