Political and Cultural Geography

The Master in Political and Cultural Geography teaches students to adopt a critical approach that is inherently political and cultural and has profoundly changed the face of human geography in recent years. Students will learn to analyse the relationship between imagined geographies, social practices and systems of power and domination, and how they are involved in creating geographical realities.

The programme takes an innovative approach to teaching, with workshops on how to make documentary films, podcasts and comics, as well as a field trip lasting several days. In addition to the compulsory courses, students can choose from an array of electives offered by the University of Geneva. Students can opt to take the Complementary Certificate in Visual Studies to strengthen their visual analytical skills, or the Complementary Certificate in Geomatics to obtain more practical know-how that is highly sought-after by employers.

Programme length

1.5 years (3 semesters)

Language of instruction

French

Working knowledge of English is recommended.

More information on this formation

Study Programme

3 semesters (max. 5 semesters) | 90 ECTS credits

Required classes (30 credits)

Social and Spatial Issues
History and Epistemology of Geography
Critical Approaches to the Division of the World
Territories and Borders, etc.

Workshops (12 credits)

Documentary Film-Making Workshop (singular documentary film)
Identities and Civility Workshop
Terrain Workshop

Option classes and electives (24 credits)

Visual Culture and Social Sciences: the World in Films and Cartoons
Exoticism: from «Discovery» to Tourist Attraction
Mountains: Imaginary Geographies and Planning
Geographies of Gender and Sexualities: Body, Spaces, and Social Relationships
Indigenous Peoples, Territories and Knowledge: Decolonial and Postcolonial Perspectives

Master's thesis or work placement dissertation (24 credits)

Secondary-school education
The international sector (UN agencies, NGOs and international cooperation), the not-for-profit sector and the public sector
Research