Political Geography and Geopolitics

3 credits

This course provides an understanding of the fields of political geography and geopolitics, which are the study of how politics organizes space and how space influence politics. We will discuss key political geographic concepts including territory, sovereignty, borders, and place, and their history and changing relevance in the face of capitalist globalization and the transition from empires to nation-states. We will also explore three major facets of geopolitics: classic geopolitics, critical geopolitics, and urban geopolitics and their relevance in the contemporary world. Finally, we will explore geographies of peace and conflict and the rise of non-state actors and non-state sovereignty.