For Geography students only: This course develops three distinct themes: territory and borders, paradiplomacy, and political geology. These concepts have seen rapid advance in recent years (Elden 2007, 2010; Dittmer 2015, 2016) and Gibraltar is a fascinating case study given its history, unique territorial configuration, and contemporary contestation. Brexit heightens the tensions around Gibraltarian territory and diplomacy, while political geology asks us to look at the politics of the peninsula at a completely different temporality.

Students will meet with Gibraltarian officials, exploring diplomacy and bordering processes so that they understand both the issues of the day and how they play out in everyday life. Students will also tour the geopolitical sites – both historical and contemporary – associated with the site that have been so crucial to the territorial composition of the site. Finally, students will conduct their own individual field research in Gibraltar. As such, the course engages students in the production of useful knowledge about an exciting place.

Students who have completed this module will be able to demonstrate:

Knowledge of the unique historical and contemporary geopolitical circumstances of Gibraltar, particularly its unique territorial configuration and its relations with the UK, EU, and Spain.
	Understanding of the conceptualization over time by geographers interested in territory, diplomacy, and environment.
	Understanding of research design and knowledge of the challenges found in deploying social science research methods in the field.
Students enrolling in this module ideally should have taken GEOG0025: Political Geography and Geopolitics.

Transferable careers skills gained from this course include: Critical thinking: ability to assess data and ideas, Communication (conveying written ideas to non-experts), adaptability: ability to work under pressure, and Qualitative research skills

Recommended reading: In preparation for the module, we advise reading the following core text. This can be found in the UCL Library:
Lambert D. (2005) ‘’As solid as the Rock’? Place, belonging and the local appropriation of imperial discourse in Gibraltar,’ Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers 30(2): 206-220.