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GEOG20170

Academic Year 2026/2027

Global Historical Geographies (GEOG20170)

Subject:
Geography
College:
Social Sciences & Law
School:
Geography
Level:
2 (Intermediate)
Credits:
5
Module Coordinator:
Dr Arlene Crampsie
Trimester:
Autumn
Mode of Delivery:
On Campus
Internship Module:
No
How will I be graded?
Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

A knowledge of the past and the long reach of historical processes is vital to an understanding of the modern world in terms of both physical landscapes and the evolution of economic, social and cultural landscapes. Past imperial and colonial practices and their legacies are key to understanding contemporary global inequalities (e.g. uneven economic development, resource access, population structures and societal challenges). Historical geography focuses on the dynamic relationship between space and time offering a geographical analysis of the past and an historical analysis of geographic patterns. Taking a decolonial lens, this module critiques our euro-centric view of global development; explores the varied geographies of imperial and colonial practices necessitated variously by native support and resistance; and considers the long lasting legacies of colonisation and decolonisation for formerly colonised countries today. In doing so it will introduce key concepts in historical geography that illuminate processes of continuity and change, linkages and ruptures and the intersections between power and society.

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
- identify key themes and concepts in historical geography;
- understand the emergence of regional and place specific identities, landscapes and inequalities;
- demonstrate an ability to use and analyse a range of historical geography source material; and
- analyse how the past shapes contemporary global practices and can be read in modern political, socio-economic and cultural landscapes.

Indicative Module Content:

Wk 1: Introducing Global Historical Geographies
Wk 2: Ancient Civilisations [Rome]
Wk 3: Competing Explorations [Portugal / China]
Wk 4: Imperialism [The Americas]
Wk 5: Age of Discoveries
Wk 6: Colonialism [Australia]
Wk 7: Doing Historical Geography (i)
Wk 8: Reading Week
Wk 9: Doing Historical Geography (ii)
Wk 10: 19th C Colonialism [Africa]
Wk 11: Decolonialism & Postcolonialism [India, Kenya, Java]
Wk 12: Historical Legacies Today [Middle East]

UNESCO highlights a set of key competencies that support individuals in their development and support society in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UCD has adapted these competencies and is combining them with others to form a general framework of learning competencies. This module will help you develop the competencies below to the levels specified. 
Learning Competency Additional Information Level

Collaboration

 The ability to learn from others; to understand and respect the needs, perspectives and actions of others (empathy); to understand, relate to and be sensitive to others (empathic leadership); to deal with conflicts in a group; and to facilitate collaborative and participatory problem solving. Competent

Critical Thinking

 The ability to question norms, practices and opinions; to reflect on one’s own values, perceptions and actions. Competent

Systems Thinking

 The ability to recognize and understand relationships; to analyse complex systems; to think of how systems are embedded within different domains and different scales; and to deal with uncertainty. Competent

Strategic

 The ability to collectively develop and implement innovative actions that further sustainability at the local level and further afield. Novice

Integrated Problem Solving

 The overarching ability to apply different problem-solving frameworks to complex sustainability problems and develop viable, inclusive and equitable solution options that promote sustainable development, integrating the competencies in this list. Novice

Self-awareness

 The ability to reflect on one’s own role in the local community and (global) society; to continually evaluate and further motivate one’s actions; and to deal with one’s feelings and desires. Advanced Beginner

Normative

 The ability to understand and reflect on the norms and values that underlie one’s actions; and to negotiate values, principles, goals, and targets, in a context of conflicts of interest and trade-offs, uncertain knowledge and contradictions. Competent

Anticipatory

 The ability to understand and evaluate multiple scenarios for the future – possible, probable and desirable; to create one’s own visions for the future; to apply the precautionary principle; to assess the consequences of actions; and to deal with risks and changes. Advanced Beginner

Digital Literacy and Judgement

 The ability to access, evaluate, create and communicate information in digital environments; to engage critically, ethically and responsibly with digital technologies and digital information; to understand their opportunities, limitations, risks and impact on individual’s digital identities; and to exercise informed judgement in digital participation and decision-making. Advanced Beginner

AI Literacy & Agency

 The ability to understand, critically evaluate and responsibly engage with artificial intelligence; to recognise how AI systems are shaped by human values; to assess their ethical, social and environmental implications; and to exercise human judgement, agency and accountability in AI-related contexts. Not addressed

Wellbeing

 Wellbeing is having the resources and skills to meet life's challenges, including attributes such as personal development skills, resilience, stress management, strengths, lifestyle skills, nutrition, physical activity, sleep, alcohol/substance use, academic skills, time management, goal setting, interpersonal skills, group work, communication. Not addressed

The United Nations identified seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as core to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and UCD contributes in general to SDG 4 Quality Education. Further SDGs explored within this module if relevant are listed below. A scale of 1 - 5 indicates the extent to which the SDG is covered.


