Using international scientific publications for elucidating and understanding processes behind elected natural phenomena. Discussing natural scientific mechanisms and explanations of the phenomena. Considering alternative (more cultural ones) explanations, too.

Natural phenomena are subject to scientific contexts that will be worked out as part of this elective module. With the help of international research articles, we want to approach natural phenomena and understand how they arise, and which scientific theories of origin are already being discussed. Thus, the focus will be on analyzing the scientific processes that lead to these special natural phenomena by using international scientific literature.

In addition to the scientific explanations, we also want to look at “alternative” explanations that are put forward by people outside of science.

The seminar will take place weekly. Starting with an introductory lecture. During the seminar the students will be asked to prepare a presentation explaining a natural phenomenon scientifically but also describing other existing explanations out of science. Additionally, a one-day excursion will be organized. At the end of the seminar the students need to prepare a written report dealing with the presented phenomenon.

Will be given during the seminar!

Since the Great Recession of 2008/2009, protectionism, nationalism and the return of geopolitics have slowed down the process of increasing international interconnectedness of economic activities through the mobility of goods, services, capital, labour and technological knowledge. Deglobalisation and slowbalisation have replaced the previous phase of hyper-globalisation. Ten years after the last edition of ‘Global Shift’ (Dicken 2015), the seminar aims at understanding and assessing transformation processes in the global economy from a spatial perspective.

Starting from the basic literature, selected aspects of the global economic system will be described and explained in order to be able to assess the possibilities of political interventions. Topics range from globalisation and income disparities on a global scale to the spatial mobility of goods, services and the production factors of labour, capital and technical knowledge, as well as global production networks and the production systems of multinational companies. The aim is to acquire and consolidate methods of scientific work in general and knowledge of the collection, presentation, analysis and interpretation of secondary statistical data in particular.

• Economic globalisation: History, present and future
• The pendulum swings back: Discontent, geopolitics and the end of hyper-globalisation
• Empirics of global shift: International income disparities, trade and factor mobility
• The rise, decline and stagnation of regions in the global economy
• Multinational corporations, global value chains and production networks
• Industry perspectives: Extractive industries, agro-food, clothing, semiconductors, automobiles, advances business services, logistics and distribution services

Braw, E., 2024: Goodbye Globalization: The Return of a Divided World. New Haven, London: Yale Univ. Press.

Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung, 2025: Themenseite Globalisierung. https://www.bpb.de/themen/globalisierung/?field_filter_format=all&field_tags_keywords[0]=-1&d=1 [03.06.2025].

Chu, B., 2025: Exile Economics: What Happens if Globalisation Fails. New York, NY: Basic Books.

Coe, N.M.; Yeung, H.W.-C., 2015: Global Production Networks: Theorizing Economic Development in an Interconnected World. Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press.

Dicken, P., 2015: Global Shift: Mapping the Changing Contours of the World Economy. (7th ed.). London: Sage.

Hahn, B., 2009: Welthandel. Geschichte, Konzepte, Perspektiven. Heidelberg: Spektrum Akademischer Verlag.

Knox, P.; Agnew, J.; McCarthy, L., 2014: The Geography of the World Economy. (6th ed.). London: Routledge.

Mahlke, S. (Hrsg.), 2022: Atlas der Globalisierung: Ungleiche Welt. Berlin: Le Monde Diplomatique; taz.

Michie, J., 2017: Advanced Introduction to Globalisation. (=Elgar Advanced Introductions). Cheltenham; Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar.

Müller, M., 2025: Die Geopolitik globaler Lieferketten. (=Schriftenreihe der Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung, 10998). Bonn: Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung.

O'Brien, R.; Williams, M. (2024): Global Political Economy. Evolution and Dynamics. (7th ed.). London: Bloomsbury

Rodrik, D., 2011: The Globalization Paradox: Democracy and the Future of the World Economy. New York, NY: Norton.

Schlembach, C., 2024: Welthandel und Globalisierung. Ausgehandelt? – Wie offen ist die Weltgesellschaft? (=UTB, 5992). Paderborn: Brill Fink.

Stutz, F.P.; Warf, B., 2014: The World Economy: Geography, Business, Development. (6th ed.). Harlow: Pearson Education.

The World Bank, various issues: World Development Report. https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/wdr/wdr-archive [03.06.2025].

Yeung, H.W.-C., 2022: Interconnected Worlds: Global Electronics and Production Networks in East Asia. (=Innovation and Technology in the World Economy). Stanford, CA: Stanford Univ. Press.

Yeung, H.W.-C., 2016: Strategic Coupling: East Asian Industrial Transformation in the New Global Economy. (=Cornell Studies in Political Economy). Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press.

Yeung, H.W.-C.; Coe, N.M., 2015: Toward a Dynamic Theory of Global Production Networks. In: Economic Geography, 91(1), S. 29-58.

“Since geography today is usually not seen as a research method, but increasingly as a method of presentation, it is of particular importance as a social service of geography for the public.” (https://www.spektrum.de/lexikon/geographie/landeskunde/4541, 10.06.2025)
The geographical community is still divided on the subject of regional (or country?) geography. Nevertheless, it enables the first systematic approaches to spaces and undoubtedly still has its justification in certain areas. 
In addition to reflecting on the professional criticism as well as the advantages, you will try out the application in spoken and written form using examples of your own choice.

They all have an individual wealth of experience of geographically remarkable spaces. This compulsory elective module is about the scientifically justifiable selection, preparation and presentation of geographically relevant landscapes or parts of landscapes. In your opinion, particularly beautiful, interesting, significant, exciting spaces or landscapes are presented and justified. Criteria can be (not exhaustive): Geology, landscape development, urban planning, architecture, nature conservation, tourism, economy, surface forms, vegetation cover, land use, hazards, georisks, population, ecosystem functions ...

Regionally, the course focuses primarily on places in Germany. Well-founded further examples are also welcome.

The following topics are not permitted:

• Structural change in the Ruhr area
• Emscher conversion
• Lignite

In the seminar part, instructive keynote speeches and the subsequent discourse are practiced. The written part serves to deepen academic writing and is a small preliminary exercise for upcoming, somewhat more extensive written work.

