13710 - Geography (1) (A-L)

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course students will possess the geographic expertise to handle historical and geographic atlases, as well as using IT tools and surfing the web to gain information and cartographic material or images. They will be organized and independent in their work, possess a spirit of self-criticism and an ability to spot connections by having dealings with experts from other subjects.

Course contents

The course covers geographical methods in relation to Italian society since the nineteenth century, in particular. The programme has five parts:

1. Territories and Mapping
2. Ecology, the Anthropocene, Environmental Justice
3. Differences, Bodies, Decoloniality
4. Urban Space and Globalization
5. Culture and Memory

Readings/Bibliography

Attendees

Our primary text is:

• Claudio Minca (ed.), Appunti di geografia (Milan: Wolters Kluwer, 2022)

Additional brief readings relating to each part of the programme are signposted in the course of lectures.

Non-Attendees

Three books ought to be studied: 

1. Claudio Minca (ed.), Appunti di geografia (Milan: Wolters Kluwer, 2022)
2. Marco Armiero et al. (eds), Environmental Humanities: Scienze sociali, politica, ecologia (Rome: DeriveApprodi, 2021)
3. Your choice between

• Daniela Fargione and Carmen Concilio (eds), Antroposcenari: Storie, paesaggi, ecologie (Bologna: Il Mulino, 2018)
• Cristiano Giorda (ed.), Geografia e Antropocene: Uomo, ambiente, educazione (Rome: Carocci, 2019)

Teaching methods

The course constitutes a collective undertaking that blends chalk-and-talk with flipping the classroom, including ample space for comments during lectures. The opening session is dedicated to comprehensive details of the programme, materials and assessment methods. Given the distinction between attendees and non-attendees, no lecture-capture is implemented. Whosoever wishes to be assessed as an attendee has to clear the 80% threshold.

This programme of lectures and exam sessions is reserved for people with a surname that begins with one of the letters in question. Out-of-scope students must abide by their allocated course and no movement between groups is permitted. Assessment is only possible within the appropriate cohort. 

Assessment methods

Exam sessions take place monthly, amounting to 6 in total. The assessment comprises an hour-long written exam with three open questions differentiated for attendees and non-attendees in terms of matters arising from the prescribed reading and in class. Outcomes are released via AlmaEsami with an allowance of 24 hours for non-acceptance.

You are being assessed on:

• Your depth of learning in key areas
• Your use of an appropriate nomenclature
• Your capacity to synthesize
  

A critical stance, terminological proficiency and lucidity are the cornerstones of top marks. Knowledge gaps, unsound statements or redundant details are grounds for failure.

Teaching tools

• PowerPoint slides
• Cloud-sharing
• Literary works
• Maps
• Social-media texts
• Visual art

Office hours

See the website of Daniel Andrew Finch-Race