ENV 343 - Geographies of Place

This course serves as an introduction to the geographic study of place. Broadly, critical human geographers study the spatial dimensions of power. Therefore, rather than treating space and place as simply material things where social, political, and economic processes take place, geographers examine how, for example, seemingly neutral and apolitical things like urban planning and design, architecture, and infrastructures are both socially produced and can work with other sociological factors, such as class, race, gender, sexuality, ability, and age to influence our sense of self, belonging, and community, our livelihoods and opportunities, and our abilities to access, manage, or control resources. Throughout this course, we will examine the dynamics of power that are embedded within how we understand and represent space (e.g., with maps) and how we might better represent space in ways that are attune to the lived experiences of marginalized or marked communities. This course will focus primarily on urban and suburban space, with an emphasis on measures to enclose and privatize public space, increase surveillance and security, exclude others, or improve, erase, or reconfigure “wasted,” “underutilized,” “uninhabited,” “blighted” or other forms of problematic space. Topics we will explore will include, but are not limited to: redlining, food deserts, public housing and housing insecurity, parks, highways, transportation, health care, pollution and hazardous waste facilities, power plants and energy justice, privatization, and gated communities. We will also explore other spaces, such as: rural spaces, vertical space and the underground, and outer space to expand our theoretical foci and application.

This is a reading, writing, and discussion intensive seminar. You will be responsible for critically and deeply engaging with the reading and the thoughts and questions of your fellow classmates. Please come to class fully prepared.

This course fulfills breadth and depth requirements for the ENV major and minor.
Satisfies Justice, Equality, and Community requirement.
Satifies Social-Scientific Thought requirement.

Prerequisites & Notes
Students are not required to purchase any of the course materials; all readings will be made available on the course’s Moodle page.

There are no prerequisites for this class other than an open mind and a willingness to challenge and be challenged.