The basics are the relevant parts of the introductory lecture. In addition there are e.g.:

• Axel Borsdorf: Geographisch denken und wissenschaftlich arbeiten. Klett-Perthes, Gotha 1999.
• Ute Wardenga: German Geographical Thought and the Development of Länderkunde (PDF; 110 kB) in: Inforgeo, 18/19, Edições Colibri, Lissabon 2006, S. 127–147.

Furthermore, as always, depending on the chosen topic, a sufficient amount of citable, quality-assured literature must be consulted.

After successfully completing the course 

• students know the basics of geographical tourism research,
• know which trends and influencing factors currently determine international tourism development and what effects this has on the environment and society,
• are able to critically examine these developments and discuss alternative approaches to tourism development.

The course consists of three content blocks:

1. basics of tourism and (geographical) tourism research
2. tourism offers and their effects on the environment, society and the economy
3. approaches to the transformation and containment of tourism

Within these blocks, a variety of topics will be covered, whereby the participants can influence the focus. These could include the following aspects: 

• Demand side (travel behavior of tourists, general conditions)
• Supply side (destination life cycle, framework conditions such as transportation, e.g. low-cost carriers)
• City tourism (e.g. with regard to Airbnb-fication, overtourism, business and event tourism)
• Cultural tourism (e.g. interactions between world cultural heritage and tourism, industrial tourism as a component of structural change)
• Coastal tourism (e.g. tourism-induced growth of coastal cities, resilience of ecosystems, interactions between diving tourism and species conservation)
• Nature conservation and tourism (e.g. cooperation and conflicts in national parks, hunting tourism)
• Demographic change and tourism (e.g. health tourism, cruise tourism)
• Social movements in tourism (e.g. poverty tourism, voluntourism, dark tourism)
• Eco- and socially sensitive tourism concepts (e.g. pro-poor tourism, fair tourism, ecotourism, flight compensation)

The seminar sessions each focus on a specific topic. In addition, there are content-related impulses from the teacher, student presentations, work and discussion phases.

A short excursion may be organized by arrangement. 

Topic-specific literature will be announced at the respective sessions. In addition, textbooks can be recommended, e.g.

• Neumair, Simon; Rehklau, Tatjana; Schlesinger, Dieter Matthew 2019: Angewandte Tourismusgeografie. Berlin & Boston.
• Rein, Hartmut; Strasdas, Wolfgang 2017: Nachhaltiger Tourismus. 2 Aufl. Wien, Köln & Weimar.
• Schmude, Jürgen; Namberger Philipp 2015: Tourismusgeographie. Darmstadt.
• Kagermaier, Andreas 2015: Tourismusgeographie. Berlin.

„Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.“  Benjamin Franklin)

Assuming this is the case, the seminar will not only be about acquiring knowledge, but also about applying it independently in a jointly developed regional context. Consequently, the main part of the seminar will be about analyzing selected regions and developing ideas and measures together and then presenting them to people from the field.
So try your hand as a consultant and develop recommendations for action and future concepts for regions undergoing structural change together on the basis of analyses and discussions!
And last but not least: Why are you, as a geographer, particularly well suited to advising regions, cities or universities? There are answers to these questions in this seminar.

You will acquire:

• Knowledge of the German science system
• Knowledge of structural change
• Knowledge of the connections between science and the region
• Independently carry out analyses and derive fields of action and ideas
• Application of skills learned during your studies to practical examples

In an increasingly complex and dynamic world, science plays a central role in the process of structural change. It is far more than a supplier of theories and models - it is an active shaper of social, economic and technological change.

The main topics of the seminar are:

• How does the German science system work?
• What does structural change mean?
• How do science and the region influence each other?
• How does consulting work?
• How do I put the methods I have learned into practice and develop recommendations for action independently in a team?

1. Expectations, getting to know each other, structure of the seminar, introduction to the topic (Adler)
2. Importance and function of scientific institutions; initial presentation of three exemplary structural change regions (Rhenish mining area; Lusatia; Ruhr area); distribution of topics (Adler) (3-4 people per team for short presentations: research and development, training and further education, business start-ups, ...)
3. Working phase
4. Presentation of the scientific landscapes in the regions (Adler)
5. Presentation of the short papers (students)
6. Joint development of a work assignment and selection of structural change regions
7. Concrete analysis approaches, possible formats, quantitative and qualitative approaches, interviews (Adler)
8. Creative, moderated work phase; analysis of the selected regions / optional: excursion
9. Creative, moderated work phase; analysis of the selected regions
10. Presentation, discussion and further development of the results
11. Presentation, discussion and further development of the results
12. Joint finalization of the results
13. Presentation and discussion; presentation to representatives of the selected regions
14. Review of the discussions and results; review of the procedure and results of the seminar, lessons learned; mutual feedback

Will be announced in the seminar.

• Efficient, automated analysis of large data sets
• Creation of meaningful scientific illustrations
•  Confident handling of basic descriptive and inferential statistics
• Processing (analysis and presentation) of vector and raster geodata
•  Creation of complex spatial visualisations

The course begins with a brief review of basic concepts of the Python programming language and important data science libraries such as pandas. In addition, the version management system git is introduced and used throughout the course.
In the further course, complex visualisations are created (matplotlib, seaborn) and parametric and non-parametric statistical tests are applied (scipy).
In the last third, the focus is on the processing and visualisation of geodata in vector and raster format (geopandas, rasterio, ...)..

Weekly course in presence divided into:

• Presentation and overview of new content
• Code Along session with practical examples
• Independent application of the new content using short tasks in the course

The research workshop at the GI is intended to enable students to work on research projects both individually and in small groups, not bound to a specific seminar, or to initiate their own small projects outside of a project seminar. The projects can be carried out in a wide variety of subject areas, can be regional or international, purely geographical but preferably interdisciplinary.
Involving students in research practice as early as possible offers them both a broader and deeper horizon of learning and experience, which will have a positive effect on the choice of a topic for their Master's thesis as well as their later career decision. The practice of self-organization, independent work and the assumption of responsibility are important goals that should lead to greater motivation and a stronger commitment to their studies and geography.

