Master Geography
Spaces, Societies, Territories
Entry requirements
Degree in geography or in social sciences (sociology, anthropology, history, political science) (180 ECTS credits)
Open to initial training (full-time)
Open to continuous training
Open to "Validation of Acquired Experience" (VAE)
Benefits of the program
The "Spaces, Societies and Territories" Master's Degree is a research Master's in critical social geography. Its uniqueness is through the relationships built between UPEC and UPEM lecturer-researchers. Our training programme transcends the traditional compartmentalization of urban and rural spaces, of North and South, and gives students the keys to reflecting on the spatial dimension of domination relationships. The focus on inequalities and on issues of power forge this Master's identity. It questions sustainable development, urban planning and development and social integration from a highly critical standpoint.
Acquired skills
M1 (1st year):
• Addressing the major questions of social geography
• Gaining an understanding of the tangible issues of public and private institutions which impact the city, rural areas, the environment, gender and discriminations
• Introduction to research, using mixed, qualitative and quantitative methodologies, associating empirical material and theories, cross-referencing scales and stakeholder reasoning
• Drafting a thesis or a placement report
• Integrating a professional structure
M2 (2nd year):
• Mastering the major questions of social geography
• Mastering the issues of public and private institutions which impact the city, rural areas, the environment, gender and discriminations
• Mastering all research processes, drafting a thesis or a placement report
• Integrating a professional structure and conducting a project there
• Being able to write a synthesis note and a scientific article in French and in English
Registration details
Admission sur dossier. Campus France (pour certains étudiants étrangers). L'examen de la candidature est effectué par une commission d'admission composée des enseignants intervenant dans la formation. La candidature se fait exclusivement en ligne et dans les périodes suivantes : première session en mai-juin et deuxième session en juillet-août.
En M1, les candidatures doivent être effectuées via https://monmaster.gouv.fr
En M2, les candidatures doivent être effectuées via https://candidatures.univ-eiffel.fr
Le master EST étant cohabilité par l'UPEM et par l'UPEC, vous pouvez candidater soit à l'UPEM soit à l'UPEC (mais pas dans les deux). Si votre candidature n’est pas acceptée à la première session (que ce soit à l’UPEC ou à l’UPEM), il est inutile de recandidater en deuxième session (y compris en changeant d’université).
Course venue
Schedule of studies
In M1, a long period of time is set aside in the second semester for the placement (three to six months) or for fieldwork and writing the research thesis. The key courses are taught in the first semester of each year. Students receive personalized methodological supervision throughout the year.
In M2, a long period of time is set aside in the second semester for the placement (three to six months) or for fieldwork and writing the research thesis. The key courses are taught in the first semester of each year. Students receive personalized methodological supervision throughout the year.
Your future career
Further studies: M2 (2nd year)
Further studies after M3 (2nd year): PhD
Career opportunities:
Higher education teacher
Researcher
Task officer with public institutions (regional authorities, ministries, intergovernmental organizations)
Project manager with NGOs, associations or design offices
Civil service executive
Professional integration
This Master's Degree leads directly to further studies in the form of a PhD and the acquired skills are also valued in a broad professional context in public and/or private businesses in the following sectors:
Research
Initial or continuing training (higher education)
Creation and implementation of public policies, regional development
Geographical information systems
Communication, media and multimedia
Social engineering
Cultural mediation
Public administration
International cooperation and NGOs
Study objectives
The SST M1 (1st year) provides a first year of training in critical social geography. In association with UPEC, it proposes research-based training on social and political approaches in geography. To validate their Master's, students must be able to:
- develop a multidisciplinary scientific culture in social sciences as regards the spatial aspect of social issues, in particular by reading the numerous works recommended by the teachers;
- create, define and problematize an original research theme of their choice, or undertake a research study during placement;
- orally present an original research thesis or a placement report which considers the approach and results of their study.
Major thematics of study
Main subject: Geography
Subsidiaries: sociology; anthropology; land use planning, environmental development; political sciences.
Study organization
Le master EST est organisé sur deux ans (M1 et M2) en un parcours unique. Une réunion de pré-rentrée suivie d'un stage de formation à l'enquête de terrain est organisée en septembre. Les cours sont concentrés au premier semestre et le second semestre permet de choisir entre un stage long (trois à six mois, validé par un rapport de stage) et un mémoire de de recherche. Les étudiants doivent valider 60 crédits ECTS en M1 et obtenir une note d'au moins 10/20 à leur mémoire de recherche ou à leur rapport de stage, qui fait l'objet d'une soutenance devant un jury de spécialistes.
