Geographic Theory of Place and Space
GPHY 868
Graduate Courses
Fall 2026
3 Units
In-person
3
one-way Exclusions
Seminar
Course Description
This course explores the meaning of two of Geography’s most fundamental concepts: place and space. It will look at diverse geographic approaches to these concepts from a variety of epistemological standpoints, consider their implications for research, and trace how geographers and other social scientists and artists have incorporated a critical approach to place and space into their work. Three term-hours. Fall.
Learning Outcomes
- Synthesize and communicate foundational theories in critical geographic approaches to space, place, and scale
- Describe how settler colonialism, racial capitalism, and imperialism have shaped canonical geographic knowledge production
- Explain how Indigenous, Black, feminist, and anti-colonial scholars use a variety of methodological approaches to understand space and place
- Apply geographic theories to contemporary real-world examples
- Identify what makes an effective, well argued, and geographically-sensitive dissertation-length project
- Communicate complex ideas in written, oral, and visual form
Assessments
Subject to Change
- Seminar participation
- Seminar facilitation
- Weekly written reading reflections
- Space and place journal
- Final term project (research paper, report, or creative output)