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Geography of Globalisation

Code: 100029 ECTS Credits: 6
2024/2025
Degree Type Year
2502758 Humanities OB 3

Contact

Name:
Antonio Miguel Solana Solana
Email:
antoniomiguel.solana@uab.cat

Teaching groups languages

You can view this information at the end of this document.


Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites for taking this course


Objectives and Contextualisation

The subject is oriented towards the explanation of the territorial and social changes derived from the processes of globalization. Three main aspects in relation to the territorial results of the processes of globalization:


a) The description, explanation and analysis of the main aspects - economic, technological, political, social and cultural - that defines globalization as a process of planetary scope at the present time, with special attention to the transformations in geographic and territorial terms.


b) The explanation of the main factors and agents of each of the previous aspects that configure globalization as a process of transversal and certainly complex scope, based on the treatment of information and examples related to different territories and geographical areas.


c) The introduction to the main processes of change in relation to the territory with special attention to the results, impacts and consequences of diverse order that are derived from the processes of globalization, and distinguishing different territorial scales (worlwide, regional, metropolitan, local)


Competences

  • Analysing the regulations about cultural and natural heritage.
  • Identifying the characteristics of a space and a territory in order to manage the resources for its local and territorial development.
  • Interpreting social and cultural diversity.
  • Producing innovative and competitive proposals in research and professional activity.
  • Respecting the diversity and plurality of ideas, people and situations.
  • Students must be capable of applying their knowledge to their work or vocation in a professional way and they should have building arguments and problem resolution skills within their area of study.
  • Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
  • Students must have and understand knowledge of an area of study built on the basis of general secondary education, and while it relies on some advanced textbooks it also includes some aspects coming from the forefront of its field of study.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Communicating the main demographic phenomena and migration processes in order to explain the world's current events.
  2. Describing spatial relationships of the physical, economic, social and cultural diversity of territories on different territorial scales.
  3. Describing the main characteristics in general of the contemporary city, and specially in metropolitan regions.
  4. Describing the main economic, social and cultural contemporary problems in the world.
  5. Distinguishing the spatial relationships at different territorial levels through the relationships between nature and society in the Catalan, Spanish and European spheres.
  6. Identifying urban problems when taking decisions about territorial planning.
  7. Interpreting the environmental problems for the territorial planning according to the legislation.
  8. Interpreting the territorial and landscape dynamics and the legislation about them.
  9. Planning the territory in order to improve its management.
  10. Posing problems about physical, economic, social and cultural diversity of territories applying knowledge of regional geography.
  11. Posing problems about the planning of the spatial distribution of collective facilities, resources and mobility of people.
  12. Posing problems related to the management of resources and territory.
  13. Summarising characteristics of a written text according to its communicative purposes.

Content

1. Globalization: deconstruction of a concept

2. Political configuration of a globalized world: towards a new world (des)order?

3. The world as a global company

4. Stolen harvest? The domination of world food chains

5. Culture, identity and conflict in super-diverse societies

6. Consequences of globalization on social structures: towards a more unequal society?

7. Global change: environment and society


Activities and Methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Lessons 36 1.44 3, 4, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 11
Type: Supervised      
Preparation of papers, debates and presentations 8 0.32 1, 4, 2, 13
Type: Autonomous      
Reading articles and books 12 0.48 4, 2
Study and work on the materials for the written test 20 0.8 3, 4, 2, 5, 7, 8, 12, 11
Writing a review 16 0.64 4, 2, 13

Class lessons will consist of theoretical expositions, presentation of examples related to the contents of the subject, participation of the students and the viewing of documentaries or films. The teacher's explanations will help the students to have the general coordinates and to contextualise the relevant readings. Students will have to work independently throughout the course. Apart from reading and personal study, as detailed in the assessment section, this part of the work of the students will include the realization of a course work and a review of one of the books of the bibliography.

15 minutes of a class will be reserved, within the calendar established by the center/degree, for the completion by the students of the surveys to evaluate the performance of the teaching staff and the evaluation of the subject.

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.


