This document provides the course outline for an advanced graduate seminar in human geography. The course will explore major theoretical trends in contemporary human geography through investigating key debates and concepts. The aims are to provide a foundation in diverse perspectives in human geography, examine major thematic areas of inquiry, and cultivate students' geographical imaginations. The format will be group discussions of assigned readings, where students will facilitate at least one class discussion. Topics of study include anarchism, colonialism, discourse, feminism, imagination, neoliberalism, power, scale, and violence. Students will complete response papers, a research paper proposal, a presentation, and a final research paper.

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COURSE OUTLINE
ADVANCED SEMINAR IN HUMAN GEOGRAPHY
Wed 6:30 p.m. - 9:20 p.m. TBA
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This graduate seminar explores some of the major theoretical trends in contemporary human geography. We
will investigate key debates and concepts that inform current scholarship on social, cultural, political, and
economic geographies using different lenses through which to understand geographical notions of space,
place, and scale. The aims of the course are, therefore, threefold:
(1) to provide a solid foundation and appreciation for the diversity of contemporary perspectives in
human geography;
(2) to examine major thematic areas of human geographical inquiry and debate;
(3) to, above all, cultivate one’s own “geographical imagination” by critically assessing current
geographical scholarship while also contributing to the literature with an original piece of
geographical research.
The format for class sessions will be based upon group discussions of the assigned readings, where students will
have the opportunity to present to the class and facilitate at least one class discussion over the course of the
semester.
KEY THEMES: anarchism, colonialism, democracy, discourse, hierarchy, imaginative geographies, feminism,
law, neoliberalism, peace, power, posthumanism, property, scale, space, violence, war
REQUIRED TEXTS
See required weekly readings below.
EVALUATION
Attendance & Class Participation 5%
Short Written Responses to the Weekly Readings 40%
Research Paper Abstract & Bibliography 5%
Class Presentation / Seminar Facilitation 15%
Final Research Paper 35%
OFFICE HOURS Monday 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. or by appointment
& LOCATION SS&M B310
Telephone: 250-721-7340
Email: springer@uvic.ca
GEOGRAPHY 536
UNIVERSITY OF VICTORIA
FIRST TERM 2013/2014
DR. SIMON SPRINGER

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GEOGRAPHY DEPARTMENT INFO
• Geography Department website: http://geography.uvic.ca
• Graduate Advisor: Reuben Rose-Redwood - redwood@uvic.ca
POLICY ON LATE ASSIGNMENTS
• Assignments submitted ON TIME will receive my full attention & useful feedback.
• Please speak with me well in advance if you anticipate a delay in submitting your work, particularly
when dealing with illness or family conflicts.
• 5% per day penalty for late assignments including weekend days. For example, 5% will be deducted
from the assignment (due in class) if the assignment is submitted later in the day. If the assignment is
submitted the next day, 10% will be deducted from the assigned grade, and so forth.
• Assignments submitted more than one week late will NOT be graded.
• You may submit assignments electronically to meet a deadline but a hard copy MUST be submitted as
soon as possible afterwards for marking. If a hard copy is not submitted, your assignment will NOT be
marked.
** All assignments must be done exclusively for this course.
PLAGIARISM
Plagiarism in writing term papers will not be tolerated. Plagiarism means representing someone else’s work as
your own. It is a serious offence, punishable by academic sanctions. When you incorporate the words, ideas,
graphics, or other products from someone else’s work into your projects, you must give credit by providing a
citation and reference to the source work.
It is your responsibility to:
• understand what plagiarism is,
• be familiar with and understand the information on plagiarism outlined in UVic Libraries’ plagiarism
policy at http://library.uvic.ca/instruction/cite/plagiarism.html
• be familiar with UVic’s policies on student responsibilities, conduct, discipline, and academic offences,
as described in the Undergraduate Calendar.
Students are reminded that submitting for credit any academic work which has been submitted (or where
credit has already been obtained) in another course is listed among academic offences.
ACCESSIBILITY
Students with diverse learning styles and needs are welcome in this course. In particular, if you have a
disability/health consideration that may require accommodations, please feel free to approach me and/or the
Resource Centre for Students with a Disability (RCSD) as soon as possible. The RCSD staff are available by
appointment to assess specific needs, provide referrals and arrange appropriate accommodations
http://rcsd.uvic.ca/. The sooner you let us know your needs the quicker we can assist you in achieving your
learning goals in this course.

