Course Type	Course Code	No. Of Credits
Foundation Core	SGA1GS203	4

Semester and Year Offered: 3rd Semester, 2nd Year

Course Coordinator and Team: Praveen Singh (or any 1-2 GS Faculty)

Email of course coordinator: praveen@aud.ac.in

Pre-requisites: None

Aim: The general aim of the course is to build a geographical and historical literacy amongst undergraduate students, and to develop a critical appreciation of thinking globally and of globalization as a process. Concrete aims include:

Explore the various characteristics of what defines global studies (Transnational, Interdisciplinary, Contemporary and historical, Critical and Multicultural, and Global Responsibility)

To build knowledge of global human and physical geography
To develop a global perspective and an understanding of globalization as a process
To understand diverse global concerns from interdisciplinary perspectives
To develop an appreciation of interrelations and connectedness of situated processes and peoples

Course Outcomes: On successful completion of the course the student will be able to:

Demonstrate a basic familiarity with world history and geography, and with different stages of globalization;
An appreciation of different aspects of globalization (cultural, economic, political and environmental);
Analyse the inter-connectedness of the local, regional and the global, and gain an appreciation of a common future of human and non-human;
Gain understanding of the field of Global Studies, and the need to develop an interdisciplinary perspective.

Brief description of modules/ Main modules:

Each week students will examine a specific global issue from the vantage point of a particular world region. The underlying idea is to focus on the connections between places and peoples, as well as the tensions and disjunctures at these intersections.

Module #	Subject	World Regions (indicative)	Week
1	Introduction: Global, Globalisation and Globality	---	2
2	The Global Inequality	Africa, North America	2
3	Environment and Society	Southeast Asia, South America	2
4	Cultures in Contact	Europe, South Asia	2
5	Nation and State	West Asia, East Asia	2
6	Global Futures	---	2

Modules # 2-5 take up different themes and debates of relevance that are studied and illustrated by locating them in specific world regions.

By looking at how a particular issue affects two different regions, the aim is to develop a comparative perspective and a cross-cultural worldview while also challenging the lay association of certain regions with some ‘inherent’ characteristic. The final unit invites students to put the pieces back together and think globally about the future of globalization and globality.

Assessment Details with weights:

Short thought pieces that engage with the key concepts of the course in real life settings (4@10 = 40%).
Report / essay based on independent work on a region and issue (20%).
Final examination (40%).

Reading List:

Patricia J. Campbell, et al., An Introduction to Global Studies. Wiley-Blackwell, 2010.
Mark Juergensmeyer (Ed.), Thinking Globally: A Global Studies Reader. University of California Press, 2013
Manfred B. Steger, Globalization: A Very Short Introduction. OUP, 2003
Eric Sheppard, et al., A World of Difference: Encountering and Contesting Development, 2nd Edition. The Guilford Press, 2009.

Understanding the Global