| CODE | IRL1081 | ||||||||||||
| TITLE | The Global Politics of Inequality: Realities and Perspectives | ||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 01 - Year 1 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 5 | ||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | International Relations | ||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | States are not born equal, and interstate relations are highly asymmetrical. This inequality has obvious effects on the politics and social realities in countries in the so-called Global South. This study-unit aims to introduce students to how history, economics, and politics have shaped such realities. It introduces the main theories used to study global inequality and, through a series of case studies, examines political realities in countries from various parts of the Global South. It also introduces the students to the concepts of development, and discussions around global justice. Study-unit Aims: Students should gain a good theoretical and empirical grounding in the politics of North - South relations generally. More specifically, the aim is to familiarize them with how history, economics, and politics have shaped social, economic and political realities in countries of the Global South. Empirically, the aim is in addition to make students conversant on a select number of country cases. Theoretically, the aim is to familiarize the students with concepts of sovereignty, colonialism, neo-colonialism and post colonialism, intervention, regime types, international justice, global justice, and development. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Recognise how differentials in power and wealth have evolved and what consequences they have on states and groups within states; - Discuss confidently several country cases in the Global South and how history, economics, and politics have shaped these countries; - Understand the main tenets of theories of North-South relations; - Discuss basic issues of development and global justice. 2. Skills By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Analyse the structural and historical relationships at a global level that help explain the current structure of North-South relations; - Analyse world politics generally with more nuance and detail; - Present complex material orally in front of a group with greater confidence; - Produce text which is analytically and academically sound. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main text: - Green, D and Luehrmann, L (2017). Comparative Politics of the Global South: Linking Concepts and Cases, 4th ed. Lynne Rienner Publishers Supplementary readings: - Prashad, V (2013). The Poorer Nations: A Possible History of the Global South Verso. - Williams, H and Death, C (2017). Global Justice: The Basics Routledge. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | ||||||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Alexandra Schaerrer Cumming |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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