Modalité d'admission en FC :
Les candidats en formation continue doivent déposer un dossier de candidature spécifique, à adresser à la responsable de formation : anne.clerval@u-pem.fr
Modalité d'admission en FI :
Le M1 de Géographie « Espaces, Sociétés, Territoires » est le débouché logique des étudiants ayant validé une licence de géographie et peut être ouvert aux étudiants d'autres disciplines proches des sciences sociales (sociologie, anthropologie, histoire, sciences politiques). Si vous avez une formation en architecture ou paysagisme, nous vous conseillons de passer par une L3 de géographie sociale avant de candidater au master. L'examen de la candidature est effectué par une commission d'admission composée des enseignants intervenant dans la formation.
Options
One of the main original aspects of this Master's Degree is that it offers students the opportunity to put together their optional pathway themselves in partner universities (Université Paris-Est, Ecole Normale Supérieure or other higher education establishments) according to their career plan and in agreement with Heads of training.
International
The internationalization of the Master's Degree is a priority for the students' training. It functions in the framework of agreements already signed by the universities concerned, but it also has cooperative partnerships with universities and French research institutes abroad (UMIFRE) in Canada, the United States, Great Britain, Brazil, Mexico, Romania, Turkey, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Vietnam, Lebanon, Egypt, Israel, etc. Students are actively encouraged to choose a placement or a research subject abroad and receive individual support with putting their project together. Researchers and lecturers from partner universities are, whenever possible, involved with the researcher mobility programmes and invited to the Master's symposia, lectures and seminars.
Major thematics of Research
The SST Master's Degree is primarily supported by the Lab'urba and ACP (comparative analysis of authorities) host teams. It is also supported by the Futurs Urbains Labex cross-cutting focus area entitled "Justice, space, discrimination, inequality" which brings together activities and research programmes in which the lecturer-researchers involved participate. Students are therefore involved with ongoing research programmes, seminars, symposia and lectures of researchers invited by the Futurs Urbains Labex (Justice, Space, Discrimination, Inequality cross-cutting group). They can be offered short-term research work and placements within this framework. The Master's Degree fits in, therefore, with the site strategy targeting innovative research on cities and towns, in association with the Paris School of Urban Planning.
Partenariats :
Partenariats avec l'Ecole normale supérieure (ENS) de Paris et avec les masters de l'Université Paris-Est.
Co-accréditation :
Le parcours EST est co-accrédité par l'UPEC et l'UPEM depuis la rentrée 2014.
Semester 1
| Courses | ECTS | CM | TD | TP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UE 1 Fundamentals in Social Geography | 20 | |||
| Spatial dimensions of societies Space is more than just a natural setting: a set of sensitive landscapes, material forms, places for living. Space is also in our minds (perceptions) and in our institutions (territories, scales, etc.). In one word, space is a dimension of the social world. It contributes to social differences and inequalities of all kinds, resulting in asymmetrical social relations (between social classes, genders, generations, etc.). It represents a source of revitalization, mobility or autonomy for some, but nothing more than constraint or house arrest for others. Not everyone participates in its production, not everyone has pleasant and rewarding places to live, no one is free to come and go anywhere. The issue is therefore to analyse the social relationships that are built in the production and appropriation of space, the way in which it is mobilised by individuals to maintain or improve their social conditions and position. Langue de l'enseignementFRANÇAIS / FRENCH | 4 | 21h | ||
| Space and politics This course presents recent research on the intersection of "space" and "politics" in a variety of ways. It underlines the richness but also the complexity of this crossover due to the many definitions of the term "politics" but also of the term "space". The goal will be to identify the spatial dimension of the political field and the different practices that characterize it (elections, participatory democracy, social movements, etc.), but also the relations of power and domination that impact social worlds without isolating the factor of space. Langue de l'enseignementFRANÇAIS / FRENCH | 4 | 21h | ||
| Social issues of the environment This course is based on a common reading of major texts and looks at social dimension of the environment. A list of these texts will be provided during the introductory course. After two lessons that put the issue into context, we will look at the ways in which the environment is mobilized by actors as a political tool for domination or protest. We will then discover a theoretical corpus questioning the notion of environment in its relation to nature and culture. Langue de l'enseignementFRANÇAIS / FRENCH | 4 | 21h | ||
