The module runs in two interrelated Streams, and students will take both.

In Stream 1, this module is designed to introduce students to the concepts, theories, and practices of Globalisation Then and Now through an internationalised overview of world political, cultural, social, and economic history, and to refocus contemporary debates on globalisation to the edges of the world system. This provides a critical approach to understanding globalisation as an historical process, and not a relatively new phenomenon. The module will introduce students to critical analysis of key phases in the evolution of world history in how human development over time has contributed to broader societal change through the discovery of new improving technologies on the one hand but has been a highly uneven process characterised by the unequal distribution of power, violence, discrimination and oppression on the other. The module questions Western and universalised approaches to understanding globalisation through an examination of Eastern and Southern-led processes and experiences. It provides an historical and contextually driven approach to contemporary questions surrounding issues of underdevelopment and global inequality, key features in understanding politics and international relations. Students will gain an understanding of global forces that are historically inscribed and approach globalisation through multiple lenses and perspectives. Content will include:

• Key theories of globalisation – World systems theory, dependency theory, and the use of multiple and layered international relations theories to understand globalisation
• Three key approaches to globalisation: Hyper-globalists, integrationists, transformationalists, regionalists
• World economic history: colonialism, colours and early capital
• Silk routes, fur trade, slave trade and early global transformation: Who paid for industrialisation?
• Industrialisation and deindustrialisation: the start of the ‘Great divide’
• South Pacific encounters with globalisation: the persistence of the gift in Polynesian globalisation
• Chinese globalisation: Confucian, communism, and copper
• Indigenous peoples in global perspective: On the margins of the world system
• South Asian forces of globalisation: sweatshops of the world or manufacturing centre of the world?
• Latin American perspectives on globalisation: coffee, Chavez and communism.

In Stream 2, students will explore What's in the News? 

Stream 2 is designed to empower students with the analytical and methodological tools required to comprehend how major global events are portrayed and re-presented in the media, news, documentary, film and academic texts. This module explores the intricate process of decoding, unpacking, and critically assessing the narratives and representations surrounding significant international occurrences, doing so methodologically, and placing these in context. The module emphasises understanding dominant and alternative framings, enabling students to question how and why certain perspectives are privileged.

Each week, students will engage with the theme of “What’s in the news?” to interpret, decode, and analyse current global affairs. Through this focus, students will enhance their ability to apply research methods, assess sources, and build arguments using documentary evidence, policy analysis, political speeches, and academic sources. This approach fosters essential skills in communicating ideas, critical thinking, and the broader methodological scholarship necessary for Global Affairs and International Relations. Students will learn to understand how to evaluate and use sources and foundational methods for the discipline.

Students on the Economics Pathway will undertake half of their content in Stream 2 focusing on Economics methods and materials.

This module develops critical engagement with international affairs by drawing together the multiple theoretical lenses of international relations with the practice in global politics, enabling a deeper consideration of how the world might be understood, explained and possibly transformed. The core issues, concepts and theories of the discipline are approached through a series of questions. These questions are used to draw out many other challenging and complex questions and perspectives about global politics, to examine the historical context in which they are located, to consider the broader assumptions that underlie them and the theoretical approaches that structure the many possible responses. In so doing, students are encouraged to think about why the question is important, who is affected and how, and what is at stake in global politics and international relations.

Indicative content includes:

• Perspectives on the creation of the discipline of International Relations.
• Realism and Neo-Realism; Liberalism and Neo-Liberalism; the English school; Critical Theory; Marxism and Gramscianism; Constructuctivism; Feminism; Green Theory and Eco-centric approaches.
• Key questions include: How do we begin to think about the world? How might we conceptualise the world? How might we critique the world? Does the nation-state work? Is democracy a good idea? What happens if we don't take nature for granted? Can we save the planet? Why are some people better off than others? Who has rights, and what rights do they have? Why is people's movement restricted? Why does gender inequality exist? Is democracy a good idea? Should we embrace emerging technologies? What can we do to change the world?
• The state of the discipline of global politics and international relations.

The module explores the notion of citizenship within media landscapes, encouraging students to ponder their media habits and the power structures at play above and around them. It explores the accountability of media organizations and the governance surrounding them, probing into the question of who should oversee media content regulation.

Discussions unfold around the delicate balance between censorship and free expression, dissecting regulatory frameworks across different global contexts. Through comparative analysis, students gain insights into the varying approaches to media regulation, shedding light on the complexities of safeguarding both free speech and societal well-being.

Additionally, the course delves into contemporary concepts such as corporate responsibility and techno-feudalism, providing a comprehensive understanding of the multifaceted nature of media governance and its implications in modern society.

This module is designed to introduce students to both the theory and practice of economic thought from a global perspective. In the first half of the module students will examine the history of economic thought through tracing the progress of economic ideas over time and learn about the work of some of the most influential economists that have shaped global affairs. In the second half of the module students will apply these economic ideas and thinkers to specific country case studies and compare the economic systems and approaches in different regions of the world. Indicative content will include:

• Mercantilism, Physiocracy, Classical Economics, Marxist Economics, Neoclassical Economics, Keynesian Economics, The Austrian School
• Adam Smith, Thomas Malthus, David Ricardo, John Stuart Mills, Jeremy Bentham, Karl Marx, John Maynard Keynes, Alfred Marshall, Joseph Schumpeter, Milton Freedman, Joseph Stiglitz
• Market Capitalism, Communism, Transitional Economies, Developing Economies, New Traditional Economies
• USA, Japan, France, Sweden, Germany, Russia, Poland, Hungry, Yugoslavia, Slovenia, China, India, Mexico, Iran

In this module you will examine political ideas such as freedom, equality, justice and democracy that have shaped today’s world. You will develop knowledge of the major concepts and ideas underlying political thought which primarily emerged out of and are associated with western political traditions. These ideas will be unpacked and explored through key thinkers and case studies in this module from classical to contemporary political thought. Indicative ideas may include power and freedom, democracy and rights, equality and justice, individual and state, security and militarism, gender, sexuality and queerness, race and nation, and class and capitalism. Students will learn to critically analyse and apply these ideas in both institutional and organisational analyses and through case study scenarios.

Indicative case studies rooted in the European context may include movements such as Just Stop Oil, Black Lives Matter, and the #MeToo Movement. Global Surrogacy; security approaches such as UK Immigration policy; UK National Security policy; Global tobacco control; environmental justice such as UK Climate Coalition; Just Stop Oil; or Fracking.

Indicative institutions within the European context include government and political institutions and European institutions, elections, political parties and interest groups, constitutionalism, bureaucracy and public service, policy-making, civil society and social movements.

You now have the opportunity to pick an optional module to learn a new language or build on your existing language skills as part of your degree. You can choose:

• Subsidiary Language for Beginners (choice of German, Italian or Spanish)
• French: Intermediate Language Development
• Spanish: Intermediate Language Development
• Chinese: Intermediate Language Development
• German: Communication in Practice
• French: Communication in Practice
• Spanish: Communication in Practice