88269 - POLITICS AND SOCIETY IN THE GLOBAL WORLD

Conoscenze e abilità da conseguire

The course aims to give students n in-depth understanding of global events and ofthe causes and consequences of globalisation in a variety of political and social domains. At the end of the course, students will be able to discuss and learn about:the most pressing problems in the global political economy (inequalities, poverty, migration);the major political and societal forces at work in the world system; the actions of governments and other decision-makers within world politics; how the distribution of economic resources is influencing both politics and society; the prospects for global governance.

Contenuti

The course is articulated in two parts (lectures and seminars) and implements a teaching methodology partly inspired by the logic of the inverted classroom.

The lectures (28 hours) aim to deepen some of the main challenges that characterize the global society. In particular, social and political processes that shape modern and contemporary societies will be addressed, comparing theoretical approaches and the results of social research.

The topics covered in the first part of the course are as follows:

- Globalization and Social Change;

- Global Social Change and the Environment;

- Global Inequality: Globalization and the Transformation of Social Inequality;

- Migration in a Global Age: Transnational Migration and Social Transformation;

- Global Cities and Urban Life;

- Globalization and Social Movements;

- Security and Environment in the Global World;

- Environmentalism and Global International Society;

- Global Environmental Problems;

- The Origins of Global Environmentalism;

- Global Environmental Politics;

- Green Transition and Social Justice.

 

Seminars (20 hours) are designed to provide students with the opportunity to deepen and apply previously acquired knowledge through class discussion of practices and empirical cases based on theories and concepts analyzed in the Lectures. The seminars are enriched with new teaching materials: students are expected to read assigned materials carefully before the seminars, as active participation is required.

Testi/Bibliografia

Attending students:

readings will be provided by the professors during the first part of the course. The readings will be uploaded to the "VIRTUALE" platform (https://virtuale.unibo.it/)

 

Non-attending students

Non-attending students are required to read:

- Pellizzoni, L., Leonardi, E., Asara, V. (2022), Handbook of Critical Environmental Politics, Cheltenham, UK, Elgar Handbooks in Energy, the Environment and Climate Change

- Falkner R. (2021), Environmentalism and Global International Society, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press

Metodi didattici

Lecture section (28 hours): conventional lectures (with the use of Power Point), in which the course content is presented and discussed. The first part of the course is aimed at acquiring knowledge of facts/events, concepts, theories.

 

Seminar section (20 hours). During seminars, interaction between students and the professor is explicitly encouraged: students are expected to read assigned material carefully before class, and active participation is required. In particular, each seminar class will include at least one presentation by a student on one of the readings assigned by the professor. In addition, one student will be designated as a discussant for each reading presented, and will be expected to comment in depth on the presentation. For this reason, it is necessary to send the presentation to the professor and the discussant a few days in advance. After the discussant's comment, the interaction is open to the class: active student participation is very important at this stage.

Modalità di verifica e valutazione dell'apprendimento

Attending students

Attending students must ensure consistent attendance at lectures and seminars (at least 75% attendance is required).

The exam consists of:

1. Presentation during the Seminars and active participation in class discussion. The following aspects will be evaluated: accuracy and clarity of presentation, ability to synthesize and make connections between topics covered during the course, ability to make critical interventions and/or ask pertinent questions will be assessed (50% of the final grade).

 

2. Short essay (max. 4,000 words, including footnotes and references), take-home (open book), related to one of the thematic tracks proposed by the professors. The essay must be submitted at the end of the seminars and emailed to the professors at least seven days before the exam date. The exam deadlines and dates CANNOT be changed for any reason, so students must organize their personal schedules accordingly.

The following aspects will be evaluated: completeness of the paper, ability to summarize, clarity of exposition and ability to make connections between the various topics covered (50% of the final grade).

 

Non-attending students

The exam consists of:

1. Short essay (max. 4,000 words, including footnotes and references) take-home (open book), related to one of the thematic tracks proposed by the professors. The essay should be emailed to the professor at least seven days before the exam date. Exam deadlines and dates CANNOT be changed for any reason, so students must organize their personal schedules accordingly. Students must obtain a sufficiency (that is, a mark equal to or higher than 18 out of 30) to be admitted to the written test.

The following aspects will be evaluated: completeness of the paper, ability to summarize, clarity of exposition and ability to make connections between the various topics covered (30% of the final grade).

 

2. A written test (70% of the final grade) consisting of 3 open-ended questions, covering the program of the course referred to non-attending students. Students will have 45 minutes to complete the exam. The use of auxiliary materials (textbooks, notes, computer support) is not allowed during the exam. Grades are based on the following criteria: knowledge of the topics covered, expository ability, and use of appropriate technical vocabulary.

 

Evaluation criteria & Grading Policy

1. Presentation during Seminars and class discussion. The grades will be as follows:

Insufficient: approximate presentation, lack of clarity, lack of participation in the classroom discussion;

18-21: sufficient completeness, synthesis and clarity of presentation, limited participation in class discussion;

22-25: good synthesis and clarity of presentation; moderate participation in class discussion;

26-29: good synthesis and clarity of presentation; active participation in class discussion;

30: very good synthesis and clarity of presentation; active participation in class discussion and ability to make connections between different topics;

30 cum laude: excellent presentation, excellent ability to summarize and explain clearly; active participation in class discussion, ability to make connections between different topics and relevant personal revision of skills.

 

2. Short essay. The grades will be as follows:

Insufficient: knowledge of the topic is not even approximate or not correct.

18-21: elementary knowledge of the topic, and/or not always correct, partial ability to argue and elaborate

22-25: satisfactory knowledge of the subject, fairly grounded ability to argue and elaborate

26-29: good knowledge of the subject and good ability to argue and elaborate

30: precise knowledge of the subject and ability to argue and elaborate

30 cum laude: precise knowledge of subject matter, very good argumentation and elaboration skills

 

3. Written test. The grades will be as follows:

Insufficient: approximate or incorrect knowledge of subject matter, insufficient expository ability, and inappropriate use of concepts

18-21: elementary knowledge of the subject, not always correct, sufficient expository ability, sufficiently appropriate use of concepts

22-25: satisfactory knowledge of the subject, fairly correct expositive ability, fair use of concepts

26-29: good knowledge of the subject, good presentation skills, good use of concepts

30: precise knowledge of the subject, very good presentation skills, very good use of concepts

30 cum laude: precise knowledge of subject matter, very good presentation skills, very appropriate use of concepts and relevant personal revision of knowledge.

Strumenti a supporto della didattica

The course uses slides in powerpoint, which will be made available to the attending students at the end of each lesson. Additional material (readings, papers) will be uploaded to the Virtuale platform.

Orario di ricevimento

Consulta il sito web di Alessandro Bozzetti

Consulta il sito web di Giulia Cimini