This module uses a range of contemporary key concepts and approaches in political geography and geopolitics to understand how, why and in what ways current and emergent forms of nationalism, statehood, territoriality and sovereignty are mobilised across a range of scales. Specifically, drawing on historic and contemporary examples, the module examines (1) how sovereignty emerged and been sustained as one of the critical drivers of political geography by actors and organizations, and how is it manifested at a variety of spatial scales; and (2) how geopolitics is implicated in current and likely future patterns and processes of political contestation, (dis)integration and political developments locally, nationally and globally.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the module students should be able to:
Be able to recognise the political implications, elements and functioning of nationalism, sovereignty and territoriality at a variety of scales, and understand the core components of political geographical thought with regard to contemporary geopolitics
Relate political geography approaches to questions of nationality, sovereignty, state formation, borders, territories, migration, and contemporary geopolitics
Demonstrate an understanding of some of the key concepts in contemporary political geographical and geopolitical thought and the key events and processes underpinning changing political geographies of sovereignty
Assessment
37690-01 : Essay : Coursework (50%)
37690-03 : Exam : Exam (Centrally Timetabled) - Open Book (50%)
