Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Spring 2020 - GEOG 241 D100

People, Place, Society (3)

Class Number: 3167

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2020: Mon, 12:30–2:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Prerequisites:

    GEOG 100.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

An introduction to key concepts and contexts in contemporary geographical approaches to social practices, meanings, and struggles. Breadth-Social Sciences.

COURSE DETAILS:

Our social practices as humans are shaped by the places we live, and we in turn also shape those places through our practices. The relationships we build to the places that we live and the people that live there inform our lives, our identities and our politics. In this class, we begin by considering the land that we reside upon: un-ceded Musqueam, Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh territories. If we begin by centering Indigenous conceptions of land, how does this alter our interpretations of the broader societal structures we live within and in relationship to?  

In this course we will explore how geographies are informed by power asymmetries across space and scale. We will build an understanding of how racial capitalism, settler colonialism and other power structures shape places and inform the interrelationships between different groups of people. We will learn fundamental spatial and social concepts to understand how power operates under racial capitalism, and will pay particular attention to what it means to live within the settler colonial state of Canada, and in some instances focus on examples from across the Americas.  

By learning about colonialism, racism, migration, carcerality, (anti)Blackness, patriarchy, and intersectionality in the Canadian context, this course pushes students to consider their own embodied geographies and explore how to live in constellation with different struggles for justice and autonomy.


There will be no tutorials the first week of class.

Grading

  • Participation 15%
  • Discussion Leader 15%
  • Midterm Exam 30%
  • Final Project 40%

NOTES:

A+          [90% and above]                    
A            [85 - 89.99%]                 
A-          [80 - 84.99%]                
B+          [77- 79.99%]                           
B            [73 - 76.99%]                 
B-           [70 - 72.99%]                 
C+          [67 - 69.99%]                    
C            [63% - 66.99%]               
C-         [60 - 62.99%]                  
D          [50 - 59.99%]                    
F          [49.99% and below]

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

There is no required course textbook. All readings will be available on Canvas via hyperlink or in PDF form.

Registrar Notes:

SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating.  Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the University community.  Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the University. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the University. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS