POLIS 2130 - International Political Economy

North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2016

International political economy has traditionally brought together the study of the international economy with that of national and international politics in an effort to shed light over their mutual influences. More recently, scholars in the field have recognized that the reality of international economic relations is also culturally mediated and socially constructed. To understand how economic structures and political institutions interact with each other, it is therefore necessary to factor culture in. This course will explore how these three spheres the economy, politics, and culture interact with one another in a broad spectrum of areas, such as the political economy of international trade; the political economy of money and central banking; the political economy of international finance; the political economy of global financial crises; the political economy of multinational corporations; and illegal international political economy. These issues will be explored at both the conceptual and policy levels to give students a solid theoretical and empirical grounding in the study of the global economy. The course will enable students to gain a better understanding of very topical issues that range from the origin and evolution of the recent global financial crisis; the process of European monetary unification, the birth of the euro, the ongoing euro-debt crisis and the prospect of disintegration of the eurozone; the rise and global diffusion of central bank independence, the emergence and development of global standards on business and human rights and their influence on the business practices of multinational corporations in a variety of industries, including oil, gas, and mining.

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Course Details

Course Code	POLIS 2130
Course	International Political Economy
Coordinating Unit	Politics and International Relations
Term	Semester 2
Level	Undergraduate
Location/s	North Terrace Campus
Units	3
Contact	Up to 3 hours per week
Available for Study Abroad and Exchange	Y
Prerequisites	At least 12 units of undergraduate study
Incompatible	POLI 2130
Assessment	Tutorial participation 10%, Tutorial presentation 10%, Course test 1 15%, Course test 2 20%, Major essay 45%

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Professor Timothy Doyle

Phone: 08 8313 4489 - Email: timothy.doyle@adelaide.edu.au

Campus: North Terrace - Office: Napier Building, Room 509

Communication: Arrange appointments via email (weekdays only)

Course Timetable

The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

Course Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this course students will be able to:

1	have gained an understanding of the range of perspectives on international political economy issues;
2	be able to identify and explain the political dimensions of economic issues, while understanding the particular historical, cultural and social contexts in which they arise;
3	be able to apply theoretical tools in the analysis of issues of political economy;
4	be able to identify and formulate effective arguments; and
5	have increased confidence in their ability to communicate, to think critically, and to participate as a member of a group.

University Graduate Attributes

This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

University Graduate Attribute	Course Learning Outcome(s)
Deep discipline knowledge informed and infused by cutting edge research, scaffolded throughout their program of studies acquired from personal interaction with research active educators, from year 1 accredited or validated against national or international standards (for relevant programs)	1, 2, 3
Critical thinking and problem solving steeped in research methods and rigor based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment	1, 2, 3
Teamwork and communication skills developed from, with, and via the SGDE honed through assessment and practice throughout the program of studies encouraged and valued in all aspects of learning	4, 5
Career and leadership readiness technology savvy professional and, where relevant, fully accredited forward thinking and well informed tested and validated by work based experiences	1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Intercultural and ethical competency adept at operating in other cultures comfortable with different nationalities and social contexts able to determine and contribute to desirable social outcomes demonstrated by study abroad or with an understanding of indigenous knowledges	2, 3
Self-awareness and emotional intelligence a capacity for self-reflection and a willingness to engage in self-appraisal open to objective and constructive feedback from supervisors and peers able to negotiate difficult social situations, defuse conflict and engage positively in purposeful debate	2, 5

Learning Resources

Required Resources

The following textbook is essential. It will be used for the course’s entirety and be used in preparation for the class tests.

Robert O’Brien and Marc Williams, Global Political Economy, Fourth Edition, London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2013.

Other readings (to be uploaded to MyUni) will also be essential reading in preparation for the tests.

Recommended Resources

There is a very useful overview of political-economy related websites published in:

Abhijit Sharma and Richard Woodward, ‘Political Economy Websites: A researcher’s Guide’, New Political Economy, 6(1), 2001, 119-130.

Online Learning

Additional course-related material is available through MyUni.

