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2011/2012  BA-BLC_1GLS  Globalisation Studies

English Title
Globalisation Studies

Course Information

Language English
Point 7,5 ECTS (225 SAT)
Type Mandatory
Level Bachelor
Duration One Semester
Course Period Autumn
Time Table Please see course schedule at e-Campus
Study Board
Study Board for BSc og MSc in Business, Language and Culture
Course Coordinator
  • Hans Krause Hansen - Department of Intercultural Communication and Management
Main Category of the Course
  • Globalization, International Business, markets and studies
Last updated on 29 maj 2012
Learning Objectives
At the end of the course, students should be able to:
  • define and discuss key concepts in globalisation theory,
  • summarise, discuss and compare readings of the course,
  • select and apply appropriate readings and theories from the course literature in the analysis of empirical phenomena in order to sort out and account for the concrete manifestations of globalisation,
  • distinguish between theoretical conception and empirical description, and
  • develop an academic argument.
Examination
Globalisation Studies
Globalisation Studies:
Assessment Home Assignment
Marking Scale 7-step scale
Censorship Internal examiners
Exam Period December/January
Aids Open Book, Written and Electronic Aid is permitted
Duration Please, see the detailed regulations below
Students will have to submit one individually written essay of 10 pages (1 page equals 2275 STU) by the end of the course. The essay must draw on the course literature. The essay will be graded according to the 7-point scale by the teacher and an internal examiner.
Examination
The course is designed to integrate with parallel courses in British and American studies, and French, German and Spanish/Spanish American studies.

The course consists of 12 lectures that introduce students to globalisation debates as well as three workshops, each of them three days, in which the students will be trained in problem-oriented research within the subjects taught in the lectures. The course is roughly divided into three modules, following an introductory lecture which addresses key concepts from globalisation debates such as globalisation and localisation, proximity and distance, homogenisation and heterogenisation, and hybridisation:

• Cultural globalisation and media, focusing on different conceptions of globalisation, the transformation of identity and the role of traditional and new media.
• Political globalisation, highlighting the notion of territoriality, the shifting role of state and non-state actors, activism and transnational organising.
• Economic globalisation, focusing on changing forms of production, business practice and consumption.
Course Content

Globalisation is a contested concept. It has been vividly discussed by economists, political scientists, sociologist, anthropologist and geographers and other academics since the 1990s, echoing classical problems and discussions in social theory. As concept, globalisation has also become popularised and is being used strategically by various social actors across the globe, including politicians, business, media and social activists operating in various regional, national and local settings.

Globalisation typically refers to profound transformations taking place within and across contemporary societies, challenging conventional distinctions between the public and private, the national and international, the global and local. It raises important questions about sameness and difference, that is, whether we a moving towards a more homogenous world or the opposite. It addresses shifts in the power of business and states, the rise of new technologies and changing patterns of economic production and consumption at the local, regional and global levels. Globalisation also relates to the construction of knowledge, identity, interaction and social bonds, including to the role of the media in changing our experience of proximity and distance. Globalisation can have very different expressions in different societal contexts. And, depending on the theoretical perspective and the moral position we choose to take, the causes and effects of globalisation can be understood, discussed and acted upon in very different ways.

This course provides an introduction to the interdisciplinary field of globalisation studies. In particular, it provides a foundation for linking important concepts from globalisation debates to the area studies components of the BLC programme, as well as to the subjects taught in other courses, including individual and group projects. Part and parceling this, the course also provides students with basic methodological skills, such as developing a research question, with a specific view to conducting small-scale empirical investigations while drawing on basic concepts of the course.

Teaching Methods
The string of lectures on globalisation debates draws on multimedia input, offers a number of voluntary multiple-choice tests and is complemented with a workshop that combines focused lectures on how to develop an academic argument based on the literatures of the course with group work, student presentations and discussants' critique supervised by faculty.