This module introduces political geography and explores how its key concepts of place, space and power interrelate in shaping contemporary life. We examine key theoretical and empirical issues lying at the core of political geography, including: the interface between politics and the spatiality of government; the rise of the state and its territoriality; the geographical interplay of ideas of national belonging and nationalism; the scalar politics of place; and the inter-state relations – ‘geopolitics’ – that create globally extensive geographies of power. The module is delivered through a combination of conceptual and case-study materials with the aim of dramatizing the relevance of political geography to contemporary global issues.

On completion of the module, the students should be able to:

1. Show a thorough grounding in the conceptual and empirical issues prevailing in political geography.
2. Express in detail the relationships between politics and geography, the politics of place and identity, and the nation-state-territory nexus.
3. Draw on historical and contemporary materials to explain how political patterns and processes impact at various spatial scales, from the global to the local.
4. Show analytical command of a range of political geography case materials, applying conceptual tools developed through the module to key political geographical and geopolitical scenarios.

The module will be delivered through lectures and seminars, in-person and on campus unless mitigating circumstances arise. Seminars will enable small group discussion about key issues relevant to the module. Students are expected to engage with additional module content on Learning Central e.g. readings or other material, to prepare for lectures and seminars, and to supplement and deepen taught components.

Whilst studying this module, students will practice and develop the following skills:

1. Analytical skills: an ability to critique the conceptual ideas and empirical approaches that distinguish political geography from the political sciences and other fields of human geography.
2. Discussion: an ability to participate in informed discussion of key urban geographical concepts and case materials.
3. Debating skills: an ability to engage in debate in ways that reflect detailed understanding of key political geography themes.
4. Written presentation of ideas: an ability to set out key ideas of the field in a coherent way, and to evaluate contending academic arguments.
5. Responding to feedback: a capacity to take on board feed-back/-forward from the written assessment of the module.

A blend of coursework and portfolio assessment

Formative Assessment

Formative assessment takes place throughout the module.  There are learning checks in every lecture and the workshops which support the assessments provide an opportunity for peer to peer and tutor feedback.

THE OPPORTUNITY FOR REASSESSMENT IN THIS MODULE:

Re-assessment

Students are permitted to be reassessed in a module which they have failed, in line with University regulations. https://intranet.cardiff.ac.uk/staff/teaching-and-supporting-students/teaching-support/academic-regulations. You will only be reassessed on the components of the module in which you have failed. The format of the reassessment will be the same as the original assessment and will take place in the Summer re-sit period.

Data Collection and Ethical Approval

For some assessments, students may be required to collect their own data. In such assessments ethical approval from the School Research Ethics Committee must be obtained before data collection can begin. The module leader will discuss the process for obtaining ethical approval if it is needed in this module. Ethical approval is not needed for students using existing, open data sets (e.g. anonymised secondary data). This does not include social media data (e.g., Twitter or Facebook posts), where ethical approval must be obtained. The ethical approval process will take time and you are strongly recommended to adhere to the timetable outlined by the module leader to ensure you are not delayed in your assessment.

The module comprises an integrated flow of themes and topics that develop from week to week. The module opens with introductory and conceptual sessions that set out the main theoretical and sub-disciplinary parameters of political geography, and which then follow through into topical applications of these conceptual tools to political geography case studies. In the first half of the module, we address historical and contemporary themes linked to the UK as a dynamic and changing geopolitical unit, addressing issues of empire, devolution and the UK’s changing relations to the EU.

The first assignment (2,000 word essay) addresses this section of the module, with questions dealing with various facets of the UK’s relationship to World Orders, old and new (students have a choice between three essay topics). The second part of the module fans out into a wider geopolitical remit, with current case studies exploring in detail the politics of the Middle East and North Africa. The connecting thread between the first and second parts of the module is the abiding theme of empire and the shadow it has cast over post-colonial state formation, contested expressions of nationalism, and territorial sovereignty.