Globalisation and Global Governance

Key information

Start date
End date
Year of study
Year 3
Duration
Term 1
Module code
153400070
FHEQ Level
6
Credits
15
Department
Department of Politics and International Studies

Module overview

The concepts of “globalisation” and “global governance” are increasingly used as a means of characterising a series of structural changes in international politics. Yet, there is still an ongoing debate regarding the meaning of globalisation, the extent to which it is new or not, and the ways in which it impacts on the state, governance, and world order.

We will examine forms of global governance across a range of issue areas – including security, human rights, migration, and humanitarianism. You will be asked to critically examine how power and hierarchy is being made and remade through the idea of global governance. We will ask: who is being governed and for what purpose?

By the end of the module, you should have a solid understanding of current debates regarding global governance and be able to identify various mechanisms of governance that operate beyond the state. More specifically, you should have the analytical tools to critically examine the ways in which states, international institutions, global policy networks, and various non-state actors interact across a range of policy areas.

Prerequisites

Introduction to International Relations (153400085) plus one of Politics of the World Economy (153400083) or  War and the International (153400167)

Objectives and learning outcomes of the module

On successful completion of this course, students should be able to demonstrate skills in the following areas:

Course-specific skills

  1. Demonstrate detailed knowledge of debates within field of globalisation and global governance, including relevant conceptual frameworks, the international institutional history of the world economy, and major contemporary problems in key issue areas;
  2. Demonstrate the ability to articulate one’s own ethical and political positions on questions of the international political economy;

Discipline-specific skills

  1. Demonstrate a systematic understanding of knowledge on globalisation and global governance, and a critical awareness of current problems;
  2. Demonstrate a conceptual understanding that enables you to evaluate critically current research and advanced scholarship in the discipline;
  3. Evaluate methodologies and develop critiques of them and, where appropriate, propose new hypotheses;

Personal and key skills

  1. Communicate effectively in speech and writing.
  2. Work independently and with peers to achieve common goals.

Workload

This module will be taught over 10 weeks with:

  • 1 hour lecture per week
  • 1 hour tutorial per week

Method of assessment

  • Assignment 1: Essay 50%
  • Assignment 2: Poster/briefing 50%

Suggested reading

  • Anghie, A. (2007). Imperialism, sovereignty and the making of international law. Cambridge University Press.
  • Barnett, M., & Duvall, R. (Eds.). (2004). Power in global governance. Cambridge University Press.
  • Rai, S. (2004). Gendering global governance. International Feminist Journal of Politics, 6 (4), 579-601.
  • Duffield, M. (2014). Global governance and the new wars: The merging of development and security. Zed Books Ltd..
  • Tsing, A. L. (2011). Friction: An ethnography of global connection. Princeton University Press.

Disclaimer

Important notice regarding changes to programmes and modules