Universitat Internacional de Catalunya

Geography

Geography
4
10073
3
First semester
OB
Main language of instruction: Catalan

Teaching staff


Dr. JUSTEL VÁZQUEZ, Santiago - sjustel@uic.es

Introduction

A journalist can hardly explain anything without answering "Where?" and “Why here?”. Geography provides the spatial dimension to complex explanations of the world. Geography, like Journalism, is an invitation to know the world. But Geography has its own objects of study: to grasp the relationship between women and men and their immediate and remote physical environment and to discover the spatial distributions and configurations of physical and human phenomena. Geography also has its own working methods and language, cartography.

Numerous current global and local problems with very important media coverage have an eminently geographical or territorial component: the difficulty of access to decent housing, the unequal impact of Covid-19, the immigration of people due to territorial conflicts, the situations of famine, natural disasters and climate change, electronic commerce, the aging of the population ... Geography is therefore justified as a discipline that helps to understand the enormous complexity of these and other processes, while offering tools, maps, which are very attractive for their ability to synthesize reality.

Pre-course requirements

No previous requirements 

Objectives

In an increasingly global context, it is necessary to have a precise knowledge of the spatial distribution of the world we live in. The objective of the subject "Geography" is to provide elements of analytical criticism that facilitate the understanding of complex phenomena and can be correctly located in space and time. Matter is not conceived simply as a sum of cold and abstract knowledge, but the relationship that exists between physical space and socio-political and economic organization will be studied.

The professional journalist needs keys to interpret many phenomena from geography, in order to analyze the causes and consequences of territorial processes of enormous importance for the future.

The course offers these keys to territorial understanding: where certain phenomena occur and why, while offering tools for the analysis of geographic information to enrich communication with graphic expression.

Competences/Learning outcomes of the degree programme

  • 02 CG - The ability to learn and act an autonomously and responsibly
  • 04 CG - The ability to organise time and workspace
  • 08 CG - The ability to reflect and memorize.
  • 10 CG - Knowledge and mastery of bibliographic repertoires
  • 11 CG - Knowledge and mastery of different research resources
  • 18 CE - Ability to detect newsworthy events
  • 34 CE - Knowledge and mastery of issues related to the physical, human and social geography of the human being
  • 42 CE - The ability to integrate the contributions of the environment

Learning outcomes of the subject

  • I will have answered the question: "Who gives a damn about Geography?"
  • I will have enjoyed urban and natural landscapes much more, because I will have grasped the geographical dimension, an “augmented virtual reality” of the landscape
  • I will have I wondered insatiably "where" and "why here"?
  • I will have discovered with a “geographical acuteness” the geographical “enigma” that many journalistic research subjects (social, economic, political, cultural ...) hide
  • I will have enriched my journalistic work with the geographical dimension
  • I will have made my readers or listeners discover the importance of place, of diversity in nature and in society
  • I will have worked no longer with quantitative geographical data but also with qualitative ones, will have stepped on the ground and practiced the "geographical survey"
  • I will have experimented with data, methodologies and geographical tools
  • I will know how to apply geographical methods to solve problems in society that are sensitive to space and time

Syllabus

Block I - The continents

  • Review of physical and human geography by region
  • Geopolitics

 

Block II - The planet today

  • Cities and world population. Migrations
  • Agricultural production. Hunger
  • Poverty and inequality, progress and setbacks.
  • Critical perspectives on the current economic system
  • Planetary limits
  • Biodiversity loss
  • Climate change

 

Teaching and learning activities

In person



TRAINING ACTIVITY ECTS CREDITS
Lectures. In lectures, lecturers/professors not only transmit content or knowledge, but also, and above all else, attitudes, motivation, skills and values, etc. They also ensure that participants can express their opinions and arguments to the other students. 1,8

Evaluation systems and criteria

In person



FIRST CALL

  • 40 % exam
  • 25 % project + presentation
  • 25 % newsletter + report
  • 10 % tests
 

FOLLOWING CALLS

- Exam 80 %
- Project and presentation 20 %

 
GENERAL QUESTIONS
- It is necessary to attend 80% of the classes in order to be able to sit the first exam.
- The Faculty's regulations regarding spelling and plagiarism will be strictly observed.

  • 1 point less per spelling mistake (paper)
  • 0.5 per spelling mistake (exam)

 

Bibliography and resources

 

BIBLIOGRAFÍA BÁSICA

Kaplan, Robert D. (2012). La venganza de la geografía. RBA.

Ghosh, A. (2023). La maldición de la nuez moscada. Capitán Swing Libros.

Garton Ash, T. (2023). Europa. Taurus.

Rushkoff, D. (2023). La supervivencia de los más ricos. Capitán Swing Libros.

 

OTRA BIBLIOGRAFÍA COMPLEMENTARIA

 

Fernández Fernández, Antonioet al.(2015).Iniciación a la Geografía La Tierra: unplaneta habitado. Editorial Universitaria.

Ramón ArecesMurphy, Alexander B. (2020).Geografía: ¿Por qué importa?Alianza Editorial.

Rubenstein, James M. (2018).The Cultural Landscape: An Introduction to HumanGeography.Pearson, 13a edició.Zárate,

Zárate, Antonioet al.(2018). Fundamentos de Geografía Humana. UNE

Print version