GEOG 276 - Economic Geography: Spaces of Global Capitalism

Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)

(Same as INTL 276) We live in turbulent times. In the past decades, global capitalism has profoundly reorganized global space for production, distribution and consumption. Geography discipline, economic geography, in particular, is uniquely equipped to provide critical analysis of the spatial dynamics of the global economy. Differing from other disciplines concerning economics, economic geography studies the relationship between economics and space and place. Economic geographers argue that in all economic activities, accessibility, proximity and spatial agglomeration play essential roles in the location choice, organization and performance of economic units. Space, place, and mobility resulted in uneven development, which is deeply implicated features in the capitalist system in its emergence, development, and transformation.

Two areas of focus in this course are the globalization of the world economy and regional development under the first and third world contexts. We analyze the history of the emergence of the global the capitalist system, the commodification of nature, transformation of agriculture, the global spread of manufacturing, restructuring of transnational corporations and its regional impacts. Yu Zhou.

Two 75-minute periods.

Course Format: CLS