Draft Syllabus

GO-212: Political Geography

Spring 2013
Date & Time TBD

INTRODUCTION
It would be difficult to challenge the idea that we live in a complex and diverse world.
That world is constantly changing: being shaped by the actions and processes of individuals and
groups, natural phenomena, challenges to economic and social systems, and political processes.
Our understanding of this world depends not only on attempting to understand “the global”, but
on dividing that globe into smaller units. For a political geographer, those units are territorial
nation-states. Those territorial are rarely isolated, but instead interact in various ways to achieve
economic, political, and social goals. And yet, those units are understood to be at some level
“independent”; this is the idea of sovereignty. These four themes – nations, states, territory, and
sovereignty – make up the theoretical foundation of what political geographers study.
It is through a historical journey of these four concepts that this course begins. We
consider both historical and contemporary understandings of these themes, and consider the
ways in which they have been historically central to our understanding of the world and yet are
challenged by contemporary processes that challenge these traditional models. You will be
challenged to think not only about the historical divisions of the world according to the nation-
state system and its implications for questions of equality and difference. While the “equality” of
the nation-state system has been a historical justification for its perpetuation, contemporary
analyses suggest that the reality is much more complex, culturally and politically.
The course is divided into three parts: the first explores the main concepts mentioned
above – nations, states, territory, and sovereignty – and considers their historical development.
The second part of the course explores various approaches to analyzing these basic concepts,
including but not limited to questions of borders and bordering, biopolitics, and geographies of
peace and conflict. A series of contemporary readings will shed light on the ways in which
political geographers have interpreted the significance of a changing world and attempted to
“personalize” the study of the state. The third part of the course will be devoted to an
anthropologically-based analysis of the ways in which we experience the state. While rooted in
political geography as a sub-discipline of human geography, this course also gives considerable
attention to both historical and anthropological approaches to politics and space.

REQUIRED TEXTS
The following texts are required for the course, and should be purchased as soon as possible.
Additional readings will be posted on e-campus.

 Gabriel Popescu, Bordering and ordering the twenty-first century

 Joe Painter & Alex Jeffrey, Political geography
 Michael Herzfeld, Cultural intimacy: social poetics in the nation-state
EVALUATION CRITERIA
Evaluation for the semester is based on the following criteria:

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Reflection Papers (5 of 7) 50%

Midterm & Final (in-class) 25% (midterm 10%; final 15%)
Group Project 10%
Attendance & Participation 15%

WRITING REQUIREMENTS
In addition to thinking critically about politics and space, this course includes a significant
writing component. As noted above, you will be writing five “reflection papers” throughout the
semester. These papers will be approximately 3-5 pages in length each, thus constituting a total
of 15-25 pages, equivalent to a college research paper. You are expected to adhere to college-
level expectations regarding style and grammar, and engage with the readings in a critical and
thoughtful way.

COURSE LOGISTICS
Please keep in mind the purpose of our class meetings and appropriate behavior for a college-
level course: you are expected to arrive on time and stay for the entire length of the class, and
should notify me in advance if you have a legitimate reason to arrive late and/or leave early.
While I do not formally take attendance, “quizzes” will be given randomly throughout the
semester and count towards the 15% of your grade reserved for attendance and participation. It is
in your best interest to arrive early and be prepared for class, having read all required materials
ahead of time and reflected on their significance. Assignments will not be accepted late without
either a University-approved excused absence, or prior arrangements. Please do not ask to hand
in assignments late. Finally, please show respected towards your instructor and fellow students:
be prepared, be courteous, and make every effort to contribute to the learning goals of the course.

LEARNING OUTCOMES
L.O. #1: Students will demonstrate an understanding of the interconnectedness and
interdependence of the global community.  These interconnections should be examined at
several levels: individual, group, nation-state, or international, and may include local-global
connections.
During week 10, students will complete an in-class discussion and debate regarding the
possibilities of “global community”. Utilizing concepts from the first half of the course,
we will focus our attention on the possibilities of: (1) nationalism and ethnicity as “non-
state” forms of identity; (2) globalization and the challenges of state-based rights; (3)
human rights and statelessness. These discussions will culminate in a consideration of the
“abstract” nature of politics and the state, and lead into subsequent readings and
discussions on the anthropology of the state and experiential politics. At the end of the
week students will write a 3 page paper making policy recommendations for dealing with
the “local-global” divide in politics.