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RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCE
Please notify me immediately once you know that any date proposed for assignments or papers conflict with
dates of special significance in your religion. We will arrange alternative dates to accommodate individual
needs.
POSITIVITY AND SAFETY
The University of Victoria is committed to promoting, providing and protecting a positive and safe learning and
working environment for all its members.
Discriminatory language is not welcome or tolerated in lectures, seminars, tutorials, or written work. This includes
but is not limited to sexist, racist, ethnocentric, or homophobic language.
GRADING SYSTEM
As per the 2012-2013 Academic Calendar (Note that Geography does NOT use numerical scores in the final
grades):
Grade Grade point
value
Grade scale Description
A+
A
A-
9
8
7
90-100%
85-89%
80-84%
Exceptional, outstanding and excellent performance.
Normally achieved by a minority of students. These
grades indicate a student who is self-initiating, exceeds
expectation and has an insightful grasp of the subject
matter.
B+
B
B-
6
5
4
77-79%
73-76%
70-72%
Very good, good and solid performance. Normally
achieved by the largest number of students. These
grades indicate a good grasp of the subject matter or
excellent grasp in one area balanced with satisfactory
grasp in the other area.
C+
C
3
2
65-69%
60-64%
Satisfactory, or minimally satisfactory. These grades
indicate a satisfactory performance and knowledge of
the subject matter.
D 1 50-59%
Marginal Performance. A student receiving this grade
demonstrated a superficial grasp of the subject matter.
F 0 0-49%
Unsatisfactory performance. Wrote final examination
and completed course requirements; no supplemental.

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ASSESSMENT & ASSIGNMENT DETAILS
ATTENDENCE & CLASS PARTICIPATION - (5%) – ONGOING THROUGHOUT TERM
• This includes engaging in discussion, asking questions, offering answers, and active listening, where
none is prioritized over the others. If you regularly attend classes, show up to class prepared, and
remain committed to and engaged with the course materials throughout the term, this is an easy 5% to
achieve.
SHORT WRITTEN RESPONSES TO THE READINGS (10 WEEKS) - (4% EACH X 10 RESPONSES = 40%) – DUE THROUGHOUT
TERM – IN CLASS
LENGTH: Between 1 and 2 pages
• One thoughtful set of questions, comments, and/or criticisms on each group of assigned readings for
the weekly class meetings. You are responsible to hand in 10 responses, which means that for any 2
weeks out of our meetings you get a free pass and are not required to hand in an assignment. It is up
to you to choose what weeks you don’t want to hand in an assignment, but you are still responsible for
doing the readings that week and coming to class prepared to discuss them.
RESEARCH PAPER ABSTRACT & BIBLIOGRAPHY - (5%) – DUE OCTOBER 2, 2013 – IN CLASS
LENGTH: 1 Page Abstract, plus MINIMUM 1 Page Bibliography
• Each student is required to produce a one page (250 to 300 word) abstract detailing the plans of her
or his research paper. This should include a proposed title, a description of the paper you plan to write,
including a choice of conceptual topic, and an empirical frame in which you intend to situate your
argument. It is also mandatory that you submit a working bibliography to demonstrate that you have
not just thought about the paper, but are actively planning for its preparation by gathering relevant
research materials. I will endeavor to provide feedback as quickly as possible so that I can determine
whether your research plan is on track, or whether you will need to do some fine-tuning. We will discuss
your abstracts in class so that your peers can offer further feedback and critique, so please be
prepared to discuss your ideas!
CLASS PRESENTATION / SEMINAR FACILITATION - (15%) – ONCE OR TWICE DURING THE TERM, DEPENDING ON
ENROLEMENT
LENGTH: Approximately 30 MINUTES
• Students are asked to prepare a presentation on the weekly readings. In essence, your role is to
summarize the weekly readings, offer some critical reflections on the readings, and engage the class
with some questions of importance that you have drawn from the readings to stimulate our discussion.
This is similar to what you will have prepared for your weekly written responses each week, but you are
expected to go a little deeper into the literature so that you can bring in some additional insights. Thus,
during your week to present it is important that you go beyond the assigned readings, and engage
with some of the supplemental materials, as well as draw in some additional readings, ideas, personal
experiences or any other supplemental material (short films, comic strips, games, maps, etc.) that you
think might be useful. You might want to choose a weekly topic that also interests you for your term
research paper to give yourself a jump on preparing to write your essay. We will determine who
presents what week during our first class meeting, although there may be some rescheduling should
individuals join or withdraw from the course.

