| 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 |
none |
| School/department | School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
Why is this unit important?
The unit interrogates the socio-economic and political change associated with European expansion and colonialism. It takes historical perspective to introduce students to some key features of global political economy (in the past and today), including processes of global division of labour and production, appropriation, inequalities, and social change in the making of the Global South and the Global North. 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 knowledge of these processes is necessary to understand global socio-economic and political structures today.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
This unit is one of the optional units for all year 1 UG students on the Politics and IR programs. It introduces the students to the basic Global Political Economy concepts and ways of thinking, as well as some of the key challenges that usually are the focus for area studies or development studies, such as inequalities or food insecurity, for example.
An overview of content
The unit is split into two parts. First half of the unit (weeks 1-6) are the historical overview of European colonialism and imperialism in Americas, Asia, and Africa. By chronologically exploring European colonial conquests, we observe how these processes introduced new global social, economic and political structures, and how those changed over time allowing for unequal distribution of wealth and power globally. In the second half of the module (weeks 7-12) we explore the legacies of European colonialism in today’s capitalist structures. Here we explore economic, political and social legacies of colonialism, and the ways they shape contemporary societies we live in.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit?
Students will learn about interconnectedness of the processes that produced the Global North and the Global South, and the ways that colonial past still shapes contemporary realities. The unit will be foundational for students who would go on to develop their interest in the development studies, global inequalities and regional expertise of Americas, Asia and Africa. The students of this unit will gain understanding of basic concepts and theories allowing them to develop a critical understanding of historical processes and their legacies in contemporary politics, economies and societies.
Learning Outcomes
Lectures: these cover key content, demonstrate how themes covered in different weeks speak to one another and the overall module aims, introduce students to the conceptual and theoretical debates of the issues studied.
Required readings: academic reading introduce students to theoretical/conceptual debates and selected case studies to deepen their understanding of topics studied that week. The course is built around its core texts, each week will have either 2 or 3 readings.
Seminars: the opportunity to reflect on and raise questions about the readings and material studied that week; discuss the issues of the week in more detail; discuss assignments. This will be a space for developing students’ critical engagement with literature and conceptual issues in a student-centred and interactive ways.
Recommended asynchronous resources: Each week’s Blackboard page contains additional recommended video or written material, accompanied by some directive questions, that is relevant either to the lecture or to the seminar topic (or to both) and designed to supplement the required weekly reading, spur discussion in seminar, and spark ideas for possible paper topics.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
There are no formative assessments on this unit. Students will have opportunities to discuss their work and ideas in the seminars and office hours. Seminars will be the space to discuss general ideas relevant to the assignments, and in office hours personalised feedback on the work plans will be provided by the teaching team. Details of the assignment expectations will be discussed in the lectures and further support provided on the Blackboard site.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
Students are assessed through two summative assessments:
Writing the report develops two sets of important academic skills – critical engagement with empirical evidence and linking empirical realities to academic debates. For this assessment, students have to choose and explore one of the legacies of Bristol’s involvement in the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade (TAST) and write a 1000-word report on it.
2. Critical writing exercise (75%) (ILO1, 2, 3).
For this assignment students will have to write a 1000-word piece developing one critical point relating to the legacies of colonialism today. They key skills that will be developed through this exercise is students’ ability to engage with contrasting views on the issue chosen and articulating their own position/argument in relation to those, as well as explaining these ideas and supporting them with relevant evidence. These are crucial skills in academic writing, and the assessment aims to build those skills.
When assessment does not go to plan
The re-assessment tasks will be the same as the original ones, as students are choosing their own topics, and the focus of the assignments are study skill building, which is crucial at the start of the studies.
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 University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
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.
