The aim of the module is to provide an historical understanding of globalization from the early modern period to the present. Student will be introduced to key themes in the history of globalization (such as: networks; migration (forced and free); imperialism; inequalities; trade and consumption; technological revolutions) and theoretical debates on the topic. At the end of the module students will be able to understand development and evolution of the globalization process through the centuries, to evaluate how it shaped people’s life since the sixteenth century, and to consider current debates in an historical perspective.
teacher profile teaching materials
Parts of:
Jürgen Osterhammel, Niels P Petersson, Dona Geyer, Globalization: A Short History, Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2021;
Peter N. Stearns, Globalization in World History, London: Routledge, 2020.
A reading list will be provided in week one.
Programme
The first part of the course examines the history of globalization. Starting from the historiographical debate on the very existence of a “early globalization”, it traces evolution and development of globalizing processes from the early modern period to the beginning of the 21st century. In doing so special attention will be devoted to three “turning points”: around 1500, around 1850 and around 1970. The second part of the course focuses on key topics that will be analysed throughout the centuries: Migration and the “Mobility divide”; forced labour; globalization and inequalities; imperialism; consumption and trade; opposition and resistance to globalization. During the seminars, departing from a case study, students will be encouraged to critically engage with secondary literature, to formulate specific questions and address present-day issues with a critical and historical approach.Core Documentation
Parts of:
Jürgen Osterhammel, Niels P Petersson, Dona Geyer, Globalization: A Short History, Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2021;
Peter N. Stearns, Globalization in World History, London: Routledge, 2020.
A reading list will be provided in week one.
Type of delivery of the course
Participants are expected to attend classes, read recommended texts in private study and play an active part in seminars.Type of evaluation
- In-class participation, 40% of the final assessment - In-class presentation (on a topic agreed with the module covenor), 30% of the final assessment - Final exam, 30% of the final assessment