Course description
This course introduces the students to contemporary global patterns and issues in geopolitics, which are crucial to understanding the ever-changing world of the 21st century. The course includes a survey of the development of geopolitical thought, the exploration of the political-geographical entities of space and territory, the conceptualization of nations, national identity, and nationalism, the current development of regional and global geopolitical conflicts, the everyday geopolitics of popular culture, the contested geopolitics of the oceans and polar regions, and the environmental geopolitics of the Anthropocene. The students will learn how geographic space is organized within and by political processes, how various geopolitical processes shape societies, and the significance of understanding the geopolitical reasons behind everyday life situations.
Course details
Credit transfer
Have you taken this course or an equivalent course? Contact the Credit Transfer Office.
Registration dates
Not all courses are offered each term.
Spring 2026 registration opens March 2, 2026.Fall 2026 registration opens June 29, 2026.
Delivery options
In person: classes held in person on a campus/site in a classroom/lab/shop/studio for the course duration
Online - Asynchronous: 100% online delivery, no scheduled day or time course requirements with the instructor, assigned due dates
Online - Synchronous: 100% online delivery, scheduled day and time course requirements with the instructor, assigned due dates
Hybrid: any combination of in person, timetabled, on campus, online, and hyflex delivery