Global Political Economy (5 ECTS)

Learning outcomes

Upon completing this course the student will:
- Understand the perspectives of different socioeconomic groups
- Understand the processes of globalisation
- Understand the methodological issues relating to economic inquiry
- Understand reasons for conflict and cooperation in the global political economy

Students will be able to
- apply sophisticated theoretical and conceptual analysis to current problems
- construct scenarios
- conduct comparative analysis of national economic systems
- relate localised phenomena to international and global developments

Content

Theories of global political economy
Methodological aspects of social inquiry
The international trade system
Global finance and the international financial system
Economic development, investment and transnational corporations
Global governance
Global and regional security
Environment and ecology
Developing a more sophisticated and deeper understanding of global phenomena

Prerequisites

English Language Proficiency

Teaching methods

Lectures, discussion, video presentations

Location and time

Wednesday, 08:00

Room C231, Myyrmäki campus

Learning materials and recommended literature

In addition to the extensive list of materials provided by the lecturer, the textbook used is
Roy Smith, Imad El-Ans and Christopher Farrands, "International Political Economy in the 21st Century: Contemporary Issues and Analysis", 2nd ed., Harlow: Longman. (ISBN 978-1-138-80841-6)

Internship and working life connections

Strategic analysis of global, regional and local phenomena and contexts
Scenario planning
Risk analysis

All these enable the development of skills required for senior managerial positions.

Exam dates and retake possibilities

Final exam takes place in normal scheduled class time, 9 December 2020

Resit exams will be arranged at earliest in January 2021

International connections

The greater use of international information sources, the more successful will be the experience of the course.

Student workload

As this course is worth 5 ECTS, students should expect to work at least 130 hours, including the 45 hours allocated to class time. Reading is a major part of the learning experience, and students should be prepared to spend significant time researching topics of particular interest to them, within the context of the course.

Content scheduling

Apart from the scheduled final exam, there are also unscheduled class tests that are designed to encourage maximum attendance and more effective learning. Failure to attend these will not be compensated unless for certified medical reasons.

Further information for students

As stated above, regular attendance is strongly recommended. Classroom discussion and debate add significantly to the learning experience, and the lectures provide a strong structure for learning.

The assessment for the course is as follows:

Ambush tests (2 x 10%)
Individual essay (30%)
Final exam (50%)

Assessment methods and criteria

The grading scale employed in the course is the standard Metropolia grading scale:

Grade Percentage/points Explanation

5 90 – 100 Outstanding performance: not only fulfils all standard requirements but demonstrates originality and imagination

4 80 – 89 Excellent performance, fulfilling all tasks in an appropriate manner

3 70 – 79 Strong performance, showing strong understanding of basic concepts and good grasp of techniques, but with certain minor problems still requiring further attention

2 60 – 69 Good performance, demonstrating basic grasp of concepts and techniques but less adept at more advanced application of these

1 50 – 59 Adequate performance, showing just enough understanding of the subject to merit a pass grade but requiring greater effort to achieve a more satisfactory result

0 0 – 49 30 – 49: insufficient to pass but capable of achieving a more satisfactory result if greater effort is made
0 – 29: a result indicating a significant lack of effort on the part of the student, and a clear signal that major improvements are necessary in the organisation of study time

Evaluation scale

0-5

Assessment criteria, satisfactory (1)

Sufficient performance:
showing just enough understanding of the subject to merit a pass grade but requiring greater effort to achieve a more satisfactory result

Assessment criteria, good (3)

Good performance:
showing strong understanding of basic concepts and good grasp of techniques, but with certain minor problems still requiring further attention

Assessment criteria, excellent (5)

Excellent performance:
not only fulfils all standard requirements but demonstrates originality and imagination

Assessment criteria, approved/failed

Sufficient performance:
showing just enough understanding of the subject to merit a pass grade but requiring greater effort to achieve a more satisfactory result