Postgraduate Module Descriptor

POLM156: The Transformation of Politics in the Global Age

This module descriptor refers to the 2018/9 academic year.

Overview

NQF Level	7
Credits	30	ECTS Value	15
Term(s) and duration	This module ran during term 1 (11 weeks)
Academic staff	Dr Dario Castiglione (Convenor)
Pre-requisites	None
Co-requisites	None
Available via distance learning	No

This module deals with the transformation of politics in the global age. In particular it looks at the internal and external challenges to the nation-state context as the traditional context for politics during the modern period. The nation-state context is challenged internally by the increasing multicultural make up of its citizenry, and from without by processes of globalization and transnational governance. As part of the module, we shall look at the dominant ideas of politics and statehood, as they emerged in modern times, and then look at their transformations under several challenges. These include: (a) the challenges to traditional forms of representative politics (the crisis of parties, the emergence of new forms of representation, the politics of delegation); (b) the challenges to the political cohesion of democratic states and the problem of combining ideas of equality with the recognition of difference (multicultural citizenship, residence and citizenship rights); and (c) the challenges to the sovereignty and integrity of the nation-state from without posed by globalization and its effects (border issues, transnational governance and cosmopolitan democracy).

There are neither pre- or co-requisite for this module. No specific knowledge is required. A familiarity with the more theoretical literature in politics and social theory is an advantage. This module is suited for interdisciplinary pathways.

Module created	15/05/2018	Last revised	09/07/2018