THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH

DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2021/2022

Information in the Degree Programme Tables may still be subject to change in response to Covid-19

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Geosciences : Geography

Undergraduate Course: Economic and Political Geography (GEGR08003)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Geosciences CollegeCollege of Science and Engineering
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 8 (Year 2 Undergraduate) AvailabilityAvailable to all students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryThis course is designed to provide a general introduction to the fields of economic and political geography and to explore some of the important intersections between political and economic systems.
Course description The course introduces key economic and political factors and shows how they have worked and combined differently in various systems, such as feudalism, colonialism and mercantilism. It explores the development of capitalism and the nation-state, and it explores the relationships between industrialisation, imperialism and the emergence of a world economy, with a particular focus on changing geographies of labour. It also focuses on the rise and fall of communism in several societies. There is also an emphasis on recent economic and political ideologies such as neoliberalism, as well as current issues including global consumption, waste, debt and financial crisis. Towards the end of the course we explore some alternatives to the current political-economic systems, and focus on struggles for equality, democracy and decolonization.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Students MUST have passed: Human Geography (GEGR08007)
Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesNone
High Demand Course? Yes
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2021/22, Available to all students (SV1) Quota:  None
Course Start Semester 1
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 200 ( Lecture Hours 22, Seminar/Tutorial Hours 9, Feedback/Feedforward Hours 2, Summative Assessment Hours 2, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 161 )
Additional Information (Learning and Teaching) Students are required to pass both the degree coursework and the exam in order to pass the course.
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) The coursework comprises
35% contemporary issue analysis (1500 words)
65% degree essay (2500 words)
For the contemporary issue analysis, students will required to select one major contemporary issue that has been reported across multiple media outlets and write a 1500 word essay on that issue that connects to one or more of the themes covered in the course. The emphasis will be on analysis: students will be encouraged to move away from describing the contemporary issue to analysing it with reference to literatures across the broad fields of economic and political geography.
For the degree essay assessment, students will be required to choose one question from a list printed in the Course Handbook, and be required to write a 2500 word essay that is guided by the literature on the chosen topic.
Students are required to pass both the contemporary issue analysis and the essay assessment in order to pass the course.

Assessment deadlines:
Contemporary Issue Analysis - Week 7
Degree Essay - Week 11
Feedback Formal feedback is provided through detailed marginal annotations on both forms of assessment (below). A paragraph explaining the basis for the grade awarded and summarising strategies for improvement is also provided. In addition, students are offered feedback on any essay outlines.
Feedback on work which is not formally assessed includes written feedback on at least one tutorial reading summary as well as verbal feedback in tutorials. Students also have the opportunity to submit an optional class essay (on a different topic from the degree essay), which will be marked by their tutorial leader.
No Exam Information
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Demonstrate a broad knowledge & understanding of the scope of Economic & Political Geography
  2. Demonstrate a broad understanding of core concepts and current debates in economic and political geography.
  3. Develop skills of constructive criticism & analysis, both in oral and written communication
  4. Form independent opinions on the subject matter and the capacity to evaluate them.
Reading List
There is no core text for this course. Weekly readings for the course are posted on LEARN and detailed reading lists are provided for each week of class/topic in the course handbook (which will also be available on LEARN).
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Students will be able to demonstrate a broad knowledge and understanding of Economic and Political Geography, including core concepts and current debates.
Students will also be able to demonstrate an ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing.
Special Arrangements This course is open to all university students: priority for places is given to students on the Geography degree programmes and Sustainable Development.
Additional Class Delivery Information Lectures plus tutorials.
KeywordsGEGR08003,geography,economics,politics
Contacts
Course organiserProf Tom Slater
Tel:
Email: tom.slater@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMiss Carry Arnold
Tel: (0131 6)50 9847
Email: Carry.Arnold@ed.ac.uk
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