Goal Name Description Coverage

End poverty in all its forms everywhere 3

End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture 2

Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls 2

Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all 1

Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all 3

Reduce inequality within and among countries 3

Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns 3

Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts 3

Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development 1

Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss 2

Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels 3

Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development 3
 

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

18
Practical

4
Specified Learning Activities

70
Autonomous Student Learning

20
Total

112

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Teaching and learning on this module will include:
- Lectures
- Active / task-based learning through peer and group work in a practical workshop and in 'break-out' sessions during lectures
- Inquiry and case-based learning through a case study based assignments

For assessment purposes this is an AI-Red module, meaning AI may not be used in producing your assignments. You may make use of AI to help summarise arguments from readings and case studies and to provide wider contextual information related to well documented historical events, but please use with caution and ensure that you do not feed this into module assignments. If you decide to use AI tools to help understand this background, please be mindful that the content on this module is research led and context specific so AI should be used with an awareness of the potential for bias, outdated information, and inaccuracies given the evolving nature of our understanding of the topics discussed.

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 

Assessment Strategy
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade In Module Component Repeat Offered
Assignment(Including Essay): 1000 word project focused on early Australian settlers designed to develop skills in working with and analysing archival sources based on practical in class workshops in Wks 6 7 & 9. Week 9 Graded No
30
 No
Exam (In-person): One hour end of trimester exam. End of trimester
Duration:
1 hr(s)
 Graded No
50
 No
Participation in Learning Activities: 600 word 'wiki' style individual assignment based on group work examining a key theme in historical geography and its role in shaping contemporary society. Week 4 Graded No
20
 No

As part of UCD's student support, under the Additional Consideration policy, extensions may be available for the following assessments in the module: Assignment (including essay/poster), Portfolio, Reflective Assignment, Report(s), and Individual Project.


Carry forward of passed components
No
 

Resit In Terminal Exam
Spring No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

- Group feedback on common issues arising from the written assignment will be provided during lectures. - Timely individualised feedback will be provided via Brightspace on the written assignment. - Students are welcome to meet with the module coordinator during office hours if more detailed feedback / further clarification is required.

The following items will provide a general introduction to Historical Geography issues. More focussed readings will be suggested and/or uploaded to Blackboard as appropriate. You are also expected to read widely in conjunction with this course.

Books:
• Baker, A.R.H., (2003) Geography and History: Bridging the Divide. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Bentley, J.H., (ed) (2011) The Oxford Handbook of World History. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Boxer, C.R., (1991) The Portuguese seaborne empire, 1415-1825, 2nd ed. London: Carcanet.
• Butlin, R.A., (1993) Historical Geography: through the gates of space and time. London: Edward Arnold.
• Butlin, R. A., (2009) Geographies of Empires. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Butlin, R.A. and Dodgshon, R.A., (eds) (1998) An Historical Geography of Europe. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Cloke, P., Crang, P., & Goodwin, M., (eds) (2005) Introducing Human Geographies, 2nd ed. Oxon, UK: Hodder Arnold – especially Part 2 Section 1: Cultural Geographies and Section 5: Historical Geographies.
• Cunliffe, B., (ed) (2001) The Oxford illustrated history of prehistoric Europe. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Domosh, M., Heffernan, M., & Withers, C.W.J. (2020) The SAGE handbook of historical geography. London: Sage.
• Enfield, G.H. and Veale, L., (eds) (2020) Cultural histories, memories and extreme weather: a historical geography perspective. London: Routledge.
• Graham, B. J., and Nash, C., (eds) (2000) Modern Historical Geographies. Harlow: Prentice Hall.
• Morrissey, J, Nally, D., Strohmayer, U and Whelan, Y., (2014) Key Concepts in Historical Geography. London: Sage.
• Ogborn, M., (2012) Global Lives: Britain and the World, 1550 – 1800. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Journals:
• Historical Geography
• History Workshop
• Journal of Historical Geography
• Journal of World History
• Progress in Human Geography
• Social and Cultural Geography
• Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers

Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
Autumn Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12 Thurs 10:00 - 10:50
Autumn Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12 Tues 16:00 - 16:50
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