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General information

Academic year:
2025
Description:
Designed as a journey around the world to identify types of landforms and seas, this course explores their natural cycles and discovers the wildlife living there. Students learn how these natural resources have shaped human societies, creating multifaceted maps of cultures, languages and beliefs. They examine the ways in which rural and urban societies inhabit the planet in both the Global South and the Global North. The journey includes reflection, criticism and self-criticism. Students see the consequences of the current economic model, oriented towards infinite growth, and study its impact on a finite planet and its most vulnerable inhabitants. They experience environments exposed to natural and anthropogenic hazards and understand why increasing numbers of people are driven to migrate. Throughout the journey, they become familiar with the ways humanity faces challenges and dilemmas such as biodiversity loss, the sustainability of cities and food insecurity.
ECTS credits:
6
Course coordinator:
Albert Llausas Pascual

Groups

Group DS

Duration:
Annual
Teaching staff:
Albert Llausas Pascual
Language of the classes:
English (100%)

Group EA

Duration:
Annual
Teaching staff:
Albert Llausas Pascual
Language of the classes:
English (100%)

Syllabus

1. Introduction

          1.1. How to approach the study of the Shapes of the Earth

2. Maps shape our understanding of the world

          2.1. The language of maps: shaping the world and our minds

          2.2. Beware! Critical reading of maps: biases, manipulation and hidden maps

          2.3. Cartographic expression: an efficient hands-on approach to creating an effective (and beautiful) map

3. Our biogeophysical world (until yesterday)

          3.1. It's a wonderful world: the blue planet and the ephemerality of humans

          3.2. Earth climates and how they shape societies

          3.3. The living world: "natural" landscapes and biodiversity

          3.4. A land of plenty: the geography of natural resources

          3.5. Natural (and not so natural) risks

4. The uses and abuses that re-shape the Earth

          4.1. To infinity and beyond: breaking the planetary boundaries

          4.2. "The era of global boiling is upon us"

          4.3. The sixth mass extinction and other ills of the anthropocene

          4.4. Action policies to save the world (and ourselves)

5. The population conundrum

          5.1. The population bomb or a demographic crisis?

          5.2. Living in the global South

          5.3. Living in the global North

6. We, the people

          6.1. A geography of cultures

          6.2. A geography of languages

          6.3. A geography of faith

7. Us and the city

          7.1. The urban beehive: between utopia and dystopia

          7.2. A journey through the shapes and shades of the city

          7.3. An urban landscape in constant evolution

8. This land is your land

          8.1. Rural livelihoods in the global South

          8.2. Rural struggles in the global North

          8.3. Shaping the future of our countryside

Activities

Activity type Hours with a teacher Hours without a teacher Virtual hours with a teacher Total
Analysis / case study 1,50 10,00 0 11,50
Individual preparation of assignments 1,50 30,00 0 31,50
Assessment test 3,00 40,00 0 43,00
Solution of exercises 1,50 7,00 0 8,50
Theory class 33,00 22,50 0 55,50
Total 40,50 109,50 0 150

Bibliography

  • Knox, Paul L. (2007). Places and regions in global context : human geography (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River: Prentice-Hall. Catàleg
  • McKnight, Tom L. (Tom Lee) (2008). Physical geography : a landscape appreciation (9th ed.). Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall. Catàleg
  • Rubenstein, James M. (2008). The Cultural landscape : an introduction to human geography (9th ed.). New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall. Catàleg

Assessment and Grading

Assessment activities:

Description of the activity Assessment Activity % Remediable subject
Assignment Unit 2 Capacity to apply the knowledge acquired in class 10 No
Assignment Units 3 & 4 Capacity to apply the knowledge acquired in class; use and citation of reliable information sources; capacity for analysis, argumentation and delivery 10 No
Global Week assignment Capacity to apply the knowledge acquired in class; use and citation of reliable information sources; capacity for analysis, argumentation and delivery 10 No
Exam I (Units 1, 2, 3, 4) Rank of attainment of the aims of the subject 25 Yes
Assignment Units 5 & 6 Capacity to apply the knowledge acquired in class; use and citation of reliable information sources; capacity for analysis, argumentation and delivery 10 No
Assignment Unit 7 Capacity to apply the knowledge acquired in class; capacity for analysis, argumentation and delivery 10 No
Exam II (Units 5, 6, 7, 8) Rank of attainment of the aims of the subject 25 Yes

Grading

1. The final grade will be the average of the results from the assignments (50%) and the two exams (25% + 25%).

2. In order to be assessed, a minimum mark of 4 is necessary on the average of the two exams.

3. In the event that the minimum mark of 4 is not reached in one of the tests or in both, students will be able to take the recovery exam of the failed part or parts. The mark obtained in a recovery exam will maintain, for weighting purposes, the weight of the original test (25% per exam).

4. The submission of assignments is not mandatory. An unsubmitted assignment will be graded with a 0.

Specific criteria for the "No show" grade:
The grade of "Not presented" will be assigned to students who do not attend one or two of the partial exams

Single Assessment:
It will consist of two activities:

1. A final exam that must be passed with a minimum grade of 5.
2. A report that integrates the various activities of the subject, carried out individually. It will be delivered in a task enabled in the Moodle platform, prior to the exam.

The exam will have a weight of 50% of the final grade and the report will provide the remaining 50%

Minimum requirements to pass:
A minimum grade of 5 is necessary to pass the subject.

Mentorship

Guidance meetings can be arranged by sending an email to the teacher to whom the consultation concerns or through an instant message sent through the Moodle platform. We will respond to messages within a maximum of 48 hours on working days.

The meetings may be virtual or face-to-face, depending on the circumstances and convenience.

Communication and interaction with students

Messages, announcements and results addressed to students will be delivered through the messaging and qualification tools in the Moodle platform.

Remarks

1. The subject combines master lectures by the teachers with a continuous work effort by the students. The practical and directed activities will analyze case studies, develop aspects presented in the theoretical sessions, invite reflective learning and promote the autonomy of the student.

2. Most support materials used by professors during the lectures will be made available to students through the Moodle platform. This complementary material can be useful for the student to review the work done, to expand their reading on some topics, and for the preparation of the exams, but due to their configuration it is strongly advised not to rely on them for exam preparation as the study material. Attendance to master classes will provide most of the contents for these materials to make sense.

3. In accordance with current legislation, "it is forbidden to make any type of photograph or audiovisual recording of teaching activities, unless the teaching staff involved explicitly authorizes it".

4. In accordance with UdG regulations, "the use of mobile phones and similar devices for personal matters is prohibited during teaching activities. In addition, during assessment activities, mobile phones must be out of reach of students and on silent or turned off. Exceptionally, teachers may authorize their use when they deem it appropriate."

5. Plagiarism, including inappropriate use of artificial intelligence-based text generative tools, will not be tolerated. Article 21.2 of the current assessment regulations of the UdG will apply: "Copying or plagiarism, as well as the use of fraudulent procedures to carry out final undergraduate or master's theses, entails a grade of 0 (fail) in the final grade of the work, without prejudice to the consequences that may arise from the application of the corresponding disciplinary regime."

Recommended subjects

  • Geopolítica i seguretat global
  • Identitat global, mobilitats i cultura
  • Imperialisme global, antiglobalització i alter-globalitzacions
  • Societats i paisatges culturals

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