Module GEOG3931: GEOGRAPHIES OF DIFFERENCE AND IDENTITY

Department: Geography

GEOG3931: GEOGRAPHIES OF DIFFERENCE AND IDENTITY

Prerequisites

• Any Level 2 GEOG module

Corequisites

• None

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None

Aims

• To offer students an opportunity to engage with advanced theoretical perspectives on difference and identity in relation to contemporary geographical research
• To reflect critically upon the relevance of questions of identity and difference to a range of sociopolitical contexts
• To encourage reflection on the political, ethical, and methodological issues involved in researching difference and identity
• To introduce students to the reflexive practices of scholarship required for Level 3 study in the context of a small-scale independent research project

Content

• This module will address the themes of difference and identity, and their relation to geographical research, through both the introduction of specific (empirical) geographies of difference, and a more conceptually-facing discussion of the various ways in which difference and identity might be theorized and critiqued, both within and beyond the discipline
• Taught material will include the examination of specific axes of difference/identity (such as those relating to race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, class, age, or ability) as well as the broader sociopolitical contexts of difference and identity - for instance, the creation and reproduction of social and spatial inequalities, practices of inclusion and exclusion, and processes of social change – whether these be formal policy development or geographies of activism)
• Attention will also be paid to the spacing, placing and scaling of these contexts, as well as the intersections between them
• Conceptually, the lectures and seminars will focus on a range of critical theories of difference, to include perspectives such as postcolonial, poststructuralist, feminist and historical-materialist approaches, as well as work on emotions, affect, embodiment and performativity
• New and emerging frameworks for theorizing and conducting research into difference and identity such as ‘co-produced’, ‘participant-led’ and participatory research practices will also be explored

Learning Outcomes

• On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
• Demonstrate critical understanding of different conceptual frameworks for research on the geographies of difference and identity
• Explain how cultural identities and social inequalities intersect and are produced spatially, historically, politically
• Critically evaluate the methodological implications of different conceptual approaches for research on the geographies of difference and identity

• On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
• Synthesize and critically assess interdisciplinary and geographical literatures on difference and identity
• Integrate conceptual understanding of difference and identity with empirical analysis of a particular topic
• Identify and critically discuss the methodological and ethical implications of new theoretical approaches to difference and identity for geographical research
• Communicate the results of an independent research projects by means of an oral presentation and a written report

• On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
• Demonstrate expertise in critical reflection and analysis
• Work collaboratively in a team to co-produce knowledge for an group research project
• Develop the skills to execute a research project on the geographies of difference and identity
• Synthesise, critically appraise and present the outcomes of an independent research project in an oral presentation and a written report

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• This module is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars and tutorials (project-specific group supervisions).
• In the first term, classes will provide an introduction to the empirical and conceptual themes of the module, organized around a number of parallel axes of identity and difference (e.g. gender and sexuality, race and ethnicity, or ability and ‘mental diversity’).
• In the second term, lectures and seminars - alongside project-specific group tutorials - will provide bespoke support for the student-led projects, to include coverage of the methodological, ethical and conceptual issues in researching difference and identity as well as guidance on the design, delivery and analysis of socially sensitive research.
• Assessment for the module revolves around a student-led group project, which accounts for 75% of the module grade (50% individually prepared project report and 25% group oral presentation). This project allows students to research a self-chosen critical case study in more depth, as well as to develop skills and experience in on-the-ground reflexive scholarship.
• In the third term a seen exam (worth 25%) will encourage students to engage in wider theoretical and conceptual debates within the geographies of difference and identity, drawing on experience and evidence garnered in the research projects where appropriate.
• Formative assessment will be via a research proposal for the group projects, to be submitted as a group

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

Group project proposal (max 4 sides A4).

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University