Module overview
This module will problematize the concept of globalisation and explore and develop an understanding of its meaning in economic, political and cultural terms.
Aims and Objectives
Learning Outcomes
Transferable and Generic Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- deliver an oral presentation on an academic, policy and political theme
- develop a theoretical/ conceptual argument about contemporary political /economic issues
- write an analytical essay about issues in globalization, capitalism and imperialism
- think critically about major social science issues
- marshal empirical material drawn from case studies to support your conceptual/theoretical argumentation
Knowledge and Understanding
Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
- case studies of globalization drawn from European and non-European contexts
- the workings of leading multi-lateral agencies (World Bank, IMF, WTO, etc.) Non- Governmental Organizations (NGO’s),
- the emergence of the US as the hegemonic world power
- academic, policy and political debates about globalization
- the relation between the nation-state and corporations in the contemporary era
- capitalism and imperialism in the present epoch
- major academic, policy and political debates about and within the anti-globalization movements
Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- apply theoretical/ conceptual frameworks about capitalism, imperialism and globalization to case studies
- analyse academic, policy and political debates about the causes and manifestations of globalization
- critically evaluate academic, policy and political writings in the social sciences
Subject Specific Practical Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- participate in academic and political discussions about globalization and leading contemporary political and economic issues
- understand and participate in arguments about world trade, the WTO, the role of the nation-state in the current era, the relationship between corporations and the nation- state
- analyse case studies in world trade, fair trade, globalization, anti-globalization movements
- think critically about globalization debates and anti-globalization movements
- write critically about the above topics
- analyse and understand benchmark changes in the world economic order post World War 2
Syllabus
This module analyses meanings, causes and effects of globalisation through an examination of the concentration of financial, economic, political and cultural power. We will study historical ruptures in international economic frameworks and investigate ways that globalisation has affected women and men of different class, racial and ethnic backgrounds in different countries. After surveying the macro- theory, history and effects of globalisation we will analyse case studies from Spain, France, Germany and Latin America. Working in teams, students will conduct research on a selected aspect of globalisation, and will present their research findings in a joint seminar and individual essays.
Learning and Teaching
Teaching and learning methods
Teaching methods include
- lectures, videos
- seminars
- small group discussions
- class debates
Learning activities include
- team research projects and oral presentations
- team discussion and class debates on selected topics
- individual research papers
Innovative or special features of this module
- team research projects
- team oral presentations
Type | Hours |
---|---|
Follow-up work | 4 |
Completion of assessment task | 40 |
Seminar | 12 |
Revision | 40 |
Wider reading or practice | 40 |
Lecture | 12 |
Preparation for scheduled sessions | 2 |
Total study time | 150 |
Resources & Reading list
Textbooks
Noreena Hertz (2001). The Silent Takeover: Global Capitalism and the Death of Democracy. Heinemann.
Munck (2007). Globalisation and contestation. Routledge.
Naomi Klein (2000). No Logo. London: Flamingo.
Joseph Stiglitz (2006). Making Globalisation work Globalization and its Discontents. London: Allen Lane.
Martin Wolf (2004). Why Globalisation works. Yale University Press.
Assessment
Assessment strategy
Assessments designed to provide informal, on-module feedback
student- led class discussions on selected topics
group Pp to accompany oral presentations
Summative
Summative assessment description
Method | Percentage contribution |
---|---|
Essay | 45% |
Essay | 45% |
Presentation | 10% |
Referral
Referral assessment description
Method | Percentage contribution |
---|---|
Coursework | 100% |
Repeat Information
Repeat type: Internal & External