93628 - CLIMA, PAESAGGIO E SOCIETA' NELLA REGIONE EURO-MEDITERRANEA

Learning outcomes

The course aims at providing students with a theoretical framework designed for a critical understanding of the Euro-Mediterranean region, intended as an outcome of the interaction between climatic and social processes in the long run, as seen through landscapes. By the end of the course, the student will know the main basic geographical models of representation and the processes concerning the relation between environment, landscape, and urban civilization in the region, in a critically historical perspective.

Course contents

1. Geographical models and bio-cultural coevolution
2. Map and landscape as models
3. Euro-Mediterranean cities and landscapes: complexity's historical models
4. Cities and urban as long-standing territorial patterns, and why they have been so resilient through time
5. The Mediterranean as "edge" and Europe

Readings/Bibliography

F. Farinelli, L'Africa Mediterranea, in Geografia del mondo arabo e islamico, UTET, 1993, pp. 157-185. (downloadable from Virtuale platform).

P. Laureano, La piramide rovesciata, Bollati Boringhieri, 1995, chap. 8 (downloadable from Virtuale platform).

A. Naser Eslami, Architetture del commercio e Città del Mediterraneo, Bruno Mondadori, 2010.

A.M.Medici, A. Pallotti, M. Zamponi, L’Africa contemporanea, Milano, Le Monnier, 2017, chrs. 1, 2, 3, 4 (par. 1-2), cap. 16 par. 3, cap. 13, 31, 32.

Teaching methods

Course will be taught through a mixture of formal lectures, discussion classes and web-based discussion. Its aim will be to facilitate interaction between the lecturer and students and to stimulate debate among students.
Class attendance is critical to take advantage of a way of learning not feasible through homework, and it turns out to be crucial in order for the student to adequately satisfy exam requirements.

Assessment methods

The exam consists of an oral examination on the entire syllabus. The aim of the interview is to assess the methodological and critical skills acquired by the student. While there is a single bibliography, given the importance of class attendance for an appropriate training process two grading scales are employed: for attending and non-attending students.


ATTENDING STUDENTS


Attendance and participation count for 15% of the final grade.


In particular, it will be assessed the ability of the student to participate actively in class, also using multimedia and collaborative tools provided within the course; such capacity, if combined with the achievement of a coherent framework of the topics developed during the lessons , the application of critical sense and suitable means of expression will be considered and evaluated with the maximum grading = A (27-30 con lode).


Attendance, if joint to a predominantly mnemonic acquisition of course's contents and discontinuous language and logical skills will be assessed in a grading range from good (B = 24-26) to satisfactory (C = 21-23).


Attendance, with a minimum level of knowledge of the course contents, combined with training gaps or inadequate language and logical skills, it will get as grade ‘barely passing' (D = 18-20).


The absence of a minimum level of knowledge of the course contents, combined with inadequate language and logical skills and training gaps, it will produce a fail (E) grading, even in spite of an assiduous attendance.


NON-ATTENDING STUDENTS


Non-attending students will be assessed primarily on the ability to use literature made available, in order to properly expose the contents of the course. This ability, when combined with the achievement of a coherent framework of the course's themes, the application of critical sense, and suitable means of expression will be considered and evaluated with the maximum grading = A (27-30 con lode).


A predominantly mnemonic acquisition of course's contents along with discontinuous language and logical skills will be assessed in a grading range from good (B = 24-26) to satisfactory (C = 21-23).


A minimum level of knowledge of the course contents, combined with training gaps or inadequate language and logical skills, it will get as grade ‘barely passing' (D = 18-20).


The absence of a minimum level of knowledge of the course contents, combined with inadequate language and logical skills and training gaps, it will produce a fail (E) grading.

Teaching tools

Multimedia tools

Office hours

See the website of Mario Angelo Neve