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RESEARCH PAPER - (35%) – DUE DECEMBER 4, 2013 – IN CLASS
LENGTH: 20-25 pages, double-spaced (7000-8000 words, including references).
• Through the research paper process, you are asked to undertake a project that is of theoretical
relevance to contemporary human geography. Our first point of engagement in the course is Peter
Kropotkin’s 1885 essay ‘What geography ought to be’, and I would accordingly like to see you
approach your papers with a particular view towards answering this question for yourself. It is important
for you to ground your theoretical topic in an empirical reality, not only to give geographical context
to your thinking, but to demonstrate some real world application of the concept(s) you choose to write
about and illuminate. You may choose to focus your research at any scale (i.e. global, regional,
national, city-level, communities, neighbourhoods, families, or individuals), or it may transect scales of
analysis, or it may even call the category of scale into question! The issue you choose to tackle may be
an emerging or ongoing one of contemporary relevance, or it may be a historical issue that you seek
to shed new light on. Most importantly, it should be an essay that is useful in to the construction of your
dissertation or thesis, and accordingly your choice of topic should reflect your own particular research
area. Indeed, each one of you has already given significant thought to the question of ‘what
geography ought to be’; otherwise you would not have chosen to embark upon graduate studies in
this discipline! The objective then is to articulate your thoughts on human geography through your own
particular lens and interests, where the assigned weekly readings will hopefully stimulate your own
ideas.
IMPORTANT ASSIGNMENT NOTES:
Assignment: For all assignments use 12 pt. Font, Times New Roman, 1-inch margins, number pages, and a list of
references. DO NOT include a title page (save paper!), but DO include your title, your name, my name, the
course number, and the date at the top of the first page. Staple your paper in the top left corner (NO FANCY
BINDERS!!!). Please follow the word length requirement.
Referencing: Students are required to follow a standard referencing style, using in text citations and
bibliography (usually AUTHOR-DATE in human geography). Exact formatting can be of your own choice, but
please examine and follow a geography journal such as Annals of the Association of American Geographers,
Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, or Progress in Human Geography for examples of proper
citation styles.

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WEEKLY CALENDAR
(Subject to revision as the course proceeds)
WEEK DATE SEMINAR TOPICS
0 SEPTEMBER 4 NO CLASS
1 SEPTEMBER 11 Thinking Space
2 SEPTEMBER 18 Discourse, Power and Knowledge
3 SEPTEMBER 25 Feminism, Situated Knowledges and Intersectionality
4 OCTOBER 2 Imaginative Geographies and Alterity
5 OCTOBER 9 Posthumanism and Animal Geographies
6 OCTOBER 16
From Neoliberalism to Neoliberalization
7 OCTOBER 23 Geographies of Violence
8 OCTOBER 30 Colonialism, Property and Law
9 NOVEMBER 6 War and Peace
READING
BREAK
NOVEMBER 13 NO CLASS
10 NOVEMBER 20 Radical Democracy
11 NOVEMBER 27 Scale and Hierarchy
12 DECEMBER 4 Anarchism

