Course Syllabus
Obiettivi
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.
Contenuti sintetici
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"
Programma esteso
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
Modalità didattica
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
Materiale didattico
- 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.
Periodo di erogazione dell'insegnamento
Primo anno, secondo semestre
Modalità di verifica del profitto e valutazione
ESAME ORALE. Gli studenti lavoreanno su paper, case studies e altri documenti secondo le indicazioni fornite durante il corso.
Orario di ricevimento
Lunedì 11,00-13,00, su appuntamento, stefano.malatesta@unimib.it
Sustainable Development Goals
Aims
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
Contents
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
Detailed program
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
Teaching form
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.
Textbook and teaching resource
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.
Semester
FIRST YEAR, SECOND SEMESTER
Assessment method
ORAL EXAM. Students are asked to work on paper, case studies and other documents according to the guidelines provided.
Office hours
Monday 11,00-13,00, please write to stefano.malatesta@unimib.it
Sustainable Development Goals
Key information
Staff
-
Stefano Malatesta