GEA World Geography (Spring 2012 FSU London Centre) Tuesday/Thursday 4:00 5:20 PM Instructor: Professor Phil Steinberg

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1 GEA World Geography (Spring 2012 FSU London Centre) Tuesday/Thursday 4:00 5:20 PM Instructor: Professor Phil Steinberg What this course is about According to the FSU catalog, this course presents a regional survey of the human occupation of the face of the earth, local cultures, political systems, and development problems ( This description covers a lot of material, but it also raises a number of questions: If the aim of this course is to study the world, why do we look at local cultures? Isn t culture, especially today, to some extent global? If politics is about power, why should we focus exclusively on political systems? This ties into the previous question regarding the scale of culture: Perhaps when we understand politics as something more chaotic and multifaceted than a series of systems we can better understand how cultures, at various scales, interact with and impact one another. Why do we consider development (or its absence) a problem? The idea that places exist to be developed connects well with a conceptualization of the world of local cultures with stable political systems. But if that doesn t accurately describe our world today then perhaps development also needs to be redefined as a social and economic goal. Incorporating all of these questions about how we understand the world is a broader question, specific to this course, about how we should study the world: How do you integrate the study of the entire world with the fact that you have come to London to gain an understanding of one place? The answer to this last question s actually kind of simple: We need to understand London as the world. And to do this, this course will adopt the perspective of postcolonialism, a perspective that emphasizes the power differentials that have spread throughout the world over the past 500 years (or more) and that continue to shape everything at every scale, from the individual to the place to the country to the world region and ultimately to the world. In the course of learning the postcolonial perspective and applying it to the world, we ll come to question assumptions about local cultures, political systems, and development problems. London as a world city We don t have the budget to travel around the entire world this semester, but fortunately the entire world (or almost all of it) has been shaped by London, and a whole lot of it has, in one way or another, come back to London. Thus, a key

2 methodology for this class will be to perform world exploration through London exploration. Along the way, we will try to answer questions such as How did the world get this way? How are places and their people different from each other? and How do they influence each other? Two very different books Most World Geography textbooks view the world as a set of distinct places, each of which can be understood for its unique physical geography, history, local culture, political system, development trajectory, etc. That s the way of understanding the world that s captured in the course description that begins this syllabus. In this class, by contrast, we ll be looking at the world as a set of processes that, over time, have produced, and continue to produce interactions, and those interactions themselves reflect and reproduce power dynamics. Therefore, to see the world through the lens of postcolonial London, we need a textbook unlike a typical World Geography textbook. One of the books that we ll be reading is The Complete Idiot s Guide to Geography (3 rd ed.) by Thomas Sherer, Thom Werthman, & Joseph Gonzalez (Alpha, 2010). Don t be put off by the title. It s actually structured a lot like a conventional world geography textbook, but it only presents the minimum. It s also much cheaper than a regular textbook. Of course, it won t tell you everything that you ll need to know about each world region, but it will give you the basics that you can supplement through internet research and explorations in London neighborhoods. The other book is Postcolonialism: A Very Short Introduction by Robert Young (Oxford University Press, 2003). This book introduces the postcolonial perspective that we ll be deploying throughout this class. There will also be a number of other readings, all of which will be available on the class Blackboard site. All readings are to be completed before the class when they ll be discussed. Films Several of this course s assigned readings are actually feature films. These films will be available via Blackboard and/or at the library reserve desk. Films on Blackboard are in Windows Media format. Clicking on a film link on a PC should automatically play the film in Windows Media Player. To view a film on an Apple, you must first set the preferences in your browser to open.asx files with Flip4Mac or with the VLC player which is available for free download at 2

3 Field trips Three class sessions January 26, March 29, and April 3 will be devoted to field trips. Unlike other classes, though, our field trips won t be to galleries or museums. Our field trips will be to the world!!!! (Or, at least a little corner of the world.) The first field trip will be to the London neighborhood of Kilburn, which happens to be the subject of the article that we ll be reading for the previous class. The other two field trips will be led by you. The class will be divided into two groups and each group of students will be responsible for designing a tour for the other group (and the instructor). These three class sessions may run a bit longer than the usual class session (which ends at 5:20), so please plan your social calendar accordingly. The field trips shouldn t incur any special costs beyond Tube tickets. Assessments There will be no final exam or final research paper in this course. Instead, we ll be having a series of graded journal posts, quizzes, essay assignments, and tours, as well as a midterm exam. Journal posts should be brief 500-1,000 words, or 2-3 pages, double- spaced and can be relatively informal reflections. They ll be used to generate discussions in class. Essays should be in the range of 1,000-2,000 words (3-6 pages, double- spaced) and contain more formal arguments, as well as specific references to relevant readings and films. Assessments are as follows: Date Due Assignment Points 12 Jan Submit a journal post using Dirty Pretty Things and 5 your own observations from a week living in London to reflect on the Economist article. Your post should discuss your thoughts on how the world has come to London what this means for London and the United Kingdom. 19 Jan Reading Quiz. Readings covered include this syllabus, 10 the Economist article, Young pp , Idiot s Guide chpts. 2&3, and Dirty Pretty Things. 31 Jan Submit a journal post in which you use your observations of Kilburn to reflect on Massey s Global 5 3

