GEOGRAPHIES, CULTURES AND TERRITORIES
- Overview
- Assessment methods
- Learning objectives
- Contents
- Full programme
- Delivery method
- Teaching methods
- Contacts/Info
There are no propaedeutic courses.
The final examination consists of an interview and is conducted by means of 5 questions, the answers to which are graded between 0 and 6 points. A total of 18 points are required to pass the examination.
The questions assess the students' knowledge and preparation on the textbook, choice reading and shared material, both from a mnemonic point of view and above all from a critical and logical point of view, ascertaining the candidates' ability to link theory, history and current affairs, correlating quantitative and qualitative aspects and grasping the concatenations of causes and effects in territorial analysis.
Specifically:
2 questions deal with the Human Geography Handbook (one of your choice from the bibliography);
1 question is on the reading ("Monograph" one of your choice from the bibliography);
1 question on the paper prepared during the course (or, for those who cannot attend the course, on one of the supplementary texts freely downloadable on the web and shared on the E-learning platform);
1 question on the excursions (or, for those who cannot take part in one or both excursions, on one of the supplementary papers that will be shared on the E-learning platform on the occasion of each excursion).
For attending students, in fact, there is the possibility of actively participating in the course activities (elaboration of short multimedia reports, sharing in the course's social networks, joint viewing of films and documentaries) by producing a final paper (to be delivered in digital format, via e-mail, by the date of the exam roll for which the student registers, and consisting of approx. 5-10 pages of 3000 characters each).
The modalities of the final paper and the terms of its validity will be explained during the lectures.
The preparation of the paper replaces the study of the supplementary teaching material shared on the E-learning platform (and therefore one of the questions in the oral test).
For students who participate in one or both excursions, a question in the final examination will focus on the field experience and the concluding papers (formal return).
Students who will not be able to participate in one or both excursions will be able to study the thematic supplementary papers, which will be shared on the E-learning platform on the occasion of each field trip).
The course has three main educational objectives
- to illustrate the essential concepts of the geographical disciplines and the models of perception and representation indispensable for depicting and decoding the complex interactions between the natural environment and anthropic systems in their socio-cultural, political and economic dimensions
- contextualise in time and space the methodologies and themes of geographical research, paying particular attention to the production of social space and the transcale perspective (local/global);
- deepen the relationship between media and geography with particular attention to representations of the territory and the territory as media;
The expected learning outcomes include
- refinement of individual geographical perceptions and sensibilities;
- knowledge and contextualisation of the main territorial dynamics of a political, economic and socio-cultural nature, on a global and local scale;
- knowledge and contextualisation of the main statistical data of a political, economic and socio-cultural nature, on a global and local scale;
- ability to detect and analyse territorialisation processes at different geographical scales;
- ability to critically interpret widespread geographical representations and narratives.
In the general part (56 hours), the course covers the following topics:
- Geography as perception, representation and narration
- The geographical models of perception and representation of the world (the map, the landscape, the region, the place).
- Related spatial dynamics (regionalisation, territorialisation) and meta-geographical categories (
- The concept of scale and transcalarity.
- The socio-cultural (identity) and political (authority and legitimacy) systems.
- The socio-economic systems of production, exchange and consumption.
- Urban and regional systems.
The course includes two field trips aimed at investigating spatial dynamics and interactions between the local and global scales (transcalarity). The excursions involve the direct involvement of students in the organisational, implementation and concluding phases. In recent years, excursions have taken place in Bizzozero, in Milan (Fuorisalone, Anti-Mafia Memorial Day) and on Lake Como (Bellagio, Como, Brunate)
Learning objectives and expected learning outcomes
The course has three main educational objectives
- to illustrate the essential concepts of the geographical disciplines and the models of perception and representation indispensable for depicting and decoding the complex interactions between the natural environment and anthropic systems in their socio-cultural, political and economic dimensions
- contextualise in time and space the methodologies and themes of geographical research, paying particular attention to the production of social space and the transcale perspective (local/global);
- deepen the relationship between media and geography with particular attention to representations of the territory and the territory as media;
The expected learning outcomes include
- refinement of individual geographical perceptions and sensibilities;
- knowledge and contextualisation of the main territorial dynamics of a political, economic and socio-cultural nature, on a global and local scale;
- knowledge and contextualisation of the main statistical data of a political, economic and socio-cultural nature, on a global and local scale;
- ability to detect and analyse territorialisation processes at different geographical scales;
- ability to critically interpret widespread geographical representations and narratives.
Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites.
Course content
In the general part (56 hours) the course covers the following topics:
- Geography as perception, representation and narration
- The geographical models of perception and representation of the world (the map, the landscape, the region, the place).
- Related spatial dynamics (regionalisation, territorialisation) and meta-geographical categories (
- The concept of scale and transcalarity.
- The socio-cultural (identity) and political (authority and legitimacy) systems.
- The socio-economic systems of production, exchange and consumption.
- Urban and regional systems.
The course includes two field trips aimed at investigating spatial dynamics and interactions between the local and global scales (transcalarity). The excursions involve the direct involvement of students in the organisational, implementation and concluding phases. In recent years, excursions have taken place to
Teaching methods
The course is conducted in face-to-face lectures involving active student participation (preparation and sharing of short multimedia reports, interaction with the course's social networks) and the sharing of films, documentaries and articles.
Field trips are guided and last approximately one day (8 hours each). As an integral part of the examination programme and subject to final assessment, the excursions involve the writing of a formal return, in the form of a paper, personal or group, traditional (article) or multimedia (photo, video or other). The method of drafting the formal return and the terms of its validity will be agreed during the lessons.Bizzozero, Milan (Fuorisalone, Anti-Mafia Memorial Day) and Lake Como (Bellagio, Como, Brunate)
Verification of learning
The final examination consists of an interview and is conducted by means of 5 questions, the answers to which are graded between 0 and 6 points. A total of 18 points are required to pass the examination.
The questions assess the students' knowledge and preparation on the textbook, choice reading and shared material, both from a mnemonic point of view and above all from a critical and logical point of view, ascertaining the candidates' ability to link theory, history and current affairs, correlating quantitative and qualitative aspects and grasping the concatenations of causes and effects in territorial analysis.
Specifically:
2 questions deal with the Human Geography Handbook (one of your choice from the bibliography);
1 question is on the reading ("Monograph" one of your choice from the bibliography);
1 question on the paper prepared during the course (or, for those who cannot attend the course, on one of the
The course is conducted in face-to-face lectures involving active student participation (preparation and sharing of short multimedia reports, interaction with the course's social networks) and the sharing of films, documentaries and articles.
Field trips are guided and last approximately one day (8 hours each). As an integral part of the examination programme and subject to final assessment, the excursions involve the writing of a formal return, in the form of a paper, personal or group, traditional (article) or multimedia (photo, video or other). The method of drafting the formal return and the terms of its validity will be agreed during the lessons.
Both textbooks and monographic readings are available to borrow from the library.
For the manuals, the latest edition is not indispensable (which is, however, to be preferred, especially if the book is purchased). The new Utet handbook is over 700 pages because the editing is different, but in reality the length of the content is the same as before (it is just 'written thicker').
For monographs, the choice can be expanded with other books and research that will be recommended during the course.
For supplementary texts (alternative to preparing the paper in class), the proposal consists of eight books that can be freely downloaded from the Internet, on different topics, all very recent. Choose the book to be studied for the exam according to the topic and your interest. Pay no attention to length both because longer texts are limited in pages and because the equation the shorter the easier is totally unfounded.