B2871 - Culture and Globalization

Learning outcomes

The aim of the course is to investigate the role of culture in the global age. At the end of the course students will be expected to have an in depth knowledge of the theoretical and political debates on globalization/anti-globalization; to critically analyse the cultural theories and dynamics of globalization; to discuss topics such as identity, ideology, symbolic power and counter-power in our world society.

Course contents

The course will investigate the principal models for interpreting globalization, with particular reference to symbolic power, counter power, ideology and the cultural dynamics of globalization. Attention will focus on the following topics:

(i) the role of culture and ideologies in the world international system;

(ii) the dialectic of soft/symbolic power and counter-power in the global contemporary world;

(iii) the theoretical globalization/anti-globalization debate;

(iv) the debate over cultural identities in the global world; the destiny of national cultures; the cultural dynamics of globalization.

Readings/Bibliography

At the beginning of the lectures, you will find all the following texts uploaded onto the Virtuale Platform:

 

Part 1. Culture and Many Globalizations/Antiglobalizations

• D. Held, A. McGrew, Globalization / Anti-Globalization. Beyond the Great Divide, Polity Press: Cambridge 2007, Chapters 1, 8, 10.

• U. Beck, The Cosmopolitan Condition. Why Methodological Nationalism Fails, in «Theory, Culture & Society», 24, 2007, pp. 286-290.

• U. Beck, The Metamorphosis of the World, Polity Press: Cambridge 2016, pp. 3-21 (Chap. 1).

• C. Reus-Smit, Culture, in Id., International Relations. A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2020, Ch. 7.

• I. Wallerstein, Culture as Ideological Battleground of the Modern World-System, in «Theory, Culture and Society», 7, 1990, pp. 31-55.

• M. Castells, Networks of Outrage and Hope: Social Movements in the Internet Age, Polity Press, 2nd edition 2015, pp. 1-19.

• J.S. Nye, Soft Power. The Means to Success in World Politics, PublicAffairs: Cambridge (MA), 2004, Ch. 1.

• P.L. Berger, Introduction: The Cultural Dynamics of Globalization, in P.L. Berger and S. P. Huntington (ed. by), Many Globalizations: Cultural Diversity in the Contemporary World, Oxford University Press: New York-Oxford, 2002, pp. 1-16.

 

PART 2. Identities and Cultures in the World System

• J. Nederveen Pieterse, Globalization & Culture, Rowman & Littlefield: London, 2020, Ch. 4.

• G. Ritzer, S. Miles, The Changing Nature of Consumption and the Intensification of McDonaldization in the Digital Age, in «Journal of Consumer Culture», 1, 2018, pp. 3-20.

• S. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations?, in «Foreign Affairs», vol. 72, 3, 1993, pp. 22-49.

• F. Fukuyama, Identity: The Demand for Dignity and the Politics of Resentment, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York, 2018, Chapters 1-6, 10-11.

• Sh. Benahbib, The Claims of Culture: Equality and Diversity in the Global Era, Princeton University Press, Princeton, 2002, Chapters 1, 2.

• G. Crowder, Theories of Multiculturalism, Polity Press, Cambridge, 2013, Ch. 1.

• Lee McIntyre, Post-Truth, MITT, Cambridge (MA), 2018, pp. 1-16 (Ch. 1), pp. 123-150 (Ch. 6).

 

Teaching methods

Traditional lectures and seminar classes.

All students should register to VIRTUALE.UNIBO.IT

Since the beginning of the course non attending students are required to write to lorenza.gattamorta@unibo.it and inform about their status of non attending students.

Assessment methods

Course Requirements - Attending Students 

• First Mid-Term Exam: Tuesday 4th November 2025 (written mid-term exam; 4 questions; 60 minutes; 10 points).  

• Second Mid-Term Exam: Tuesday 16th December 2025 (written mid-term exam; 4 questions; 60 minutes; 10 points).

• Seminars: active participation through a Presentation, a Short Paper, and Discussions (10 points). The Presentation and Short Paper must address a topic drawn from the syllabus, to be agreed upon at the beginning of the course.

Attending Students may opt to take one of the two mid-term exams as an oral exam during an official examination session.

Students with specific learning needs are encouraged to contact the University’s dedicated office (link [https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students] ) at the earliest opportunity to discuss appropriate accommodations. Requests for adjustments must be submitted at least 15 days before the exam date to lorenza.gattamorta@unibo.it Each request will be reviewed in light of the learning objectives of the course.

 

Course Requirements - Non-Attending Students

• Oral examination covering the entire syllabus (Parts 1 and 2; 10+10 points)

• 4,000-word research paper including abstract and bibliography (10 points).

The paper must be submitted by email to lorenza.gattamorta@unibo.it no later than two weeks before the scheduled oral examination. The topic should be agreed with the professor and must relate to a theme addressed in the syllabus.

The paper is expected to demonstrate:

• a clear research question and methodology,

• coherent argumentation,

• correct use of the Author-Date citation system and a structured format, including: Title; Candidate’s Full Name; Abstract; 5 Keywords; Introduction; Two Sections (each with a title); Conclusion; Bibliography.

Detailed guidelines on academic writing are available on the Virtuale platform of the course.

Teaching tools

Video-projector; Virtuale Platform.

Office hours

See the website of Lorenza Gattamorta