Assessment

Continous Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
2 Exams 40 4 0.16 1, 3, 4, 2, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10
Course project 40 42 1.68 1, 4, 2, 5, 6, 7, 12, 11
Review 20 12 0.48 4, 5, 13

Evaluation

a) 2 Individual written exams (40% of the final grade).

b) Completion of a course project (40% of the final grade).

c) Review of one of the books referenced in the bibliography or -in accordance with the teacher- any other related to the topics dealt with the course (20% of the final grade).

The date of delivery of the work as well as of the review will be on the same day as the completion of the individual written test. No materials will be accepted out of time.

In order to be evaluated, it is mandatory to take the exam and deliver the course work and the review, both in the continuous evaluation and in the single evaluation. To pass, students must have at least 5 on average. The grades will only be taken into account when they reach a minimum of 5. Any note below 5 will oblige to re-evaluate the suspended part.

Only those persons who have submitted the assessment materials within the established delivery dates may submit to the re-evaluation of all or some of the suspended parts. Re-evaluated activities will be rated 5 as the higher mark.

The student who has not submitted some of the evidences corresponding to the assessment activities will be considered NOT EVALUATIVE.

The subject is structured in a continuous evaluation format.

In the event of a student committing any irregularity (copying, plagiarism, unauthorized use of AI, etc.) that may lead to a significant variation in the grade awarded to an assessment activity, the student will be given a zero for this activity, regardless of any disciplinary process that may take place. In the event of several irregularities in assessment activities of the same subject, the student will be given a zero as the final grade for this subject.

On carrying out each evaluation activity, lecturers will inform students (on Moodle) of the procedures to be followed for reviewing all grades awarded, and the date on which such a review will take place.

In the event thattests or exams cannot be taken onsite, they will be adapted to an online format made available through the UAB’s virtual tools (original weighting will be maintained). Homework, activities and class participation will be carriedout through forums, wikis and/or discussion on Teams, etc. Lecturers will ensure that students are able to access these virtual tools, or will offer them feasible alternatives.

SINGLE AVALUATION

It will consist of 3 evidences that must be approved in each case with a minimum 5 to be able to calculate the final grade:

1- Exam of continguts and concepts of the subject (40%)

2- Exam on the continguts and ideas of one of the books recommended at the beginning of courses on topics related to globalization. At the beginning of the course, the student must agree with the teacher on the selected book (20%)

3- 2 analysis of cases on globalization, territory, society and inequality. Each case will include complementary material that must be prepared in advance. You will have to build a reflection from some previous questions that will facilitate at the beginning of the test. These cases have also included the theoretical and conceptual material that is presented to the theoretical classes (40%)

The same assessment method as continuous assessment will be used.


Bibliography

BOYLE, Mark (2015), Human Geography. A concise introduction, Chichester: Wiley Blackwell.

CASTLES, Stephen MILLER, Mark J. (2009), The age of migration (International population movements in the modern world), Basingstoke: Palgrave-Macmillan.

ELLWOOD, Wayne (2007). Globalització, Barcelona: Intermón-Oxfam.

KNOX, Paul; MARSTON, Sallie (1998), Places and regions in global context. Human Geography, Upple SadleRiver: Prentice-Hall.

LECHNER, Frank J.; BOLI, John (2015), The globalization reader, Chichester, Wiley Blackwell.

MÉNDEZ GUTIÉRREZ DEL VALLE, Ricardo (2011), El nuevo mapa geopolítico del mundo, València: Tirant lo Blanch.

MURRAY, W.E. (2006) Geographies of Globalization, Londres: Routledge.

ORTIZ, Anna (coord.) et al (2011). Visions geogràfiques del món. Bellaterra: Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Servei de Publicacions.

RITZER, George; ATALAY, Zeynep (2010), Global readings in globalization. Key concepts and major debates, Chichester, Wiley Blackwell.

ROMERO, Joan (coord.) (2004), Geografía humana: procesos e incertidumbres en un mundo globalizado, Barcelona: Ariel.

SOLANA, Miguel (coord); BADIA, Anna; CEBOLLADA, Àngel; ORTIZ, Anna; VERA, Ana (2016), Espacios globales, lugares próximos (Setenta conceptos para entender la organización territorial del capitalismo global), Barcelona: Icaria.


Software

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Language list

Name Group Language Semester Turn
(PAUL) Classroom practices 1 Catalan first semester morning-mixed
(TE) Theory 1 Catalan first semester morning-mixed