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REQUIRED WEEKLY READINGS
(Subject to revision as the course proceeds)
SEPTEMBER 4 Preliminary Reading
Required:
Kropotkin, P. 1885. What geography ought to be. The Nineteenth Century 18, 940-56.
https://dspace.lib.uoguelph.ca/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10214/1795/2-Kropotkin_b.pdf
SEPTEMBER 11 Thinking Space
Required:
Agnew J (2005) Space:Place. In Cloke P and Johnston R (eds). Spaces of Geographical Thought:
Deconstructing Human Geography's Binaries. London: Sage, pp. 81-96.
Crang M and Thrift N. Introduction. In Crang M and Thrift N (eds) Thinking Space. London:
Routledge, pp. 1-30.
Massey D (2005) For Space. London: Sage. Part One and Part Two, pp. 1-60.
Supplementary:
Elden S (2009) Space I. In Thrift N and Kitchen R (eds) International Encyclopedia of Human
Geography, pp. 262-267.
Kitchen R (2009) Space II. In Thrift N and Kitchen R (eds) International Encyclopedia of Human
Geography, pp. 268-275.
Thrift N (2006) Space. Theory, Culture and Society 23: 139-146.
SEPTEMBER 18 Discourse, Power and Knowledge
Required:
Foucault M (1972) The Archeology of Knowledge. London: Tavistock Publications. Parts I and II, pp
3-68.
Sharp J P, Routledge R, Philo C, and Paddison R (2000) Entanglements of power: geographies of
domination/resistance. In Sharp J P, Routledge R, Philo C, and Paddison R (eds). London:
Routledge, pp. 1-43.
Springer S (2010) Neoliberal discursive formations: on the contours of subjectivation, good
governance, and symbolic violence in posttransitional Cambodia. Environment and Planning D:
Society and Space 28: 931-950.
Supplementary:
Cresswell T (2009) Discourse. In Thrift N and Kitchen R (eds) International Encyclopedia of Human
Geography, pp. 211-214.
Huxley M (2009) Foucauldianism. In Thrift N and Kitchen R (eds) International Encyclopedia of
Human Geography, pp. 255-262.
SEPTEMBER 25 Feminism, Situated Knowledges and Intersectionality
Required:
Haraway D (1988) Situated knowledges: The science question in feminism and the privilege of
partial perspective. Feminist Studies 14: 575-599.
McDowell L (1992) Doing gender: feminism, feminists and research methods in human geography.

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Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers 17: 399-416.
Valentine G (2007) Theorizing and researching intersectionality: a challenge for feminist
geography. The Professional Geographer 59: 10-21.
Supplementary:
Johnson L C (2009) Feminism/Feminist Geography. In Thrift N and Kitchen R (eds) International
Encyclopedia of Human Geography, pp. 44-58.
Monk J and Hanson S (1982) On not excluding half of the human in human geography. The
Professional Geographer 34: 11-23.
OCTOBER 2 Imaginative Geographies and Alterity
Required:
Gregory D (1995) Imaginative geographies. Progress in Human Geography 19: 447-485.
Said E (1978) Introduction (Parts I and II only) & Imaginative geography and its representations. In
Orientalism New York: Vintage Books, pp. 1-9 & 49-73.
Springer S (2009) Culture of violence or violent Orientalism? Neoliberalisation and imagining the
‘savage other’ in post‐transitional Cambodia. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers
34: 305-319.
Supplementary:
Haldrup M and Koefoed L (2009) Orientalism. In Thrift N and Kitchen R (eds) International
Encyclopedia of Human Geography, pp. 37-42.
Pred A (2000) Dirty tricks: the racial becomes the spatial, the spatial becomes the racial. In Even in
Sweden: Berkeley: University of California Press, pp. 57-185.
OCTOBER 9 Posthumanism and Animal Geographies
Required:
Best S (2009) The rise of critical animal studies: putting theory into action and animal liberation into
higher education. Journal for Critical Animal Studies 7: 9-52.
Philo C and Wilber C (2000) Animal spaces, beastly places: an introduction. In Philo C and
Wilbert C (eds) Animal Spaces, Beastly Places: New Geographies of Human-Animal Relations.
London: Routledge, pp. 1-37
Whatmore S (1999) Hybrid geographies: rethinking the “human” in human geography’. In Massey
D, Allen J and Sarre P (eds) Human Geography Today. Cambridge: Polity Press, pp. 22-40.
Supplementary:
Lorimer J (2009) Posthumanism/Posthumanistic Geographies. In Thrift N and Kitchen R (eds)
International Encyclopedia of Human Geography, pp. 344-354.
Plubwood V (200) Prey to a crocodile. The Aisling Magazine 30.
http://www.aislingmagazine.com/aislingmagazine/articles/TAM30/ValPlumwood.html
OCTOBER 16 From Neoliberalism to Neoliberalization
Required:
Barnett C (2005) The consolations of ‘neoliberalism’. Geoforum 36: 7-12.
Peck J and Tickell A (2002) Neoliberalizing space. Antipode 34: 380-404.
Springer S (2012) Neoliberalism as discourse: between Foucauldian political economy and
Marxian poststructuralism. Critical Discourse Studies, 9: 133-147.