4 Sense of Place. Multimedia supplements (e.g. photos, sound recordings) are strongly encouraged. 2 Feb Submit a journal post reflecting on the depiction of place in Night on Earth. Are the places in the movie more notable for being similar to each other or for being different? Are the places where the action occurs the insides of the taxis, the cities in which they travel, or something else? How does this all relate to Massey s Global Sense of Place? 21 Feb Write an essay on Black Robe, The Mission, or Rabbit Proof Fence. Discuss how your film reflects the specific history and geography of the settler colony in which it takes place and how it would have been different (or similar) if set in one of the other two locations. 23 Feb Midterm exam. This will consist of in- class short essays that will assess your understanding of postcolonialism and how it can be used to interpret a world of interactions. Mar Write an essay on Lawrence of Arabia, Burn, and/or The Battle of Algiers. Use one or all of these films to reflect on a political event that has happened in one of these three regions (the Middle East, North Africa, or the Caribbean) since the mid- 1950s (when the last of these films, The Battle of Algiers, takes place). 29 Mar & 3 Apr Each group leads a tour, focusing on how hybridity is being practiced (and, perhaps, contested) by a specific immigrant group (or group of immigrant groups) in London. 17 Apr Write an essay on how an individual, object, or place in one of the tours (your group s or the other group s) translates postcolonialism into postdevelopmentalism. 5 All essays and journal posts are due before the beginning of that class session and should be submitted via Blackboard. Papers submitted up to 24 hours late will be docked one letter grade. Papers will not be accepted more than 24 hours after the due date. Essays should refer directly to the readings and films for the course, and may also refer to outside research as necessary. In addition to the points covered by these assessments, students can earn up to five extra points for class participation and have up to five points deducted for poor attendance. If necessary, I will introduce additional reading quizzes to ensure that 4

5 reading is being done (consistent failures on these quizzes will contribute to a - 5 on the participation grade). Course Outline DATE TOPIC READING ASSIGNMENT DUE / NOTES Tu 10 Jan Introduction Th 12 Jan London as postcolonial city Britain s Cosmopolitan Capital (The Economist); Young, pp ; View Dirty Pretty Things Journal post on London as the world Tu 17 Jan Th 19 Jan Tu 24 Jan Th 26 Jan Tu 31 Jan Th 2 Feb Tu 7 Feb Th 9 Feb Tu 14 Feb Th 16 Feb Tu 21 Feb Th 23 Feb Tu 6 Mar No class: Oxford trip A geography of Idiot s Guide, chpts. 2&3 places A Global Sense of Place (Massey) Rethinking place amidst interaction Defining the region Places, regions, differences, & connections Postcolonialism as a way of thinking History of colonialism Postcolonialism in settler colonies Applying postcolonialism The colonial legacy Layers of Tradition (Kuby/Harner/Gober); A World of Regions (Marston/Knox/Liverman); Idiot s Guide, chpt. 6 View Night on Earth Young, Introduction & chpt. 1 Historical Geography of Colonialism (Porter/Sheppard) Colonialism as Labor Control (Porter/Sheppard) Idiot s Guide, chpts. 7, 14, & 19; View Rabbit Proof Fence, Black Robe, OR The Mission Spring Break Young, chpt. 2 Reading quiz in class Kilburn field trip in class (may run late) Journal post on Kilburn Journal post on Night on Earth Film Essay 1 Midterm Exam 5

6 Th 8 Mar The colonial legacy in the Middle East Tu 13 Mar Decolonization and nation- building Th Mar Decolonization in the Caribbean & North Africa Th 29 Mar Tu 3 Apr Idiots Guide, chpt. 22; Lawrence of Arabia Young, chpt. 3; Idiot s Guide, chpts & 20; View Burn OR Battle of Algiers Tu 20 Mar Hybridity Young, chpt. 4 Th 22 Mar No class: Stratford trip Tu 27 Mar Hybridity in the UK & the US Th 5 Apr Tu 10 Apr Th 12 Apr Tu 17 Apr Postdevelopment theory I: Feminism Postdevelopment theory II: Alternative futures Idiot s Guide, chpts. 8, 21, & 23; View Mississippi Masala Young, chpt. 5 Introduction (Sachs); Development (Esteva) Young, chpt. 6; Idiot s Guide, chpt. 18.1; View Men with Guns Film Essay 2 London tours led by student groups (may run late) Post- developmentalism Essay University Attendance Policy Attendance at every class session (including field trips) is required. Excused absences include documented illness, deaths in the family and other documented crises, call to active military duty or jury duty, religious holy days, and official University activities. These absences will be accommodated in a way that does not arbitrarily penalize students who have a valid excuse. Consideration will also be given to students whose dependent children experience serious illness. London Centre Supplement to University Attendance Policy Because the UK Border Agency requires that we monitor attendance of visitors on student visas, attendance will be taken and recorded at every class session. 6

7 Academic Honor Policy The Florida State University Academic Honor Policy outlines the University s expectations for the integrity of students academic work, the procedures for resolving alleged violations of those expectations, and the rights and responsibilities of students and faculty members throughout the process. Students are responsible for reading the Academic Honor Policy and for living up to their pledge to... be honest and truthful and... [to] strive for personal and institutional integrity at Florida State University. (Florida State University Academic Honor Policy, found at Americans With Disabilities Act Students with disabilities needing academic accommodation should: 1. register with and provide documentation to the Student Disability Resource Center; and 2. bring a letter to the instructor indicating the need for accommodation and what type. This should be done during the first week of class. This syllabus and other class materials are available in alternative format upon request. For more information about services available to FSU students with disabilities, contact the: Student Disability Resource Center 874 Traditions Way 108 Student Services Building Florida State University Tallahassee, FL (850) (voice) (850) (TDD) sdrc@admin.fsu.edu 7