Human Geography: Landscape and Political Ecology

<p>This course explores how landscapes are shaped by the interaction between nature, society, and politics. You learn how geographic ideas and political ecology help us understand environmental change, and questions of power and justice. </p><p>The course introduces you to key debates in landscape geography and political ecology. You study how different understandings of “landscape” have developed within geography, and how these perspectives influence the way we analyse environmental challenges. Political ecology provides a critical lens to examine power structures, environmental injustice, and the unequal distribution of benefits and burdens in society. </p><p>You engage with both classical and contemporary research, from different perspectives, exploring how landscapes are shaped by cultural values, social processes, and politics. The course highlights how environmental change unfolds unevenly across places, and how conflicts over land, resources, and development emerge at different scales. </p><p>Throughout the course, you are encouraged to reflect on how theory can be used to analyse real cases like land use, resource conflicts, and other environmental challenges. The focus is on helping you understand complex issues in a clear and structured way, and giving you tools to study environmental issues from a critical but practical perspective. </p><p>The course is taught in English, within the first term of the Master's programme in Human Geography. It is also offered as a freestanding course. </p><p><br/></p>