The content varies and must be requested individually from other lecturers.

Andreas Pflitsch:

I offer the following topics and locations:

Alaska, & USA Southwest: - can also be taken as an English-language course.

If you have already successfully completed an excursion on regional geography, Bachelor's students can participate in the research workshop with their own project or an individual question in the course of the excursions on regional geography to Alaska or the Southwest of the USA.

Master's students can also take part in the Regional Geography excursions (Bachelor's programme) to Alaska or the Southwest of the USA with their own project or individual research question.

A number of reserved places are available for these options.

Cave Climatology: Dechenhöhle Iserlohn

Various cave research projects are currently being carried out or are in the process of being set up. You can carry out your own investigations in the Dechenhöhle cave.

The investigations focus on the following topics:

Microclimatology such as air and rock temperatures, humidity, wind currents.

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me by e-mail (andreas.pflitsch@rub.de).

If you are interested, please contact the respective lecturer personally and discuss the further procedure individually.

Will be announced by the lecturers.

The city is built for eternity and yet it can be adapted and renewed again and again. It consists eo ipso of buildings and the people who use them. Both are part of the solutions and at the same time part of the problems in the challenging process of transforming our cities in a way that is both careful and conservative on the one hand and vigorous and modernizing on the other.
of our cities.

The centuries-long renewal of our cities has never followed a uniform pattern; at the same time, successful strategies have emerged that are currently being used in both the East and the West to remedy dysfunctions and eliminate deficiencies in defined areas. Recognizing and utilizing the causes of transformation and the mechanisms for future-oriented change are of equal concern to urban research and municipal practice.

Students deal with the complex challenges facing Germany's crisis-ridden cities theoretically and using examples of their historical, structural, urban, social, cultural, health, traffic, economic, housing and ecological starting conditions, problems and opportunities, analyze approaches and strategies and develop their own perspectives on how to deal with the existing situation and its transformation. They strive to find answers to the questions: How is transformation motivated and financed and who are its beneficiaries, contributors, drivers and operators? What can be structurally and socially changed, recycled or has a high degree of permanence? What preparatory work is needed to optimally define the spatial and content-related boundaries of a regeneration area? What instruments do local authorities have at their disposal and how can they be skillfully combined and used successfully? What planning, funding and (flagship) projects are needed for successful regeneration in the various phases?

Dealing with urban renewal gives students the opportunity to apply what they have learned so far to an important task, to concrete cases and in the context of a wide variety of aspects, to experience the complexity of urban renewal and to think about an interesting practical activity after graduation.

In dealing with the diverse requirements and solutions of the current urban renewal, the view opens up to the most diverse starting positions and competencies as well as the options for action of the city, urban society, private actors and the urban nature of the city, which cannot, cannot be a city. The situation of the city as a whole has a major influence on the development of neighborhoods, urban areas and districts. The problem- and opportunity-oriented, strategic focus on spatially delimited areas increases the possibilities and capabilities for intervention on the one hand, but also forces the need for local conflict resolution on the other. The city-wide objectives: Housing supply, energy and climate, commercial development, beauty and resilience as well as the contradictions between land-conserving versus space-saving development must therefore be addressed, as must the fine line between upgrading and displacing the residential population in urban neighbourhoods, the conflicts between quiet residential areas and the disturbances from mixed-use, noisy areas, the climatic and energy-related renewal of commercial areas, dealing with inner-city locations, improving the health situation or even the urbanization of college and university areas.

The examination of selected tasks and a wide variety of practical examples will lead to insights into different approaches, the use of formal and informal instruments and the public and private financing of renewal measures.

• The built city as a reflection of social developments and urban planning models as reflected in the ongoing renewal of cities in East and West
• Spatial, economic, ecological, design, temporal and socio-spatial consequences of global crises and disasters, general trends and requirements as well as the resulting specific challenges for the renewal of major German cities
• Discussion of central topics, contents and objectives of regeneration
• Working out the factors for a meaningful demarcation of areas and the targeted formulation of measures as well as the opportunities and limits of procedural creativity: time sequence, priorities, animating pilot and showcase projects, etc.
• Use of formal and informal plans and instruments for effective and sustainable planning and socio-spatial interventions
• Implementation of large and small, spatially effective and socio-cultural practical measures
• Possibilities and limits of political and administrative control as well as important groups of actors and the different interests involved
• What are the benefits of success control and monitoring?
• Development of scenarios for the further development of previous regeneration strategies and discussion of transferability into practice

• Altrock, Uwe 2018: Stadterneuerung. In: ARL – Akademie für Raumforschung und Landesplanung (Hrsg.): Handwörterbuch der Stadt- und Regionalentwicklung. Hannover
• Becker, Heidede / Sander, Robert / Jessen, Johann (Hrsg.) 1999: Ohne Leitbild? Stuttgart
• Brand, Ulrich 2009: Die multiple Krise. Dynamik und Zusammenhang der Krisendimensionen, Anforderungen an politische Institutionen und Chancen progressiver Politik. Berlin
• Kegler, Harald 2021: Resilienz. Strategien und perspektiven für die widerstandsfähige und lernende Stadt. Braunschweig
• Kröck, Eckart 2022: Bochum: Innenstadt ohne Einzelhandel? In: David Ohnesorge / Julian Wékel, Institut für Städtebau und Wohnungswesen (Hrsg.), Beispielhafte Entwicklungsprojekte für innerstädtische Bereiche – Neue Materialien zur Planungskultur. München
• Kröck, Eckart 2021: Das Bochumer Westend: Es ist besser vom Klischee auszugehen, als im Klischee zu landen! In: Stadt Bochum (Hrsg.), Abschlussdokumentation: Drei Stadtteile werden zum Westend, Stadterneuerungsprozess im Bochumer Westend. Bochum
• Stratmann, Bernhard 1999: Stadtentwicklung in globalen Zeiten: Lokale Strategien, städtische Lebensqualität und Globalisierung. Basel und Berlin
• Verschiedene Herausgeber seit 1990: Jahrbücher Stadterneuerung. Beiträge aus Lehre und Forschung an deutschsprachigen Hochschulen. Berlin

Publications from various major German cities.

