LANDSCAPE ANALYSIS

Module SOCIO-GEOGRAPHICAL LANDSCAPE ANALYSIS

The course aims to provide students with the theoretical and methodological skills and knowledge necessary to investigate the social, perceptual, and symbolic dimensions of landscape, understood in its complex articulations and diverse expressions. The objective is to develop the ability to critically read and interpret the processes that shape landscapes in relation to the communities that inhabit or pass through them across different territorial contexts, from urban to rural areas. Students will acquire competencies in analysing the socio-economic and cultural components of the landscape and in identifying intervention methods that support its planning, management, and protection, taking into account its social and symbolic-perceptive dimensions.

Students will be able to read, analyse, and evaluate both the natural and human-made components of the landscape and their connections with economic sectors (agriculture, industry, tourism), territorial processes (urbanisation), and environmental phenomena. They will learn to collect, process, and interpret both quantitative and qualitative data, and to organise and systematically elaborate them within the framework of local territorial systems.

1. Knowledge and understanding

By the end of the course, students will have acquired theoretical and methodological knowledge concerning the socio-geographical analysis of landscape, with particular reference to its social, perceptual, symbolic, cultural and economic dimensions. They will be able to understand the relationships between natural and anthropogenic components, territorial processes, and socio-economic and environmental dynamics in different territorial contexts, ranging from urban to rural areas.

2. Applying knowledge and understanding

Students will be able to apply concepts, methods and tools of socio-geographical analysis to the study of landscapes and local territorial systems. They will be able to collect, organise, process and interpret quantitative and qualitative data, integrating different sources and methodologies to analyse landscape transformation processes and identify possible strategies for landscape planning, management and protection that take into account its social, cultural and symbolic-perceptual dimensions.

3. Making judgements

Students will be able to formulate critical and independent assessments of landscape construction and transformation processes, recognising the plurality of interests, perceptions and values expressed by the communities that inhabit or move through a given landscape. They will be able to critically interpret data, phenomena and territorial dynamics, assessing the socio-economic, cultural and environmental implications of landscape transformations and alternative intervention strategies.

4. Communication skills

Students will be able to communicate and discuss the results of socio-geographical landscape analyses clearly, rigorously and appropriately, using disciplinary terminology and suitable tools for the representation and communication of data. They will also be able to present and critically discuss interpretations and proposals concerning landscape planning, management and protection, addressing both specialist and non-specialist audiences.

5. Learning skills

Students will develop learning skills enabling them to independently pursue further study of landscape-related issues and territorial processes. They will be able to identify and critically use bibliographic, documentary and statistical sources, update their theoretical and methodological knowledge, and independently integrate different approaches and analytical tools in the study of territorial systems and their transformations.

To ensure equal opportunities and in compliance with current laws, students may request a personal interview in order to plan any compensatory and/or dispensatory measures based on educational objectives and specific needs. Students can also contact the CInAP (Centro per l’integrazione Attiva e Partecipata — Servizi per le Disabilità e/o DSA) through the referring professor within the department, (https://www.cinap.unict.it/content/referenti)

In detail, in the first theory-based module, students will gain knowledge of the conceptual evolution of landscape, its polysemic nature, and the values it has acquired in both scientific debates and within the framework of the European Landscape Convention.

The key stages of its recent evolution will also be studied, in dialogue with transnational themes and strategies (Agenda 2030 and sustainable development; UNESCO Conventions and protected areas; the Faro Convention and the landscape as heritage), as well as European and Italian regulatory frameworks.

The second part of the course will focus on acquiring methodologies, tools, and qualitative-quantitative techniques for analyzing the socio-geographic dimensions of the landscape, considering both its tangible and intangible components. This will be explored through applied case studies, working groups, and classroom exercises, complemented by fieldwork and the use of GIS.

A particular emphasis will be placed on acquiring methodologies for analysing and interpreting perceptions, value attributions, and possible conflicts among different actors and functions assigned to landscapes by communities. These will be approached through methods and techniques from socio-territorial sciences, serving as a foundation for developing competencies in participatory landscape design (interviews, focus groups, ethnographies and visual methods, community mapping, qualitative GIS, etc.).

The final part will focus on collaboratively developing the theoretical and methodological framework needed for the preparation of the final project, which will be subject to evaluation.

Textbook n. 1. Castiglioni B., Paesaggio e Società, Carocci, Roma, 2022 (extracts)

Textbook n 2. Castiglioni B., De Marchi M., Di chi è il Paesaggio, 2009, retrievable from  https://dichieilpaesaggio.wordpress.com 

Scientific papers and reports will be provided during the course and retrievable from the learning official platforms.

The examination consists of the presentation of a project-based assignment concerning a landscape context identified by the instructor at the beginning of the course, together with an individual oral examination aimed at assessing the integration of the theoretical knowledge acquired during the course.

1) Attending students

Students attending the course will be divided into working groups and will have the opportunity to define and develop the project assignment during classroom and field-based activities. The project will be presented collectively as part of a final assessment, while the theoretical component will be assessed through an individual oral examination held during the official examination session.

The final grade will consist of: a common grade for the project as a whole, awarded to all members of the team (maximum 22 points); an individual bonus, based on the student's oral presentation skills demonstrated during the collective project presentation (maximum 3 points); the score obtained in the oral examination on the theoretical component (maximum 5 points, with the possibility of honours [30 cum laude]).

2) Students not attending the course

Students who do not attend the course are requested to contact the instructor at the beginning of the course in order to identify and define the landscape context on which the project assignment will be developed. Detailed guidelines and preparatory materials will be provided to support the development of the project. The project will be presented individually during the official examination session, together with the oral examination covering the theoretical component.

For non-attending students, the assessment will consist of: a score for the project presentation (maximum 25 points); a score for the oral examination on the theoretical component (maximum 5 points, with the possibility of honours [30 cum laude]).