Political Geography

GEOG 301/590

• Instructor: Francis H. Dillon, III
• Class Location: Robinson Hall, Rm B108
• Office: Robinson Hall, Room A110A
• Meeting Time: Mon, 4:30-7:10pm
• Office Hours: Mon, 7:15-8:15pm or by appointment
• Email: fdillon@gmu.edu
• Course Webpage: classweb.gmu.edu/fdillon/

Class Announcements: (as of 12/10/2006 )

1. Final Exam review sheet is here. The Mid-term review sheet is follows the one for the Final.
2. Please note that the exam is Monday, 18 Dec., and begins at 4:30 PM. Please be on time.

Course Overview:  

Political geography is the study of the ways geographic space is organized within political processes. The purpose of this course is to study the geographic dimension of the political process operating at the international level. The course will examine the geographic distribution of global political power and seek to understand the nature of the geographical forces that shape this distribution. At the conclusion of the course participants will be expected to apply their knowledge in the preparation of an assessment of national power.

Based upon the reading and class discussion, students will be able to:

1. define political geography and describe the principal concepts associated with the political process at the international level;
2. describe the origin and development of the modern state system in terms of the geographic factors that influence the nature of that system;
3. describe and explain the application of geopolitical theory as a method for understanding global power distributions;
4. prepare an assessment of a selected state;
5. create and justify a "mental map" describing the global distribution of political power.

1. Martin Ira Glassner and Chuck Fahrer, Political Geography, 3^rd ed., John Wiley and Sons, 2004.
2. John Allen, Student Atlas of World Politics, 7^th edition, Dushkin/McGraw-Hill, 2006.
3. Harm de Blij, Why Geography Matters, Oxford University Press, 2005 (Required for graduate students only)

As an upper level course students are expected to read and write critically as well as conduct significant research outside the classroom. Students are responsible for all assigned reading and lecture material.

Examinations and Examination Policies:

There will be two exams including a Mid-term (16 October) and a comprehensive Final Exam (18 December).

1. Prepare a geographically based national assessment of a selected country to be presented in class, written findings will be submitted as a research paper (see Annex B).
2. Review a major daily newspaper every day in preparation for class.

1. Two reviews of articles from the professional literature (see Annex A).
2. One paper further described under Research and Analysis (see Annex B).
3. Graduate students will prepare a 5-10 page "thought" paper on the state of the world in 2103 (see Annex C).

Each student will submit reviews of two articles selected from scholarly or professional journals. You should select one article from each of the three groups listed in the Appendix to Annex A of the syllabus.  These articles have been placed on reserve in the Johnson Center Library. You may also select articles of your choosing but these articles must be cleared with the instructor in advance.

A review is NOT a summary of the article; it is an analysis of what the author is saying. A brief summary of the main points of the article is appropriate; but then you must comment on the author's objective. The most important point to consider is how this article contributes to your understanding of the international system and the stresses it faces today. You should identify any concepts of political geography discussed in class.

Think about what you have read before you write. Look for new insights or new ways of thinking about old problems. Challenge your own presumptions, describe how these authors may have changed your perspective. Three or four well supported ideas are better than five pages of vacuous rubbish.

Everyday, in capitals around the world, governments are gathering and evaluating information for the purpose of making assessments of the capabilities and intentions of their neighbors.  This “intelligence process” is fundamental to the development of foreign policy and consists of three major products.  Basic intelligence provides the fundamental and factual reference material relating to a country or issue.  Current intelligence is just that, the most recent developments relating to a country or issue.  Estimative intelligence tries to assess probable courses of action and their outcomes in order to guide the policy maker.  Your research task is to develop Basic Intelligence concerning a selected country in order to assess the trends that may influence its role in the international system.

To make this assessment you must gather and evaluate information relating to the indicators of elements of national power.  After ascertaining the basic status of a country in each of these areas, you need to identify any pertinent trends that will help chart the course of this country into the future.

Future World (GEOG 590)

What do you think the world will look like 100 years from now?  By extrapolating the trajectories of the issues presented in class and in your reading, what do you think the map of the world will look like in 2106?

 In a five to ten page “thought” piece describe what this world will look like.  Start by preparing a world map depicting major geopolitical groupings and states.  Your paper will be built around explaining this map based on a geographical analysis (perhaps with additional thematic maps).  There is no right answer to this project, rather I will be looking for imaginative but reasonable (i.e. justified with specific evidence) approaches to this map.

Useful Links

• Foreign Affairs magazine: An excellent source current thinking and commentary on international relations.
• CIA World Factbook: Basic reference for country level data
• World Bank: Useful source on economic and development indicators.
• Woodrow Wilson Center: Part of the Smithsonian Institution, a think-tank focusing on a wide range of issues including international relations.
• US Census Bureau, International Data Base (IDB), provides excellent population information including population pyramids that describe age/sex structure of national populations.

Tentative Class Schedule

(Revised as of 12/10/06 )

Notes:

1. 11/27 is last date for submitting article reviews.
2. *  Indicates on reserve in Johnson Center Library

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