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2020/2021

Geography of Asia

Code: 101522 ECTS Credits: 6
Degree Type Year Semester
2500244 East Asian Studies FB 1 1
The proposed teaching and assessment methodology that appear in the guide may be subject to changes as a result of the restrictions to face-to-face class attendance imposed by the health authorities.

Contact

Name:
David Saurí Pujol
Email:
David.Sauri@uab.cat

Use of Languages

Principal working language:
english (eng)
Some groups entirely in English:
Yes
Some groups entirely in Catalan:
No
Some groups entirely in Spanish:
No

Teachers

Nuria Valdovinos Perdices
Antoni Ramón Riba

Prerequisites

None.

Objectives and Contextualisation

Introduce the students to the most relevant aspects of the Physical and Human Geography of East Asian countries, including geopolitics, physiography, climate, river basins, population, agricultural and food systems, manufacturing, cities ant the environment. Through lectures and practical work in the classroom, it is expected that students will gain a basic knowledge of the Geography of East Asia and that this knowledge would be useful for them in other courses of the degree.

Competences

  • Developing critical thinking and reasoning and communicating them effectively both in your own and other languages.
  • Developing self-learning strategies.
  • Ensuring the quality of one's own work.
  • Having interpersonal skills.
  • Knowing and comprehending the physic and human geography of East Asia.
  • Knowing and using the information and communication technology resources (ICT) in order to collect, produce, analyse and present information related to the East Asian Studies.
  • Promoting the sustainable development.
  • Respecting the diversity and plurality of ideas, people and situations.
  • Students must be flexible and capable of adapting to new circumstances.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Assessing the obtained results in the information search process in order to update the knowledge about geography.
  2. Demonstrating knowledge about key concepts and theoretical frameworks of geography.
  3. Developing critical thinking and reasoning and communicating them effectively both in your own and other languages.
  4. Developing self-learning strategies.
  5. Ensuring the quality of one's own work.
  6. Having interpersonal skills.
  7. Identifying and describing the human geography of East Asia.
  8. Identifying and describing the physical geography of East Asia.
  9. Promoting the sustainable development.
  10. Respecting the diversity and plurality of ideas, people and situations.
  11. Students must be flexible and capable of adapting to new circumstances.
  12. Using different tools for specific purposes in the field of geography.
  13. Using the basic terminology of geography.

Content

Introductory course to the Geography of East Asia;Geopolitics Physical Geography, including Climate and River systems,  Population, Agriculture and Food, Energy and Manufacturing, Cities, and Environmental Issues.

Methodology

The methodology includes lectures and practical work (33 percent), student supervised work (12 percent), student own work (50 percent), and tests (5 percent).

The course will use the most common tools of the univeristy's online system, news, calendars, virtual areas for the submission of practical work, etc.

Activities

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Lectures 55 2.2 1, 2, 8, 7, 12, 13
Tests 4 0.16 1, 2, 8, 12, 13
Type: Supervised      
Tutorials 12 0.48 4, 3, 9, 10, 11, 6, 5
Type: Autonomous      
Student own work 75 3 4, 3, 9, 10, 11, 6, 5

Assessment

The evaluation will consist in two written tests (40 percent of the grade each), and the elaboration of MANDATORY course practical work in groups of students (20 percent of the grade). 

Evaluation of learning results: 

- To prove a sufficient knowledge of the main aspects of Physical Geography, population and agriculture and food Systems of East Asia. (1st test)

- To prove a sufficient knowledge of the main aspects of energy, manufacturing, cities and the environment of East Asia. (2nd test)

- To use specific tools to complete the practical work assignments on the geographical analysis of East Asia (practical work). 

- To use basic Geographical Terminology applied to East Asia (practical work).  

Related matters 

The above information on assessment, assessment activities and their weighting is merely a guide. The subject's lecturer will provide full information when teaching begins. 

Review 

When publishing final marks prior to recording them on students' transcripts, the lecturer will provide written notification of a date and time for reviewing assessment activities. Students must arrange reviews in agreement with the lecturer. 

Missed/failed assessment activities 

Students may retake assessment activities they have failed or compensate for any they have missed, provided that those they have actually performed account for a minimum of 66.6% (two thirds) of the subject's final mark and that they have a weighted average mark of at least 3.5. Under no circumstances may an assessment activity worth 100% of the final mark be retaken or compensated for. 

The lecturer will inform students of the procedure involved, in writing, when publishing final marks prior to recording them on transcripts. The lecturer may set one assignment per failed or missed assessment activity or a single assignment to cover a number of such activities. 

Classification as "not assessable" 

In the event of the assessment activities a student has performed accounting for just 25% or less of the subject's final mark, their work will be classified as "not assessable" on their transcript. 