The following documents will be available via MyUni:
lecture content, course profile, explanation of assessment tasks, additional readings.

Learning & Teaching Modes

The division of the course into three parts seeks to provide a balance of theoretical and empirical material. This material will be predominantly delivered through lecture-style presentations, as it is information intensive, reflecting the established research interests of the co-ordinator. Smaller group teaching will take place in the tutorials. Like all courses in the Politics Discipline, the teacher promotes the development of critical and analytic skills, and is built upon the need for students to communicate their ideas in both written essays, and through oral expression in these smaller tutorial groups. Apart from student presentations, these group sessions will be used to address teaching and learning problems/issues, which will potentially arise during the course; as well as providing an opportunity to relate the lecture material with international political economy issues as they emerge in the media.

Workload

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

WORKLOAD	TOTAL HOURS
1 x 2-hour lecture (or equivalent) per week	24 hours per semester
1 x 1-hour tutorial (or equivalent) per week	12 hours per semester
4 hours reading per week	48 hours per semester
2 hours research per week	24 hours per semester
2 hours assignment preparation per week	24 hours per semester
2 hours class preparation per week	24 hours per semester
	156 hours per semester

Learning Activities Summary

Schedule
Week 1	Welcome, Logistics and Outline of Course
Week 2	What is International Political Economy?
Week 3	Forging a World Economy
Week 4	Industrial Revolution, Pax Britannica and Free Trade
Week 5	The End of the Old Order?
Week 6	Course Test - Part 1
Week 7	Transnational Production
Week 8	International Trade and Security
Week 9	Global Division of Labour
Week 10	The Global Financial System
Week 11	The Green Economy
Week 12	Course Test - Part 2

Specific Course Requirements

Not applicable.

Small Group Discovery Experience

Tutorials will include small-group activities and semi-structured discussions designed to provide students with a fulfilling 'small group discovery experience'. Students will also present small-group research projects in tutorials, assessed by the course coordinator.

The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
Assessment must maintain academic standards.

Assessment Summary

Assessment Task	Task Type	Weighting	Learning Outcome
Tutorial Participation	Formative and Summative	10%	1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Tutorial Presentation	Formative and Summative	10%	1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Course Test - Part 1	Summative	15%	1, 2
Course Test - Part 2	Summative	20%	1, 2
Research Essay	Formative and Summative	45%	1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Assessment Related Requirements

The research essay must be submitted both through the Assignments link and to Turnitin (both on MyUni).

Assessment Detail

Tutorial Participation (10%): students interacting in class activities and sharing of materials and information.

Tutorial Presentation (10%): Students will be expected to present a media analysis of a current controversy or issue in international political economy. The presentation will include handing up a powerpoint or a one page summary of the substance of the argument in (annotated) bullet points, including references.

Course Tests (35%): Based on course text and lecture material, these two one-hour tests will allow students to demonstrate their grasp of basic concepts conveyed in the course. They will comprise multiple choice questions.

Research Essay (45%): Students will required to write a critical (i.e., theoretically informed) research essay using theories, concepts, methods and empirical information covered in the module. Word-count: 2500 words.

Submission

The major essay must be submitted both through the Assignments link and to Turnitin (both on MyUni).

The official procedure to apply for extensions is: http://www.adelaide.edu.au/student/exams/mod_arrange.html

Students must apply for extensions through the official procedure unless:

1. The student is only requesting a short extension of two days or less
2. The assessment is worth 20% or less.
3. The student is registered with the Disability Office and has a Disability Access Plan.

Late essays without an extension will be penalised at the rate of 2% per day.

Course Grading

Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
Grade	Mark	Description
FNS		Fail No Submission
F	1-49	Fail
P	50-64	Pass
C	65-74	Credit
D	75-84	Distinction
HD	85-100	High Distinction
CN		Continuing
NFE		No Formal Examination
RP		Result Pending

Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

Student Feedback

The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.
Student Support
Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
Fraud Awareness

Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

The University of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The University of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.

Authorised by:	Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic)
Maintained by:	Course Outlines Administrator