IP19910 - BEHIND THE HEADLINES: GLOBAL POLITICAL ISSUES 2

Module Identifier	IP19910
Module Title	BEHIND THE HEADLINES: GLOBAL POLITICAL ISSUES 2
Academic Year	2001/2002
Co-ordinator	Professor Ken Booth
Semester	Semester 2
Mutually Exclusive	GW19910
Course delivery	Lecture	20 Hours (20 x 1 hour)
	Group Work	Self managed
Assessment	Group project	2 x 2,500 word group reports	50%
	Exam	3 Hours open book examination	50%

Brief description

This module - an extension of IP 19810 - seeks to focus on what you might already know (the `headlines') and then build upon it (by looking at what is `behind the headlines'). We will identify a series of major contemporary issues in global politics at different levels - from the state of the world to global politics - and seek to explain why the issues are important, what are the main dynamics driving them, and what are their implications. This will be done through a variety of different teaching methods: traditional lectures, the use of video material, roundtables and debates. A number of other non-traditional approaches will be adopted, such as self-managed small groups, an open-book examination and the writing up of two group reports. Among the headlines to be explored in this module - together with IP19810 - will be those associated with recent developments in the global economy, the future of Europe and Africa.

Aims

The central aim of the module is to provide an introduction to the critical analysis of a wide selection of global political issues. The module will also provide the opportunity for experiencing a range of different learning environments.

Objectives

On the completion of this module you should be able to

discuss a range of contemporary global political issues (their origins, the present state-of-play, their dynamics, and their future implications);
be able to search for and use information relevant to particular global political issues;
critically assess information sources (whether printed or electronic) with a more sophisticated understanding;
compile a reflective log about the issues in the module in a self-managed group;
organise work in a team context.

Reading Lists

Books
Michael Cox, Ken Booth and Tim Dunne. The Interregnum: Controversies in World Politics, 1989-1999. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999
Ken Booth. Statecraft and Secruity. The Cold War and Beyond. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998
John Baylis and Steve Smith. The Globalization of World Politics. An Introduction to International Politics. Oxford: Oxford University Press 1997