Geography 4712
Fall Semester 2005 POLITICAL
GEOGRAPHY (Revised Nov 14 2005)
Instructor:
John O’Loughlin
201h Guggenheim
492-1619
email: johno@colorado.edu
Office Hours: MW
Personal Homepage: http://www.colorado.edu/IBS/PEC/johno/johno.html
Teaching Assistants:
Clionadh Raleigh Dan
Trudeau
201h Guggenheim 314
Guggenheim
492-4371 492-3684
Office
Hours: W 9-11am Office Hours: W
This course focuses on
the international and cross-national perspectives of political geography. It deals with political, economic and social
aspects of international relations from a geographical perspective and examines
societies in transition in the post Cold War and 9-11 world. As such, the course has an integrative
character and requires basic knowledge about international affairs. Frequent reading of a substantive newspaper
or magazine, such as The New York Times,
The Guardian, Christian Science Monitor, or the Economist would help
significantly to acquire (or develop) knowledge of global locations and current
events.
The course is designed
for the upper-division level. It surveys
some important aspects of the discipline of political geography but does not
engage in a systematic survey of regional issues and conflicts. Instead, contemporary developments in the
world’s regions (especially Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, the
Middle East and
In response to student
requests, we restructured the course in 1996 as a two lectures- one discussion
period per week. (Formerly we had 3 lectures per week). This experiment is successful when all
students come to the discussion sections having already read the material and
with questions. The TA will pass out a
list of key concepts/terms from the lectures and readings and will organize
discussion around them; students will be assigned to a group for purposes of
leading a discussion. Further details in
the first recitation section meeting.
Details about the format and requirements of the research paper will
also be given in the discussion sections.
The text is Peter J.
Taylor and
Success is this course is
a function of the usual formula (class attendance, staying current with the
readings, and asking for help when needed).
Use of the lecture notes from the website is no substitution for class
attendance. The TAs will take weekly
recitation attendance.
Course Overview:
We begin with a short
review of “geopolitics” particularly as the field developed in the
Grades are assigned on
the basis of 30% midterm; 30% final examination; 30% term paper and 10%
discussion section performance. The
midterm will be held on 19th October at
Week 1: (Aug. 22) Introduction
What is political geography?
Illustration from
Week 2: (Aug. 29) Classical
Geopolitics
Heartland Theory and
Week 3: (Sept. 5) Labor
Day (no class)
German Geopolitics
Week 4: (Sept. 12) “Democratic Geopolitics”
Cold War
Week 5: (Sept. 19) US
Geopolitics and the Promotion of Democracy
Week 6: (Sept. 26) Democratization
and its Discontents
Restructuring in the
Week 7: (Oct. 3) Political
Transitions in Africa and
Islamist Politics and Globalization
Week 8: (Oct. 10) Field trip report to
Substantive and procedural democracy in
post-Communist societies
Week 9: (Oct. 17) Transition
to democracy:
Review for Midterm Examination
MIDTERM
EXAMINATION October 19
Week 10: (Oct. 24) World-Systems Theory - Wallerstein
World-Systems Theory - Modelski
Week 11: (Oct. 31) Crises of the State in Capitalist
Societies
The Politics of Failure in the
Week 12: (Nov. 7) Globalization and its Effects
World Cities as nodes in the
global networks
Week 13: (Nov. 14) Theories of Nationalism
Applications of Theories of
Nationalism
Week 14: (Nov. 21) Ethno-territorial conflicts
(class schedule on Nov 23 is the
same as a Friday due to fall break)
Week 15: (Nov. 28) The aftermath of war:
The nature of conflicts in the future
Week 16: (Dec. 5) Political Geography –
Chaos and Cosmos in the
World System
________________________________________________________________________
Geography 4712
Fall 2005
Discussion
Sections and
NOTE: DISCUSSION SECTIONS BEGIN ON WEEK OF AUGUST
22nd.
