Gwybodaeth Modiwlau

Module Identifier

IQ31920

Module Title

Ideologies of Globalization

Academic Year

2013/2014

Co-ordinator

Professor Richard John Beardsworth

Semester

Semester 1

Course Delivery

Delivery Type	Delivery length / details
Lecture	16 Hours (1 x 16 hour)
Seminars / Tutorials	7 Hours (7 x 1 hour)

Assessment

Assessment Type	Assessment length / details	Proportion
Semester Assessment	1 x 2,750 word essay	45%
Semester Assessment	Seminar Attendance and Participation	15%
Semester Exam	2 Hours (2 hours)	40%
Supplementary Assessment	1 x 2,750 word essay if essay element failed	45%
Supplementary Assessment	3x500 word seminar reading in lieu of seminar participation	15%
Supplementary Assessment	1 x 2,500 word essay in lieu of exam, if exam element failed	40%

Learning Outcomes

1. Demonstrate a good understanding of material and ideational processes in a globalized, but conflict-ridden era.
2. Formulate theoretical argument in its own terms
3. Apply theoretical argument to concrete, historical situations
4. Digest reading material and make succinct arguments on specific ideological formations
5. Compare and contrast different responses to the large sociological phenomenon of globalization
6. Make effective argument in both oral and written practices on globalization and world politics
7. Organize and rehearse a structured, consistent argument on the module's subject matter without repeating lecture notes.
8. Analyse the relative advantages and disadvantages of the diverse ideological practices considered, in succinct, informed and appraised terms.

Brief description

Globalization, while an independent reality, is shaped by the ways in which different human communities and social and political actors have both responded to it and responded to each other's responses to it. This course looks at a relevant selection of these responses under the aegis of 'ideologies' (that is, practical languages and belief-systems orienting national and international social behavior). It considers neo-liberalism, neo-conservatism, political Islam, nationalism and cosmopolitanism. While these examples are not exhaustive, the module suggests that they have framed or underpinned predominant political responses to globalization to date. The module defines, first, what it means by ideology and globalization and then addresses, in turn, the selected intellectual/practical formations. Since neoliberalism dominates all understandings of globalization, the module analyses and appraises it first from economic and political perspectives. It then looks at the two most important ideological formations of the beginning of the twenty-first century—neo-conservatism and political Islam—and, without equating them, reflects upon their respective distortions of global dynamics. The module turns, finally, to the more general categories of 'nationalism' and 'cosmopolitanism', under which it analyses regressive and progressive nationalist reactions to globalization and cosmopolitan argument for global economic and political arrangements.

The module's aim is to understand the contingency of human responses to globalization and our need to compare and judge them in order to assess and promote feasible global futures.

The module will be organized in two lectures and one seminar per week

Content

Week One: Introduction to Course and 1 Lecture on Ideology
Week Two: 2 lectures on Globalization and the history of Neoliberalism (with seminar on Globalization and Ideology)
Week Three: 2 lectures on Neoliberalism (with seminar)
Week Four: 2 lectures on Neo-conservatism (with seminar)
Week Five: 2 lectures on Political Islam (with seminar)
Week Six: 2 lectures on Nationalism (with seminar)
Week Seven: 2 Lectures on Cosmopolitanism (with seminar)
Week Eight: 1 Lecture held open depending, 1 Lecture Course-Summary (with seminar)

Aims

Academic rationale of the proposal: This module looks at recent and contemporary political responses to globalization. It gives students a clear purchase on globalization processes and provides them with a theoretical and empirical understanding of how ideational formations have organized these processes (neoliberalism, neo-conservatism, political Islam, etc.). The module mixes various kinds of 'theory' (IR theory, political theory, economic theory, religious theory) and shows how this theory is either concretely embedded in social practices of a global reach and/or allows us to explain this embedding. The module adds accordingly a multi-level theoretical course to the department’s offerings that addresses, in interdisciplinary manner, contemporary 'ideological' practices in world politics.

Module Skills

Skills Type	Skills details
Application of Number	N/A
Communication	Students will learn how to present their ideas both verbally and in writing and how to how to present their arguments most effectively. They will learn the importance of information and clear communication and how to exploit these. They will know how to use the many sources of information available and how to use the most appropriate form of communication to best advantage. They will learn to be clear in their writing and speaking and to be direct about aims and objectives. They will learn to consider only that which is relevant to the topic, focus and objectives of their argument or discussion. Students will also be required to submit their essays in word-processed format and the presentation of work should reflect effective expression of ideas and good use of language skills in order to ensure clarity, coherence and effective communication.
Improving own Learning and Performance	The module aims to promote self-management but within a context in which support and assistance is available from both the convenor and fellow students alike. Students will be expected to improve their own learning and performance by undertaking their own research and exercising their own initiative, including searching for sources and deciding (under guidance) the direction of their coursework and presentation topics. The need to prepare for assessed seminar participation and to meet coursework deadlines will focus students' attention on the need to manage their time.
Information Technology	Students will be expected to submit their work in word-processed format. Also, students will be encouraged to search for sources of information on the web, as well as seeking sources through electronic information sources.
Personal Development and Career planning	This module is designed to hone and test skills of use to students in their working lives, particularly in speaking to small groups, listening, thinking and responding to the statement of others. Moreover, the written work includes writing clearly and concisely, which is a common task in the workplace. Students will be encouraged throughout to reflect on their performance and to consider lessons for future application.
Problem solving	Independent work and problem solving will be one central goal of the module; the submission of two essays will require that students develop independent research skills as well as problem solving skills. The ability of students to solve problems will be developed and assessed by asking them to: adopt differing points of view; organize data and estimate an answer to the problem; consider extreme cases; reason logically; construct theoretical models; consider similar cases; look for patterns; divide issues into smaller problems.
Research skills	Students will be required to undertake independent research for elements of the assessed work. This will involve utilizing media and web sources, as well as more conventional academic texts. Students will in part be assessed on their ability to gather appropriate and interesting resources materials.
Subject Specific Skills	Students have the opportunity to develop, practice and test a wide range of subject specific skills that help them to understand, conceptualise and evaluate examples and ideas on the module. These subject specific skills include: - Collect and understand a wide range of data relating to the module - Evaluate competing perspectives - Demonstrate subject specific research techniques Apply a range of methodologies to complex historical and contemporary political problems.
Team work	Students will undertake team exercises in the seminars. For many of the topics of this module, seminars will consist of small-group discussions where students will be asked to discuss as a group the core issues related to the seminar topic. These class discussions and debates form a significant part of the module, and will allow students to approach and examine a given topic through team work.

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 6