Course Syllabus

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All'interno del framework teorico conosciuto come "Studi insulari", il corso ha come obiettivo principale fornire gli strumenti utili all'analisi delle relazioni socio-spaziali negli ambienti insulari. Inoltre il corso fornisce quadri interpretativi utilizzabili per lo studio dei meccanismi, pratiche e adattamenti che le comunità umane attivano a scala locale per rispondere ai cambiamenti e alle sfide ambientali.

Geografia degli Arcipelagi; Geografia degli Stati Insulari; Geografia umane delle isole; Ecologia umana dei sistemi insulari; SIS e sfide ambientali; Analisi trans-scalare dei sistemi insulari; Politiche ambientali; Isole come "ecotones"; "Aquapelagos"

Il corso sarà strutturato in due parti:

                     I. La prima parte del corso sarà dedicata allo studio della geografia umana delle isole e degli stati arcipelagici. Gli studenti applicheranno, anche adottando una prospettiva critica, un insieme di modelli e paradigmi (come isolamento, vulnerabilità, distribuzione, concentrazione, relazione centro-periferia e dispersione spaziale). Inoltre, la lettura di questi processi socio-ambientali adottando una prospettiva trans-scalare aiuta studenti e ricercatori a sottolineare la complessità dell'ecologia umana delle isole, delle aree costiere e dei sistemi arcipelagici.

                  II. La seconda parte del corso sarà dedicata alla lettura, su scala locale, dell'insieme di misure e adattamenti sociali, politici e spaziali che le comunità umane adottano per affrontare le sfide ambientali che riguardano i sistemi insulari.

Lezioni:

· Island Studies: un'introduzione

· Alcune categorie interpretative

· Ecologia umana: un'introduzione

· La geografia delle isole e degli stati insulari

· L'ecologia umana delle isole

· Piccoli stati insulari: alcune questioni ambientali

· Piccole isole: geografia

· Piccole isole: geografia umana

· Isole minori: sostenibilità

· Isole minori: resilienza e risposta sociale al cambiamento

· Geografia umana delle Maldive

· Cambiamenti e sfide ambientali delle Isole Maldive

Agli studenti verrà chiesto di lavorare direttamente su una serie di casi di studio, concentrandosi sulla rilevanza geografica dei cambiamenti ambientali che interessano i piccoli sistemi insulari in contesti locali, regionali e sovraregionali.
La geografia umana delle Maldive rappresenterà un riferimento per la comprensione delle interazioni tra sistemi umani e ambientali nei piccoli stati insulari e negli arcipelaghi

  • Baldacchino, G. (2008). Studying Islands: On Whose Terms? Some Epistemological and Methodological Challenges to the Pursuit of Island Studies. Island Studies Journal, 3(1), 37-56.
  • Depraetere C., 2008, The Challenge of Nissiology (part 1), Island Studies Journal, Vol.3, No. 1, pp. 3-16
  • Depraetere C., 2008, The Challenge of Nissiology (part 2), Island Studies Journal, Vol.3, No. 1, pp. 17-36
  •  Hay P., 2006, A Phenomenology of Islands, Island Studies Journal, Vol. 1, No. 1, 2006, pp. 19-42
  • Jędrusik M., 2014, The elusive sustainable development of small tropical islands, Miscellanea Geographica. Regional Studies on Development, 18, 3, 26-30
  •  Kelman, I. (2014). No change from climate change: vulnerability and small island developing states. The Geographical Journal, 180(2), 120-129.
  • Malatesta S., Schmidt di Friedberg M., (2017), Environmental policy and climate change vulnerability in the Maldives: From the ‘lexicon of risk’ to social response to change, Island Studies Journal, 12, 1, 2017, pp. 53-70
  • Malatesta S., (2018), International actors as policymakers? Discussing the influence of international actors on the environmental policies of small island states, Small States & Territories Journal, 1, 1, pp. 95-110.
  •  Royle, 1989, A Human Geography of Islands, Geography, 74, 2, 106-116
  • Stratford et al., 2011, Envisioning the Archipelago, Island Studies Journal, Vol.6, No. 2, pp. 113-130

    • Ulteriori letture saranno fornite a lezione.


    Primo anno, secondo semestre


    ESAME ORALE.  Gli studenti lavoreanno su paper, case studies e altri documenti secondo le indicazioni fornite durante il corso.

