Department of Geography

Human Geography 2: World economy, agriculture and food

• Credits: 3
• Level: Undergraduate, Year 1
• Semester: 2
• Status: Core course
• Pre-requisites: CAPE Geography (Units 1 & 2) at grade 3 or above, OR equivalent.
• Course coordinator: Dr. Levi Gahman

Course coverage

Geography of Wealth & Poverty, Economy & Economic theories, Development theories, Food production systems.

Significance/Rationale

Level I Human Geography introduces students to university-level geography and a provides a broad foundation to help them critically understand the world in which they live. This course introduces basic knowledge, ideas, theories and concepts appropriate to first year university human geography and exposes students to a range of methods and techniques to enhance their learning experiences. The UWI Geography degree allows for the progressive intellectual development of students through Levels I to III, so this course is an essential foundation for Level II Geography. The course contributes to the preparation of UWI geography graduates for the 21st century, by exposure to critical thinking, effective communications and self-motivated learning. It provides students with wide-ranging knowledge relevant to economic development issues connecting the Caribbean region to the modern world, and provides a social and cultural awareness of selected economic development problems and global issues in food production and consumption.

Course description

The course promotes critical geographical approaches to the global economy by examining development and globalization as key elements in understanding the interdependence of differing countries, societies, and environments. It introduces basic concepts, methods, and techniques for describing, measuring, and analyzing patterns of economic and social development. Given that studying the global economy, industrial agriculture, and food systems shed light on the many issues that arise from processes of development and globalization, the course will examine the factors contributing to problems and solutions related to resource extraction, industrialization, technological change, and inequitable patterns of economic exchange. In addition, the course explores the geographical dimensions of world hunger, malnutrition, and poverty in relation to the structure of the global economy while also exposing students to alternative perspectives, approaches, and practices of development and sustainability.