GLOBALIZATION

Who the unit is for

Topics Covered

Learning Outcomes

Tutors

Mode of Study

Assessment

Preliminary Reading and reading for topics

Who the unit is for
This Level 2 unit is offered to all students who have completed an appropriate Level 1 course in either social sciences, or business and management, or cultural studies. The unit draws on work in economics, sociology, literary and cultural studies, politics.

On this unit students will explore the economic, social, political and cultural aspects to globalization and will consider the case as to whether it is appropriate to use the term 'globalization'.
Topics
Specific topics covered are as follows:

• Production

• Consumption

• Colonialism and its effects

• From Modernity to postmodernism?

• Non-Government Organisations (NGOs)

• European developments

• The global economy

• Cultural formations now and in the future

• The nation state and internationalism

• Technology now and in the future

• Debates over the extent and nature of globalization

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this unit students will be able to:

• account for different interpretations of globalization and relate processes involved to economic, historical and social features
  
  
• describe some of the actual and potential impact of globalization on social relations
  
  
• understand the application of terms such as cyberspace and cyberpunk
  
  
• understand a range of changes in cultural formations
  
  
• explain some of the interrelationships between globalization and political forms
  
  
• discuss and evaluate competing arguments over the development of global economies
  
  
• explain the emergence of colonialism and its effects on world development

Tutors

Unit Tutor: Anthony Rosie
Room 111, Southbourne
Tel: 0114:2252399
Email: Anthony Rosie

MODE OF STUDY

Students will find that substantial amounts of the course are handled through the WEB. Students are required to explore preliminary reading through the WEB, take part in email discussion with the tutor. There is a weekly lecture/presentation and an extended seminar. Most weeks students will watch a video as part of this seminar activity.

Assessment

There are two pieces of assessment:

IT IS VERY IMPORTANT STUDENTS OBTAIN AND WORK FROM THE WRITTEN ASSESSMENT DETAILS GIVEN OUT THROUGH THE SCHOOL OFFICE. DETAILS HERE PROVIDE A GENERAL IDEA ONLY OF THE TOPICS.

However, before we look at what you have to submit let us consider the thinking behind the assessment. Tutors want you to have a general understanding of economic, political, sociological cultural and literary aspects of globalisation. We therefore ask you to complete a portfolio where you have to produce pieces that reflect these dimensions. We are not expecting a person studying either social policy or sociology to respond to literature in the same way that a person taking a course in English would do. Equally, we are not expecting the person studying English or History to produce sociological analysis to the same depth that we would expect from a person studying Sociology. Since you all have to complete four pieces of work from different disciplines you will all have one or two pieces of work that are from your subject area and up to two pieces of work that may not be. Most marks are given to an overview essay you write and for that you write from your chosen perspective so that the assessment is fair for everyone.
We also ask you to write an essay and this will reflect the emphasis of your chosen subject area. You will identify your subject area on your essays and portfolio but not your name. Now read the more specific information we give.

PORTFOLIO (Subject to approval by internal moderation)

• A Folder containing four pieces and an overview
• Students must write one piece from each of the following headings: Sociology, Policy and Politics, Economic or Business Approaches, Cultural Studies
• No word limit for each individual piece
• An overview essay of 1500 words that relates each piece to globalization as defined by the student
• Students are not expected to have prior knowledge of more than one of the four modes or disciplines
• Portfolio submitted shortly before Christmas

Essay

The second piece of work is an essay (2000 words) on ONE aspect of globalization that extends students work in their chosen sphere. The essay is handed in at the usual hand-in time.

Preliminary Reading

You are strongly advised to read a novel at an early stage in the unit. You might want to read a novel on slavery and its aftermath, perhaps the work of Frederick Douglas or the more recent texts such as 'The Blacker the Berry'. You might want to read some more futuristic material such as the work of William Gibson, e.g. 'Neuromancer'.

Students should read the following articles available through the WEB.

• An introduction to the World Bank at
• An introduction to the IMF at
• The work of TNI at
• An example of the work of NGOs at

Reading for Specific Topics

A particularly important WEB site for the study of Globalization is that of the world systems group which gives access to the work of Andre Gunner Frank, Immanuel Wallerstein and many others. It can be found at

Please note that only a brief selection of texts is given for each topic. Further details are given under topic pages and in teaching sessions.

General Texts

Castells, M. (1997) The Information Age: Economy, Society and Culture, Vols 1 and 2, Oxford: Blackwells.

Frank, A.G. and Gills, B.K. (eds.) (1993) The World System, London: Routledge.

Hall, S. Held, D. and McGrew, T. (eds.) Modernity and its Futures, Polity Press: Open University

Koffman, E. and Youngs, G. (eds.) (1996) Globalization: Theory and Practice, Pinter Press.

