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DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2024/2025

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Social and Political Science : Sociology

Undergraduate Course: Globalization (SCIL10067)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Social and Political Science CollegeCollege of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) AvailabilityAvailable to all students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryThis course critically examines the subject of globalisation from a sociological perspective. Globalisation is a vast topic, and no one course can cover all its aspects. This course aims to give the student grounding in the most fundamental aspects of globalisation, with exploration of selected substantive topics ('case studies') to help root the general in the particular. We examine the concept itself, the central themes of changing communications, social networks, and experiences of space and time, and the major economic, political and ideological dimensions of globalisation. The view taken in this course is that, while there have been distinctive social changes associated with globalisation in recent decades, to understand this process we need to regularly relocate it in a long-term historical perspective. Globalisation has been happening for centuries, and to understand current processes of globalisation, we need to relate them to a deeper history of globalisation. We also need to be careful about talking of globalisation as if it were one thing. In fact this very broad term encompasses an array of different social processes that need to be distinguished in order to be better understood.
Course description This course is taught by the convenor, with several guest lectures on case studies from topical specialists. The general view taken in this course is that, while there have been distinctive social changes associated with globalisation in recent decades, to understand this process we need to regularly relocate it in a long-term historical perspective. Globalisation has been happening for centuries, and to understand current processes of globalisation, we need to relate them to a deeper history of globalisation. We also need to be careful about talking of globalisation as if it were one thing. In fact, this very broad term encompasses an array of different social processes that need to be distinguished in order to be better understood.

Although they vary from year to year, typical lecture headings include:
1. Introduction: conceptualising globalisation critically
2. 'Communications', 'networks' and 'space/time compression'
3. Case Study: Global production and China as world factory
4. Economic processes: trade, markets, capitalism
5. Case Study: Financialisation of the economy
6. Political processes: states, nations, empires, colonialism and hegemons
7. Case Study: Globalisation and social/political movements
8. Cultural consumption and globalisation
9. Case Study: 'Neoliberalism' as a world ideological movement
10. Changing our global energy system

There are no set texts for the whole course, but good places to start reading on the topic include:

Crouch, C. (2019) The Globalization Backlash. Cambridge, Polity, 2019.
Darian-Smith, E., & McCarty, P. C. (2017). The global turn: Theories, research designs, and methods for global studies. University of California Press.
Eriksen, T. H. (2014) Gobalization: the key concepts. 2nd ed. Bloomsbury Academic
Held, D. and McGrew, A. (eds) (2003) The Global Transformations Reader, 2nd ed, Polity.
Martell, L. (2010) The sociology of globalization, Polity.
Michie, J. (2017). Advanced Introduction to Globalisation. Elgar.
O¿Byrne, D. J. and Hensby, A. (2011) Theorizing Global Studies. Basingstoke: Palgrave.
Osterhammel, J. and Niels P. P. (2003) Globalization: A Short History, Princeton UP.
Ritzer, G., (ed.) (2008) The Blackwell Companion to Globalization, Blackwell.
Scholte, J. A. (2005) Globalization: a critical introduction. 2nd edition, Palgrave.
Steger, M. B. and James, P. (2019) Globalization Matters: Engaging the Global in Unsettled Times. Cambridge: CUP.
Therborn, G. (2011) The World: A Beginner¿s Guide, Cambridge: Polity.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesVisiting students should have at least 2 social science courses (such as Sociology, Politics, Social Policy, Social Anthropology, etc) at grade B or above. We will only consider University/College level courses
High Demand Course? Yes
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2024/25, Available to all students (SV1) Quota:  49
Course Start Semester 1
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 200 ( Lecture Hours 10, Seminar/Tutorial Hours 10, Summative Assessment Hours 1, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 175 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) 30% short essay (1500 words)
70% long essay (3500 words)
Feedback Students will be given the opportunity to share their essay plans for formative feedback.
No Exam Information
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Demonstrate a clear grasp of the concept of globalisation and contending definitions of it
  2. Appreciate of the importance of historical perspective for a sociological understanding globalisation
  3. Grasp the importance of key concepts of 'communication' and 'social networks' for the study of globalisation
  4. Know how to distinguish between economic, political and ideological dimensions of globalisation, and articulate an analytic understanding of how they interact
  5. Write an independently researched essay on a globalisation related topic
Reading List
None
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Not entered
KeywordsNot entered
Contacts
Course organiserDr Angelica Thumala
Tel: (0131 6)50 6631
Email: Angelica.Thumala@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMs Agata Lebiedzinska
Tel: (01316) 515197
Email: alebiedz@ed.ac.uk
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