ASOK05240U Global Political Sociology

Volume 2013/2014
Education
MA Theory course
BA-undergraduates from foreign countries can sign up for this course
Content

In this course an operationalized framework for studying global societal trends is presented by synthezising economic, cultural, sociological and political data in the image of Martin Shaws book Theory of the Global State (2000) and later similar developments in the field of International Sociology. Hereby a theory emerges of the kind Ulrich Beck would name a truly global sociology, where the national point of departure is transcended. This is not only necessary, but alsp possible it shall be argued with the base in the Global Polity Theory, developed in the latest years. In this theory, sociology can come to focus on global social problems like migration, global cultural divides and the possibilities for establishing a global community.

The course will focus on demarcating trends such as global inequality, geo-politics, statebuilding, global trade, global social communities, cosmopolitan culture, and world state issues.
Learning Outcome
Participants will be better at navigating through the global jungle of organizations and interesting fields of study and work. Theoretically, participants will be introduced to the newest trends in the discipline of International Political Sociology and gain experience in forming and executing studies that link different types of knowledge into a single study where global trends can be illuminated. Handling macro sociological data in reference to theory is a main focus for the course. It is the aim to teach how to synthesize cultural, economic and political aspects into a sociological theoretical framework and participants will be tested in showing their skills at synthesizing cultural, economic and political data into sociological analysis.
Literature
Large extracts from Martin Shaw: Theory of the Global State, 2000; Daniel H. Duedney: Bounding Power, 2007, James Dobbins:  Beginners Guide to Nation-Building, 2006, John Agnew: Globalization and Sovereignty, 2009. Michael Mann: The Sources of Social Power, vol 3, 2012, David Held: Cosmopolitanism, 2011, the collecction of eesays by Kaldor et al. In Global Civil Society, Cambridge, 2004, etc. + data of various kinds to illustrate major points and inspire student assignments. No compendium. Maybe next year if the course is a succes!
No special requirements but advanced studies (around the level of Bachelor´s degree) in anthropology, geography, cultural studies, politicology or sociology.
Lectures and exercises. When the theory is presented, it will be beneficial to have students focus on work with quite specific cases that can aid them in producing assignments.
Kurset fungerer også som liniefag for specialiseringsretningen: Politisk sociologi

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  • Category
  • Hours
  • Exam
  • 123,5
  • Lectures
  • 28
  • Preparation
  • 123,5
  • Total
  • 275,0
Credit
10 ECTS
Type of assessment
Written assignment
Size: A Free written take-home essay of maximum 15 pages of 2400 characters each page (incl. spaces). If written by a group, the essay may be 50 % of 2400 characters each page longer per additional student.
Attention: When handing in as a group, the contribution of each student must be pointed out.
Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
External censorship
Exam period
Handing in of papers: 12.00 o’clock in the secretariat (16.1.34) Submission dates will be available on Absalon.
Criteria for exam assesment
Please see the course aims.