Recent years have witnessed a so-called ‘cultural turn’ within geography as the inter-relations between culture, space and place have been awarded an increased significance.  Moving away from traditional concerns with narrow and descriptive understandings of culture, a ‘new’ cultural geography has emerged which has attempted to understand the multiple and contested cultural meanings attached to space, place and landscape. 

This module provides a critical review of these developments. It begins by tracing the historical development of cultural geography and then moves on to provide an overview of the key components of the contemporary subject.  In particular, the module considers the cultural construction of space and place, geographies of identity and difference, spaces of power and resistance, and culture of nature.

1. Appreciate key theoretical developments in cultural geography;
2. Understand the complex connections between culture, space and place;
3. Understand the ways in which issues of identity, difference, power and resistance are bound up with spatial processes.

The module will be delivered through a combination of lectures and seminars.

1. Critically review theoretical geographical literatures;
2. Connect theoretical materials with particular case-studies.
3. Critically review theoretical literatures;
4. Connect theoretical materials with case-studies;
5. Communicate ideas effectively through written and oral presentations.

• 50% Individual Essay in March
• 50% Film Essay in May

Students will be expected to demonstrate an appreciation and understanding of the need to appreciate the multiple and contested meanings attached to culture and the ways in which these meanings connect with and are played out in space.

There will be two sessions per week. Each will be based around a formal lecture complemented by video presentations and group discussions.

The module will provide students with the following:

• Lectures, with supplementary hand-outs and Learning Central (e-learning) support
• Video presentations and group discussions based around key readings
• The opportunity to apply abstract and general ideas to specific case study areas and key subject areas in order to show how ideas can be applied in practice.
• Compulsory guided reading associated with each topic to supplement and deepen the taught component.

Central to this module is the development of students’ ability to engage critically with the complex theoretical and empirical connections between culture, space and place. This is assessed through essays or film which all students must undertake.

Key Text:
Anderson, J. 2010 Understanding Cultural Geography: Places & Traces. Routledge: London & New York. Anderson, K et al eds. 2003 Handbook of Cultural Geography. Sage: London.
Anderson, K. Gale, F. eds Cultural Geographies. 2nd Edition. Longman: Australia.
Blunt, A. Wills, J. eds 2003 Cultural geography in practice. Arnold: London.
Cloke, P. et al. Envisioning Human Geographies. Hodder Arnold: London.
Cook, I., Crouch, D., Naylor, S., and Ryan, J. (2000), Cultural turns / geographical turns, Harlow: Pearson Education Limited.
Crang, M. 1998 Cultural geography. London : Routledge.
Cresswell, T. 1996 In place/out of place. University of Minnesota Press: Minneapolis.
Cresswell, T. 2004. Place. A Short Introduction. Blackwell:Oxford.
Duncan, J. Duncan, N. 2004 Culture unbound. Environment and Planning A 36 391-403
Gregory, D & Welford, R. eds. Horizons in Human Geography. Macmillan: Basingstoke
Gregory, D., Martin, R. and Smith, G. (eds) (1994), Human geography: society, space and social science, Basingstoke: Macmillan Press.
Hall, S. (ed) (1997), Representation: cultural representations and signifying practices, London: Sage .
Jackson, P. (1994), Maps of Meaning, London: Routledge.
Massey, D. (1993) Space, Place & Gender. Polity Press: Cambridge.
Mitchell, D. 1995 There’s no such thing as culture: towards a reconceptualisation of the idea of culture in geography. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers. 20 102-116.
Mitchell, D. 2000 Cultural Geography: A Critical Introduction. Blackwell: Oxford.
Nash, C. (2002) Cultural Geography in Crisis. Antipode. Vol. 34. No.2.
Sharp, J. et al (eds) (2000) Entanglements of Power: geographies of domination/resistance. Routledge. London & New York.
Shields, R. 1991 Places on the Margin. Routledge: London.
Shurmer-Smith, P. ed. 2002 Doing Cultural Geography. Sage: London.
Sibley, D. 1995 Geographies of Exclusion. Routledge: London.