| Unit name | Governance, Institutions and the Global Political Economy |
|---|---|
| Unit code | SPOLM1073 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Lendvai-Bainton |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | School for Policy Studies |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
Why is this unit important?
Globalisation has rapidly expanded the reach and power of new forms of governance and policy-making at the global scale over the last 50 years. This expansion has fundamentally transformed forms and patterns of governing, authority and policy-making. This unit examines the key dynamics of global governance and the global political economy and invites you to critically reflect on global governance challenges in terms of ‘global disorder’, rising global inequalities and changing patterns of authority and power.
How does this unit fit into the programme of study
This unit is a mandatory unit within the first term of study. The unit provides key theoretical and conceptual orientation for understanding public policy in a global context. The unit locates public policy within a multi-scalar space of global governance and provides key insights into contemporary global challenges.
An overview of content
The aim of this unit is to identify and consider the increasing complex spaces of public policy and the institutions and actors involved in the policy process. It looks beyond the state to consider international organisations, global civil society and social movements, the private sector and the market and their power and position in the policy process in a neoliberal global order. The unit will explore the dynamics of global governance in the field of trade, development, climate change, and will discuss contemporary challenges of deglobalisation, rising populism and nationalism and the new ‘global disorder’.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
You will become more confident having developed a nuanced, theoretically sound and empirically informed understanding of the complexities of global governance and the global political economy. You will be able to critically analyse institutional changes and forms of power of key actors and networks within a global, multi-scalar space of policy-making. You will be able to critically reflect on both policy processes as well as policy outcomes of global governing and the changing map of authority worldwide.
Learning outcomes
On successful completion of the unit, you will be able to:
Teaching will be delivered through face-to-face lectures and seminars. Student learning is supported via the online learning platform, Blackboard, where lecture materials and tasks are listed weekly. Each week you will be asked to undertake a specific task or reading to discuss in the seminar session. There is also an emphasis on self-directed study and reading.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
You will be supported in the summative assessment by a formative element consisting of a group PowerPoint presentation in class. The group presentation will address a core conceptual element of the summative assignment and will receive verbal feedback from the seminar leader as well as peer feedback from other students in the session.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
Policy brief (2500 word maximum, 100%)
This assessment covers all unit learning outcomes.
When assessment does not go to plan
Subject to the university regulations for taught programmes, you may be offered an opportunity for reassessment. If you are eligible to resubmit and where appropriate, you may submit a revised version of your previous assignment, or complete an alternative assessment in the same format as the original assessment.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. SPOLM1073).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
