Assignment: 3000 word individual assessment.
This assessment is divided into two parts.
The first part is a discursive essay (NOT a report) where you must use academic prose and you must refer to and discuss academic literature. This component is worth 80% of the total marks. The second part is a reflective statement where you reflect on the module content and its implications for your future professional practice and career intentions in a ‘global’ economy.
The second element is worth 20% of the total marks. The reflective statement must also be written according to academic norms (no bullet points, notes or copied-in figures).
Part 1. Discursive essay. 2500 words. 80%.
Answer any ONE of the following questions:
1) Critically interrogate the arguments of any one globalization ‘radical’ such as Giddens, Friedman, or Fukuyama.
2) Critically explore three specific social harms associated with globalization. Explain why these harms are derived from globalization and discuss some ways in which they might be reduced.
3) To what extent do recent developments in the global economy enhance or threaten the prospects for employment in what Kalleberg calls ‘Good Jobs’?
4) Has globalization eradicated all meaningful differences between varieties of capitalism? Answer with reference to the Japanese economy.
5) Ritzer argues that ‘global culture’ is US-led, homogenized consumer capitalism. Is he correct?
6) Why are some parts of the political Right now hostile towards globalization, and what does this mean for globalization’s future?
You should draw upon relevant theoretical, conceptual, analytical and interpretive ideas from the multidisciplinary field of globalization as developed in the module. When answering any question the essay must contain in-depth discussion of core and supplementary readings drawn from across the course reading list. I would tend to advise that the essay cites at least ten academic references.
Part 2. Critical Reflection. 500 words. 20%
Drawing on material and themes from across the whole module, reflect on how globalization affects your own personal career and employment prospects.