Visits, interviews and participation in discussions and events.

Further literature / sources / references will follow at the start of the seminar.

• Acquisition of basic knowledge of QGIS. Note: The course explains how to use QGIS within the required framework.
• Familiarization with and application of a model for determining thermal comfort in urban areas
• Experience with the complexity and limitations of modeling
• Modification of the model to simulate the effects of green infrastructure

In this course, students are introduced to the modeling of thermal comfort with open source software in three steps. 

1. basics

• basics of the tools used (QGIS, QGIS plug-in UMEP-Toolbox [1]) and
• the theoretical basics of thermal comfort.

2. preparation and modeling

• from data acquisition,
• to preparation and pre-processing, 
• to the application of the SOLWEIG model [2]
• and final analysis of the model results. 

3. analysis and evaluation

• In the third part of the course, the findings are used to evaluate greening strategies and their effects on thermal comfort in the model area.

Optionally, if the course allows it, possibilities of visualizing the data (e.g. meteorological data, model results) with Python3 can be taught.
 

The course consists of 12 sessions, 3 of which are used to introduce the basics of QGIS and thermal comfort, 6 of which are used to apply the UMEP toolbox and model, and 3 of which are used for advanced analysis and discourse on modeling limitations.
At the end of the course, students must demonstrate that they can apply the model. The examination is the completion and submission of a practical assignment with a report on the application of the model and the interpretation of the results.

[1] UMEP-Toolbox: https://umep-docs.readthedocs.io/en/latest/ 

[2] SOLWEIG-Modell: https://umep-docs.readthedocs.io/en/latest/processor/Outdoor%20Thermal%20Comfort%20SOLWEIG.html 

[3] YouTube Reihe zum Umgang mit SOLWEIG: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpUDIWzr514&list=PLRcN4qwyVex0nM6HpgBKsPFB7zOll4fFy

[4] Visualisierung mit Python3: z.B. mit den Modulen matplotlib (https://matplotlib.org/), plotly (https://plotly.com/python/) oder geopandas (https://geopandas.org/en/stable/index.html)

Develop an understanding of the zonal organization of the earth in the ecological structure, acquire an understanding of temperate soils in the landscape context and of extreme locations as habitats

The elective module focuses on the ecozonal organization of the earth according to Schultz. Other zonal classification concepts are also developed. The human factor plays only a subordinate role in Schultz's conception of the organization. Instead, the focus is on physical-geographical factors such as geomorphology, climate, vegetation and fauna, soils and material turnover. Land use or the consequences of climate change are partially addressed by Schultz. This aspect will be addressed and problematized more strongly in the seminar when dealing with ecozones (e.g. palm oil plantations, thawing of permafrost soils, etc.)
Another focus will be on soils in temperate latitudes, which will be dealt with separately, as well as on extreme locations as habitats.

Will be announced in the preliminary meeting

Worldwide trade interdependencies, the genesis and structure of global city and company networks, the interdependencies of so-called industrialised and developing countries as well as the topic of globalisation embedded in current geopolitical distortions are always linked to spatially related or spatially effective questions. Regional disparities and differentiations are correspondingly spatially effective manifestations of these structures, functions and processes. In the lecture World Economic Geography, these topics are taken up, discussed and analysed in order to expand the economic-social science dimension of a globally interacting world economy by the spatial perspective.
The lecture is integrated into the teaching programme of the Institute of Geography, in particular the Chair of Economic Geography. Accordingly, the economic geographic - thus (economic) spatial - perspective is at the centre of the scientific consideration and discussion.
In addition to the causes and characteristics of globalisation, the spatial effects such as the formation of large economic blocks, global production and distribution networks or the dissolution and relocation of production complexes as well as the role of so-called global players and global sourcing are dealt with. Thematic fields of application come from the areas of raw materials, agriculture, industry and services, including finance and tourism. In addition, cross-sectional fields such as geographical environment and development research, geopolitical conflicts and specific types of space, e.g. from the Global South, are addressed. Various regional examples are used to concretise the topics.

Module: Lecture + Seminar

Preliminary discussion of ALL seminars at the end of the lecture on 06.05.2025. The dates of the block seminars will also be determined there.

Bachelor students of Business Administration, Economics and Geography (RUB) take part in the compulsory block seminar (‘Special Topics of WorldWiGeo’) by Mr Lotz.

The block seminar (module consisting of lecture and seminar: 6 CP) by Prof. Juchelka, which focuses specifically on issues relating to the global economic-geographical dimensions of logistics, is compulsory for Master's students of Technical Logistics.

In addition to the lecture, Master's students of Socioeconomics can also attend the seminar ‘Geographical Development Research’ offered by Mr Schulte-Derne. It is not possible to attend the seminar alone without attending the lecture.

Students of the Master's programme International Relations and Development Policy (IBEP) can attend Mr Schulte-Derne's seminar ‘Geographical Development Research’ as part of the practical module (3 CP) WITHOUT attending the lecture. However, attendance of the lecture is strongly recommended in order to build up a scientific basis and in connection with the seminar.

Students on the Globalisation and Migration Master's course can also attend the seminar ‘Geographical Development Research’ offered by Mr Schulte-Derne in addition to the lecture. It is not possible to attend the seminar alone without attending the lecture.

