MA Political Science - European Politics & Policy Pathway (Research Route) / Course details

This course will provide a critical examination of the political economy of globalisation. Students will be introduced to the main debates on the impact of globalisation on world order and of the issues surrounding the historical emergence of a global economy. The course is organised so as to provide a background understanding of international political economy after the Second World War, the global turn towards the ‘free market’, and then to explore a series of major issues that provide windows onto the encompassing process of globalisation: production; money and finance; trade; governance; economic and climate crises; the politics of anti-globalisation and anti-austerity; and the more recent resurgence of reactionary forms of politics across the world.

This course will provide a critical examination of the political economy of globalisation. Students will be introduced to the main debates on the impact of globalisation on world order and of the issues surrounding the historical emergence of a global economy. The course is organised so as to provide a background understanding of international political economy after the Second World War, the global turn towards the ‘free market’, and then to explore a series of major issues that provide windows onto the encompassing process of globalisation: production; money and finance; trade; governance; economic and climate crises; the politics of anti-globalisation and anti-austerity; and the more recent resurgence of reactionary forms of politics across the world.

Knowledge and Understanding: Students will develop and have the opportunity to demonstrate a sophisticated understanding of contemporary literatures and debates on the political economy of globalisation.

Intellectual skills: Students will critically engage with theoretically-driven interpretations of contemporary political, economic and social events, and will put these approaches to work in the original critical analysis of central dimensions of globalisation, and in the deconstruction of the policy documents and vision statements of some of the key ‘agents’ of the process. They will develop an understanding of the basic concepts of the critique of globalisation; possess a knowledge of a range of different issues connected with globalisation and the emergence of a global economy; be able to evaluate policy documents and critical analyses concerning issues related to globalisation; and will formulate their own opinions on the political-economic challenges brought about by globalisation.

Transferable skills and personal qualities: Students will be encouraged to exercise and demonstrate their own independent critical judgement of literature, arguments, and events. The module will foster improved writing, debating, teamwork and presentation skills, as well as the capacity to summarise, criticise and mobilise complex ideas.

As with other modules in Politics, this module will be useful for students wishing to develop and demonstrate skills that can be applied in a wide range of different jobs, voluntary roles, internships and work placements.  It could be particularly useful for people considering careers in the civil service, journalism, think tanks, research and policy, and charitable organizations.

2-hour seminar once a week for 10 weeks

1. 3,000 word assessed essay (75% of final mark)
2. Group Activity (25% of final mark)

There is no textbook for this course, and all the readings can be found on Blackboard, online, or in the library. However, useful advanced introductions to some of the diverse topics addressed in this course include the following:

• Appelbaum, R. & Robinson, W. (eds.) (2005) Critical Globalization Studies (London: Routledge).
• Brenner, N (2014) Implosions/Explosions: Towards a Study of Planetary Urbanization (Berlin: Jovis)
• Dicken, P. (2015) Global Shift: Mapping the Contours of the World Economy, 7^th edition (Guildford Press).
• Harvey, D. (2014) Seventeen Contradictions and the End of Capitalism (New York: Profile)
• Moore, J (2016) Anthropocene or Capitalocene? Nature, History and the Crisis of Capitalism Oakland: PM Press
• Peck, J. (2010) Constructions of Neoliberal Reason (Oxford: OUP)
• Rupert, M. (2000) Ideologies of Globalization (London: Routledge).
• Santos, M (2017) Toward An Other Globalization: From the Single Thought to Universal Conscience Springer

Timetable