Political Geography and Geopolitics

Code: GEO13349L

6 ECTS

Duration: 15 weeks/156 hours

Scientific Area: Geography

Teaching languages: Portuguese

Languages of tutoring support: Portuguese, English

Regime de Frequência: Presencial

Sustainable Development Goals

Educação de qualidade - Assegurar a educação inclusiva, e equitativa e de qualidade, e promover oportunidades de aprendizagem ao longo da vida para todos.

Learning Goals

With this curricular unit, students are expected to understand the relationships between political geography and geopolitics and to be able to analyze concrete situations by mobilizing theories, concepts and adequate methodologies.
Knowledge:
1. Distinguish political geography and geopolitics, understanding the main debates and theoretical developments in both fields;
2. To mobilize the key concepts and main instruments of geopolitical analysis to investigate concrete examples of the contemporary world;
3. Understand the geographical expression of power relations and the role of space in its reconfiguration;
Skills and competences:
4. Organize and adequately manage individual and group work processes;
5. Develop active reading ability of texts and critical thinking within the framework of political geography and geopolitics;
6. Discuss ideas and communicate search results.

1. Political geography and geopolitics: concepts and perspectives
2. Political Geography
2.1. Theoretical perspectives in political geography
2.2. State, territory and borders
2.3. Democracy and citizenship
3. Geopolitics
3.1. Classic geopolitical thinking
3.2. Global Theories of World Power I: Maritime Power and Land Power
3.3. Global Theories of World Power II: Airpower and Conjugated Powers
3.4. New geopolitics
3.5. Critical geopolitics
4. Conflicts, crises and challenges of the contemporary world
4.1. The UK in crisis in a changing Europe
4.2. The rise of China and the role of Asia in the 21st century.
4.3. The conflict between Israel and Palestine and the situation in the Middle East
4.4. The US-Mexico border in a world surrounded by walls and barriers

Teaching Methods

This course will be carried out by a teacher with training in human geography, with the collaboration of another, specialized in physical geography, mainly to support the development of section 4 of the programmatic contents, thus enabling an integrated approach to the case studies. In addition, personalities of recognized scientific merit will also be invited to ensure two sessions in a seminar format. In general terms, an eminently practical and integrative approach of the topics addressed is privileged. In addition to an individual theoretical and practical test, students will have to prepare three practical group assignments and an individual critical review of a recently published work focusing on matters of political geography and/ or geopolitics. Each of the practical assignments will be built around a challenge and/or problem that will allow students to consolidate research skills and acquire essential scientific knowledge.