Lecture plan:

15.04.2025 1.Introduction, concept & organisation of the lecture
                        Basics of a world economic geography

22.04.2025 2. globalisation and space: term, preconditions, processes, effects

29.04.2025 3. theoretical approaches and concepts of a world economic geography
                     
06.05.2025 4. world trade: spatial interdependencies, embeddings, implications
                         Seminar discussion at the end of the lecture

13.05.2025 5. ‘Global governance’ perspective: role of politics and spatial effectiveness

20.05.2025 6.Perspective I: Raw materials and energy - disparities between global supply and demand

27.05.2025 7.Perspective II: Agriculture between globalisation and regionalisation

03.06.2025 8.Perspective III: Industry - Locations, regional dynamics and networks

10.06.2025 Whitsun holidays: no lecture

17.06.2025 9.Perspective IV: Services: Trade, logistics, finance and tourism in a global spatial context

24.06.2025 10.Global Problem Areas & Space I: Geographical Development Research and Perspectives on the Integration of the so-called Global South

01.07.2025 11.Global Problem Areas & Space II: Environment and Sustainability

08.07.2025 12.Global Problem Areas & Space III: Wars, Crime, Terrorism, Geopolitics

15.07.2025 13th closed session (12.15-13.15)

Seminar programme for the lecture:

Programme Seminar Management
BA BWL compulsory (module) M.A.-Geogr. Steffen Lotz: Block seminar: Special topics in world economic geography
BA VWL Compulsory (module) M.A.-Geogr. Steffen Lotz: Block seminar: Special topics in world economic geography
BA/BSc Geography (RUB) Compulsory (module) M.A.-Geogr. Steffen Lotz: Block seminar: Special topics in world economic geography

MSc TLog recommended Prof. Rudolf Juchelka: Block seminar especially for TLog

MA Socioeconomics see below Dipl.-Geogr. Friedrich Schulte-Derne: Block seminar: Geographical Development Research
MA IBEP see below Dipl.-Geogr. Friedrich Schulte-Derne: Block seminar: Geographical Development Research
MA Globalisation + Migration see below Dipl.-Geogr. Friedrich Schulte-Derne: Block seminar: Geographical Development Research

References will follow in the lecture.

The seminar will give insights in GIS- and remote sensing- based natural hazard and disaster (risk) monitoring using examples for e.g. drought, flood or fire monitoring.

Frequency and intensity of natural hazards are increasing and near-real time monitoring is needed for adequate disaster risk management across scale. GIS and remote sensing are key technologies when it comes to monitoring and prevention, but also early warning of natural hazards and their impacts on populations and the environment. The seminar will give insights in the potential of GIS and remote sensing in disaster (risk) monitoring but also makes aware of their challenges.

The seminar is divided into three blocks: After the first block with introductory sessions on GIS and remote sensing for disaster risk monitoring, the students will get hands- on training on how natural hazards such as droughts, fires or floods can be monitored. During the third and last block, students will apply this knowledge on individual study cases.

- Critical analysis of the conceptual understanding and planning approach of green infrastructure
- Helping to shape green infrastructure in the Ruhr region through knowledge transfer between research and practice

Open space development, environmental planning, nature-based solutions, (blue) green infrastructure: isn't it all the same thing? Isn't that exactly what the Ruhr region has been doing for more than a century and why does it need a new (?) understanding of planning right now?

This seminar will move at the intersection of science and practice and will deal with green infrastructure as a strategic planning approach as well as with practical knowledge from successful implementation projects.

After developing a common, conceptual understanding of green infrastructure, the seminar will focus on the 27 action goals of the Green Infrastructure Strategy for the Ruhr Metropolis. In presentations, which will subsequently be developed into term papers, the students will each address one of the 27 action goals in detail. The focus is on questions such as: How can green infrastructure be used to plan healthy cities, promote natural climate protection, rethink agriculture and forestry, promote active mobility and establish environmental justice? Which stakeholders are needed to systematically qualify and expand green infrastructure in a region like the Ruhr? Which prerequisites need to be created by whom in order to realise the respective action goal, both in terms of instruments and processes? What good examples of projects already exist in this region and what can the Ruhr learn from other regions (of the world)?

In short: How should green infrastructure be developed in the Ruhr region in the future?

(i) Basics: Development of a common, conceptual understanding of green infrastructure; input from the lecturer + joint discourse.

(ii) Coursework: Presentations by students on one of the 27 action goals of the Green Infrastructure Strategy for the Ruhr Metropolis, including group discussion.

(iii) Examination: Elaboration of the presentations into term papers (max. 15 pages, submission 6 weeks after presentation), which summarise the current debate on applied research on green infrastructure, apply this to the respective topic area and point out planning and implementation options.

The possible topics of the presentations and term papers are based on the 27 action goals of the Ruhr Metropolis Green Infrastructure Strategy, such as

- Planning health-effective, climate-adapted (inner) cities
- Promoting environmental justice through green infrastructure
- Designing climate roads
- Developing sponge cities and sponge landscapes
- Advancing natural climate protection
- Promoting participation and involvement, e.g. through community gardens
- Strengthening urban food production
- Expanding industrial nature and urban wilderness
- Renaturalise watercourses
- Increase regional added value through green infrastructure
- Combining green infrastructure and renewable energies
- Implement ecological route management
- Promoting active mobility

Predominantly topic-dependent.

Common basis:
RVR (Hrsg.), 2024: Strategie Grüne Infrastruktur Metropole Ruhr. Online verfügbar unter: https://www.rvr.ruhr/fileadmin/user_upload/01_RVR_Home/02_Themen/Umwelt_Oekologie/Offensive_GI/GI_Strategie/SGI_2024.pdf 

Based on European ecosystems, the students deepen their knowledge in vegetation science, plant-related ecological processes, ecosystem management, and biodiversity. They learn about the differences between near-natural and highly modified/urbanized ecosystems, and what these differences mean for managing and conserving nature.

Ecosystems and their species communities are strongly influenced by the management of natural resources. In this regard, highly modified and urbanized ecosystems can differ strongly from natural and near-natural ecosystems. The way we use, manage and design ecosystems impacts the biodiversity and the ecological processes that we can observe and measure. Different anthropogenic impacts as well as ecological strategies will be presented and discussed to advance the understanding of vegetation patterns, ecosystem ecology, and land-use conflicts. Special attention will be given to urbanization as a driver of vegetation patterns and to ecosystems along rivers and streams.

In many geographical professions, working with geodata is not limited to the use of geoinformation systems in the office and existing geodata. Numerous fields of activity - for example in agriculture, biotope and nature conservation, cadastral administration or infrastructure management - also include work in the field, the success of which depends on the precise recording of up-to-date field data.

