Unit information: Global Transitions: Power, Hegemony, and the Ordering of the Global Political Economy in 2015/16

Unit name	Global Transitions: Power, Hegemony, and the Ordering of the Global Political Economy
Unit code	SPAIM0044
Credit points	20
Level of study	M/7
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24)
Unit director	Dr. Jeremy Green
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	None
Co-requisites	None
School/department	School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies
Faculty	Faculty of Social Sciences and Law

Description including Unit Aims

In this unit students will be introduced to some of the central theoretical debates within IPE through a historical engagement with different phases of transition and transformation in the global political economy. Ranging from the classical gold standard to the contemporary post-Bretton Woods monetary order, the module examines the way that forms of power embedded in the relationships between states, markets and non‐state actors have shaped the development of the global political economy.

Students will learn to reflect critically and historically upon the different theoretical approaches to IPE and to explore empirical puzzles through the lens of contending theoretical interpretations.

The unit aims to help students:

• Develop a critical understanding of the contending theoretical and conceptual approaches to IPE

• Gain knowledge of the historical transformations of the international political economy and the role of dominant and subaltern actors within these processes

• Engage with contemporary themes and debates in IPE in an empirically and theoretically informed manner

• Build an interdisciplinary understanding of the relationship between politics, history and economics

Intended Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of the unit, students will be able to:

• Demonstrate understanding of the historical transformation of the global political economy and its bearing upon the world that we live in today
• Assess the strengths, weaknesses and lacunas of contending theoretical and conceptual approaches to the study of IPE
• Analyse the relationship between different forms of power and the institutional foundations of the global political economy
• Critically evaluate the validity of the prevailing narrative of cycles of hegemonic rise and decline within IPE
• Demonstrate understanding of the relationship between forms of order, leadership and the functioning of the global political economy

Teaching Information

1x 2 Hour Seminar per week

Assessment Information

4,000 word essay (100% Summative Assessment) (assesses all learning outcomes)

An individual oral presentation in seminar (Formative Assessment)

Reading and References

Barry Eichengreen (2008) Globalizing Capital: A History of the International Monetary System, (Princeton: Princeton University Press)

Jeffrey Frieden & David Lake (2000) International Political Economy: Perspectives on Global Power and Wealth, 4th Edition (New York: Bedford/St Martin’s)

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

Eric Hobsbawm (1995) Age of Extremes: The Short Twentieth Century 1914-1991, (London: Time Warner Books)

Robert O’Brien & Marc Williams (2013) Global Political Economy: Evolution and Dynamics, 4th Edition (Basingstoke: Palgrave)