Introduction to Geopolitics
Introduction to the contemporary study of geopolitics, examining main concepts, research themes, and the formation of geopolitical images of the world and their political impact.
Summary
Past student reviews · Robert Kaiser
Students reported two exams, two papers, and discussion posts. Grading was described as not too harsh, with study guides provided for exams and paper prompts that outlined expectations.
What you’ll be able to do
Define and distinguish between traditional and critical approaches to geopolitics.
Discuss the main elements of the geopolitical imagination that shape our understanding of the world and our place in it.
Describe, provide examples of, and critically analyze the formal, practical, and popular geopolitics that interact to produce our geopolitical understandings of the world.
Trace the continuities and discontinuities of United States geopolitics across imperial, cold war, post-cold war, and post-9/11 eras.
Situate course themes in the larger contemporary critical geopolitics literature.
Source: UW Guide
Grade history
↗All recorded terms · compare terms & instructors
Prerequisites
Course mapSophomore standing
- Sophomore standing
This is a best-effort interpretation; check the catalog requirements above.
Prerequisite text tree
- Sophomore standing
Professors
Spring 2027No instructors recorded for this selection.
Historical instructors & teaching patterns
ROBERT KAISER is recorded teaching in Fall 2006, Spring 2008, Fall 2008, Fall 2009, Spring 2011, Spring 2012, Spring 2014, Fall 2014, Spring 2016, Spring 2017, Spring 2018, Fall 2018, Spring 2019, Fall 2020, Fall 2021, Spring 2022. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.
Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.
Calendar & sections
Spring 2027Schedule loads here as you scroll.
| Section | Mode | Enrolled / capacity | Waitlist |
|---|
Times are Central. Select a meeting for details; export includes recorded dates for the selected sections.
Meeting source records
No records available.
Student experience
the class
Past student reviews · Robert Kaiser
This political geography course covers field history and current global issues, often incorporating movies and speeches. Historical reviews describe the material as interesting but sometimes repetitive.
Recent recorded grades — Fall 2020: 3.74 GPA, 82.5% A/AB (n=40 letter grades); Fall 2021: 3.75 GPA, 83.3% A/AB (n=30 letter grades); Spring 2022: 3.74 GPA, 95.7% A/AB (n=23 letter grades).
difficulty & workload
Past student reviews · Robert Kaiser
Students reported two exams, two papers, and discussion posts. Grading was described as not too harsh, with study guides provided for exams and paper prompts that outlined expectations.
Past student reviews · Robert Kaiser
Some students found lectures tedious and the material repetitive, feeling the content could have been condensed. Others found the class engaging and enjoyable.
Topics
- Main concepts and research themes in geopolitics
- Formation and impact of geopolitical images of the world
- US geopolitics across imperial, Cold War, post-Cold War, and post-9/11 eras
- Contemporary critical geopolitics literature
Skills
- Distinguish between traditional and critical approaches to geopolitics.
- Discuss elements of the geopolitical imagination shaping global understanding.
- Critically analyze formal, practical, and popular geopolitics.
- Trace US geopolitical shifts across historical eras.
Grades
Latest available · Spring 2022— not enough history to project Spring 2027.
Grade distribution · % of letter grades
Grades over time
Through Spring 2022
More grade details Grade mix, volume & source data
Not enough comparable courses for Spring 2027 in UW–Madison.
Sources & history
Catalog & offerings
Descriptions, prerequisites, and recorded course offerings.
Catalog observation history
Observations at scan time; dates do not imply when a catalog change took effect.
Selected offering source records
No offering records for the selected term.
Raw records
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Student reviews
Original comments behind the course and instructor summaries.
Read original reviews
Grade history
Recorded grade distributions by term, section, and instructor.
Explore recorded gradesRecorded 2026-10-14
Model outputs & technical records
LLM outputs across runs
Full model traces
Recorded model configuration, reasoning, and tool conversations.
Model & dataset provenance
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