Ateneo - UPO

The international scenario of the last two decades, and mainly in the wake of the post-Covid era, has undoubtedly been characterized by increasing conflicts. In this framework, the course proposes a general perspective on the relationship between geography and current and past conflicts by critically examining and discussing the most relevant international literature and case studies. In particular, it focuses on some key topics of the geographical dimension of conflicts, disasters, and health crises worldwide with specific reference to social, environmental, logistic, and humanitarian aspects and impacts.

During the course, lecturers will provide scholarly articles on the topics covered.

The course aims to provide students with geographical knowledge and skills to understand contemporary policies and issues related to conflicts at different scales and shapes, considering them within national, European, and global contexts. The main aim is to enable students to develop a critical ability for analyzing events and strategies related to conflicts, disasters, and health crises in order to face and manage the related dimensions, risks, and impacts. The overall mission is thus to increase an in-depth and up-to-date awareness of the complex dynamics regulating contemporary and different kinds of conflicts.

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The course will be a series of lectures (frontal teaching) where students will be introduced to the most relevant themes. It will also include in-depth thematic seminars. Several tools (classical presentations, satellite images, maps, short videos, etc.) will help students understand the complexity of the phenomena presented and stimulate their participation by encouraging their critical thinking.

Students with physical disabilities, Learning Disabilities or Special Education Needs can request specific services and tools via the Staff Sviluppo e Coordinamento Carriere e Servizi alle Studentesse e agli Studenti, consulting the University webpage: https://www.uniupo.it/en/services/services- students-physical-or-learning-disabilities
Students with disabilities, learning disabilities or special education needs, once they have contacted the University Staff, can refer to the tutor in charge of the course to define the examination modalities, concerning academic aspects.

For further information, please refer to the course page on D.I.R at https://www.dir.uniupo.it/
Students can also contact the teaching professors by email.

Written exam (6 open-ended questions, 2 for each part of the course).

After a brief joint introductory framework, the course will be divided into three specific parts:
(1) Approaches to political geography and geopolitics; Geography of risk, disasters, and conflicts; Geographies of migration; Geographical aspects of cooperation and humanitarian aid (Professor Stefania Cerutti, UPO).
(2) Socio-environmental Conflicts; Stories of Resistance to Ecological Transition; Military Logistics; Logistics of Humanitarian Operations (Professor Stefania Benetti, UPO).
(3) Geographies of natural hazards and disasters; Natural Hazard risk-awareness and disaster responses; Place and resilience to natural hazards and disasters (Professor Bailey Ashton Adie, PhD Postdoctoral Researcher, Geography Research Unit, University of Oulu, Finland).
Gender issues's integration in relation to discrimination, conflicts and their effects.
In addition, specific readings and occasional contributions by outsider speakers will take place throughout the course.

(1) Knowledge and understanding of the theoretical and practical concepts of political and socio-environmental geography concerning conflicts and their different dynamics and shapes. Knowledge of the evolution of policies and strategies. Understanding the connections between different phenomena (risks, migrations, health crises, cooperation, humanitarian operations, etc.).
(2) Ability to practice knowledge and understanding to analyze global and territorial contexts, analyze and evaluate conflicts' policies and tools, and identify the most appropriate or effective ones. Communication skills: critical skills to present a case study. Learning/scholarship skills: the ability to combine theoretical and methodological concepts with research through bibliographic sources and observation of data and territory.
(3) Learning/study skills: Ability to evaluate the causes and impacts of different policy tools in the context of conflict, disasters, and health crises.
At the end of the course, students will be able to understand the spatial dimensions of conflicts from a geopolitical perspective and to use a specific geographical vocabulary.