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L.O. #2: Students will articulate how influences such as history, culture, art, economic
systems, environments, geography, language, politics, religious traditions, science, or
technology shape global phenomena.
During week 13, students will read a series of debates on biopolitics and questions of
individualism. We will complete a series of readings from various cultural perspectives
on the ways in which individual and collective identity is understood. They will be asked
to reflect on the ways in which language, science, religion, and technology influence our
understanding of identity in a 3-page paper.
L.O. #3: Students will demonstrate an understanding of culture(s) other than their own.
As a part of class discussion on the required text, “Bordering and Ordering the 21 st
century”, students will consider the impact of various cultural, religious, and
philosophical perspectives on “order” from non-Western perspectives. They will consider
the ways in which other cultures understand global politics and international relations
from supposedly “alternative” viewpoints, and the challenges this poses for the creation
of global governance and politics. In-class exercises will examine the ways in which
cultural, religious, or philosophical differences challenge traditional assumptions about
state-to-state relations at the global level. Students will be required to write up their
responses, and will be graded on both in-class and written responses

L.O. #4: Students will be able to evaluate multiple sources of information and to draw
conclusions about world events, global phenomena, or cultural relations.
During week 6, students will read a variety of differing accounts of contemporary
conflicts. Individuals will be assigned conflicting accounts of these events and then come
together during class time to explore potential solutions. Special emphasis will be given
to the ways in which memory and identity influence the peace/conflict narrative, and the
potential for “solving” conflict through traditional means of political negotiation.
Students will complete a short written assignment on the question of knowledge
production and consider the impact of different sources on the way conflict is framed.

L.O. #5: Students will evaluate the impact of globalization, in historical and/or present day
context, on issues such as, but not limited to, social justice, human rights, and equality.
Students will be engaged in a series of mini-projects during week 3 (constructing the
nation-state), week 7 (globalization and nationalism), and week 11 (anthropology of the
state) that explore questions related to migration, internal displacement, and human
rights. Each week will add another “dimension” to the question of rights and obligations
of states to their citizens, as well as questions regarding the rights of displaced
individuals to seek asylum. The class will be divided into “theoretical” and “practical”
groups, with each debating their respective sides on a series of specific issues. Short
written assignments will test comprehension of the issues and provide a platform for
subsequent debate.

Tentative Semester Schedule

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Dates Topic Readings & Assignments

Week 1 Introduction / Thinking
Geographically
Week 2 Sovereignty: Historical Bartelson (selections)
Perspectives and
Contemporary Challenges
Week 3 Identity and Space: Brubaker; Anderson. Part I of
Constructing the Nation-State L.O. #5 completed in class.
Week 4 Borders: Theoretical Popescu (first half discussed
Perspectives on Divisions and in class). Groups and readings
Difference assigned for L.O. #3
Week 5 Borders: Practical Popescu (second half
Considerations of Divisions discussed in class). Discussion
and Contemporary Challenges and short presentations on
L.O. #3
Week 6 Geographies of Peace and Selections from Annals of the
Conflict Association of American
Geographers. Short written
responses for L.O. #4 due in
class (with debate).
Week 7 Globalization and Post- Part II of L.O. #5 completed in
Nationalism: Debates and class; students will combine
Possibilities with part one to consider the
construction of nationalism
(week 3) and its challenges
with regards to globalization.
Week 8 Review / Midterm Exam N/A
Week 9 No Class – Spring Break N/A
Week 10 Questions of Scale: Local, Project on “global
National, and International community” (L.O. #1)
Perspectives on Identity
Week 11 Anthropology and the State: Herzfeld (first half). Part III of
Bringing People Back In L.O. #5 to be completed in
class.
Week 12 Social Poetics: Experiencing Herzfeld (second half)
and Challenging the State
Week 13 Identity, Rights, and Selections from Biopolitics: A
Obligations: Thinking About Reader. Discussion on L.O. #2
Ourselves Through Biopolitics with short written response on
biopolitics and the individual.
Week 14 Group Presentations
Week 15 Group Presentations