| Instructor: | Professor Bill Anderson |
| Office: | CAS 439f |
| Office Hours: | Tuesday, Thursday 11-12; Wednesday 1-3 |
| Phone: | 358-0208 |
| email: | bander@bu.edu |
| Lectures: | Tuesday, Thursday 9:30 - 11:00 |
| Description: | Political Geography is the study of how geographical features and patterns interact with political processes to create a constantly evolving political landscape . Studies in political geography can be quite local in scope, but in this course we will concentrate on the international or global scale. The course has three goals: 1) to inform students on the geographical features, processes and theories that have been identified by political geographers as relevant to the creation of the political landscape; 2) to apply these ideas in describing and explaining the evolution of the political map in all parts of the world; and 3) to endow the student with a broad base of spatial empirical information as required for further study in international relations. Political Geography is the study of how geographical features and patterns interact with political processes to create a constantly evolving political landscape . Studies in political geography can be quite local in scope, but in this course we will concentrate on the international or global scale. The course has three goals: 1) to inform students on the geographical features, processes and theories that have been identified by political geographers as relevant to the creation of the political landscape; 2) to apply these ideas in describing and explaining the evolution of the political map in all parts of the world; and 3) to endow the student with a broad base of spatial empirical information as required for further study in international relations. |
Required Books:
Maps: This course will emphasize maps as media for organizing and conveying geographical information. The Atlas of World History (listed above) uses maps to illustrate the geographical processes that have led to cultural, economic and political landscapes of the present day. For contemporary maps, students should use the National Geographic Society web site (www.nationalgeographic.com) whose MapMachine feature allows you to access a wide variety of up-to-date political and topographic maps, plus satellite images for all parts of the world.
Acquisition of map knowledge is a fundamental skill for students of political geography and international relations. Maps will be assigned for study throughout the course and a series of map quizzes will be used to test your map study skills.
Discussion Sessions:
Weekly discussions sessions will serve a number of purposes:
Discussion topics will be assigned one week prior to the session and each student will be required to prepare briefing notes to be turned in at the end of the discussion (see sample form attached).
Course Web Site: Lectures will be presented with the aid of PowerPoint slides, which will be made available on the courseinfo site. (Remember: review of these slides is no substitute for attending lectures!) Course grades, assignments, answer keys and some supplementary readings will also be provided on the site.
Evaluation:
| Discussion section attendance and completion of assignments | 15% |
| Map Quizzes | 15% |
| Mid Term Exam | 30% |
| Final Exam | 40% |
Part I Background
| Week 1: (January 17, 19) | Course objectives, review of scholarship in Political Geography, historical perspective on human settlement.
Readings: Cohen, Chapters 1, 2 |
| Week 2: (January 24, 26) | Geopolitical Structure. Taxonomy of geopolitical features, geopolitical regions at different scales, national states, state proliferation, orders of power, types of borders.
Readings: Cohen, Chapter 3 |
| Week 3: (January 31, February 2) | Geopolitical Restructuring 1945 2001: Arrangements at the close of WW II, nuclear stalemate and deterrence, communist expansion, collapse of the Soviet superpower, global terrorism.
Readings: Cohen, Chapter 4 |
| Week :4 (February 7, 9) | North and Middle America I Review of physical and geopolitical features, stages of US geopolitical development, Canada - US relations.
Readings: Cohen, Chapter 5 |
| Week 5: (February 14, 16) | North and Middle America II. History of the US - Mexico border, US - Mexico trade relations, US relations with Middle America, Cuba after the Cold War.
Readings: Course Pack: Huntington |
| Week 6: (February 21, 23) | Maritime Europe and the Maghreb I. Review of physical and geopolitical features, European borders in historical perspective, geographical challenges of European integration.
Readings: Cohen, Chapter 6 |
| Midterm Exam | Tuesday, Febuary 28. |
| Week 7: (March 2) | Maritime Europe and the Maghreb II. The Maghreb as Europe's strategic annex.
Readings: Course Pack: Newman |
| Week 8: (March 14, 16) | Russia and the Heartlandic Periphery. Review of physical and geopolitical features, historical perspective on expanding Russian / Soviet state, Eastern Europe and Central Asia
Readings: Cohen, Chapter 7 |
| Week 9: (March 21, 23) | East Asia. Review of physical and geopolitical features, China: continentality vs. maritimity, Taiwan and Indochina.
Readings: Cohen, Chapter 8, |
| Week 10: (March 28, 30) | The Asia-Pacific Rim. Review of physical and geopolitical features; Japan: from militarily dominance to economic dominance; export orientation, economic growth and regional integration; disputes over ocean rights.
Readings: Cohen, Chapter 9 |
| Week 11: (April 4, 6) | South Asia: Review of physical and geopolitical features, geographical and historical perspectives on the emergence of national states, India Pakistan border dispute, India Bangladesh riparian dispute.
Readings: Cohen, Chapter 10, |
| Week 12: (April 11, 13) | The Middle East I. Review of physical and geopolitical features, from Ottoman dominance to Great Power Rivalry, oil and economic transformation.
Readings: Cohen, Chapter 11, |
| Week 14: (April 18, 20) | South America. Review of physical and geopolitical features, colonialism and borders, initiatives for economic integration.
Readings: Cohen, Chapter 12, |
| Week 15: (May 3, 5) | Sub-Saharan Africa. Review of physical and geopolitical features, the colonial legacy: arbitrary borders and poor economic integration, South Africa as regional economic catalyst?
Readings: Cohen, Chapter 13 |
| Final Exam: | Tuesday May 2, 2-4 PM. All students must be available to take the exam on the scheduled date. |
Supplementary Reading Package (Available in discussion sessions.)
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