Lesson 02: Critical Frameworks

Imperialist Geopolitics

As you read Toal's Introduction to Part One that discusses "Imperialist Geopolitics" do some critical thinking and ask yourself:

  • Why would geopolitics have been of such interest to imperialist thinkers and statesmen in the 18th - 20th Centuries?
     
  • Can you see links between the writings of academic geopolitical thinkers and the ultimate policies pursued by states in this era?
     
  • The author identifies the United States as an imperialist power of the era. Do you agree with that characterization? Would US statesmen and scholars have seen themselves as imperialists? Why do the authors lump the US with the European imperial powers? How do the viewpoints of the American writers cited compare to those of the Europeans?

Reading

Read Toal's Introduction to Part One that discusses "Imperialist Geopolitics" in The Geopolitics Reader 2nd edition. (Pages 17-33)

Mini Quiz

After reading Toal's Introduction to Part One that discusses "Imperialist Geopolitics" you will need to take the "Imperialist Geopolitics" mini quiz before proceeding. The mini quiz will not count toward your grade but you must correctly answer all five questions on the mini quiz to gain access to the mini quiz for part 9 of this lesson.

Notes:

  • You may take the mini quiz as many times as you would like.
  • If you receive a "Access Denied" message after clicking on the mini quiz link above you will need to close all browser windows, log back into ANGEL, and enter Geography 882 to take the mini quiz.
  • If you are asked for a password for the "Imperialist Geopolitics" mini quiz you need to go back and complete the "Geopolitics and Discourse" mini quiz in part 7 with a score of 100%. Scoring 100% on that quiz will automatically unlock the "Imperialist Geopolitics" mini quiz for you.