Our world is facing multiple crises at once, from climate change and the energy crisis to rising living costs. These challenges coincide with rapid technological advancements and a shifting geopolitical landscape, which fuel existing spatial inequalities. Stark disparities persist between the Global North and the Global South. Peripheral & rural regions grapple with de-industrialisation, while 'superstar cities' attract a disproportionate share of global capital. Understanding the drivers of these uneven spatial development patterns is the central tenet of economic geography. This course will provide a comprehensive foundation to field and equip students to critically explore the reasons behind the unequal distribution of economic activity.

In a series of three modules, the course introduces foundational concepts, core subjects, and contemporary issues in economic geography. Module 1 covers basic concepts, definitions and theoretical frameworks as well as an overview on the process of uneven development and the role of space in capitalism. Module 2 explores the pivotal themes of globalization and urbanization, covering the processes, impacts, and implications of these phenomena on local and global economies. Module 3 addresses two main contemporary challenges. First it investigates the process of financialization and its spatial impacts. Second, the module covers issues around resources, environment & climate change and discusses alternative economic geographies, such as degrowth.

After completing this course, students should be able to:

• Recognize the significance of applying a spatial perspective to economic analysis, appreciating how geography shapes economic phenomena.
• Understand the complementary nature of economic geography research alongside traditional economic studies, acknowledging the added insights gained from examining spatial dimensions.
• Gain insight into contemporary economic geography issues, including globalization, urbanization, financialization, and environmental challenges.
• Appreciate and be able to recognize the complex interaction between historical, geographical and environmental factors which shape economic processes on the global and local level. 
• Develop skills in critically reading, interpreting, and discussing scientific journal articles, enhancing their ability to engage with scholarly literature and contribute to academic discourse in economic geography.

Students are required to attend 50% (3 out of 6) of the lectures.  It is recommended that you come to all of the six lecture slots. Additionally you have to attend 100% (4 out of 4) of the discussion sessions.

• Concise lectures for foundational understanding
• Interactive in-class data analysis and interpretation
• Analysis of case studies to apply theoretical knowledge
• Independent critical reading of compulsory literature
• Online quizzes
• Collaborative class discussions
• Group exercises

There are 108 points, of which 8 are bonus points:

• 4 in-class quizzes [max. 5 pts. each]: 20 pts.
  • About the reading of the discussion session
  • In weeks 3-6
• 4 group exercises [max. 5 pts. each]: 20 pts.
  • based on the readings assigned for the discussion sessions 
• Participation in seminar [max. 2 pts. per session]: 8 pts.
• Final exam: 60 pts.     
  • Min. 30 pts. need to be reached to pass the course.
  • Consists of a multiple choice section and open questions.
  • If you provide documentation proving that you cannot participate in the exam (e.g. doctor's note), or if you obtain more than 10%, but less than 50% of the possible score in your first exam attempt, you get the opportunity to take a second attempt at the end of the current semester.
  • The exam takes place in the midterm exam week on 28 November 2024.  

Quizzes and the exam are individual tasks, and the group assignment needs to be your own work. Cheating (e.g. copying from neighbors) as well as undeclared use of AI tools for group assignments will result in 0 pts being awarded. Repeated offenses are passed on the VR Lehre, risking a four month ban on exams and courses.

Grading:                     

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The course uses a combination of textbooks and journal articles. The lectures are based on the two main text books and while the discussion sessions cover important papers in the field. 

Textbooks:

MacKinnon, D., & Cumbers, A. (2019). An introduction to economic geography: Globalisation, uneven development and place (3rd ed.). Routledge.

Coe, N., Kelly, P., & Yeung, H. W.-C. (2020). Economic geography: A contemporary introduction (3rd ed.). Wiley.

Additional books:

Dicken, P. (2015). Global shift: Mapping the changing contours of the world economy (7th ed.). Guilford Press.

Leyshon, A., Lee, R., McDowell, L., & Sunley, P. (Eds.). (2011). The SAGE handbook of economic geography. SAGE Publications.

Clark, G. L., Feldman, M. P., Gertler, M. S., & Wójcik, D. (Eds.). (2018). The new Oxford handbook of economic geography. Oxford University Press.

Stutz, F. P., & Warf, B. (2014). The world economy: Geography, business, development (6th ed.). Pearson.

Mandatory readings for the discussion sessions:

J Hickel, C Dorninger, H Wieland, I Suwandi (2022). Imperialist appropriation in the world economy: Drain from the global South through unequal exchange, 1990–2015, Global Environmental Change

Barca, F., McCann, P., & Rodríguez‐Pose, A. (2012). The case for regional development intervention: place‐based versus place‐neutral approaches. Journal of regional science, 52(1), 134-152

Rodríguez-Pose, Andrés (2017) The revenge of the places that don’t matter (and what to do about it). Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, 11 (1). pp. 189-209. ISSN 1752- 1378

Gibbs, D., & O’Neill, K. (2017). Future Green Economies and Regional Development: A Research Agenda. Regional Studies, 51, 161-173.