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Cursus: MAN-BCU2036
MAN-BCU2036
Theorising Spatial Practices
Cursus informatieRooster
CursusMAN-BCU2036
Studiepunten (ECTS)6
Categorie-
VoertaalEngels
Aangeboden doorRadboud Universiteit; Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen; Bachelor Geografie, Planologie en Milieu;
Docenten
VorigeVolgende 1
Docent
prof. dr. H. Ernste
Overige cursussen docent
Examinator
dr. O.T. Kramsch
Overige cursussen docent
Docent
dr. O.T. Kramsch
Overige cursussen docent
Coördinator
dr. O.T. Kramsch
Overige cursussen docent
Contactpersoon van de cursus
dr. O.T. Kramsch
Overige cursussen docent
Collegejaar2017
Periode
4  (16-04-2018 t/m 01-07-2018)
Aanvangsblok
4
Onderwijsvorm
voltijd
Opmerking-
Inschrijven via OSIRISJa
Inschrijven voor bijvakkersJa
VoorinschrijvingNee
WachtlijstNee
Plaatsingsprocedure-
Cursusdoelen
After completing the course Theorising Spatial Practices the student is able to:
  • Explain the relationship between space and place, mediated by human beings;
  • Apply theoretical literature addressing phenomenological approaches to Space & Place;
  • Reflect upon the intertwining of the social production of space and geographies of ethical responsibility (ie, ethics);
  • Explain classical & modernist conceptualizations of social justice;
  • Reflect upon the ‘spatial turn’ in the social-sciences and its implications for theorizing ‘spatial justice’;
  • Explain contemporary practical as well as theoretical debates addressing the ‘search for spatial justice’ at a variety of scales: the city, the region, the border;
  • Apply the insights gained from conceptual debates on ‘Space/Place’ to an existing planning area;
  • Devise creative strategies to improve the ‘Space/Place’ component of spatial development;
  • Critically reflect on the (lack of) a spatial dimension in (modern) theories of social justice;
  • Reflect on the contributions of the ‘spatial turn’ to theorizing about social justice;
  • Apply theories of social justice to critically analyze contemporary socio-spatial issues;
  • Critically assess the impacts of space/place-making strategies in the built environment;
  • Design for more spatially just outcomes across a diversity of planning contexts.
     
Inhoud

The Bachelor's-level course 'Theorising Spatial Practices' (Sem. 2.2) (hereinafter TSP) constitutes the second course in the GPM 'theory track', which begins with 'Approaches to Space & Environment' (Sem. 2.1) and culminates with 'Practicing Spatial Theories' (Sem. 3.1) and the Bachelor's thesis. TSP departs from the pedagogical-cognitive objectives of Approaches (meso-level concepts à spatial/planning practices) to engage more systematically with higher-order social-theoretical concerns, while linking such theory to the terrain of effective praxis by means of strategically-selected 'bridge concepts'. These 'bridging concepts', in turn, prepare the student to translate complex theory into operationalisable research questions and hypotheses, skills that will be honed and refined in the third, practice-orientated course, 'Practicing Spatial Theories' towards the theoretical foundations of the Bachelor's thesis. The bridging concepts underpinning TSP are rooted in two overarching thematic axes:

  1. Space/Place: This bridging concept emerges from the social construction of place identity, place meaning, place emotion, place attachment, place engagement, place behaviour/action and the human dimension of environmental problems, which also forms the basis of human spatial actions and orderings. It is rooted in the history of our discipline to the extent that planning as a form of social mobilisation has always involved an active engagement with the lived dimension of place and space, from the anarchistic precursors of planning through its most recent postmodern incarnations (see Approaches to Space & Environment). This conceptual pairing is also rooted in a phenomenological tradition (Husserl, Merleau Ponty, Heidegger), extending in turn to a range of geographers influenced by this tradition (Tuan, Relph, Seamon, Entrikin, Pickles, Werlen, Giddens). The relationship between Space and Place (mediated by human beings) is of foundational interest to contemporary social-theoretical approaches in human geography, allowing practitioners to make sense of the world while intervening in its transformation. The 'bridging' of this pair of concepts can also be seen as linking different foci within our discipline (Geography, Spatial Planning, Environment), in showing that all three do not address Space/Environment as naturally given, but in terms of anthropogenic/socially constructed 'meaning'. Moreover, this conceptual pair also bridges the two poles Space/Environment/Nature and Place/Person/Human being/Culture. The human construction of place also defines the (ethical) responsibility of human spatial being and spatial doing, including spatial decision-making, and therefore forms the basis for the second bridge concept in this course: 'spatial justice'.

  2. Spatial Justice: In addressing Space/Place we place the issue of the '(human) value of space' on the agenda, which leads us to an understanding of all human action as inherently spatial, and might even lead to the ontological assertion that all humans are inherently spatial beings. Indeed, the intuition of such a 'socio-spatial dialectic' has been at the leading edge of social theoretical developments in human geography over the past 30 years. From the idea of the social production of space/place we may derive from this an equally powerful idea: that humanly-mediated spatial relations produce geographical unevenness across time and space. This early insight serves to remind us that space is always and everywhere shot through with difference: economic, political, cultural, racial, ethnic and sexual. This inherent unevenness of space has important ethical-political consequences, as it results in the active production of inequality both in the built environment and in defining generalised life chances for human flourishing. As the production of socio-spatial inequalities has intensified globally, the 'search for spatial justice' has thus taken on both a practical and social-theoretical urgency across the human sciences.

Dialogues emerging from course lectures, discussions and presentations will help set the stage for addressing the problem of structure/agency as it pertains to the ongoing struggles over unjust socio-spatial relations at all spatial scales, from the body to the globe (Practicing Spatial Theories, Sem. 3.1).

Teaching format and structure of course
Spanning 8 weeks (Block 4, weeks 16-23), the course will be divided into lectures and working group/plenary-style discussion sessions. The content of the lectures will range from 'bird's eye' overviews of major social theoretical traditions, to more 'down to earth' applications of theory over a range of contemporary settings. Lectures will often be complemented by plenary discussion sessions, in which small groups of students (no more than 3 ) will be afforded the time and space to work out a set of prescribed problem areas related to that particular lecture, and then report back to the generally student assembly (ie, the 'cake' assignment). Discussion plenaries will in turn support the preparation of 2 mini-research projects addressing the respective themes of 'Space/Place' and 'Spatial Justice'. Concurrent with each of these mini-projects, WC sessions will be mobilised in the mid-part of the course block so as to elicit early feedback from the respective lecturer team. The results of these two mini-projects will be bundled into a comprehensive research portfolio, which will comprise 50% of the final grade. At the end of the course, students will be given an individual written examination which will represent 50% of the final grade.

Niveau
Ba 2
Toetsinformatie
Student portfolios & Final written exam (50%)
Voorkennis

• Successful completion of Approaches to Space & Environment (Semester 2.1).
• Recommended: Stedelijke Ontwikkeling (Semester 1.2) and/or Globalising Worlds (Semester 2.1); not mandatory, but these course would help prospective students grasp some of the core thematic issues addressed in this course.
Verplicht materiaal
Boek
Cresswell, T. (2014). Place: an introduction, Wiley Blackwell. ISBN 9780470655627
Artikelen
Additional readings, which will be made accessible through Blackboard
Werkvormen
Hoorcollege

Presentatie
AanwezigheidsplichtJa

Werkgroep
AanwezigheidsplichtJa

Toetsen
Tentamen
Weging1
GelegenhedenBlok 4, Blok 5

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