UAVs (drones) make it possible to record the condition of the terrain efficiently and with maximum up-to-dateness - also in three dimensions - and thus provide information to supplement and update existing geodata or to create highly up-to-date terrain and object views and plans.

The aim of the seminar is to provide a first introduction to the world of remote sensing with drones in the field and to give an overview of the basic possibilities of this methodology. The various aspects of capturing geodata using UAVs will be examined by the students in presentation form and finally tested and presented using their own exemplary field work.

Relevant basics as well as hardware and software solutions for remote sensing with drones in the field, e.g.

• UAVs
• flight planning
• Satellite positioning (GNSS)
• Evaluation software
• Fields of application
• etc.

Conception and execution of an exemplary field work using the techniques learned.

Further content may be added as the course progresses.

Will be announced in the seminar.

Try your hand as a consultant and develop recommendations for action and future concepts for universities together on the basis of analyses and discussions!
We all spend the majority of our time in and at university, but what makes a university what it is and how does it influence the entire city and region? What challenges does the university management face and what can development prospects look like for them?
And last but not least: Why are you, as a geographer, particularly well suited to advising companies, cities or universities? There are answers to these questions in this seminar.
You will acquire:
 Knowledge of the German academic system
 Knowledge of the connections between universities and regions
 Knowledge of the options available to German universities
 an understanding of counselling, including the opportunity to gain your own experience
 the ability to reflect critically, counselling methods and key soft skills
 Application of many of the competences learnt during the degree course to a practical example

The main topics of the seminar are
 How does the German science system work?
 How do universities and regions influence each other?
 How does counselling work?
 How do I put the methods I have learnt into practice?

1) Expectations, getting to know each other, structure of the seminar, overview of the German science system
2) Importance of scientific institutions for the region, university and urban development (input Adler); distribution of topics (2-3 people per team for 6 short presentations)
3) Work phase - digital exchange with the lecturer
4) Input from other people, e.g: RUB science management; Bochum Economic Development Agency; RUB management, person from a university of applied sciences, other experts
5) Input short presentations (students) Topics: Teaching, research, transfer, region, administration, construction
6) Work assignment ‘Carry out a SWOT analysis for university XY and develop recommendations for action based on this!’ (Input Adler); current challenges of universities, development of example universities by the students / formation of groupsWork assignment “Make a SWOT analysis for university XY and develop recommendations for action based on this!” (Input Adler); current challenges of universities, development of example universities by the students / formation of groups (3-5 people per group; 3 groups)
7) Concrete analysis approaches, possible formats, quantitative and qualitative approaches, interviews (input Adler)
8) Basic knowledge of counselling as a professional field; basic knowledge of project management, communication management, data management (input Adler)
9) Work phase: exchange with the lecturer
10) Work phase: exchange with the lecturer on site
11) Work phase: exchange with the lecturer
12) Presentation and discussion; internal
13) Presentation and discussion; introduction to which university representatives of the analyzed universities are invited
14) Review of the discussions and results; review of the procedure and results of the seminar, lessons learned, mutual feedback

Will be announced in the seminar.

Today, around half of the world's population lives in the urban sprawl surrounding cities. Neither fish nor fowl, this frequently ignored area does not fit into the ideal image of the city, with its urban advantages, and the countryside, with its open spaces and ecological qualities. Students deal with this phenomenon by looking at and designing the transition from city to countryside. 
They recognize the conceptual and planning difficulties arising from the historical, social, economic and ecological confrontation with the immensely large and diverse areas that make up our cities. They are also asked what opportunities and possibilities exist through interventions on the edges of cities to overcome the current multiple crises and disasters. With the knowledge they have acquired so far, the analysis of case studies and a literature-based theoretical discussion, the students formulate their own ideas, scenarios and hypothetical strategies as options for action for the future of urban fringes. In this way, they approach their own future work in urban and landscape planning, regional and state planning and mobility planning in an ongoing and promising task. 

The “non-city” outside the city has a long history of development: the engravings of Matthäus Merian already show cities whose settlement did not end at the city walls. Later, Ebenezer Howard tried to combine the advantages of the city with the advantages of the countryside with his concept of the Garden City, and Frank Lloyd Wright's idea of the Broadacre City paved the way for the automobile-driven urban sprawl that spread to Europe after the Second World War. Encouraged and promoted by cheap land prices, a family-oriented social model and liberal planning practices, a mixture of villages imitating villages, but monotonous and monofunctional single-family house areas or large housing estates, extensive, meaningless commercial and industrial areas and externalized urban infrastructures consisting of sewage treatment plants, waste dumps, power stations and wide traffic routes emerged on the periphery of 19th century cities.

With the end of growth, the clever use of the edges will be on the planning agenda for a long time to come. Can Howard's idea be refreshed in new and existing buildings and lead to a better result? What potential lies in the ecotones of different ecosystem, ecotope and biotope types? What needs to be done to renew the numerous industrial estates in terms of urban planning, climate and ecology? What opportunities lie in the low densities of single-family housing areas and what form should local public transport and social and commercial supply structures take in order to complete the areas on the outskirts of cities? 

There are opportunities for realization if the quality of the urban spaces is clearly enhanced, the orientation and hierarchy of the quarters and districts are clearly worked out and the available urban building blocks are used imaginatively, without, of course, following the often euphemistic promises made at this point.

