Prof. Benjamin Forest

Teaching

I commonly teach four classes. See the Department of Geography course listings for current information.

Geography 217: Cities in the Modern World (winter)

This class is an introduction to the social, economic, political and built environments of Canadian cities. Theories of the internal structure of cities, and relationships between urban places of various sizes. The course situates Canadian urbanism in the North American context, and emphasizes social and economic processes distinctive to Montreal.

The class is co-taught with Prof. Natalie Oswin.

Geography 316: Political Geography (fall)

Territoriality , the geographic expression of power, is one of the most common strategies for exercising political control. At the same time, states, institutions and political agents exercise -- and resist -- control at a variety of scales , producing a complex layering and nesting of geo-political relationships. This course introduces basic concepts in political geography, and explores territoriality and scale using a variety of themes and case studies, including the role of national, racial and ethnic identity in political organization, federalism, legal rights in Canada, nationalism in Europe, and political representation in the United States. Through such topics, the class addresses questions of power, identity, and democratic theory, as well as the relationship between the individual and the state.

Geography 420: Memeory, Place, and Power (fall)

This interdisciplinary class draws on classical and contemporary sources to explore different conceptions of memory and the relationships among memory, place, and power. This approach emphasizes the social quality of memory, rather than psychological or physiological processes. From this perspective, it becomes possible to understand how political interests and social practices can shape something as ostensibly personal and individual as memory.

The class is co-taught with Prof. Juliet Johnson, and is cross-listed with POLI 432 and PLAI 400.

Geography 511: Advanced Political Geography (fall or winter)

This class addresses questions of space and power in contemporary political geography, using a range of topics including territoriality, the state, the politics of space, critical geopolitics, symbolic landscapes, and GIS and mapping. The course emphasizes theoretical issues but includes empirical material and/or case studies. Many weeks will include empirical material and/or case studies, but the set readings emphasize theoretical concerns. The class is open to all graduate students, and – with the permission of the instructor -- advanced undergrads.