    Lunedì 11,00-13,00, su appuntamento,  stefano.malatesta@unimib.it


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    Mainly referring to the general framework of the Island Studies, the course aims to provide a set of tools useful to the analysis of socio-spatial dynamics within island systems. Furthermore the course aims to provide tools and interpretative models useful to understand how, at local scale, human communities (privately, socially and politically) cope with socio-environmental changes, crises, conflicts and transitions by producing a set of resilient practices, knowledge and adjustments

    Geography of Archipelagos and Island States; Human Geography of Islands; Human Ecology of Island Systems; Environmental challenges in Small Island States; Trans-scalar Spatial Analysis of Island Systems; Environmental Policies of Small Island States, Islands as Ecotones, Archipelago and Aquapelagos


    The course will be structured in two parts:

                         I.            The first part of the course will be dedicated to the study of the human geography of islands and archipelagic states. Students will apply, even by adopting a critical perspective, a set of patterns and paradigms (such as isolation, vulnerability, distribution, concentration, center-periphery relationship and spatial dispersion), in order to understand the role of spatial features in shaping socio-environmental processes  Furthermore reading these socio-environmental processes by adopting a trans-scalar perspective helps students and researchers to stress the complexity of the human ecology of islands, coastal areas and archipelagic systems.

                      II.            The second part of the course will be dedicated  to the reading, at local scale, of the set of social, political and spatial measures and adjustments that human communities adopt to deal with the environmental challenges affecting island systems. 

    Lessons:

    ·       Island Studies: an introduction

    ·       Some interpretative categories

    ·       Human ecology: an introduction

    ·       The geography of islands and island states

    ·       The human ecology of islands

    ·       Small Island States: some environmental issues

    ·       Small islands: geography

    ·       Small islands: human geography

    ·       Small islands: sustainability

    ·       Small islands: resilience and social response to change

    ·       Human Geography of the Maldives

    ·       Environmental changes and challenges of the Maldivian Islands

     


    Classes will be provided by lessons, discussions of scientific papers, analysis of national and international reports, and reading of environmental assessments.

    Students will be asked to work directly on a set of case studies, focusing on the geographical relevance of the environmental changes affecting small island systems in local, regional and supra-regional contexts.

    The human geography of the Maldives will represent a reference for the understating of the interactions among human and environmental systems in small island states and archipelagos. 

    References:

    ·       A selection of essays from: Ratter B. (2018), Geography of Small Islands, Springer, London

    • Baldacchino, G. (2008). Studying Islands: On Whose Terms? Some Epistemological and Methodological Challenges to the Pursuit of Island Studies. Island Studies Journal, 3(1), 37-56.
    • Depraetere C., 2008, The Challenge of Nissiology (part 1), Island Studies Journal, Vol.3, No. 1, pp. 3-16
    • Depraetere C., 2008, The Challenge of Nissiology (part 2), Island Studies Journal, Vol.3, No. 1, pp. 17-36
    •  Hay P., 2006, A Phenomenology of Islands, Island Studies Journal, Vol. 1, No. 1, 2006, pp. 19-42
    • Jędrusik M., 2014, The elusive sustainable development of small tropical islands, Miscellanea Geographica. Regional Studies on Development, 18, 3, 26-30
    •  Kelman, I. (2014). No change from climate change: vulnerability and small island developing states. The Geographical Journal, 180(2), 120-129.
    • Malatesta S., Schmidt di Friedberg M., (2017), Environmental policy and climate change vulnerability in the Maldives: From the ‘lexicon of risk’ to social response to change, Island Studies Journal, 12, 1, 2017, pp. 53-70
    • Malatesta S., (2018), International actors as policymakers? Discussing the influence of international actors on the environmental policies of small island states, Small States & Territories Journal, 1, 1, pp. 95-110.
    •  Royle, 1989, A Human Geography of Islands, Geography, 74, 2, 106-116
    • Stratford et al., 2011, Envisioning the Archipelago, Island Studies Journal, Vol.6, No. 2, pp. 113-130

    Additional essays and case studies could be provided during the lessons.


    FIRST YEAR, SECOND SEMESTER


    ORAL EXAM. Students are asked to work on paper, case studies and other documents according to the guidelines provided.

    Monday 11,00-13,00,  please write to stefano.malatesta@unimib.it



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    Key information

    Field of research
    M-GGR/01
    ECTS
    6
    Term
    Second semester
    Activity type
    Mandatory to be chosen
    Course Length (Hours)
    42
    Language
    English

    Staff

      Teacher

    • SM
      Stefano Malatesta

    Students' opinion

    View previous A.Y. opinion

    Bibliography

    Find the books for this course in the Library

    Enrolment methods

    Manual enrolments
    Self enrolment (Student)