GEOGRAPHIES, CULTURES AND TERRITORIES

Degree course: 
Corso di First cycle degree in STORIA E STORIE DEL MONDO CONTEMPORANEO
Academic year when starting the degree: 
2021/2022
Year: 
1
Academic year in which the course will be held: 
2021/2022
Course type: 
Basic compulsory subjects
Seat of the course: 
Varese - Università degli Studi dell'Insubria
Credits: 
8
Period: 
Second semester
Standard lectures hours: 
72
Detail of lecture’s hours: 
Lesson (56 hours), Laboratory (16 hours)
Requirements: 

No

Final Examination: 
Orale

The final examination consists of an interview and is conducted by means of 5 questions, the answers to which are scored between 0 and 6 points. A total of 18 points are required to pass the examination.
The questions assess the students' knowledge and preparation for the textbook and the reading, both from a mnemonic point of view and above all from a critical and logical point of view, ascertaining the candidates' ability to link theory, history and current affairs, correlating quantitative and qualitative aspects and grasping the concatenation of causes and effects in territorial analysis.
Specifically:
2 questions are on the human geography textbook (one chosen from the bibliography);
1 question on Armand Fremont's textbook Do you like geography? ;
1 question on reading (one of the proposed questions on mafias or the media);
1 question on excursions (for those students who cannot take part in one or both of the excursions, alternative readings will be used for the examination).

Students who attend the course will have the opportunity to actively participate in the course activities (production of short multimedia reports, sharing of the course on social networks, joint viewing of films and documentaries) by producing a final paper (to be delivered in digital format, by e-mail, by the date of the exam for which the student registers, and consisting of about 5-10 pages of 3000 characters each).
The modalities of the final paper and the terms of its validity will be explained during the lessons.
The preparation of the paper replaces the preparation of Armand Fremont's textbook Do you like geography? and therefore one of the questions in the oral test.

For students who participate in one or both excursions, a question in the final examination will focus on the field experience and the final papers (formal return).
Students who will not be able to participate in one or both excursions will have to study one or two additional monographs according to the indications listed in the 'reference texts'.

Assessment: 
Voto Finale

Training objectives and expected learning outcomes
The course has four main training objectives:
- to illustrate the essential concepts of geographical disciplines and the representation models that are indispensable for depicting and decoding the complex interactions between the natural environment and anthropogenic systems in their socio-cultural, political and economic dimensions;
- to contextualise in time and space the methodologies and themes of geographical research, paying particular attention to current events and to the transcalar perspective (local/global);
- to deepen the relationship between media and geography with particular attention to representations and territory as media;
- to deepen the geography of power with particular attention to imbalances (political, economic and socio-cultural) and to illegal and criminal relations.
The expected learning outcomes include
- refinement of individual geographical perceptions and sensitivities;
- knowledge and contextualisation of the main territorial dynamics of a political, economic and socio-cultural nature, on a global and local scale;
- knowledge and contextualisation of the main statistical data of a political, economic and socio-cultural nature, on a global and local scale;
- ability to detect and analyse territorialisation processes at different geographical scales;
- ability to critically interpret widespread geographical representations and narratives.

Course topics
In the general part (56 hours) the course covers the following topics:
- Geography as representation and narration (historiography and cartography).
- Lived space: landscape, region, territory and territorialisation.
- Lived, perceived and represented space: places, identities and meta-geographies.
- Scale and transcalarity: practices and processes of diffusion and concentration.
- Socio-cultural (languages, religions, ethnic groups) and political (authoritarian and democratic) systems.
- Economic sectors, communication networks and systems of production, exchange and consumption.
- Urban and regional systems: from the village of Bizzozero to the metropolis of Milan.
- The relationship between media and geography.
- The geography of power.
The course includes two excursions in the field aimed at exploring the interactions between the local and global scales. The excursions involve the direct involvement of the students in the organisational, implementation and concluding phases:
- The local dimension. (For example: "The geographies of Bizzozero").
- The global dimension (e.g. "The geographies of the Fuorisalone").

