Unit information: The Politics of the Global South in 2022/23

Unit name	The Politics of the Global South
Unit code	POLI10004
Credit points	20
Level of study	C/4
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12)
Unit director	Dr. Egle Cesnulyte
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
School/department	School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies
Faculty	Faculty of Social Sciences and Law

Unit Information

The unit will interrogate the socio-economic and political change associated with European expansion and colonialism. It will take historical perspective to introduce students to some key features of global political economy (in the past and today), including processes of production and appropriation, inequalities, social justice, and social change in the making of the Global South. The module is based on the premise that colonialism had profound effects on the formation of both the Global North and the Global South and that this historical knowledge is necessary to understand global processes today.

Unit aims:

• To examine the political and economic history of colonialism and to explore the role that colonialism in the Americas, Africa and Asia plays in the making of the contemporary world
• To analyse what the impact of colonialism has been in the modern world, what its continuing legacies may be and how the recent efforts of some actors to address these legacies have fared (i.e. reparations for slavery debate, ‘fair trade’ initiatives).
• To introduce students to some of the relevant key concepts in social sciences.

Your learning on this unit

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

• demonstrate an understanding of the historical factors underlying differences in the social, economic and political differences between the Global North and the Global South
• analyse the role of colonialism in formation of the global capitalist economy
• critically reflect on the role of domination, subordination, violence, and theft in the making of wealth and poverty

How you will learn

The unit will be taught through blended learning methods, including a mix of synchronous and asynchronous teaching activities

How you will be assessed

1000 word report (25%) 2000 word essay (75%)

Both assessments test all Learning Outcomes listed above

Resources

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. POLI10004).

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 Faculty 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. If you have self-certificated your absence from an assessment, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (this is usually in the next assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any extenuating circumstances and operates within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.