| History and epistemology of geography This course focuses on geography as a scientific approach and academic discipline, a field of research on diverse objects using a variety of approaches, but also as an institution and a social field. The aim is to combine historical and epistemological approaches in order to follow firstly the construction of "human geography" and then "social geography", with its successes but also the difficulties encountered, its transformations through those of its objects and reasoning, its concepts and methods, leading to the constitution of multiple currents or contemporary orientations. Langue de l'enseignementFRANÇAIS / FRENCH | 4 | 21h | ||
| Local studies workshop The purpose of this workshop is to conduct a study in response to a commission from an organization, association or local body. Students work together in small groups to conduct a field survey on the topic, allowing them to gain initial experience with surveys. They prepare a poster and give an oral presentation in front of the sponsors. Langue de l'enseignementFRANÇAIS / FRENCH | 4 | 40h | ||
| UE 2 Methods and tools 1 | 5 | |||
| Methodology 1 The year begins with a training course in surveys before the lessons begin. This is then followed by two types of sessions. The first continues the initiation to conducting an individual survey or study in its different stages, from the choice of subject to writing a research paper or internship report. The second brings together the two classes of M1 and M2 students for presentations and group discussion of each person's project, from the choice of subject to the reflective analysis of the survey methods planned and then implemented. Langue de l'enseignementFRANÇAIS / FRENCH | 3 | 24h | ||
| Language The language course aims to enable students to read and discuss scientific articles in a foreign language. Langue de l'enseignementANGLAIS / ENGLISH | 2 | 20h | ||
| UE 3 Cross-curricular options and pre-professionalisation | 5 | |||
| Option 1 Students choose an option in a partner course (UPEM, UPEC, ENS, EHESS), in agreement with the teaching team. Langue de l'enseignementFRANÇAIS / FRENCH | 2 | 24h | ||
| Option 2 Students choose an option in a partner course (UPEM, UPEC, ENS, EHESS), in agreement with the teaching team. Langue de l'enseignementFRANÇAIS / FRENCH | 2 | 24h | ||
| Professional Accompaniment UPEM's Guidance and Professional Insertion department will provide collective support to students in looking for internships or jobs following the master's degree, preparing their CVs and recruitment interviews in order to help them find an internship and prepare their integration into the working world. Langue de l'enseignementFRANÇAIS / FRENCH | 1 | 9h |
Semester 2
| Courses | ECTS | CM | TD | TP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UE 4 Methods and tools 2 | 6 | |||
| Methodology 2 The methodology course continues, bringing together the two classes of M1 and M2 students for presentations and group discussion of each person's project, from the choice of subject to the reflective analysis of the survey methods planned and then implemented. Langue de l'enseignementFRANÇAIS / FRENCH | 3 | 24h | ||
| Graphic and cartographic representations The objectives of this course are threefold: - learning how to make a map - understanding the basics of graphic processing software for making maps, diagrams or posters - explaining reasoning using a poster Langue de l'enseignementFRANÇAIS / FRENCH | 3 | 24h | ||
| UE 5 Research paper or internship report | 24 | |||
| Research paper or internship report Most of semester 2 is devoted to each student's personal project, which takes the form either of a research paper in geography, based on a field survey in France or abroad, or of a three to six-month professional internship followed by a report whose requirements are similar to those of the research paper. Langue de l'enseignementFRANÇAIS / FRENCH | 24 |
Semester 3
| Courses | ECTS | CM | TD | TP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UE 6 Fundamentals in social geography | 20 | |||
| Space, gender and sexualities This seminar looks at issues of gender and heteronormativity, and their links with the production and practices of space. A feminist perspective makes us rethink many of the traditional approaches in geography, urban studies, mobility studies, by radically criticizing their preconceptions. On the basis of common readings, the lessons will question the scales, from the body to the global, on which spatial aspects of gender or sexuality are played out, and will pose methodological and epistemological questions of feminist geography. Langue de l'enseignementFRANÇAIS / FRENCH | 5 | 21h | ||
| Space, inequality, discrimination Space is one of the essential ingredients in the way inequality and discrimination are produced. Inequalities linked to gender, migratory origin and social positions are analysed through the role that space and its divisions (discursive or real) play in the social processes of creating representations of others. Categorizations and assignments can oscillate between symbolic violence and open violence; questioning their consensual acceptance, from a necessarily ethical perspective. Therefore, crossing spatial, social and political issues through the representations made of them allows us to analyse the legitimation carried out by the authorities. Sex, race and class involve relationships of domination that can be read in space, question alienation and, taken from the point of view of resistance and the struggle for recognition, put subjectivity back in the foreground. Langue de l'enseignementFRANÇAIS / FRENCH | 5 | 21h | ||
