| Unit name | Philosophy, Social Theory and Geography |
|---|---|
| Unit code | GEOG25110 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Jackson |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
All Geography Year 1 units |
| Co-requisites |
N/A |
| School/department | School of Geographical Sciences |
| Faculty | Faculty of Science |
This unit situates the development of human geography within the broader tradition of social theory and relates current issues to wider debates centring on philosophies and sociologies of knowledge,materialism, politics and ethics, specifically, theories of interpretation, Marxism and critical theory,poststructuralism and neo-pragmatism, and feminist approaches to social scientific knowledge and social theory. The course will cover topics such as Realism, Pragmatism, Feminist Theory, Marxism and Critical Theory, Poststructuralism and Postmodernism. Typical authors studied typically include those relevant to contemporary cultural theory in geography and include, Marx, Irigary, Butler, Foucault, Derrida, Benjamin, Ranciere, Spivak, and Deleuze. In each case the aim will be to explore the implications of different philosophies and social theories for the understanding of space and research practice.
The aims of this Unit are:
To provide students with a philosophical and theoretical background to understand key debates in the social sciences in general and geography in particular.
On completion of this Unit students will be able to:
The following transferable skills are developed in this Unit:
Lectures and Seminars
1 x 2,000 word essay (50%) 1 x 2,500 word essay (50%)
No single book covers this course. Specific references will be attached to each lecture.
