Geographies of Violence
| Code | School | Level | Credits | Semesters |
| GEOG3017 | Geography | 3 | 20 | Spring UK |
- Code
- GEOG3017
- School
- Geography
- Level
- 3
- Credits
- 20
- Semesters
- Spring UK
Summary
This module will cover the following topics:
- Political, historical, and cultural geographies of war.
- Spaces of violence and non-violence relating to colonialism, anti-colonialism, religious nationalism, decolonisation/partition, and terrorism.
- Case studies from a variety of national and international contexts.
Target Students
This module is available to all Final Year UG students in the Faculty of Social Sciences, Final Year Liberal Arts students and Masters in Social Science (Geography) students where the module was not taken at undergraduate level (subject to timetabling considerations and pathway lead approval).
Classes
The module will be delivered through a mixture of lectures and seminars.
Assessment
- 50% Coursework: 2,000 words
- 50% Electronic Exam (2-hour): Electronic exam
Assessed by end of spring semester
Educational Aims
The module considers the role of political violence in creating the human geographies of Europe, the Americas and Asia in the past and the present. Several different forms of systemic violence are investigated, including inter-state warfare, intra-state civil warfare, colonialism and terrorism. The module tracesthe geographical impact of violence through its materiality and technologies, and by reference to historical evolution, geopolitical imaginaries, and rhetorical and epistemological categories. Students will engage with theoretical, moral and legal debates in different regional contexts, and will critically interpret contemporary media reports and debates about the nature and legitimacy of violence within and between nation states.Learning Outcomes
a. Knowledge and understanding
● Demonstrate comprehension of the changing geographies of international politics and the technologies of violence.
● Comprehend the role of historical geography upon geopolitical and intellectual formations.
● Appreciate the diverse means by which violence is communicated, appropriated, embodied, and enacted at different geographical scales.
● Be able to situate detailed case study material in broader empirical and theoretical debates, with particular reference to geography.
b. Intellectual Skills
● Appreciate the mutual formation of epistemological, technological, and political violence in diverse geographical contexts.
● Situate case studies in general patterns while maintaining an appreciation of geographical complexity.
● Evaluate the biases and perspectives of competing commentaries on the geographies of violence.
● Develop targeted, sustained, and analytical arguments.
c. Professional Practical Skills
● Evaluate the diversity of specialised techniques and approaches involved in collecting and analysing information regarding geographies of violence
● Appreciate the politically inflected nature of data sources, whether numerical, discursive, or visual.
d. Transferable Skills
● Communicate geographical ideas, principals, and theories effectively and fluently by written means.
● Undertake independent/ self-directed study/ learning to achieve consistent, proficient and sustained attainments.
● Reflect on the process of learning and evaluate strengths and weaknesses.