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Supplementary:
Larner W (2000) Neo-liberalism: policy, ideology, governmentality. Studies in Political Economy
63: 5-25.
Le Heron R (2009) Neoliberal Economic Strategies. In Thrift N and Kitchen R (eds) International
Encyclopedia of Human Geography, pp. 365-373.
OCTOBER 23 Geographies of Violence
Required:
Springer, S. (2012). Neoliberalising violence: of the exceptional and the exemplary in
coalescing moments. Area 44: 136-143.
Springer S (2011) Violence sits in places? Cultural practice, neoliberal rationalism, and virulent
imaginative geographies. Political Geography 30: 90-98.
Watts, M (2000)Geographies of violence and the narcissism of minor difference. In Struggles
over Geography: Violence, Freedom and Development at the Millennium. Department of
Geography, University of Heidelberg.
Supplementary:
Scheper-Hughes N and Bourgois P (2004) Introduction: making sense of violence. In Scheper-
Hughes N and Bourgois P (eds) Violence in War and Peace: An Anthology. Oxford: Blackwell, 1-
32.
Hyndman J. (2009) Violence. In Gregory D, Johnston R, Pratt G, Watts M, and Whatmore S (eds)
The Dictionary of Human Geography, 5th Edition. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, pp. 798-799.
OCTOBER 30 Colonialism, property and Law
Required:
Blomley N (2003) Law, property, and the geography of violence: the frontier, the survey, and
the grid. Annals of the Association of American Geographers 93: 121-141.
Harris C (2004) How did colonialism dispossess? Comments from an edge of empire. Annals of
the Association of American Geographers 94: 165-182.
Springer S (2013) Violent Accumulation: A Postanarchist Critique of Property, Dispossession, and
the State of Exception in Neoliberalizing Cambodia Annals of the Association of American
Geographers 103: 608-626
Supplementary:
Blomley N (2005) Remember property?. Progress in Human Geography, 29(2), 125-127.
Springer S (2013) Illegal Evictions? Overwriting Possession and Orality with Law's Violence in
Cambodia. Journal of Agrarian Change.
NOVEMBER 6 War and Peace
Required:
Gregory D (2010) War and peace. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, 35: 154-186.
Megoran N (2011). War and peace? An agenda for peace research and practice in geography.
Political Geography 30: 178-189.
Springer S (2013) War and pieces. Space and Polity.
Supplementary:
Mamadouh V (2009) War. In Thrift N and Kitchen R (eds) International Encyclopedia of Human
Geography, pp. 183-188.

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Williams P and McConnell F (2011) Critical geographies of peace. Antipode 43: 927-931.
NOVEMBER 13 RRADING BREAK – NO CLASSES
NOVEMBER 20 Radical Democracy
Required:
Barnett C and Bridge G (Forthcoming) Geographies of radical democracy: agonistic
pragmatism and the formation of affected interests. Annals of the Association of American
Geographers.
Massey D (1995) Thinking radical democracy spatially. Environment and Planning D 13: 283-283.
Springer S (2011) Public space as emancipation: meditations on anarchism, radical
democracy, neoliberalism and violence. Antipode 43: 525-562.
Supplementary:
Staeheli L A (2010) Political geography: democracy and the disorderly public. Progress in
Human Geography 34: 67-78.
Swyngedouw E (2011) Interrogating post-democratization: reclaiming egalitarian political
spaces. Political Geography 30: 370-380.
NOVEMBER 27 Scale and Hierarchy
Required:
Marston S A, Jones J P and Woodward K (2005) Human geography without scale. Transactions
of the Institute of British Geographers 30: 416-432.
Moore A (2008) Rethinking scale as a geographical category: from analysis to practice.
Progress in Human Geography 32: 203-225.
Springer S (In Review) Human Geography without hierarchy.
Supplementary:
Kaiser R and Nikiforova E (2008) The performativity of scale: the social construction of scale
effects in Narva, Estonia. Environment and planning. D 26: 537-562.
Sayre N F and Di Vittorio A V (2009) Scale. In Thrift N and Kitchen R (eds) International
Encyclopedia of Human Geography, pp. 19-28.
DECEMBER 4 Anarchism
Required:
Ince A (2010) Whither anarchist geography? In Jun N and Wahl S (eds) New Perspectives on
Anarchism. Lanham: Lexington, pp. 281-302.
Springer S (In Review) Why a radical geography must be anarchist.
Springer S (2012) Anarchism! What geography still ought to be. Antipode 44: 1605-1624.
Supplementary:
Breitbart M M (2009) Anarchism/Anarchist Geography. In Thrift N and Kitchen R (eds) International
Encyclopedia of Human Geography, pp. 108-115.
Peet R (1978) The geography of human liberation. Antipode 10: 119-134.