Courses master Economic Geography track: Resilient Rural Regions
Do you want to know how agricultural transitions, socio-cultural discontent, and climate change impact European rural areas? Come satisfy your curiosity in the master Resilient Rural Regions!
The programme of the master track Economic Geography: Reslilient Rural Regions consists of the following courses. Click on the course title to go to the full course description, information about lecturers, literature and time period.
Economic Geography: Theory and Practice (5 EC)
The course is set against the backdrop of ongoing economic globalization and its implications for local and regional economic development. The course will examine analytical concepts and theories, as well as empirical approaches to investigating economic geography. In this context, the course will introduce important current themes in economic geography, both from an academic point of view and from a societal stance.
Related SDG: 3 good health and wellbeing, 10 reduced inequalities, 11 sustainable cities and communities
Rural Communities in Transition (5 EC)
This course critically discusses theories and concepts from rural studies and rural community development that relate to rural communities and potential future developments and challenges that impact them. What are the socio-cultural characteristics of rural communities and how best to study them? Concepts such as rural representations and identities, different meanings of the rural (from both rural and urban perspectives), and rural-urban relations in everyday life will be addressed. How are rural communities organized, how do local governance structures function, are they inclusive and representative, and if not, (for who) is that a problem? How to critically reflect on methods of engaging rural communities? How do local participation and citizen initiatives create local community development? Is there a socio-cultural rural-urban divide?
Social Impacts Assesment (5 EC)
Social Impact Assessment (SIA) can be simply defined as the applied process of managing the social issues associated with projects. It is increasingly required for the implementation of all types of project (e.g. new airports, windfarms, solarparks, pipelines, highways). To some extent, SIA is the social equivalent of environmental impact assessment (EIA) and these are often combined into an Environmental & Social Impact Assessment (ESIA). SIA is part of the impact assessment family (which includes Strategic Environmental Assessment, Health Impact Assessment, Human Rights Impact Assessment, Technology Assessment, and more). Over time, SIA has developed to be mostly about the inclusive and effective management of social issues rather than just being a regulatory tool to determine whether project approval should be given.
Nature, Landscape and Heritage (5 EC)
Natural, heritage and landscape values of the rural and urban environment are studied to understand the different appreciations and valuations of places and areas in society. During lectures, attention will be paid to the birth and evolution of the idea of the preservation of the past and its paradigmatic transformation into heritage, with a specific focus on cultural, natural and geoheritage.
Global Transformations Local Impacts (5 EC)
This course considers the interdependencies between global economic, social and political transformations and impacts at different geographical levels. The lectures and seminar discussions reflect on processes of globalisation as well as examples of local, regional, national, international and planetary governance and their impacts at national, regional and local levels. Reflecting, the extent to and ways in which regions and nation-states have or may have an impact on the shaping of global transformations. This includes a discussion of how global trade patterns create direct and indirect environmental impacts on the local level and relevant policy responses to these impacts. It also engages with academic and policy debates in relation to efforts at different levels (with a particular focus on the European Union) of encouraging and facilitating competitiveness across its regions and at the same time promoting social and territorial cohesion.
Advanced Qualitative Research Methods (5 EC) (Related elective)
The purpose of this course is to prepare Master students in the knowledge, skills and techniques necessary to undertake independent research in spatial sciences, using advanced qualitative research methods. The course covers issues related to qualitative research design and practice, addressing issues of power, ethics, rigour and culture.
Advanced Statistical Analysis (5 EC) (Related elective)
This course focuses on models for the description and analysis of demographic and (economic) geographic events, such as linear regression, logistic regression and event history models. Students will obtain substantial knowledge and practical experience concerning statistical models for the analysis of cross-sectional data, discrete and continuous time processes in life domains such as fertility, employment, migration, and health. As quantitative data often contain a temporal dimension, the required statistical tools receive special attention.
Regional Labour Market Dynamics (5 EC)
The labour market is by definition a regional market because of the limitation of the daily commuting distance. In the Regional Labour Market Analysis module, attention will be paid to regional differences in the functioning of the labour market with regard to unemployment, employment, wages, labour market participation, labour productivity and education.
Related SDG: 10 reduced inequalities
Transport Geography (5 EC)
Participants of this course will acquire a thorough understanding of the relationships between transport mobility (i.e., the demand for travel), the development of infrastructure (supply side) and the wider economic development of places and regions. They will be able to apply this understanding to specific examples of transport infrastructure development.
Related SDG: 9 industry, innovation and infrastructure, 10 reduced inequalities
Master Thesis (20 EC)
The individual Master thesis concludes the Master degree programme and is worth 20 EC, i.e. one third of the study time. During the Master thesis, students will gain experience in scientific research as well as translate theoretical knowledge into concrete skills that are useful in conducting research.