Module Identifier GG35620  
Module Title GEOGRAPHIES OF THE GLOBAL CITIZEN  
Academic Year 2006/2007  
Co-ordinator Dr Luke C Desforges  
Semester Intended for use in future years  
Next year offered N/A  
Next semester offered N/A  
Pre-Requisite Normally that students are registered for SH, JH, Major/Minor BA/B.Sc Geography  
Course delivery Lecture   20 Hours. Lectures  
Assessment
Assessment TypeAssessment Length/DetailsProportion
Semester Assessment2 Hours UNSEEN EXAM (COMPLETE TWO FROM FOUR QUESTION SET)  50%
Semester Assessment 3000 WORD ESSAY/ REPORT ASSIGNMENT  50%
Supplementary Assessment RESIT ON CONDONED (MEDICAL) GROUNDS  100%

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
Demonstrate knowledge of the nature, extent and significance of global interconnections in the contemporary world.

Be able to critically engage with academic arguments concerning the concept of citizenship and contemporary transformations in the geography of citizenship.

Evaluate the effectiveness of institutional responses to the formation of new global connectivities.

Demonstrate an ability to identify and research case studies from across the globe that are related to the material covered in the module based on reading, synthesizing and evaluating academic and media sources.

Show competence in synthesizing conceptual insights and empirical material gained from personal research into a research report related to the themes presented in the module.

Content

The themes addressed in the lecture programme are:

Brief description

Globalization has widened the geographical scale of networks in which individuals are enmeshed. Through a range of different connections, such as commodity networks (food, clothes), cultural and media consumption (news, sport), personal mobility (tourism, migration) and political institutions (World Trade Organisation, International Non-Governmental Organisations), everyday life for most individuals is now dependent on global networks.

The scale and scope of these interconnections has raised questions about the politics of globalization which have become important within Human Geography and the Social Sciences more widely. Global networks often cause a re-evaluation of the traditional spaces which are used to articulate the rights, responsibilities and identities of citizenship, namely the nation state. New forms of citizenship are currently being forged, for example amongst diasporic communities and INGO supporters.

At a theoretical level, academics have attempted to conceptualise the implications for citizenship of global interconnectivity. Political theories of cosmopolitanism and global citizenship have both advocated and analysed new forms of political identification based on a commitment to a common humanity. Theories of diasporic identity have posited a sense of belonging and involvement which goes well beyond the nation state. Empirically academic work has sought to trace the institutional networks currently being forged under globalization, such as the commodity chains of the food industry or the rise of the anti-globalisation movement. A growing understanding of the social formations and the human consequences of global connectivity is emerging.

Aims

This module addresses new research agenda in Human Geography and the Social Sciences more widely on citizenship and globalization, providing students with an insight into themes which are have been developed by the Historical and Cultural and the New Political Geographies Research Clusters.

Module Skills

Problem_solving The identification of a suitable research topic will be encouraged through lecture material in weeks 1-5.  
Research skills Students will undertake independent research in order to build an individual case study for the essay/report assignment.  
Communication Writing skills will be assessed through the essay/report assignment and the examination.  
Improving own Learning and Performance Feedback provided on the essay/report assignment will enable students to assess the development of their reading, research and communication skills.  
Team work No  
Information Technology Students will be expected to make full use of information technology, particularly the internet, in undertaking their own independent research and case study development for the essay/report assignment and for the exam.  
Application of Number Students may use numerical data where appropriate in their own research and writing.  
Personal Development and Career planning The module is intended to raise questions about the nature of citizenship, in doing so, this may inform the personal development of those who participate. It also discusses themes that offer potential career opportunities for graduates studying the discipline.  
Subject Specific Skills The module consolidates established subject-specific skills rather than developing new capacities. These will be employed in both the examination and essay/report assignment  

Reading Lists

Books
** Recommended Text
Anheier, H. Glasius, M. and Kaldor, M (2004) Global Civil Society 2004-5. Sage, London
Beck,U. (2000) Global Risk Society Polity Press, Cambridge
Dower, N. (2003) An Introduction to Global Citizenship Edinburgh University Press
Dower, N. and Williams, J. (2002) Global Citizenship: A critical reader Edinburgh University Press
Edwards, M. (1999) Future Positive: International Cooperation in the 21st Century Earthscan, London
Held, D., McGrew, A, Goldblatt, D. and Perraton, J. (1999) Global Transformations: Politics, Economics and Culture Polity, Oxford
Isin, E. and Turner, B. (2002) Handbook of Citizenship Studies. Sage, London
Urry, J. (2000) Sociology Beyond Societies. Routledge, London

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 6