Checking date: 18/05/2023


Course: 2023/2024

Geopolitics
(17689)
Bachelor in History and Politics (Plan: 394 - Estudio: 352)


Coordinating teacher: GARCIA ALVAREZ, ANTONIO JACOBO

Department assigned to the subject: Humanities: History, Geography and Art Department

Type: Compulsory
ECTS Credits: 6.0 ECTS

Course:
Semester:




Requirements (Subjects that are assumed to be known)
None
Objectives
-Ability to know and understand the fundamentals of geopolitics as a discipline, as well as its relationships with other related disciplines, such as Geography, History or International Relations. -Ability to know and understand the main theoretical-methodological approaches of geopolitical studies, as well as apply them to the analysis of specific geopolitical situations. -Ability to know and understand the international geopolitical structure as a dynamic and globalized system that operates through different scales (global, regional, state, local) related to each other. -Ability to know, understand and critically analyse the main geopolitical and geostrategic theories of a global nature and the way in which those theorie have influenced or influence international politics. -Ability to know, understand and critically analyse national and international geopolitical conflicts and propose strategies and instruments that can contribute to their resolution. -Ability to know and understand the politico-geographical dimensions of the State in the context of globalization, paying particular attention to the different areas and processes that shape, delimit and modify its territory; the key factors that explain the evolution of the State's world map; the main models of territorial organization; and the ways in which the territory of the state can be divided or regionalised. -Ability to know and understand the territorial dimension of nationalism and regionalism and, especially, the way in which those territorial ideologies contribute to the construction of collective identities. -Ability to describe and analyse, on the basis of the Spanish case, the factors that define the geopolitical characteristics of a state. -Ability to orally present and discuss a geopolitical text, as well as to analyse and comment on it in a critical and rigorous manner. -Ability to know and understand the main graphic and cartographic representations related to geopolitical and historical analysis, as well as their analytical and interpretative possibilities. -Ability to analyse a conflict from a geopolitical perspective, through academic systematic methods. -To develop, as transversal values, critical spirit and a global geopolitical awareness allowing to understand the functioning, structure and major geopolitical problems of the world and, more broadly, the interests and power games that converge in the territory. In addition to this, as far as the structure of the Bachelor's Degree in History and Politics is concerned, this course on Geopolitics makes part of the "History and international politics" subject, whose general competences (GC), specific competences (SC) and learning results (RL) are as follows:
Skills and learning outcomes
Description of contents: programme
FIRST PART. INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY OF GEOPOLITICS UNIT 1. GEOPOLITICS AS A DISCIPLINE: DEFINITIONS, CONCEPTS AND SCHOOLS. 1. Defining Geopolitics: the object of study and the field. 2. Geopolitics¿ relationships to other fields. 3. Traditional subjects and approaches in geopolitical studies: geographical features and international politics, realist vs. idealist approaches. 4. An overview of geopolitical traditions and schools: classical, neoclassical and critical geopolitics. UNIT 2. GEOPOLITICAL ANALYSIS: GEOPOLITICAL CODES, GEOPOLITICAL AGENTS AND WORLD ORDERS. 1. Analyzing geopolitical facts and issues: concepts and methodology. 2. Geopolitical codes and geopolitical calculations. 3. Geopolitical agents and geopolitical structures. 4. Power analysis and world orders. SECOND PART. TERRITORY, POWER AND HEGEMONY. THE GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF WORLD POWER. UNIT 3. GLOBAL GEOPOLITICAL THEORIES AND SYSTEMS. FROM IMPERIALIST TO COLD-WAR GEOPOLITICS. 1. The sources of 19th century geopolitical theories and thought. 2. Imperialist geopolitics' world view (1890-1945): maritime power and continental power. 