• The built city as a reflection of social developments, urban planning models and the consequences for the outskirts of cities
• Spatial, economic, ecological, design, temporal and socio-spatial consequences of global crises and disasters, general trends and requirements as well as specific challenges for the outskirts of major German cities
• Identifying key topics, content and objectives for dealing with the urban fringes
• Development of scenarios for the further development of urban fringes and discussion of transferability
• Use of formal and informal plans and instruments for planning interventions on the outskirts of cities
• Possibilities and limits of political and administrative control as well as important groups of actors and the different interests involved 
• Instruments and strategies for the realization of planning concepts

Barmann-Krämer, Gabriela / Lampugnani, Vittorio Magnago / Brandl, Anne 2007: Handbuch zum Stadtrand. Basel

Becker, Heidede / Sander, Robert / Jessen, Johann (Hrsg.) 1999: Ohne Leitbild? Stuttgart

Brand, Ulrich 2009: Die multiple Krise. Dynamik und Zusammenhang der Krisendimensionen, Anforderungen an politische Institutionen und Chancen progressiver Politik, Berlin

Christ, Wolfgang / Bölling, Lars 2006: Bilder einer Zwischenstadt – Ikonografie und Szenografie eines Urbanisierungsprozesses. Wuppertal 

Dangschat, Jens 2012: Lokale Probleme globaler Herausforderungen in deutschen Städten. In: Schäfers, Bernhard / et al.: Die Stadt in Deutschland: Aktuelle Entwicklungen und Probleme. Stuttgart

Friedrichs, Jürgen 2018: Stadtentwicklung. In: ARL – Akademie für Raumforschung und Landesplanung (Hrsg.): Handwörterbuch der Stadt- und Raumentwicklung, Hannover

Friedrich, Sabine 2003: Umbau der Wohnungsbestände am Stadtrand. Zürich

Gehl, Jan 2015: Städte für Menschen, Berlin

Kegler, Harald 2021: Resilienz. Strategien und perspektiven für die widerstandsfähige und lernende Stadt. Braunschweig

Kröck, Eckart / Sieverts, Thomas / Strunk, Roland / Mahler, Ingrid 1989: Perspektiven künftiger Siedlungsentwicklung. Neue Siedlungsstrukturen als ökologische Chance? Darmstadt

Sonne, Wolfgang 2014: Urbanität und Dichte im Städtebau des 20. Jahrhunderts. Berlin

Sieverts, Thomas 1997: Zwischenstadt. Zwischen Ort und Welt, Raum und Zeit, Stadt und Land. Brauschweig

Sieverts, Thomas / Koch, Michael / Stein, Ursula / Steinbusch, Michael 2005: Zwischenstadt – inzwischen Stadt? Entdecken, Begreifen, Wuppertal 

Stratmann, Bernhard 1999: Stadtentwicklung in globalen Zeiten: Lokale Strategien, städtische Lebensqualität und Globalisierung. Basel und Berlin

Concepts, plans, ... also in the context of urban development reports, urban development plans, situation reports ... from various major German cities

Visits, interviews and participation in discussions and events.

Further literature / sources / references will follow at the start of the seminar.

The research workshop at the GI is intended to enable students to work on research projects both individually and in small groups, not bound to a specific seminar, or to initiate their own small projects outside of a project seminar. The projects can be carried out in a wide variety of subject areas, can be regional or international, purely geographical but preferably interdisciplinary.
Involving students in research practice as early as possible offers them both a broader and deeper horizon of learning and experience, which will have a positive effect on the choice of a topic for their Master's thesis as well as their later career decision. Practising self-organisation, independent work and the assumption of responsibility are important goals that should lead to greater motivation and a stronger commitment to their studies and geography.

The content can be requested individually from other lecturers.

Andreas Pflitsch/Teresa Mansheim:

For the summer term, I am offering the following topics and locations:

Alaska

As part of the research in the glacier caves and the former copper mines of Kennekott/McCarthy in the Wrangell St. Elias National Park in Alaska, an approximately 14-day research trip will be carried out in September 2025. Up to 3 students can take part in this trip.

The trip will focus on recording the cave structures of glacier caves using laser scanners, as well as recording various climatological parameters such as air temperature and air currents. The same measurements will be taken in the icy mines.

Overall, the trip has a certain adventurous character.

The research work is quite strenuous, as we sometimes have to hike for several hours to the research sites. Accommodation is in tents, without much comfort. We will reach one of the research sites by small aeroplane, where we will stay for a few days. At least there is a simple hut with a stove so that we can warm up there in the evening and dry our damp clothes. But there is hardly a better way to experience the breathtaking landscapes and glaciers of Alaska.

The cost will be around €1,000 to €1,300 (excluding flights to Alaska).

Dechenhöhle in Iserlohn and other topics:

On individual request

If you have any further questions, please contact me by e-mail (andreas.pflitsch@rub.de).

If you are interested, please contact the respective lecturer personally and discuss the further procedure individually.

Will be announced by the lecturers.

Students should acquire basic knowledge in the field of geographic health research and deepen this knowledge using individual example topics

The seminar first introduces the basics of geographical health research and then focusses on various topics and different research areas. Exercises are also planned. The following topics will be on the programme:

•     Health and illness - between demarcation and continuum (e.g. concept of salutogenesis
•     Social and cultural determinants of health and illness
•     Social situation, environment and health: connections and contradictions
•     The importance of sense of place/place identity and a sense of home for health
•     Urban health - more than urban planning and health
•     Mobility & health: focussing on the mobility transition?
•     Nature & health
•     Soundscapes - more than just noise
•     Climate and health
•     Infectious diseases, epidemics, pandemics...
•     Flight and health
•     War conflicts and health
•     Focus on chronic diseases: Challenges and prospects
•     Water and health: from health source to wastewater
•     Health aspects in development cooperation (including water hygiene, health care, see below)
•     Health planning (outpatient, inpatient) in the traditional sense incl. exercise
•     The future of health care

Presentations are prepared and discussed by the students and accompanied by exercises

• Augustin, J., Koller, D. (Hrsg.)(2017): Geografie der Gesundheit – Die räumliche Dimension von Epidemiologie und Versorgung. Bern: Hogrefe (ehem. Huber).
• Brown, T., Andrews, G.J., Cummins, S., Greenhough, B., Lewis, D. (2018): Health geographies : a critical introduction. Wiley.
• Crooks, V.A. , Andrews, G.J., Pearce, J. (Hrsg.)(2020): Routledge Handbook of Health Geography. Routledge.
• Frumkin, H. (2003): Healthy places: exploring the evidence. American Journal of Public Health, 93 (9), 1451–1456.
• Gatrell, A.C., Elliott, S.J. (2014): Geographies of Health: An Introduction. 3. Aufl., Wiley.
• Kistemann, T., Schweikart, J., Butsch, C. (2019): Medizinische Geographie. Westermann-Verlag, Braunschweig (Das Geographische Seminar).