Geographies, territories and human spaces (ENG)

Training objectives and expected learning outcomes
The course has four main training objectives:
- to illustrate the essential concepts of geographical disciplines and the representation models that are indispensable for depicting and decoding the complex interactions between the natural environment and anthropogenic systems in their socio-cultural, political and economic dimensions;
- to contextualise in time and space the methodologies and themes of geographical research, paying particular attention to current events and to the transcalar perspective (local/global);
- to deepen the relationship between media and geography with particular attention to representations and territory as media;
- to deepen the geography of power with particular attention to imbalances (political, economic and socio-cultural) and to illegal and criminal relations.
The expected learning outcomes include
- refinement of individual geographical perceptions and sensitivities;
- knowledge and contextualisation of the main territorial dynamics of a political, economic and socio-cultural nature, on a global and local scale;
- knowledge and contextualisation of the main statistical data of a political, economic and socio-cultural nature, on a global and local scale;
- ability to detect and analyse territorialisation processes at different geographical scales;
- ability to critically interpret widespread geographical representations and narratives.

Prerequisites
There are no particular propaedeuticity requirements.

Course topics
In the general part (56 hours) the course covers the following topics:
- Geography as representation and narration (historiography and cartography).
- Lived space: landscape, region, territory and territorialisation.
- Lived, perceived and represented space: places, identities and meta-geographies.
- Scale and transcalarity: practices and processes of diffusion and concentration.
- Socio-cultural (languages, religions, ethnic groups) and political (authoritarian and democratic) systems.
- Economic sectors, communication networks and systems of production, exchange and consumption.
- Urban and regional systems: from the village of Bizzozero to the metropolis of Milan.
- The relationship between media and geography.
- The geography of power.
The course includes two excursions in the field aimed at exploring the interactions between the local and global scales. The excursions involve the direct involvement of the students in the organisational, implementation and concluding phases:
- The local dimension. (For example: "The geographies of Bizzozero").
- The global dimension (e.g. "The geographies of the Fuorisalone").

Teaching methods
The course takes place in face-to-face lessons with active student participation (elaboration and sharing of short multimedia reports, interaction with the course social networks) and sharing of films, documentaries and articles.
The excursions in the field are guided and last approximately one day (8 hours each). As an integral part of the examination programme and the subject of the final assessment, the excursions require the production of a formal report in the form of a personal or group paper, traditional (article) or multimedia (photo, video or other). The methods for producing the formal return and the terms of its validity will be agreed during the lessons.

Methods of verifying learning
The final examination consists of an interview and is conducted by means of 5 questions, the answers to which are scored between 0 and 6 points. A total of 18 points are required to pass the examination.
The questions assess the students' knowledge and preparation for the textbook and the reading, both from a mnemonic point of view and above all from a critical and logical point of view, ascertaining the candidates' ability to link theory, history and current affairs, correlating quantitative and qualitative aspects and grasping the concatenation of cause

Both manuals and monographic readings are available for loan in the university library. For the manuals, the latest edition is not indispensable (however, it is preferable, especially if the book is purchased). For monographs the choice can be extended with those recommended during the course.

Manual human geography:
- Greiner A., Dematteis G., Lanza C., 2019, Geografia umana. Un approccio visuale, terza edizione a cura di Vanolo A., Utet, Torino.
- Bjelland M.D. Montello D.R., Getis A., 2020, Geografia umana, quarta edizione a cura di Squarcina E., Pecorelli V., McGraw-Hill Education (Italy), Milano.

Manual:
Fremont A., 2005, Vi piace la geografia? Carocci, Milano.

Monograph:
- Amato F., dell'Agnese E., 2014, Schermi americani. Geografia e geopolitica degli Stati Uniti nelle serie televisive, Unicopli, Milano.
- dell’Agnese E., 2009, Paesaggi ed eroi. Cinema, Nazione, Geopolitica, UTET, Torino.
- dalla Chiesa, N., 2016, Passaggio a nord. La colonizzazione mafiosa, Ed. Gruppo Abele, Torino.
- Sales I., 2015, Storia dell’Italia mafiosa, Rubbettino, Soveria Mannelli.

Monographs replacing field excursions (one text of your choice replaces one excursion; both texts replace both excursions)::
- Rabbiosi C., 2018, Il territorio messo in scena, Mimesis, Sesto San Giovanni.
- Mask D., 2020, Le vie che orientano. Storia, identità e potere dietro i nomi delle strade. Bollati Boringhieri, Torino.

Convenzionale

Teaching methods
The course takes place in face-to-face lessons with active student participation (elaboration and sharing of short multimedia reports, interaction with the course social networks) and sharing of films, documentaries and articles.
The excursions in the field are guided and last approximately one day (8 hours each). As an integral part of the examination programme and the subject of the final assessment, the excursions require the production of a formal report in the form of a personal or group paper, traditional (article) or multimedia (photo, video or other). The methods for producing the formal return and the terms of its validity will be agreed during the lessons.

The teacher receives the students by appointment by e-mail.

Professors