3. Global geopolitical theories and systems during the Cold War (1945-1991). UNIT 4. KEY GEOPOLITCAL ISSUES IN CONTEMPORARY WORLD: THE POST-COLD WAR ERA AND THE MULTIPOLAR WORLD. 1. Post-Cold War geopolitics: The return of 'hard geopolitics'. 2. From unipolarity to multipolarity. The end of the liberal world order and American hegemony? 3. Questioning the status quo: revisionist powers and the new great-power games. THIRD PART. GEOPOLITICAL APPROCHES TO CONFLICTS: CULTURES, NATURAL RESOURCES AND THE STATE SYSTEM. UNIT 5. ¿BATTLE LINES OF THE FUTURE¿. BORDERS AND TERRITORIAL IDENTITIES. 1. Analyzing conflicts from a geopolitical point of view: methods, sources and types of explanations. 2. Typology, cartography and evolution of geopolitical conflicts within post-Cold War world. 3. The ¿Clash of civilizations¿ (Huntington) and the rise of territorial identities: nationalism, borders and cultures. UNIT 6. THE GEOPOLITICS OF RESOURCES AND ENERGY. 1. Materialist approaches. Global power, resource competition and interstate rivalry. 2. Changing geopolitics of energy: the evolution of ¿resources wars¿. 3. Typology and cartography of conflicts over resources in today's world: towards a new global geopolitics of energy?
Learning activities and methodology
This course combines theoretical sessions and practical sessions. Theoretical sessions present the basic contents of the syllabus and aim at providing students with conceptual and methodological key elements. Theoretical sessions will be developed through classroom lectures by the teacher, while practical sessions will be focused on the reading, presentation, discussion and critical analysis of selected texts (a reading list designed by the instructor), as well as on learning to analyze specific geopolitical issues. In addition to these practical sessions, students shall prepare and submit three types of assignments when it comes to continuous assessment: an oral presentation and discussion of a text from the reading list; an individual text commentary (short paper) and an analytical essay on a specific geopolitical issue (group work). A final exam will be taken in order to assess students' understanding of the course contents. Tutorials will be carried out through the procedures established by the university.
Assessment System
  • % end-of-term-examination 40
  • % of continuous assessment (assigments, laboratory, practicals...) 60
Calendar of Continuous assessment
Basic Bibliography
  • ADOUMIÉ, V. y otros. Géopolitique du monde contemporain : approche générale. Hachette. 2015
  • AGNEW, J.. Geopolitics. Re-visioning world politics. 2nd ed. Routledge. 2003
  • ANDERSON, E. . Global geopolitical flashpoints: an Atlas of conflict. Routledge. 2013
  • BLACK, J.. Geopolitics and the quest for dominance. Indiana University Press. 2016
  • BONIFACE, P. y VEDRINE, H.. Atlas du monde global - 3e éd. - 100 cartes pour comprendre un monde chaotique . Armand Colin. 2015
  • BRADEN, K. & SHELLEY, F.M. . Engaging Geopolitics. Taylor & Francis. 2014
  • DITTMER, J. & SHARP, J.,eds. Geopolitics. An introductory Reader. Routledge. 2014
  • DODDS, K.. Global geopolitics. A critical introduction. Pearson. 2005
  • DODDS, K. . Geopolitics. A very short introduction, 2nd ed.. Oxford University Press. 2014
  • FLINT, C. . Introduction to geopolitics, 3rd ed.. Routledge. 2016
  • FRAGUAS, M. . Manual de geopolítica crítica. Tirant lo Blanch . 2016
  • GLASSNER, M.I. & FARHER C.. Political Geography. 3rd. ed.. John Wiley. 2004
  • KAPLAN, R.. The revenge of Geography. Random House. 2012
  • LACOSTE, Y.. Geopolítica. La larga historia del presente. Síntesis. 2012
  • LASSERRE, F.; GONON, E.; MOTTET, É.. Manuel de géopolitique. Enjeux de pouvoir sur les territoires, 2ª ed.. Armand Colin. 2016
  • LÓPEZ TRIGAL, L. . Diccionario de geografía política y geopolítica. Universidad de León. 2013
  • MÉNDEZ, R.. El nuevo mapa geopolítico del mundo. Tirant lo Blanch. 2011
  • NOGUÉ, J.; VICENTE. J.. Geopolítica, identidad y globalización. Ariel. 2001
  • ROSIÈRE, S.. Géographie politique et Géopolitique. Ellipses. 2007
  • STOREY, D.. Territory. The claiming of space (2nd.ed.). Routledge. 2012
  • TAYLOR, P. & FLINT, C.. Political Geography: World-Economy, Nation-State and Locality, 7th edition. . Routledge. 2018
  • Ó TUATHAIL, G. ; DALBY, S.; ROUTLEDGE, P., eds. . The Geopolitics Reader, 2nd ed. . Routledge. 2006

The course syllabus may change due academic events or other reasons.