Admission requirements
This course is only available for students in the BA International Studies.
Limited places are also open for exchange students.
Please note: this course takes place in The Hague. Traveling between University buildings from Leiden to The Hague takes about 45 minutes.
Description
This course provides an analysis of the contemporary world economy. The course surveys leading theoretical and methodological approaches to the analysis of the world economy and uses these to develop global and comparative perspectives on a variety of substantive themes. Themes addressed in this course include the development of the world economy, theories of economic globalization and development, the dynamics and effects of world trade, international competitiveness, relations between high and low-income zones of the world economy, marketization, international finance and financial institutions, economic crises, multination firm structure and strategy, global inequality, international migration, global labour and social policy, and economic aspects of the global environmental crisis.
Course objectives
This course develops students’ understanding of the world economy and leading approaches to its study. Students will gain an understanding of key problems in the world economy and familiarity with the theories and methods analysts use to understand and explain the world economy’s development, dynamics, and effects. Students will demonstrate an ability to apply ideas and methods to investigate a variety of substantive themes, from trade, global economic governance, and financialization, to the manner in which economic globalization shapes state-society relations, work and labour markets, and welfare and inequality across countries. Overall, the course will enhance students’ abilities to address economic themes comparatively and from a global perspective.
Timetable
The timetable is available on the BA International Studies website.
Mode of instruction
Lectures
Lectures are held every week, with the exception of the midterm exam week. Weekly lectures will cover issues both inside and outside the readings.
Tutorials
Tutorials are held once every three weeks, with the exception of the midterm exam week. Attending all tutorial sessions is compulsory. If you are unable to attend a session, please inform your tutor in advance, providing a valid reason for your absence. Being absent without notification and valid reason or not being present at half or more of the tutorial sessions will mean your assignments will not be assessed, and result in a 1.0 for the tutorial (30% of the final grade).
Students will complete ten (10) journal entries of roughly 1.5 to 2 pages. These will be submitted on a weekly basis before the lecture and then compiled and uploaded as a complete body of work at the conclusion of the semester. The journal entries will address questions assigned to students, will require students to comment on readings and course materials, and will be discussed in the tutorials. The journal entries are for students’ own use. They are not evaluated strictly on the basis of content but rather obviousness of effort and thought. Timely and satisfactory completion of weekly journal entries will account for 80 percent of the tutorial grade.
Course Load
Total course load for this course is 5 EC (1 EC = 28 hours), this equals 140 hours, broken down by:
Attending lectures: 24 hours
Attending tutorials: 8 hours
Assessment hours (midterm and final exam): 4 hours
Study of compulsory literature: (approximately 7 pages per hour): 40 hours
Preparation of journal entries: 14 hours
Preparation for tutorials: 10 hours
Preparation for two exams: 40 hours
Assessment method
Assessment
Journal entries: Timely completion of 10 weekly outputs of 1.5 to 2 typewritten pages in length.
Midterm exam: Written examination with closed questions (multiple choice) and a short essay.
Final exam: Written examination with closed questions (multiple choice), a short and a long essay.
Weighing
| Partial grade | