Geography of Europe

Code:

GEOGR023

Acronym:

GEOEUR

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Geography

Instance: 2023/2024 - 2S

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Department of Geography
Course/CS Responsible:	Bachelor in Geography

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
GEOGR	80	study plan	2	-	6	41	162
LA	84	Study plan	2	-	6	41	162

Teaching language

Portuguese and english
Obs.: Obs.: Caso haja estudantes internacionais que não falem ou escrevam Português, as aulas serão lecionadas em inglês e os estudantes serão incentivados a fazer as suas intervenções em inglês

Objectives

The main objectives of the curricular unit are the following:

• Learn the main human, physical and environmental components of the European continent and its geographical diversity: identifying and describing the main regions of Europe.
• Learn the main political milestones of recent European history, since World War II
• Acquire a critical view of the political history of the European Union, the founding documents, the main institutions and their competences and responsibilities, the successive enlargements and the recent shrinkage
• Learn, understand and explain the Cohesion Policy (European Regional Policy) in its main aspects and the evolution of its instruments.
• Analyse critically the EU regional disparities
• Develop prospective scenarios and future studies for the EU
• Acquire geographic analytical skills that can be applied to a variety of professional tasks where the analysis of spatial information is required.
• Facilitate the internationalization of students by strengthening their knowledge of the most recent international research in the field of Geography in Europe
• Enhance more focus and continuous work by the students

 

Learning outcomes and competences

Upon successful completion students should be able to:

 

• Evaluate present main challenges in Europe through the Geographic framework with a special focus on regional social and economic disparities
• Develop an informed view of the role of the European Union in the framework of globalization and multiculturalism.
• Communicate ideas and results and debate with others (with a special focus on intercultural communication skills)
• Develop elementary work to characterise European regions; know the sources and have autonomy in establishing a consistent work plan.
• Understand, explain and critically analyse European policies related to the social and economic development of the regions.
• Critique changes of the economic and political systems in Europe, with a special focus on the Cohesion Policy and its efficiency on the peripheral regions of Southern Europe
• Build prospective and future scenarios for the peripheral regions of Southern Europe
• Strengthen the soft skills of students with a special focus on human rights, on migrations and social inclusion European policies

 

Working method

Presencial

Pre-requirements (prior knowledge) and co-requirements (common knowledge)

Solid basic knowledge in Human Geography, International Relations and a good level of knowledge in English to consult the bibliography and debate in English in practical workshops and presentations.
Basic knowledge of statistical sources, in particular EUROSTAT. Basic knowledge of databases, statistical data processing and graphics (access and excel).

Program

Geography of Europe

1. EUROPE: a continent, a culture, a concept and a utopia.

2.Brief portrait of Europe's physical geography and Europe's main natural units.
2.1.The main relief units of Europe
2.2. Climate of Europe
1.4. Climate change in Europe: temperature
1.5. Precipitation
1.6. Energy
1.7. Natural Risks in Europe

3. Brief portrait of Europe' s Human Geography 
3.1. Population, ageing and migration
3.2. Economic Geography of europe: agriculture, industry and services. Economic base restructuring in the recent past
3.3. Concentration patterns in europe - larger city-regions and other cities in europe.

4. Europe and The european Union
4.1. The initial project of European integration: context and objectives.
4.2. The Integration Theory of Bela Ballassa
4.3. Main milestones in the making of the European Union: successive enlargements and the recent shrinkage
4.4. European Policies
4.5. Regional POlicy/ Cohesion Policy - The main challenges to European cohesion politcy at present
4.6. Green and Digital Transition

5. Regional disparities in the European Union
5.1. Main types of Regions and clubs of convergence
5.2. Economic, social and territorial cohesion
5.3. Peripheral regions in Europe: main types
5.4. Geography of Discontent in Europe and the left-behind places: debating

