Globalization and Society

Globalization and Society
Bachelor in International Studies
ECTS Credits: 6.0
Semester: 2

COMPETENCES AND SKILLS THAT WILL BE ACQUIRED AND LEARNING RESULTS

Ability to solve problems, through both analysis and synthesis. Development of team work skills and of the skills for both oral and written expression. Improvement of critical reasoning skills and development of a commitment to upholding ethical standards. Development of the motivation to accomplish high quality work.
This course provides students with tools to learn about the major transformations triggered by globalization in many realms of society. It will also familiarize students with the major theoretical debates in each of these realms. It also develops the necessary skills to identify different problem areas and different theoretical and analytical perspectives about different topics.

DESCRIPTION OF CONTENTS: PROGRAMME

This course analyzes how globalization and the transportation and telecommunications revolutions that underlie it are transforming society. The changing scales of economic and political activity and organization have had dramatic consequences on the experiences and opportunities of both corporate and individual actors. Networks (Castells) and Re-scaling (Brenner) are probably the two concepts that best synthesize these on-going transformations.
The concept of networks captures the transformations in the organization of production and distribution of goods and services in capitalist economies and the emergence of new networks of solidarity between capitalists, workers, and other groups of citizens (expressed both as organization, mobilization, and inter-personal interaction) which transcend old nation-state boundaries. Global networks are also the highways on which flows of persons (old and new migrants ago) increasingly move between countries in search of new opportunities for economic advancement and personal self-fulfilment.
The concept of Re-scaling encompasses the changing geographic scope of economic and social activity and the subsequent changes in the economic roles of cities, regions, and nation-states.
The course not only provides an overview of the social transformations captured by the terms Networks and Re-scaling but also of their impact on the citizens experiences, patterns of consumption, and identity, and, consequently, on the reception that these changes have among the population

LEARNING ACTIVITIES AND METHODOLOGY

Theoretical classes for the acquisition of skills related to the social transformations triggered by globalization.
Practical classes that include practical tasks and individual activities: searching for references at the library, oral presentations, and other practices; All these tasks are oriented to the acquisition of skills directly related to the module that is taught, in particular, the capacity to identify problems and use the conceptual tools developed in different approaches to the sociological study of globalization. These practice-oriented sessions are the vehicle through which students will develop general skills, such as team work, oral and written communication, critical reasoning, motivation to accomplish tasks based on the highest professional standards and ethical commitment.

ASSESSMENT SYSTEM

Partial exam: 25% of the final grade. Students who do not pass this exam should attend office hours to design a plan to improve results.
Oral presentation: 20%

Attendance: 10%
Final exam: 45%

BASIC BIBLIOGRAPHY

DI MAGGIO, PAUL. "The Twenty-First Century Firm: Changing Economic Organization in International Perspective". Princeton University Press. 2001
FLIGSTEIN, NEIL. "Euroclash". Blackwell. 2008
INGLEHART, RONALD. "Modernization and Postmodernization". Princeton Universty Press. 1997
SASSEN, SASKIA. "The Global City". Princeton University Press. 2001
UNITED NATIONS. International Migration Report 2013. . United Nations. 2014

ADDITIONAL BIBLIOGRAPHY

Castells, M.,. Comunicación y poder. Alianza. 2009.
Cox, R., . "Las fuerzas sociales, los Estados y los órdenes del Mundo. Más allá de la teoría de las relaciones internacionales" . en J. Vasquez, Relaciones internacionales. El pensamiento de los clásicos, Limusa. 1994.
Held, D.,. La democracia y el orden global: del estado moderno al gobierno cosmopolita. Paidós. 1997.
Ignatieff, M., . Guerra virtual: más allá de Kosovo. Paidós. 2003.
Kagan, R.,. Poder y debilidad. Estados Unidos y Europa en el nuevo orden mundial. Taurus. 2003.
Kaldor, M.,. Las nuevas guerras. Tusquets. 2001
Keohane, R. O. y J. S. Nye Jr.,. "Globalization: What's New? What's Not? (and So What?)". Foreign Policy, nº 118. primavera, 2000, pp. 104-119.
Laqueur, W., . La guerra sin fin: el terrorismo en el siglo XXI . Destino. 2003.
Mariscal, N., . Teorías políticas de la integración europea. Tecnos. 2003.
Morillas i Bassedas, P., . "Génesis y evolución de la expresión de la seguridad humana: un repaso histórico". Revista CIDOB d'afers internacionals, nº 76. 2007.
Nye, J. S.,. La paradoja del poder americano. Taurus. 2003.
Nye, J., . "Prefacio y Capítulo 5 "El poder blando y la política exterior americana". Revista Académica de Relaciones Internacionales, nº 14. 2010.
Ruiz-Giménez Arrieta, I., . La historia de la intervención humanitaria: el imperialismo altruista. Los libros de la Catarata. 2005.