Further literature will be announced in the preliminary discussion and in the seminar sessions

The links between energy demand and climate change, but also between energy, prosperity and peace, are currently being spelt out in stark terms. The transition from fossil fuels to ‘renewables’ creates additional demands on land, new planning tasks, costs and social conflicts. However, continued dependence on fossil fuels is not an option for a number of reasons. Knowledge of the process structure of the ‘energy transition’, the consideration of alternative development paths as well as the knowledge and evaluation of options for action are the focus of this course.

Some of the 17 sustainability goals of the United Nations will be discussed in the course, in particular

Goal 7: Affordable and clean energy

Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth

Goal 9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure

Goal 12: Responsible consumption and production

Goal 13: Climate Action

https://sdgs.un.org/goals

Components of the energy transition, methods for generating, transmitting and storing energy, direct and indirect influences on the landscape, in particular the landscape, possibilities for avoidance and mitigation, participation procedures, acceptance problems, planning of infrastructure projects

Weekly sessions with keynote speeches and discussion

Quaschning, Volker 2020: Erneuerbare Energien und Klimaschutz. Hintergründe, Techniken und Planung, Ökonomie und Ökologie, Energiewende. 5., aktual. Aufl., München

Smil, Vaclav 2017: Energy and Civilization. A History. Cambridge, MA

Becker, Sören, Britta Klagge, Matthias Naumann 2021: Energiegeographie. Stuttgart

Etscheit, Georg (Hg.) 2016: Geopferte Landschaften. Wie die Energiewende unsere Umwelt zerstört. München

Ekart, Felix 2014: Jahrhundertaufgabe Energiewende. Ein Handbuch. Berlin

Rhodes, Richard 2018: Energy. A Human History. New York u. a.

Kühne, Olaf & Florian Weber (Hg.) 2017: Bausteine der Energiewende. Berlin, Heidelberg

Holler, Christian & Joachim Gaukel 2019: Erneuerbare Energien. Ohne heiße Luft. München

Being able to analyse spatial information in modern spatial data infrastructures is a key skill in many specialist areas. This seminar provides a sound introduction to the architecture, implementation and utilisation of spatial data infrastructures.
The course covers not only the conceptual foundations, but also the technical tools and processes required for their development and implementation. In addition, the legal framework and relevant standards will be analysed.
Special emphasis is placed on practical approaches to the development and management of spatial data infrastructures at regional, national and international level. The seminar combines theoretical principles with practical case studies and promotes the application of the content in individual projects. The aim is to prepare participants for the challenges and potential in this area and to equip them with the necessary skills for independent work with spatial data infrastructures.

The course teaches practical applications with various software solutions such as ArcGIS Online for story maps and dashboards, QGIS for geospatial web services, OpenEO and Jupyter Notebooks for processing satellite data and Docker for the provision and scaling of GIS applications.

The course is designed as a supervised, asynchronous self-study course. The course content is provided via the Moodle learning management system of the Ruhr University Bochum. Participants work on the content independently and then upload the results to the platform. The lecturers are available during the course to answer technical and content-related questions. Kick-off and finalisation will take place in person.

Will be announced in the seminar.

Students will

• have knowledge of the historical and current political developments in the Middle East and parts of the Maghreb.
• understand the causes of migration and flight in the region.
• be able to comprehend and critically engage with different positions on migration issues and the Middle East conflict based on this knowledge.
• know the interests of the EU in the tension between human rights claims and its own security needs.
• understand the impacts on the economy, politics, and society in Germany.
• be able to formulate and defend their own positions on aspects of the events.
• have the academic tools to analyze other geopolitical conflicts and migration issues in a fact-based and structured manner.

The course is divided into several blocks, one of which focuses on recent developments in the Middle East conflict (Israel-Palestine), while others complement this by addressing the backgrounds and impacts within the region (including the Maghreb) and worldwide reactions. Additionally, migration issues in North Africa will be addressed. A focus will be on the reactions and role of the EU. The question of how geopolitical developments can be analyzed runs as a cross-cutting theme throughout the course. Content includes, for example:

• Basic concepts of academic discourse (such as “conflict,” “geopolitics,” “migration,” “flight,” “asylum,” “non-refoulement principle,” “securitization,” “border protection,” “deportation,” “rejection,” “readmission,” “talent partnerships”)
• Political, economic, and social foundations of the states in the Middle East and the Maghreb
• Causes and backgrounds of flight and migration issues in North Africa
• Historical backgrounds of the Middle East conflict
• Regional and international actors in the conflict (e.g., Israeli government, settler movement, Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthi, Iran, USA, UNRWA)
• Flight and migration movements within and out of the region
• The special situation of Palestinian refugees in the international protection regime and the role of UNRWA
• Interests and policies of the EU (especially Mediterranean and neighborhood policy, migration, development, and security policy)
• Impacts on and reactions in Germany, e.g., regarding legal provisions and administrative procedures for the entry and stay of students and workers from the region, asylum procedures, deportations, and repatriations

Literature on the specific topics will be provided in preparation for the respective seminar session.

Here some recommendations for introductory readings:

• Asseburg, Muriel und Jan Busse (2024): Der Nahostkonflikt: Geschichte, Positionen, Perspektiven, München: C.H.Beck.
• Asseburg, Muriel (2021): Palästina und die Palästinenser: Eine Geschichte von der Nakba bis zur Gegenwart. München. 
• Schneider, Richard C. (2023): Die Sache mit Israel. Fünf Fragen zu einem komplizierten Land. München.
• Jünemann, Annette und Anja Zorob (Hrsg.): Arabellions. Zur Vielfalt von Protest und Revolte im Nahen Osten und Nordafrika. Wiesbaden..
• Zorob, A. (2011): Trümmerfeld Gaza: Wirtschaftliche und humanitäre Folgen von Krieg und Blockade/Scene of Devastation in Gaza: Economic and Humanitarian Impact of War and Embargo, in: Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung und Christian Sterzing (Hrsg.): Palästina und die Palästinenser. 60 Jahre nach der Nakba/Palestine and the Palestinians. 60 Years after the Nakba, Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung: 171-188.