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        CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY

        DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY, PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT

        GEOG 220/4 A

        "The Human Environment: Place, Space and Identity"

        Winter Term 2014-2015                                        

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Instructor: Alan Nash (Office: SGW-1255-11).

Class times: Monday and Wednesday 11:45-13:00        

Class location: Hall Building H-937 (SGW)

Office hours: Wednesday 9:30 - 11:00 or by appointment

e-mail alan.nash @ concordia.ca

Course description

This course introduces the concepts of "place", "space" and "identity". These concepts were developed by geographers to investigate economic, social and especially cultural factors that influence the ways we construct and understand our environments. It examines how we construct the meaning of place, the unique identity of places, the contest over identity of place, and claims to rights over place. How these have been affected by migration and globalization are then examined within the context of an already constituted social and geographical unevenness (described in political, economic, environmental, and cultural terms). The emphasis will be on lectures, but there will be time to discuss topics, to add concerns that interest you, and active class participation is encouraged.

Course evaluation

Test 1:                                         held  2 Feb          25%

Test 2:                                        held  9 March         25%

Final Exam:                                Exam                 50%

The tests are all multiple choice, with about 40-50 questions each and are  based on both the chapters in the textbook and the class material that we have covered up to the particular test.

The exam will be (1) “cumulative” – that is based on everything we have done in the term: (2) will have about 100 multiple choice questions (3) and its date is scheduled by university sometime between 17 April and May 2 ]

Course textbook: 

Paul L. Knox, Sallie A. Marston, Michael Imort and Alan E. Nash Places and Regions in Global Context: Human Geography, 4th Canadian Edition (Pearson Education Canada: Toronto, 2013)

Readings: Please note that the exact pages to read in the textbook will be announced at the start of each class, and will also be given in the Powerpoints for each class (on Moodle)

GEOG 220 Course Outline

1. Introduction: The study of human geography.

7  Jan        Introduction to course.

12 Jan        The evolution of human geography: From the beginnings to Humboldt (Ch 1*)

        (* means please read the specific pages in Ch 1 of textbook that are mentioned in class notes for this class posted on Moodle).

14 Jan        The evolution of human geography: Darwin to Postmodernism; Development of Geography in Canada (Ch 1*).

19 Jan        The fundamental geographical concepts: location, distance, space, region (Ch 1).

21 Jan        The fundamental geographical concepts: accessibility, spatial interaction, place, scale (Ch 1).        

26 Jan        Major geographical theories for viewing today's world: world-system model (Ch2)

28 Jan         Major forces of geographical change: population growth, demographic transition and migration (Ch 3). 

2 Feb        TEST 1 (multiple choice.  Only on Chapters 1 to 3. worth 25% 

4 Feb         The Columbian Exchange & Ecological Imperialism (Ch 4)

B. Place:

9 Feb                “Place Making”: an in-class exercise “castaway” and discussion.

11 Feb        Placemaking: Yi-Fu Tuan's "Topophilia" and “the love of place”; introduction to ideas about place making/marketing (Ch 6).

16 Feb        Placemaking: North American vernacular architecture (Ch. 5)

18 Feb        Placemaking: language, dialect and accents (Ch 5)

23 Feb- 27 Feb Break – no classes

2 March        Placemaking: folk music (video “Cajun Music”)

4 March        The Aesthetics of Landscape (Ch 6)

9 March        TEST 2 (Multiple choice) Only on chapters 4-6. Worth 25%

11 March        "Shock cities": The development of cities as “places”; postmodernism and the city (Ch 10,  Ch 11).

C. Space:

16 March        The development of cities as “spaces”: Spatial models of the city ((Ch 11). Public and private space: gender, ethnicity and space (Ch 5).

18 March        Sacred and profane space: from Aboriginal Songlines to Mount Rushmore (Ch 5; Ch 6).        The cemetery as a place (Ch 6)

23 March        Space as power: Geopolitics  (Ch 9).

D. Identity:

25 March        Political geography: sovereignty and nationalism (ch 9)

30 March        Political Geography: Geography of Elections; Poitical ecology and Environmental refugees (Ch 9)

1 April         Identity & food: national cuisines, “terroir”   Ch 8)

8 April        Issues  of food access: Von Thunen,, food miles and food sovereignty (Ch 8)

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