Prerequisits:

Completed second-cycle Bologna degree or a university degree of level VII.

Content (Syllabus outline):

The course covers theories, methods, and research approaches in cultural geography as a branch of human geography that studies the spatial dimension of cultural phenomena. The emphasis is on two complementary dimensions of the concept of culture:

1. Culture as a way of life – spatially located patterns of everyday practices, habits, values, and beliefs that shape community identities and their connections to place. This includes cultural landscapes, regional identities, spatial dynamics of population, migration, and the influence of social, economic and environmental factors on cultural patterns.
2. Culture as an expression of human creativity – artistic, social, and economic creation and its spatial impacts. This includes the role of creative and cultural industries, cultural heritage, artistic practices, and cultural events in shaping innovation, economic development, and the transformation of urban and rural areas.

Temeljni literatura in viri 

• Stachowiak, K., Janta, H., Kozina, J., Sunngren-Granlund, T. (eds.) (2024). Film and Place in an Intercultural Perspective: India-Europe Film Connections. London and New York: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003293347
• Zupančič, J. (2024). Kulturna geografija: raznolikost svetovnega prebivalstva in kulturnih pokrajin [Cultural geography: diversity of the world’s population and cultural landscapes]. Ljubljana: Založba Univerze v Ljubljani.
• Chapain, C., Stryjakiewicz, T. (eds.) (2017). Creative Industries in Europe: Drivers of New Sectoral and Spatial Dynamics. Cham: Springer International Publishing AG. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56497-5
• Murzyn-Kupisz, M., Działek, J. (eds.) (2017). The Impact of Artists on Contemporary Urban Development in Europe. Cham: Springer International Publishing AG. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-53217-2
• Anderson, J. (2015). Understanding Cultural Geography: Places and Traces. Abingdon: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315819945
• Dragićević, V., Bole, D., Bučić, A., Prodanović, A. (2015). European Capital of Culture: Residents’ Perception of Social Benefits and Costs – Maribor 2012 Case Study. Acta Geographica Slovenica, 55(2), 283–302. https://doi.org/10.3986/AGS.747
• Lorentzen, A., van Heur, B. (eds.) (2013). Cultural Political Economy of Small Cities. Abingdon: Routledge.
• Phillips, R., Johns, J. (2012). Fieldwork for Human Geography. London: SAGE.
• Bufon, M. (2012). Združeni v različnosti: oris evropskega družbenega prostora [United in Diversity: Outline of the European social space]. Koper: Univerzitetna založba Annales.
• Bole D. (2008). Cultural Industry as a Result of New City Tertiarization. Acta Geographica Slovenica, 48(2), 255–276. https://doi.org/10.3986/AGS48202

Objectives and competences:

The course introduces students to an in-depth understanding of the relationship between space and culture, both as a way of life for communities and as an expression of human creativity. The aim is to develop the ability to critically analyse the spatial dimensions of cultural phenomena and their effects on development, identity, and social cohesion. Students learn to apply theoretical concepts and methods of cultural geography to the study of specific spatial problems.

Throughout their studies, they develop general competences such as critical thinking, interdisciplinary integration of social sciences and humanities, and independent research work. In doing so, they strengthen their understanding of cultural diversity and intercultural contacts in different spatial and social contexts and train themselves in acquiring and evaluating knowledge from various sources.

Subject-specific competences include knowledge of concepts, theories, and methods of cultural geography, the ability to analyse spatial cultural patterns, and the use of fieldwork, spatial analysis, and qualitative research. Students are able to link empirical findings to the formulation of cultural and spatial policies and assess the impact of cultural activities on development and quality of life.

Intended learning outcomes:

After successfully completing the course, students will be familiar with and understand the main theoretical approaches to culture as a way of life and as a form of creative expression, and will be able to explain the spatial dimension of cultural phenomena. They understand the role of cultural geography in analysing social, economic, and political processes and are able to critically assess existing models and approaches.

They are able to apply cultural geography methods in case studies, including fieldwork, cultural landscape analysis, and interpretation of spatial data. They are able to link theoretical concepts with empirical findings and propose solutions to challenges related to cultural policies, creative industries, and heritage.

Learning and teaching methods:

Types of learning/teaching:

• Frontal teaching
• Independent students work
• e-learning

Teaching methods:

• Conversation/discussion/debate
• Work with texts
• Case studies
• Field work (e.g. company visits)

Assessment:

• Long written assignments (80 %)
• Final examination (written/oral) (20 %)

Lecturer’s references:

• Kozina, J., Clifton, N., Bole, D. (2025). People or place? Towards a system of holistic locational values for creative workers. Cultural Trends, 34(1), 83-104. https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09548963.2024.2304851
• Kozina, J., Stachowiak S., Ciglič, R., Gašperič, P., Urbanc, M. (2024) European screen locations in the Indian film industry: evolutionary, spatial, and collaborative perspectives. GeoJournal, 89: 155. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10708-024-11149-9
• Bole, D., Kumer, P., Gašperič,P., Kozina, J., Pipan, P., Tiran, J. (2022). Clash of Two Identities: What Happens to Industrial Identity in a Post-Industrial Society? Societies, 12(2): 49. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc12020049
• Kozina, J. (2022). Prostorski vidiki financiranja kulture iz javnih sredstev v Sloveniji [Spatial aspects of financing culture from public funds of the Republic of Slovenia]. Geografski vestnik, 94(1): 9-30. https://doi.org/10.3986/GV94101
• Kozina, J., Bole, D., Tiran, J. (2021). Forgotten values of industrial city still alive: what can the creative city learn from its industrial counterpart? City, Culture and Society, 25: 100395. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ccs.2021.100395
• Kozina, J., Clifton, N. (2019). City-region or urban-rural framework: what matters more in understanding the residential location of the creative class? Acta Geographica Slovenica, 59(1), 127-143. https://doi.org/10.3986/AGS.5137