Mandatory literature

Rodriguez-Posé, Andrés; The European Union: economy, society and polity, Oxford University Press, 2002. ISBN: 9780198742869
European Commission ; Competitiveness in low-income and low-growth regions The lagging regions report., 2017 (https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/en/information/publications/reports/2017/competitiveness-in-low-income-and-low-growth-regions-the-lagging-regions-report)
Madalena Pires da Fonseca; Regional upgrading in southern Europe. ISBN: 978-3-319-49817-1
Iammarino, Simona; Rodriguez-Posé, Andrés; Storper, Michael; Regional inequality in Europe: evidence, theory and policy implications, Springer. Journal of Economic Geography, 19 pp 273-298, 2019. ISBN: Online ISSN 1468-2710
European Commission ; Investment for Jobs and growth. Promoting development and good governance in EU regions and cities. Sixth report on economic, social and territorial cohesion., Publications Office of teh European Union, 2014. ISBN: ISBN 978-92-79-37910-9 (http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/cohesion_report)
Rodríguez-Pose, Andrés; Ketterer, Tobias; Institutional change and the development of lagging regions in Europe, Regional Studies. Routledge, 2019. ISBN: ISSN 1360-0591 (Online) ( https://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2019.1608356)
Riccardo Crescenzi & Mara Giua; One or many Cohesion Policies of the European Union? On the differential economic impacts of Cohesion Policy across member states, Regional Studies. Routledge, 2020. ISBN: ISSN 1360-0591 (Online) ( https://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2019.1665174)
Crescenzi, Riccardo; Luca, Davide; Milio, Simona ; The Geography of the Economic Crisis in Europe: National Macroeconomic Conditions, Regional Structural Factors and Short-Term Economic Performance, Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, March 2016, v. 9, (1). pp. 13-32. doi:10.1093/cjres/rsv031, 2016
Fratesi, Ugo; Rocriguez-Posé ; The crisis and regional employment in Europe: what role for sheltered economies?, Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society 2016, 9, 33–57, 2016. ISBN: Online ISSN 1752-1386 (doi:10.1093/cjres/rsv032)
European Commission ; White Paper on the Future of Europe and the Way Ahead. Reflections and scenarios for the EU27., European Commission, 2017. ISBN: 978-92-79-67643-7 ( https://ec.europa.eu/commission/white-paper-future-europe-reflections-and-scenarios-eu27_en)
European Commission ; Eight Progress Report on Economic, Social and Territorial Cohesion, Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union. doi:10.2776/74866 , 2013
European Commission ; website oficial da Comissão Europeia com documentos relevantes para a Política regional/ Política de Coesão (European Commission/ EU regional and urban development/ Regional Policy/ (The new) Cohesion Policy), https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/en/2021_2027/
THE HIGH-LEVEL GROUP ON THE FUTURE OF COHESION POLICY; FORGING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE TOGETHER: COHESION FOR A COMPETITIVE AND INCLUSIVE EUROPE REPORT OF THE HIGH-LEVEL GROUP ON THE FUTURE OF COHESION POLICY February 2024, European Commission, 2024. ISBN: 978-92-68-10296-1
European Union; Ninth report on economic, social and territorial cohesion, European Commission, 2024. ISBN: 978-92-68-10894-9

Comments from the literature

Eurostat will be the mais data source for the individual essays but also for downloading studies and reports made available there regularly with updated statistics and for relevant themes.

Teaching methods and learning activities

Teaching and learning methods aim at student-centered learning. Hence, the front talk lectures will be very focused and reduced to a minimum for theoretical framework and objectives presentations, topics and readings recommendations, guidelines, rules for workshops or debates and with discussion opportunities. Talks, presentations will be made available and there will always be personalized coaching, in English or Portuguese.

A methodology of "flipped classroom"  will be implemented. There will be pre assignments with readings and readings guidelines or videos to help students. This method is aligned with Project Based Learning, Research Based Learning, Problem Based Learning, Labor Market Based Learning will be applied and practical work will be developed. There will be student presentations and practical classes in the form of workshops.

The aim will be to: contribute to good teaching, study and experience conditions for students, boosting their motivation for research work; priority will be given to flexibility and the humanistic component and the development of transversal skills, through multidisciplinary integrating projects, organizing multicultural working groups as far as possible. Awareness of human rights topics will be always attempted when studying regional disparities and migrations in Southern Europe.