Scott, A. (1997) (ed) The Limits of Globalization, London: Routledge.

Sklair, L. (1995) (2nd edition) Sociology of the Global System, Harvester Wheatsheaf.

Spybey, T. (1996) Globalization and World Society, Cambridge: Polity Press.

Waters, M. (1995) Globalization, London: Routledge.


Economics and Globalization

Boyer, R. and Drache, D. (eds.) (1996) States against Markets: the limits of globalization, London: Routledge.

Dicken, P. (1992) Global Shift: the internationalisation of economic activity, Paul Chapman.

Gill, S. and Law, D. (1988) The Global Political Economy: perspectives, problems and policies, London: Harvester Wheatsheaf.

Gilpin, K. (1987) The Political Economy of International Relations,Princeton: Princeton University Press.

Hirst, P. and Thompson, K. (1996) Globalization in Question, London: Routledge.

Jones, R.J. (1995) Globalisation and interdependence in the international political economy, London: Pinter Press.

Jun, J.S. Wright, D.S. (1996) Globalization and Decentralization, Georgetown University Press.

Gummell, P. (ed.) (1996) Globalization and Public Policy, Cheltenham: Elgar Press.

Production

Frank, A. (1971) Capitalism and Underdevelopment in Latin America, Harmondsworth: Penguin.

Inglehart, R. (1990) Culture Shift in Advanced Industrial Society, Princeton: Princeton University Press.

Consumption

Bocock, R. (1994) Consumption, London: Routledge.

Davis, M. (1990) City of Quartz, London: Verso Books.

Featherstone, M. (1991) Consumer Culture and Postmodernism, London: Sage.

Lury, C. (1996) Consumer Culture, Cambridge: Polity.

Globalization: history and scope

Beck, U. et al (ed.) (1990) Modernization: politics, tradition and aesthetics in the modern social order, Cambridge: Polity Press.

Giddens, A. (1991) Modernity and Self-Identity: self and society in the late modern age, Cambridge: Polity Press.

King, A. (ed.) (1991) Culture, Globalization and the World-System, London: Macmillan.

Robertson, R. (1992) Globalization: social theory and global culture, London: Sage.

Colonialism, anti-colonialism, postcolonialism

Chinweizu, B. (1987) The West and the Rest, Pero Press.

Fanon, F. (1963) The Wretched of the Earth, New York: Grove Press.

Larrain, J. (1989) Theories of Development: capitalism, colonialism and dependency, Cambridge: Polity Press.

Loomba, A. (1998) Colonialism/Postcolonialism, London: Routledge.

Modernity and Postmodernity

Appiah, K.A. and gates, H.L. (eds.) (1995) Identities, Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Eade, J. (ed.) (1997) Living the Global City, London: Routledge.

Goldberg, David, Theo (ed.) (1994) Multiculturaism: a critical reader, Oxford: Blackwell.

Pieterse, J.N. (1994) 'Globalisation as Hybridisation', International Sociology, Vol 9, No. 2, pp. 161-184.

Rosenau, P. (1992) Postmodernism and the Social Sciences, Princeton: Princeton University Press.

Smart, B. (1994) 'Sociology, Globalisation and Postmodernity: Comments on the 'Sociology for one world' thesis', International Sociology, Vol 9, No. 2 , pp. 149-59.

Non-Government Agencies

Edwards, M. and Hulme, D. (eds.) (1995) Non-Governmental Organization: performance and accountability beyond the magic bullet, Earthscan.

Ekins, P. (1992) A New World Order: grass roots movements for social change, London: Routledge.

Hulme, D. and Edwards, M. (eds.) (1997) NGOs, States and Donors, London: Macmillan Press.

Eastern Europe

Funk, N. and Mueler, M. (1993) Gender Politics and Post-Communism, London: Routledge.

Hazekamp, J.L. and Popple, K. (eds.) (1997) Racism in Europe, London: UCL Press.

Hockenos, P. (1993) Free to hate: the rise of the right in post-communist Eastern Europe, London: Routledge.

Smith, G. (ed.) The Nationalities Question in the Post-Soviet State, London: Longman.

Bryant, C. and Mohzycki, E. (1994) The New Great Transformation, London: Routledge.

Technology and Globalization

Bradley, S. et al (eds.) (1993) Globalization, technology and competition: the fusion of computers and telecommunications in the 1990s, Harvard Business School.

Golding, P. and Harris, P. (1997) Beyond Cultural Imperialism: globalization, communication and the new international order, London: Sage.

Ohmae, K. (1990) The Borderless World, London: Collins.

Smith, A. (1991) The Age of the Behemoths: the globalization of mass media firms, Priority Press.

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