13710 - Geography (1) (A-L)

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course students will possess the geographic expertise to handle historical and geographic atlases, as well as using IT tools and surfing the web to gain information and cartographic material or images. They will be organized and independent in their work, possess a spirit of self-criticism and an ability to spot connections by having dealings with experts from other subjects.

Course contents

The course covers geographical methods in relation to Italian society since the nineteenth century, in particular. The programme has five parts:

1. Territories and Mapping
2. Ecology, the Anthropocene, Environmental Justice
3. Differences, Bodies, Decoloniality
4. Urban Space and Globalization
5. Culture and Memory

Readings/Bibliography

Attendees

Our primary text is:

• Claudio Minca (ed.), Appunti di geografia (Milan: Wolters Kluwer, 2022)

Additional brief readings relating to each part of the programme are signposted in the course of lectures.

Non-Attendees

Three books ought to be studied: 

1. Claudio Minca (ed.), Appunti di geografia (Milan: Wolters Kluwer, 2022)
2. Marco Armiero et al. (eds), Environmental Humanities: Scienze sociali, politica, ecologia (Rome: DeriveApprodi, 2021)
3. Your choice between

• Daniela Fargione and Carmen Concilio (eds), Antroposcenari: Storie, paesaggi, ecologie (Bologna: Il Mulino, 2018)
• Cristiano Giorda (ed.), Geografia e Antropocene: Uomo, ambiente, educazione (Rome: Carocci, 2019)

Teaching methods

This set of lectures and exam sessions is reserved for surnames between the stated letters - assessment has to take place within the appropriate cohort. For assessment as an attendee, the minimum participation is two-thirds of lectures. Given this distinction, no lecture-capture is to be implemented. The classroom experience is a collective undertaking that blends chalk-and-talk and flipped pedagogy. The opening session is dedicated to a thoroughgoing overview of the programme, materials and assessment methods.

Assessment methods

6 exam sessions are on offer. The assessment comprises an hour-long exercise in a computer lab using EsamiOnLine: there are three open questions, each of which is differentiated for attendees and non-attendees in terms of topics covered in class and the prescribed reading. Outcomes are announced via AlmaEsami, with a window of 24 hours to opt for resitting.

You are being assessed on:

• Your depth of learning in key areas
• Your use of an appropriate nomenclature
• Your capacity to synthesize
  

A critical stance, terminological proficiency and lucidity are the cornerstones of top marks. Knowledge gaps, unsound statements or redundant details are grounds for failure.

Teaching tools

• PowerPoint slides
• Cloud-sharing
• Literary works
• Maps
• Social-media texts
• Visual art

The University's Service for Students with Disabilities and Learning Disorders provides appointments for deciding upon academic adaptations.

Office hours

See the website of Daniel Andrew Finch-Race