Module Catalogue 2024/25

Pre Requisite Comment

N/A

Co Requisite Comment

If you are a stage 2 student, you must take the co-requisite stage 2 modules.

Aims

The Cyprus (Nicosia) field course aims to give students the opportunity to study first-hand the political and urban geographies of a city that has been and continues to be overtly shaped by geopolitics. Students will be encouraged to connect theoretical concepts from political geographies (on, for example, nationalism, commemoration/memory, citizenship, proto-states, geopolitics of peace and ‘no man’s land’) to the island of Cyprus and the city of Nicosia. These connections will be introduced and developed through a series of lectures and workshops in Semester Two, after which students will undertake a residential field course in Nicosia, Cyprus, where they will complete a mixture of guided activities and group projects.

Outline Of Syllabus

1.       An introductory lecture (early semester 2) where the nature of the module will be set out as well as an introduction to Nicosia and Cyprus encompassing its political past/present.

2.       3 further lectures which will consist of two lectures introducing key theoretical concepts in relation to political geography (relevant to Cyprus/Nicosia) and one session on doing research on urban everyday geopolitics.

3.       Students will complete a range of formative tasks (reading exercises and a formative presentation via a number of workshop sessions). These will focus on developing students’ ability to understand and apply theories and concepts in political geography.

4.       Field class during the Easter vacation. Students give assessed presentations at the end of their engagement with these activities and having conducted independent research.

5.       Submission of assessed written work

Field course:

Day 1 – Arrival > check in accommodation
Day 2 – guided/group activities > guest speaker > group meal
Day 3 – guided/group activities > guest speaker > group fieldwork prep.
Day 4 – surgery sessions > group fieldwork > evening activity [tbc]
Day 5 – surgery sessions > group fieldwork
Day 6 - surgery sessions > group fieldwork
Day 7 – final group fieldwork > assessment prep/presentations > group meal
Day 8 – Departure > check out of accommodation

Intended Knowledge Outcomes

•To engage with various concepts in political geography (examples listed above) through a range of theoretical approaches and empirically applied research/secondary research.

•To design a research project that enables an aspect of everyday political geography to be understood and critically analysed.

•To critically consider the use of various methodological approaches and methods for researching everyday political geography in urban environments.

•To consider the socio-political geographies of Nicosia and how geopolitical processes at national, European and global scales shape urban space and its everyday use.

Intended Skill Outcomes

It is intended that students on this field course will develop:

•The ability to work individually and with others to explore contemporary geopolitical issues within the city.

•The ability to identify some of the multiple and intersecting issues shaping a geopolitically divided city.

•The ability to design a research project and connect it to existing academic literatures and present it.

•The ability to synthesise and summarise a research project in written assessed work and oral presentations within a set time period.

•The ability to meet deadlines for assignments.

•The ability to understand the challenges of undertaking research (especially in overseas locations) in ethically sensitive and responsible ways (if travel is possible).

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

The first lecture will act as an introduction to the field course and the socio-political context of Cyprus-Nicosia. The following lectures will introduce theories and concepts relevant to political geography and, crucially, the context of Nicosia and Cyprus. Possible topics students might explore in their research projects/presentations will be outlined here. During these sessions students will form groups and identify a broad topic they wish to explore in Nicosia/at home through secondary research. The final lecture before the trip will address issues related to undertaking research on geopolitically-sensitive issues – methodological approaches, methods, ethics and other associated practicalities (e.g. working in groups). After the lectures the students will partake in a number of workshop sessions (a 2 hour reading exercise in the format of a seminar; a 1 hour research project development session and a 2 hour session for formative presentations).

The organised activities and independent research undertaken on days 4-7 of the trip will require students to utilise a range of research methods (e.g. formulating questions for interviews, undertaking ethnography, writing a field diary and conducting participant observation); these activities will be reflected on each evening through formative group activities that will act as preparation for the final presentations. The assorted activities will provide students with opportunities to explore modes of learning and research geographical issues beyond the university. Both before and after the fieldtrip, students will be encouraged to dedicate time to reading and the development of knowledge and understanding.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

Before embarking on the field class in Nicosia/the week of activities in Newcastle or online, all students will be required to give a formative presentation. This will include a review of relevant literature situated in political geography (e.g. urban, everyday, popular, peace, youth geopolitics, nationalism, proto-states, ‘no-man’s land’, tourism and the geopolitical etc.) Students will be given a choice of topics to focus on drawn from the themes introduced during the preliminary lectures. This exercise will enable students to ground their knowledge in the relevant readings (some of which will be focused on the case of Cyprus, others on debates in political geography and geopolitics more widely) and to begin to develop more advanced knowledge of their chosen topic ahead of the trip.

During the fieldtrip students will be required to produce a 10-minute presentation (accounting for 40% of the module mark). The presentations will report on the independent research projects undertaken by students throughout the week (thematic focus of the research will be decided beforehand and will involve primary/secondary research as appropriate). Students will be given adequate guidance in terms of structure (i.e. introduction, research questions, existing debates-literature, methodology, main findings/data analysis and conclusions) and the practicalities of giving presentations. This will offer students the opportunity to develop presentation skills. It will also offer the opportunity for students to develop their listening and analytical skills as they engage with the material presented by other groups through question and answer sessions.

The research project completed during the week in Nicosia will be the subject of a 2,500 word individually-completed project report (consisting of 60% of the module mark). This will draw on experiences in the ‘field’ and will be contextualised with reference to relevant literatures (an indicative structure for this report will be provided to students). This part of the assessment will reflect on work completed in Nicosia but will be written up individually. The assessment will give students the opportunity to reflect on the theoretical and methodological issues involved in undertaking geographical research on geopolitical issues.

General Notes

N/A