95730 - Cultural Geography (1) (Lm)

Learning outcomes

The course aims at introducing to the evolution of cultural geography, as well as of the very concept of culture in geography, from the 20th century to the present. At the end of the course students will know the central role played by the so-called cultural turn in constructing some critical perspectives and introducing some contents and topics that lie at the core of current geographical debates; furthermore, they will be able to contextualize the major questions of today’s cultural geographies within the multifarious theoretical intersections characterizing ontemporary thought in the field of human and social sciences.

Course contents

The course aims to explain:

- the evolution of cultural geography and the very concept of culture from the 20th century to the present. The course will focus on the last decades, from the emerging of the 'new cultural geography' in the 1980s to the most recent debates.

- the main topics and perspectives that cultural geographies have put or contributed to put at the core of current geographical debates: feminist and gender geographies, geographies of mobility, postcolonial and decolonial geographies. Key concepts whose meaning will be analysed in its evolution: subjectivity, otherness and the body, together with landscape.

- the multifarious theoretical perspectives, crucial to current critical debates, with which cultural geographies intersect: postmodernism, poststructuralism, cultural studies.

 

Readings/Bibliography

1)

• Bonfiglioli S. & Minca C. (2022) "Geografie della differenza", in Minca C. (ed.) Appunti di geografia, Milano, Wolters Kluwer, pp. 373-442 (ch. 9).

• Bonfiglioli S. (2020) "Migrazioni. Dove va la geografia", RIVISTA GEOGRAFICA ITALIANA, n. 127 (4), pp. 5-27.

 

2)

• Borghi R., Rondinone A. (a cura di) (2009) Geografie di genere. Milano: Unicopli.
• Braidotti R. (1995) Soggetto nomade. Femminismo e crisi della modernità. Roma: Donzelli.
• McDowell L. (1999) Gender, Identity and Place: Understanding Feminist Geographies. Cambridge. Polity Press.
• Bonfiglioli S. (a cura di) (2020) Migrazioni. Dove va la geografia / Migration. Where is geography going? sezione monografica in “RIVISTA GEOGRAFICA ITALIANA”, n. 127 (4), pp. 5-155. (N.B.: sono da studiare tutti gli articoli inclusi in questa sezione monografica, cioè da p. 5 a p. 155 del numero suddetto della rivista).
• Cresswell T. (2006) On the Move. Mobility in the Modern Western World. New York-London: Routledge.
• Said E.W. (1991) Orientalismo. Torino: Bollati Boringhieri.
• Chakrabarty D. (2004) Provincializzare l’Europa. Roma: Meltemi.
• Mignolo W.D., Walsh C.E. (2018) On Decoloniality: Concepts, Analytics, Praxis. Durham: Duke University Press.
• Wylie J. (2007) Landscape. London-New York: Routledge.
  
  

Teaching methods

Traditional lectures aiming to involve students in discussing and interpreting the issues addressed. Furthermore, attending students are requested to present the contents of one or more chapters taken from one of the books indicated in the section 'Readings/Bibliography'. 

Students who intend to take the exam as 'attending students' are expected to attend lectures regularly and to actively participate also by presenting a text.

Assessment methods

The exam will be oral both for attending and non-attending students.

 

ATTENDING STUDENTS

Attending students are required to study for the exam:

– the contents of the lectures 

+

– two books chosen among those indicated at the entry 2) of the section 'Readings/Bibliography'.

The exam will consist of answering some questions about the contents of the lectures and of the read texts. The questions will concern:

- the contents – concepts, themes, analysed texts, issues – of the lectures;

- the contents of each book: concepts, themes, topics of single or several chapters;

- some topics which both the lectures and the read texts deal with. A critical analysis of the different perspectives on these topics may be requested.

 

NON-ATTENDING STUDENTS

Non-attending students are required to study for the exam:

– the two essays indicated at the entry 1) of the section 'Readings/Bibliography'

+

 – two books chosen among those indicated at the entry 2) of the section 'Readings/Bibliography' (non-attending students can choose all books indicated in this section except 'Bonfiglioli S. (a cura di) (2020) Migrazioni. Dove va la geografia / Migration. Where is geography going? sezione monografica in “RIVISTA GEOGRAFICA ITALIANA”, n. 127 (4), pp. 5-155', since they already have to study part of this journal issue: see entry 1).

The exam will consist of answering some questions about the contents of the read texts. The questions will concern:

- the contents of each book: concepts, themes, topics of single or several chapters;

- some topics shared by more than one book. A critical analysis of the different perspectives on these topics may be requested.

 

EVALUATION CRITERIA (applying to the examination of both non-attending and attending students)

The evaluation will take into consideration:

1) the level of knowledge of the contents: how well they have been deepened and critically understood;

2) how rich and correct the discursive articulation of the contents is;

3) the use of appropriate terminology.

The evaluation of each of the three criteria will contribute to determine the final grade, which will be assigned according to the following evaluation scale:

. 18-21, if the performance is, on the whole, sufficient;

. 22-24, if the performance is, on the whole, satisfactory;

. 25-27, if the performance is, on the whole, good;

. 28-30, if the performance is, on the whole, very good;

. 30 cum laude, if the performance is, on the whole, excellent.

Teaching tools

Slides, images, videos, class discussions.

Office hours

See the website of Stefania Bonfiglioli