Undergraduate Module Descriptor

POL2027: The Politics of the World Economy

This module descriptor refers to the 2020/1 academic year.

Module Aims

Based on literature from the cross-disciplinary field of International Political Economy (IPE), the module examines important structures, processes, and outcomes in the recent history of capitalism. In particular the module aims to:

(1) familiarize you with the conceptual frameworks designed to illuminate major empirical concerns;

(2) provide a foundational knowledge about the post-war history of governing the world economy, including attention to finance, trade, and development;

(3) engage in current debates about contemporary crises afflicting the capitalist order, including the global financial crisis, social inequalities and forms of resistance, the political economy of the environment, and alternatives to our current predicament.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
This module's assessment will evaluate your achievement of the ILOs listed here – you will see reference to these ILO numbers in the details of the assessment for this module.
On successfully completing the programme you will be able to:
Module-Specific Skills	1. demonstrate detailed knowledge of debates within the study of International Political Economy, including relevant conceptual frameworks, the international institutional history of the world economy, and major contemporary problems in key issue areas; 2. demonstrate the ability to articulate one's own ethical and political positions on questions of the international political economy;
Discipline-Specific Skills	3. critically analyse both empirical and theoretical material; 4. deploy theoretical arguments and apply them to empirical case studies;
Personal and Key Skills	5. communicate effectively in speech and writing; and 6. work independently and with peers to achieve common goals.

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

1. Introduction

Part I: Conceptual Resources

2. Origins of Global Governance: The Great Depression and Bretton Woods

3. Leadership and the World Economy

4. International Institutions and State Power

Part II: Governing the World Economy

5. Finance: the IMF

6. Trade: From the GATT to the WTO

7. Development and the World Economy

Part III: Contemporary Problems

8. Governing Intellectual Property

9. Central Banks

10. The Diffusion of Liberalism

11. Conclusion

Learning and Teaching

This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:

Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	Guided independent study	Placement / study abroad
26.5	123.5

...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled Learning and Teaching activity	16.5	(11 x 1.5 hour) The weekly lectures detail conceptual frameworks, history and key debates to help guide your reading.
Scheduled Learning and Teaching activity	10	(10 x 1 hour) The weekly tutorials consist of presentations and group discussion focused on tutorial questions and issues raised by students.
Guided independent study	123.5	Coursework and independent study includes reading, note taking, sketching answers to essay and seminar questions, presentation preparation and essay writing. This study is continuous throughout the course and should take at least six hours a week.

Online Resources

This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).