GV4A4     
The Politics of Globalization

This information is for the 2014/15 session.

Teacher responsible

Dr Mathias Koenig-Archibugi and Dr David Rampton

Availability

This course is compulsory on the MSc in Global Politics and MSc in Global Politics (Global Civil Society). This course is available with permission as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit.

Students on the MSc Global Politics are guaranteed access.

Course content

This is the core course of the MSc Global Politics. It examines the nature, the causes and the political consequences of globalization in a variety of domains, including security, culture, the economy, and the environment.  The course aims at enabling students to assess the extent of continuity and transformation in key areas of global politics.

The course content will cover the following topics though specific lecture titles may change from year to year: the contemporary debate about globalisation; changes in the nature of military power and war; the evolution of global economic governance; the globalization of migration and environmental concerns; the role of global intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations; the nature of US power in the contemporary global order; and core issues of global ethics, citizenship and governance.

Teaching

10 hours of lectures and 15 hours of seminars in the MT. 10 hours of lectures and 15 hours of seminars in the LT. 3 hours of seminars in the ST.

3 additional lectures and 3 seminars in the LT on writing a global politics dissertation.

Formative coursework

All students are expected to produce two written essays plus two short presentations on topics assigned to them.

Indicative reading

Held, D. and McGrew, A. Globalization/Anti-Globalization, second edition, Cambridge, Polity 2007; P. Hirst, G. Thompson and S. Bromley, Globalization in Question. 3rd edition, Polity 2009; J. A. Scholte, Globalization: a critical introduction. 2nd edition, Palgrave 2005; G. Garrett,  The Causes of Globalization. Comparative Political Studies September 2000 vol. 33 no. 6-7, 941-991; M. Zurn, Globalization and Global Governance. In Walter Carlsnaes et al., Handbook of International Relations, second edition. London: Sage, 2012;  S. Krasner, Globalization, Power, and Authority, in: The evolution of political knowledge: Democracy, autonomy, and conflict in comparative and international politics, edited by Edward D. Mansfield and Richard Sisson, Columbus: Ohio State University Press, p. 60-81, 2004; R. J. C. Young, Postcolonialism: a very short introduction, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2003; L. J. Shepherd (ed) Gender Matters in Global Politics, London: Routledge; M. Kaldor, New and Old Wars: Organised Violence in a Global Era, 2nd edition, Polity 2007; J. Ravenhill, ed., Global Political Economy, Oxford University Press 2005; R. Falkner, Business Power and conflict in International Environmental Politics. Palgrave Macmillan 2008; H.Seckinelgin, International Politics of HIV/AIDS, Routledge 2008; D. Archibugi, The Global Commonwealth of Citizens: Toward Cosmopolitan Democracy, Princeton University Press 2008.

A reading list with further readings will be provided at the beginning of the teaching term.

Assessment

Exam (50%, duration: 2 hours) in the main exam period.
Essay (50%, 4000 words) in the ST.

Student performance results

(2010/11 - 2012/13 combined)

Classification % of students
Distinction 7
Merit 67.8
Pass 23.8
Fail 1.4

Key facts

Department: Government

Total students 2013/14: 59

Average class size 2013/14: 15

Controlled access 2013/14: No

Lecture capture used 2013/14: Yes (MT & LT)

Value: One Unit

Guidelines for interpreting course guide information

Personal development skills

  • Leadership
  • Self-management
  • Team working
  • Problem solving
  • Application of information skills
  • Communication
  • Specialist skills