Module POL2027 for 2021/2
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
POL2027: The Politics of the World Economy
This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 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.
| 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).
How this Module is Assessed
In the tables below, you will see reference to 'ILO's. An ILO is an Intended Learning Outcome - see Aims and Learning Outcomes for details of the ILOs for this module.
Formative Assessment
A formative assessment is designed to give you feedback on your understanding of the module content but it will not count towards your mark for the module.
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tutorial presentation | 10 minutes | 1-6 | Oral feedback |
Summative Assessment
A summative assessment counts towards your mark for the module. The table below tells you what percentage of your mark will come from which type of assessment.
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 50 | 50 | 0 |
...and this table provides further details on the summative assessments for this module.
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | 50 | 2,000 words | 1-6 | Written comments |
| Examination | 50 | 1.5 hours | 1-6 | Written comments |
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 |
Re-assessment
Re-assessment takes place when the summative assessment has not been completed by the original deadline, and the student has been allowed to refer or defer it to a later date (this only happens following certain criteria and is always subject to exam board approval). For obvious reasons, re-assessments cannot be the same as the original assessment and so these alternatives are set. In cases where the form of assessment is the same, the content will nevertheless be different.
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | Essay (2,000 words) | 1-6 | August/September reassessment period |
| Examination | Examination (1.5 hours) | 1-6 | August/September reassessment period |
Indicative Reading List
This reading list is indicative - i.e. it provides an idea of texts that may be useful to you on this module, but it is not considered to be a confirmed or compulsory reading list for this module.
Cohn, T., 2014, Global Political Economy, Harlow: Pearson Education
Gilpin, R., Global Political Economy: Understanding the International Economic Order (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2001).
Walter and Sen, G., Analyzing the Global Political Economy (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2008).
