BAEcon Economics and Philosophy

 Economists often define value as economic benefits provided by goods or services and assume who would act upon those actions – but such a narrow view of value and power may undermine our understanding of many social issues. This module shows how different social science disciplines may offer different perspectives on the notion of “power and value”. Through introductory lectures from Philosophy, Sociology, Social Statistics, Social Anthropology, Politics, and Criminology, students will learn how each social science discipline can contribute to this topic differently and offer a more comprehensive view of social issues that economics may have overlooked.

The course unit aims to:

• Offer a more comprehensive view on the topic of power and value
• Introduce students to various social science disciplines and how different disciplines approach a topic
• Review the advantages and limitations on different social science approaches

Brief overview of the syllabus/topics. Topics subject to change every year.

Introduction: Why should we care about power and value?

Social Movements: Pursuing Alternative Values

Social Movements

Corporate Social Responsibility

Forced Labour, Child Labour

Money, Shell Money, and the Transatlantic Market in Slaves

Value and Power on Wall Street

Power and Agency in Precarious Employment

Global Value Chains and Inequality

Political Economy in Neoclassical Economics

How to incorporate the different perspectives in our decision making?

The course will be delivered by a weekly 1-hour lecture, and a fortnightly 1-hour tutorial over 10 weeks. It will be supported by online learning and guided self-study.

Lectures will involve introductions to the discipline area and how it is being applied to the broad topic of power and value, alongside discussions of cutting-edge social science research on the topic. In addition to key academic texts, media, social policy sources, and short video-clips will be drawn upon in lectures to engage students with the topic. Lectures will also use real-world data, evidence and case studies to illuminate the value of the approach in question.

During tutorials, students will have the opportunity to discuss and debate issues introduced in the lectures and this will provide opportunities for students to engage critically with the material and perspective presented, as well as develop a further understanding on the lecture materials. Some tutorials will also give students opportunities to work with real-world data using Excel.

The course will utilise Canvas to deliver the course content, core readings, lecture slides, and any supplementary materials such as video materials, and communication.

(i) Gain an awareness of various social science approaches

(ii) Offer a more comprehensive view on issues by accompanying economic knowledge with different social scientific perspectives

(i) Apply and evaluate social scientific perspectives, and develop a critical view on these different perspectives

(ii) Employ material available from academic, media and policy sources to make effective arguments about the topic

(i) Use library and electronic sources and resources, and work with real-world data

(ii) Conduct critical reading and literature reviews and produce a written portfolio

(i) Present ideas, ask questions, and develop team working skills in group discussions during tutorials

(ii) Develop a critical approach to analyse issues during the portfolio preparation

Online Quizzes (8 quizzes) - 20%

Portfolio, where students critically evaluate how different approaches study either power or value (1000 words) - 80% 

Portfolio - written feedback

Tutorial tasks - formative feedback

Bhambra, G.K. (2020) ‘Colonial global economy: towards a theoretical reorientation of political economy’, Review of International Political Economy.

Chandler, A.D. and Mazlish, B. (2005) Leviathans: Multinational Corporations and the New Global History. Cambridge University Press.

Davies, J., 2019. ‘From severe to routine labour exploitation: The case of migrant workers in the UK food industry’, Criminology & Criminal Justice, 19(3), pp.294-310.

Dundon, T., Martinez Lucio, M., Hughes, E., Howcroft, D., Keizer, A., and Walden, R. (2020) Power, Politics and Influence at Work. Manchester University Press.

Maitra, I. (2017) ‘Speech and Silencing’, in the Routledge Companion to Feminist Philosophy, London: Routledge, pp. 279-291.

Ozanne, A. (2016) Power and Neoclassical Economics: A Return to Political Economy in the Teaching of Economics. Palgrave Macmillan UK.

Price. D. and Livesy, L. (2015) ‘Money and Later Life’, in Routledge Handbook of Cultural Gerontology. Taylor & Francis.

Smith, K. (2017) ‘You don’t own money, you’re just the one who’s holding it’: Borrowing, lending and the fair person in North Manchester’, The Sociological Review, 65(1): 121-136. 

Independent study hours:

Private study: 55 hours

Directed reading: 30 hours

Tuition fees for home students commencing their studies in September 2027 will be £10,050 per annum. Tuition fees for international students will be £33,100 per annum.

For general information please see the undergraduate finance pages.

All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).

We know that student finance can be complicated. The links below provide further information to help guide you.

Learn more about student finance options for UK students.

Learn more about fees and finance for international students.

As an international student you may be eligible for our Global Futures Scholarships . This is open to students starting their studies in September 2026