(The keyword in ALL CAPS
after the title is the name of the electronic reserve)
Week 1 (Aug.22) Introduction
Reading: Dahlman “Geographies of genocide and ethnic cleansing: The lessons of
Bosnia-Hercegovina.” ( DAHLMAN)
Week 2 (Aug. 29)
Classical Geopolitics
Agnew “The three
ages of geopolitics” (THREE AGES)
Week 3 (Sep. 5) US Geopolitics
O’Tuathail (from Critical Geopolitics) pp. 111-136 (GERMAN GEOPOLITICS)
O’Tuathail “Thinking critically” ( from Geopolitics Reader) (THINKING
CRITICALLY)
Week 4 (Sep. 12) Post Cold War Geopolitics
Agnew “A new age
of global geopolitics” (NEW AGE)
Week 5 (Sep. 19) Promoting Democracy
Secor “Islamic politics:
Anti-systemic or postmodern movement” (ISLAMIC POLITICS)
Week 6 (Sept. 26) Globalization and Democratization
Sachs, et al “Geography
of poverty” (GEOG OF POVERTY))
Week 7 (Oct. 3) Contemporary World (Dis)Order
Week 8 (Oct. 10) Post-Communism
Review for midterm
Week 9 (Oct. 17) Illiberal democracy
Week 10 (Oct. 24) World
systems theory
Week 11 (Oct. 31)
Politics of Failure in the
Baxter “Cotton subsidies squeeze
Week 12 (Nov. 7) Effects
of Globalization
Week 13 (Nov. 14)
Theories of Nationalism
Week 14 (Nov. 21)
Ethno-territorial conflicts
(Students
in sections normally on Wed attend another section this week –makeup for Fall break)
Week 15 (Nov. 28) Conflicts in the Post Cold War
world
Barnett “The Pentagon’s New Map”
(PENTAGON’S MAP)
Week 16 (Dec. 5) Review for Final Examination.
It is imperative that all students come prepared
to the discussion section with the weekly reading completed. The same readings will be the basis for the
questions on half of the mid-term and final examinations.
RESERVE
Agnew,
J. Geopolitics: Revisioning
World Politics.
Barnett,
T.J. “The Pentagon’s new map: It
explains why we are going to war and why we will keep going to war.” Esquire (March 2003) 174-179, 227-228.
Baxter,
J. “Cotton subsidies squeeze
Collier,
P. et al. Breaking the Conflict Trap.
Dahlman,
C. “Geographies of genocide and ethnic cleansing: The lessons of Bosnia-Hercegovina” in C.
LeBillon,
P. “The geography of ‘resource wars.” In
C. Flint (ed) The
Geography of War and Peace: From Death Camps to Diplomats.
Ohmae,
K The
End of the Nation-State: The Rise of Regional Economies
O’Loughlin,
J “Ordering the ‘Crush Zone’: Geopolitical Games in Post-Cold War Eastern
Europe.” in
O’Loughlin,
J “Global democratization: Measuring and explaining the diffusion of democracy”
In C. Barnett and M. Low (eds) Spaces of Democracy.
O’Loughlin,
J “The political geography of war: Civil wars in the hegemonic shadow” in C.
Flint (ed) The
Geography of War and Peace: From Death Camps to Diplomats.
O’ Tuathail, G Critical Geopolitics.
O’Tuathail, G “Thinking critically about geopolitics” in G. O’Tuathail,
S. Dalby and P. Routledge (eds) The Geopolitics
Reader.
Sachs,
J, et al. “The geography of poverty” Scientific American March 2001, 70-75
Secor,
A.J. “Islamist politics: Antisystemic or post-modern
movements?” Geopolitics 6 (2001),
117-134.
Wade, R.
“Winners and losers”. Economist
Zakaria,
F. “The rise of illiberal democracy.”
Foreign Affairs 76 (6), 1997, 22-43.
Honor Code and Plagiarism
The College of Arts and Sciences
passed an Honor Code last year. All students of the
Turnitin.com
A key element of this code
is that CU students will not plagiarize (using the words and thoughts of others
as your own). As part of the effort to
control plagiarism and to ensure that submitted works from students are fully
their own, the University has subscribed to TurnItIn.com. It is the instructor’s intent to submit the student
papers in Geog. 4712 to TurnItIn.com and to give a grade of F in the course to
any student in violation of the CU Honor Code.
Note that you cannot submit the same paper for two different classes without
the express permission of both instructors.
If a student has any questions about this procedure or about any matter
regarding proper citation and the Honor Code, he or she should talk to a TA or
the instructor. You can see more about
this issue at http://www.colorado.edu/academics/honorcode/Pass_Code.html
Disability
Accommodations:
If you qualify for accommodations because of a disability, please submit
a letter from Disability Services in a timely manner so that your needs may be
addressed. Disability Services determines accommodations based on
documented disabilities. Contact: 303-492-8671, Willard 322, and www.Colorado.EDU/disabilityservices
Religious Accommodation:
Campus policy
regarding religious observances requires that faculty make every effort to
reasonably and fairly deal with all students who, because of religious
obligations, have conflicts with scheduled exams, assignments or required
attendance. If you believe that you have such a conflict, please see the
instructor.
Classroom Behavior:
Students and
faculty each have responsibility for maintaining an appropriate learning
environment. Students who fail to adhere to such behavioral standards may be
subject to discipline. Faculty have the professional responsibility to treat
all students with understanding, dignity and respect, to guide classroom
discussion and to set reasonable limits on the manner in which they and their
students express opinions. Professional courtesy and sensitivity are
especially important with respect to individuals and topics dealing with the
politically-sensitive subject matter of this class.