Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Spring 2022 - GEOG 465 D100

Geographies of Conquest and Liberation (4)

Class Number: 7905

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Jan 10 – Apr 11, 2022: Tue, 2:30–4:20 p.m.
    Vancouver

  • Exam Times + Location:

    Apr 19, 2022
    Tue, 11:59–11:59 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Prerequisites:

    At least 60 units, including GEOG 241.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

An exploration of theories and geographies of conquest and liberation to analyze present-day struggles for abolition and decolonization. We will weave epistemologies from across the Americas to understand how different struggles for liberation are spatially connected amid colonialism, racial capitalism and empire.

COURSE DETAILS:

Course Details

 

In the past decade, global struggles for abolition, decolonization and liberation have gained significant momentum. In this course, we will turn to essential texts of conquest and liberation to make sense of our global interrelations under empire and how these conditions shape the terrain for present liberatory struggles.

While many of the thinkers we will be engaging are not traditionally considered to reside within the canon of Geography, following the theorizing of Katherine McKittrick we will consider how decolonial theorists articulate and theorize space and liberation amid the conditions of empire. We will delve into the genealogies of Black, Indigenous and Latin American theorists in particular, focusing on 1-2 anti-colonial thinkers from a particular site across the Americas each week, and reading their work thoroughly to unpack their theoretical contributions. Threading these genealogies of decolonial and anti-colonial thought into relation with one another, we will consider how empire and conquest have fomented spatial relations across the globe and produced the conditions for mass economic and racialized dispossession. It is from within these theorizations of conquest that we will ultimately consider the moment of crisis we are collectively living, and the emergent possibilities of abolitionist and decolonial movements.

Spring 2022 courses will be delivered in person based on information available at the time of publishing the outline; please note the delivery mode is subject to change following Provincial Health Officer (PHO) and/or SFU recommendations and orders.

Grading

  • Weekly Reflection Essays 30%
  • Class Participation 15%
  • Reading Presentation 15%
  • Final Project 40%

NOTES:

Grading Scale

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:

Required course texts:

  • Brand, D. (2001) A map to the door of no return. Toronto: Doubleday Canada
  • Anzaldúa, G. (1989) Borderlands/La Frontera (any edition)

All other texts will be available on Canvas via hyperlink or in PDF form.


Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

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

TEACHING AT SFU IN SPRING 2022

Teaching at SFU in spring 2022 will involve primarily in-person instruction, with safety plans in place.  Some courses will still be offered through remote methods, and if so, this will be clearly identified in the schedule of classes.  You will also know at enrollment whether remote course components will be “live” (synchronous) or at your own pace (asynchronous).

Enrolling in a course acknowledges that you are able to attend in whatever format is required.  You should not enroll in a course that is in-person if you are not able to return to campus, and should be aware that remote study may entail different modes of learning, interaction with your instructor, and ways of getting feedback on your work than may be the case for in-person classes.

Students with hidden or visible disabilities who may need class or exam accommodations, including in the context of remote learning, are advised to register with the SFU Centre for Accessible Learning (caladmin@sfu.ca or 778-782-3112) as early as possible in order to prepare for the spring 2022 term.