Misconduct in assessment activities 

Students who engage in misconduct (plagiarism, copying, personation, etc.) in an assessment activity will receive a mark of “0” for the activity in question. In the case of misconduct in more than one assessment activity, the students involved will be given a final mark of “0” for the subject. 

Students may not retake assessment activities in which they are found to have engaged in misconduct. Plagiarism is considered to mean presenting all or part of an author's work, whether published in print or in digital format, as one's own, i.e. without citing it. Copying is considered to mean reproducing all or a substantial part of another student's work. In cases of copying in which it is impossible to determine which of two students has copied the work of the other, both will be penalised. 

More information: http://www.uab.cat/web/study-abroad/undergraduate/academic-information/evaluation/what-is-it-about-1345670077352.html

Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Practical work 20% 0 0 2, 4, 3, 8, 7, 9, 10, 11, 6, 5
Tests 80% ( 40%+40%) 4 0.16 1, 2, 4, 3, 8, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 5

Bibliography

Books

  • ARAMBERRI, J. (2018) . La China de Xi Jinping. Madrid: Ediciones Deliberar
  • BALL, P. (2017). The Water Kingdom. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press
  • DELISLE,G. (2006). Pyongyang. Bilbao: Astiberri Ediciones
  • DELISLE, G. (2005). Shenzen . Bilbao: Astiberri Ediciones
  • DUNFORD, M. and WEIDONG,L. (eds) (2017). The Geographical Transformation of China. London: Routledge
  • COURMONT, B. (2010). Géopolitique du Japon. Perpignan: Artège.
  • DAYEZ-BURGEON, P. (2011). Les Coréens.  Paris: Editions Tallandier
  • MARSHALL, T. (2016). Prisoners of Geography. Scribner 
  • HOLDSTOCK, N. (2015). China's Forgotten People. Xinjiang, Terror and the Chinese State. London: I.B. Tauris
  • KANASAKA,K, (2009). Discovering Japan. A New Regional Geography. London: JPT Europe
  • KAPLAN, R.D. (2015). Asia's Cauldron. The South China Sea and the End of a Stable Pacific. New York: Penguin Random House
  • LACOSTE, Y. (2008). Geopolítica. Madrid: Síntesis
  • MARKS, R.B. 2012). China. Its Environment and History. Kanham UK: Rowan and Littlefield.
  • ORGANIZING COMMITTEE OF THE 29th INTERNATIONAL GEOGRAPHICAL CONGRESS ( 2000): Korea. The Land and the People. Seoul: Kyohaksa
  • RIOS, X. (2005). Taiwan, el problema de China. Madrid: Catarata.
  • RIOS, X.  (2012). China Pide Paso. Barcelona: ICARIA.
  • RUSSELL, M. J. (2008). Pop Goes Korea. Behind the revolution in movies, music and internet culture. Berkeley, California: Stone Bridge Press.
  • SAMUELS, R.J. (2013) . 3.11 Disaster and Change in Japan. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
  • SANJUAN, T. Et TROLLIET, P. (2010). La Chine et le Monde Chinois. Une géopolitique des territoires. Paris: Armand Colin.
  • SHEPARD, W. (2015). Ghost Cities of China.London: Zed Books
  • STUDWELL,J. (2014).  How Asia Works. Success and Failure in the World’s Most Dynamic Region. London: Profile Books.
  • TUAN, Yi –Fu (1969). A Historical Geography of China. Chicago: Aldine
  • TOTMAN, C. (2014): Japan. An Environmental History. London and New York: I.B. Tauris
  • VEEK, G., PANNELL, C.W., HUANG, Y and BAO; S (2016). China's Geography. Globalization and the Dynamics of Political, Economic and Social Change. Lanham, MD: Rowman &Little
  • VERNEUIL,C. et VERNEUIL, S. (2012). Japon et Chine. Concurrences Régionales, ambitions mondiales. Paris: Ellipses.
  • WEIGHTMAN, B.A. (2011). Dragons and Tigers. A geography of South, East and Southeast Asia. Hoboken NJ: John Wiley.
  • WOOLEY, P.J. (2005). Geography& Japan’s Strategic Choices. Washington DC: Potomac Books
  • WONG, D.W. S., WONG,K.K.K., CHUNG,H. and WANG,J.J. (2018). China. A Geographical Perspective. New York: Guilford Press.

Atlas

  • Atlas of the people’s Republic of China. Beijing: Foreign Languages Press
  • El Atlas de Le Monde Diplomatique. Edició espanyola. Abril 2000
  • Benewick,R. Y S.H. Donald (2009): The State of China Atlas. Berkeley: University of California Press
  • SELLIER, Jean (2002). Atlas de los pueblos de Asia meridional y oriental. Barcelona: Paidós. 

Web sites