| The city and capitalism The reinterpretations of late capitalism transform space on different scales. This course will focus on contemporary transformations of the city, from urban production to the unequal distribution of social groups in urban space. By articulating scales we can place urban dynamics in the context of neo-liberal globalization, enlightened by theories of unequal development. We will look at urban political economy through the notions of entrepreneurial cities, peri-urbanisation, metropolisation and settlement policies. We will study the consequences of these processes on different types of cities and intra-urban spaces. Particular emphasis will be placed on the transformation of working-class neighbourhoods through the notion of gentrification. The question of relations of domination in the city will allow us to link these material transformations with those of representations and subjectivities Langue de l'enseignementFRANÇAIS / FRENCH | 5 | 21h | ||
| Critical currents in geography Following on from the History and Epistemology of Geography course in M1, this course will take the form of a seminar of scientific readings on the current critical issues in geography (mainly French and English-language, but not exclusively). We will address recently rediscovered or freshly reread thinkers such as Henri Lefebvre, contemporary critical thinking on the spatial dimension of social issues such as radical English-speaking geography, work in the line of Pierre Bourdieu, post-colonial approaches, or recent approaches to little studied or revisited issues such as the geography of the informal, social mobilizations, or new critical approaches in rural geography. The seminars will be based on presentations and discussion of the various authors by the students, especially in relation to their own research topics. Langue de l'enseignementFRANÇAIS / FRENCH | 5 | 21h | ||
| UE 7 Methods and tools 3 | 5 | |||
| Methodology 3 The two classes of M2 and M2 students will be brought together for presentations and group discussion of each person's project, from the choice of subject to the reflective analysis of the survey methods planned and then implemented. These sessions are an opportunity for each student to learn what others are doing, but also to exchange information, contacts, references, ideas, thoughts, etc., all of which enrich each other. Langue de l'enseignementFRANÇAIS / FRENCH | 3 | 15h | ||
| Written and oral scientific communication in English This course is designed to familiarize students with the English vocabulary and specific expressions used in scientific publications on geography, in order to facilitate their reading. The goal is also to prepare students to briefly present their own background, work themes and methods in English, as required for international conferences, and to summarize these points in writing. Langue de l'enseignementANGLAIS / ENGLISH | 2 | 14h | ||
| UE 8 Cross-curricular options and pre-professionalisation | 5 | |||
| Option 1 Students choose an option in a partner course (UPEM, UPEC, ENS, EHESS), in agreement with the teaching team. Those who join the Master's degree in M2 must take their option in the UE1 of M1. Langue de l'enseignementFRANÇAIS / FRENCH | 2 | 24h | ||
| Option 2 Students choose an option in a partner course (UPEM, UPEC, ENS, EHESS), in agreement with the teaching team. Those who join the Master's degree in M2 must take their option in the UE1 of M1. Langue de l'enseignementFRANÇAIS / FRENCH | 2 | 24h | ||
| Professional Accompaniment UPEM's Guidance and Professional Insertion department will provide collective support to students in looking for internships or jobs following the master's degree, preparing their CVs and recruitment interviews in order to help them find an internship and prepare their integration into the working world. Langue de l'enseignementFRANÇAIS / FRENCH | 1 | 6h |
Semester 4
| Courses | ECTS | CM | TD | TP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UE 9 Methods and tools 4 | 6 | |||
| Methodology 4 The methodology course continues, bringing together the two classes of M1 and M2 students for presentations and group discussion of each person's project, from the choice of subject to the reflective analysis of the survey methods planned and then implemented. Langue de l'enseignementFRANÇAIS / FRENCH | 3 | 24h | ||
| Advanced Cartography The objective of this course is to perfect the students' cartographic skills, in connection with their personal project. Langue de l'enseignementFRANÇAIS / FRENCH | 3 | 15h | ||
| UE 10 Research paper or internship report | 24 | |||
| Research paper or internship report Most of semester 4 is devoted to each student's personal project, which takes the form either of a research paper in geography, based on a field survey in France or abroad, or of a three to six-month professional internship followed by a report whose requirements are similar to those of the research paper. Langue de l'enseignementFRANÇAIS / FRENCH | 24 |
CLERVAL Anne
Coordinator of the degree programCLERVAL Anne (M1-M2)
Academic coordinatorLEVY Stephanie (M1-M2)
Academic secretaryMaster (en) Geography
M1-M2Spaces, Societies, Territories
Summary
- Degree
- Master (en)
- Field(s)
- Sciences Humaines et Sociales
- Thematics of study
- Geography
- How to apply
- Initial Education / Continuing Education / Recognition of prior learning
- Course venue
- Departments and Institutes
- UFR Sciences Humaines et Sociales (SHS)
Une formation de