Particular attention will be paid to the development of oral communication, argumentation and debate skills.

Intercultural communication will also be a tool to facilitate internationalisation at home, for students.

Software

Excel
Access
Word

keywords

Social sciences > Political sciences > Policy studies > International relations
Social sciences > Geography
Social sciences > Political sciences > Policy studies > EU policies

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation with final exam

Assessment Components

Designation	Weight (%)
Participação presencial	5,00
Apresentação/discussão de um trabalho científico	5,00
Trabalho escrito	10,00
Exame	75,00
Trabalho prático ou de projeto	5,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

Designation	Time (hours)
Apresentação/discussão de um trabalho científico	10,00
Estudo autónomo	63,00
Frequência das aulas	41,00
Trabalho de investigação	20,00
Trabalho escrito	20,00
Trabalho de campo	8,00
Total:	162,00

Eligibility for exams

Students will have to register 75% of attendance in classes, including presentation and discussion of the written work.

Calculation formula of final grade

Assessment of Geography of Europe 2023/2024

The assessment of the students on the Geography of Europe course (GEOEUR) follows the Regulations for the assessment of students on first cycles, second cycles and doctoral courses at FLUP, revised and approved in 2018 and available on SIGARRA.
The assessment of the GEOEUR course is a distributed assessment with a final exam.
The formula for calculating the final grade, including the assessment methods, is as follows:
The assessment is individual and consists of two components, a Multiple Choice Question (MCQ) exam to be taken in class on the FLUP computers during the exam period on Moodle and an oral presentation with the corresponding essay/small report of a practical nature.
The theoretical exam is worth 15 points and the practical component - oral presentation and written essay - is worth 5 points.
The practical component, in turn, will have two parts: (1) An oral presentation of a critical essay on a topic based on a study to be selected by the students from a list made available on Drive, complemented by other bibliography and statistical information freely researched and the delivery of the respective essay or written report. (2) A report on the assessment of natural risks corresponding to the assessment of natural risks for a case study, to be selected in the classes corresponding to the Physical Geography of Europe. Practical work will be carried out by groups of up to 4 students.
Attendance at at least 75% of classes is compulsory, except for students with special status.
Students who do not obtain a positive mark in the sum of the two components or who, due to a lack of any component, did not pass the course in the normal period, may submit an appeal.
The appeal consists of taking the PEM exam for students who did not take it in the normal period and an oral exam for the rest.
Working students (TE) and others with special status must take the PEM exam and a compulsory oral exam on the practical component of the course. The appeal for TEs consists of taking the MCQ exam for students who didn't take it in the normal period and repeating the oral exam.
Grade improvement consists of an oral exam.
In all other aspects of assessment, the regulations in force at FLUP apply.
The assessment of practical work will take into account the work plan and the description of the methodology; the development of the work; the results and the written work; the rigour and critical analysis based on the evidence; the references and sources; the incorporation of the improvements and recommendations suggested in the presentation of the work; the collaborative work between the students and the collective component of the work, if any.

Examinations or Special Assignments

n.a.

Internship work/project

n.a.

Special assessment (TE, DA, ...)

Working students (TE) and others with special status must take the PEM exam and a compulsory oral exam on the practical component of the course. The appeal for TEs consists of taking the MCQ exam for students who didn't take it in the normal period and repeating the oral exam.

Grade improvement consists of an oral exam.

ENEEs will have tests adapted to their specific difficulties, to be defined on a case-by-case basis, year by year, with the NAI and the ENEEs themselves. More time will be given for exams, suitable exams will be made, for example, printed on paper with a large font size for ENEE with vision difficulties or other customised solutions.

Classification improvement

Students can improve their written work and submit it to a new presentation and discussion to improve the classification. For students who have taken a single final exam, there will be the possibility of an oral examination.
Students who have not taken the MCQ exam in the normal season, due to illness or any other justification, can take it on the date of the appeal.