Social and Cultural Geography

Paper Code: 
DGEO 801
Credits: 
4
Contact Hours: 
60.00
Max. Marks: 
100.00
Objective: 

The objective of this paper is to enhance the understanding of society and culture using key concepts of geography.

12.00
Unit I: 
Unit I
  • Definition, nature and scope of Social and Cultural Geography.
  • Evolution of human beings and society from Pleistocene period to modern period beginning from Africa.
  • Introduction to Biological evolution of humans.
  • Major Geographic evolution- Africa to India.
  • Rise and dominance of Homo sapiens and their distribution on the earth’s surface.

 

12.00
Unit II: 
Unit II
  • Beginning of plant domestication, animal domestication and their regions.
  • Evolution of civilization:  Indus- Saraswati, Mesopotamian, Nile and Hwang Ho with respect to racial, ethnic, religious, linguistic, demographic and organizational characteristics.

 

12.00
Unit III: 
Unit III
  • School of cultural determinism, cultural adaptation, assimilation, integration diffusion and Environmental perception.
  • Major cultural hearths, realms, and regions of the world, basic similarities and differences.

 

12.00
Unit IV: 
Unit IV
  • Major linguistic families and their distribution in the world.
  • Bases of cultural diversity: race, religion, language and nationalism, culture and environment.

 

12.00
Unit V: 
Unit V
  • Human settlements: Origin, types, pattern and distribution, westernization, sanskritization and cultural urbanization and cosmopolitization.
  • Emerging Issues and Trends in Social Geography: Social Geographies of Inclusion and Exclusion, Slums, Communal Conflicts and Crime
  • Concept of Social Well-Being,  Well-being and Gross National Happiness, Quality of Life, Human Development Index, Issues of Health, Education and Gender, Policy and Planning of Social Development in India

 

Essential Readings: 
  • Anderson. J.2009: Understanding Cultural Geography- Places and traces. Routledge, USA.
  • Anderson, K, Domosh, M., Pile, S. and Thrift, N.  2003: Handbook of Cultural Geography, Sage Publication, London.
  • Ahmad, Aijazuddin, 1999: Social Geography, Rawat Publication, New Delhi.
  • Mitchell, D.2000: Cultural Geography: A Critical Introduction. Blackwell Publishers, Inc. USA.
  • Norton, W. 2006: Cultural Geography: Environments, Landscapes, Identities, Inequalities, Oxford University Press, Toronto.
  • Haq, Mahbubul: Reflection on Human Development, Oxford University Press, New Delhi.
  • Dubey, S.C. 1991: Indian Society. National Book Trust, New Delhi.

 

 

References: 
  • Cox, Peter. R, 1976 : Demography, Cambridge University Press.
  • Knox, Paul. L, 1975: Social Well Being, A Spatial Perspective, Oxford University Press.
  • Ahmad, Aizaddudin, Noin. D, Sharma, H.N, 1997: Demographic Transition: The Third World         Scenario, Rawat Publications.

 

Academic Year: 
2023-2024