Postgraduate Course: Globalization (SCIL11016)
Course Outline
| School | School of Social and Political Science |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Course type | Standard |
Availability | Available to all students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Credits | 20 |
| Home subject area | Sociology |
Other subject area | None |
| Course website |
None |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
| Course description | This course enables students to engage with globalization as a complex concept. The aim is to develop an understanding of the multiple ways of making sense of what we mean when we talk about it generally, but also to enable students to engage with a variety of perspectives. To achieve this, the course uses an interdisciplinary approach drawing on ideas from political science, economics, mass-communication studies, international relations and sociology. In order to properly appraise and critique the varying debates and perspectives it is crucial to understand the basic premises of these multiple approaches. A sociological framework however is used to integrate them into a discussion that aims to connect the different foci of analysis that may otherwise be seen as more closely associated with particular disciplinary perspectives. Such an approach allows to integrate discussions focusing on individuals, culture, states and systems as respective actors and structures. |
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus? | No |
Course Delivery Information
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| Delivery period: 2013/14 Semester 1, Available to all students (SV1)
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Learn enabled: No |
Quota: 55 |
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Web Timetable |
Web Timetable |
| Course Start Date |
16/09/2013 |
| Breakdown of Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 20,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 10,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
166 )
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| Additional Notes |
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| Breakdown of Assessment Methods (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| No Exam Information |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
1. An understanding of the main theories of globalization and of the concept thereof.
2. An understanding of the specific concepts with which each theory of globalization operates, of the differences and similarities between them, and of the analytical possibilities offered by them.
3. An understanding of the key economic processes that are claimed to be underlying contemporary globalization.
4. An appreciation for the role of the nation state vis-à-vis other relevant actors shaping globalization processes.
5. A critical assessment of changes in the constitution of key economic drivers through the role of financial capital compared to production capital.
6. An understanding of the processes leading to the financial crisis of 2008.
7. The ability to engage with dominant discourses about effects of globalization as well as counter-trends and criticisms of those dominant positions relating to the following topics
a. Global communication networks
b. Local and global stratification
c. Migration
d. Cultural change and dominance
e. Political action
8. An appreciation for the role of theoretical considerations as well as empirical evidence (qualitative and quantitative) to discuss the topics outlined above. |
Assessment Information
| One short essay (1,000 words, 25% of the total mark) and one long essay (3,500 words, 75% of the total mark) |
Special Arrangements
| None |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
Globalization is a set of economic, political, and social phenomena affecting contemporary societies in crucial ways. Actually, our very understanding of society is being influenced by these phenomena. Since the early 1990s, after the fall of the Iron curtain, sociologists have devoted increased attention to the impact of globalization not only on developed societies, but also on developing ones. During the globalization process, the role of trans- and international institutions has been profoundly modified, with consequences which are still not entirely foreseeable. What is more, the role and structure of social formations such as classes, groups and networks have undergone important transformations. Sociological courses on globalization have become common in many, if not a majority of the internationally known departments of sociology. Globalization is now an established area of investigation for sociology. Such a course should be a key component of an MSc programme on Global and International sociology. The course proposed here identifies, presents, and analyzes fundamental dimensions of globalization, taking into account the most actual research. It presents and discusses the main conceptual approaches in the study of globalization, while taking into account the latest empirical research. The main dimensions investigated here are: economic globalization; political globalization; the rise of transnational institutions; the rise of transnational networks and groups; cultural globalization; conflicts and transnational migrations. Although primarily targeting students enrolled on the MSc programme in Global and International Sociology, the course will be relevant to students from Politics and Social Anthropology, or Human Geography as well. |
| Syllabus |
1. Introduction: what is globalization?
2. Theories of Globalization: from World Systems to the Contemporary Global Economy
3. Globalization in Historical Perspective: the Present Wave
4. Economic Globalization: States, Corporations, and Transnational Governance
5. Transnational Groups, Networks, and Communities: the Transformation of Social Classes and Groups
6. Civil Society and Transnational Movements
7. Political Globalization: Transnational Institutions and the State
8. Social Conflicts in the Era of Globalization
9. Culture and Globalization: the Emergence of Global Consumption Patterns
10. Gender, Ethnicity, and Globalization
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| Transferable skills |
Not entered |
| Reading list |
Bronfenbrenner, Kate. 2007. Global Unions. Challenging Transnational Capital Through Cross-Border Campaigns. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.
Cowen, Tyler. 2002. Creative Destruction. How Globalization Is Changing the World's Cultures. Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press.
Harvey, David. 2006. Spaces of Global Capitalism. Toward a Theory of Uneven Geographical Development. London: Verso.
Hironaka, Ann. 2008. Neverending War. The International Community, Weak States, and the Perpetuation of Civil War. Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press.
Jensen, Nathan. 2006. Nation-States and the Multnational Corporation. Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press.
Kreiger, Joel (ed.) 2006. Globalization and State Power: A Reader. New York: Routledge.
Osterhammel, Juergen and Nils Petersson. 2005. Globalization. A Short History. Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press.
Pieterse, Jan Niederveen. 2009. Globalization and Culture. The Global Mélange. Lanham MD: Rowman and Littlefield.
Sassen, Saskia. 2001. The Global City. New York, London, Tokyo. Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press.
Sassen, Saskia. 2008. Territory, Authority, Rights. From Medieval to Global Assemblages. Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press.
Stiglitz, Joseph E. 2003. Globalization and Its Discontents. New York: W.W. Norton.
Wallerstein, Immanuel. 2004. World Systems Analysis. An Introduction. Durham NC: Duke University Press.
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| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Mr Jan Eichhorn
Tel: (0131 6)50 2921
Email: Jan.Eichhorn@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Jade Birkin
Tel: (0131 6)51 1569
Email: Jade.Birkin@ed.ac.uk |
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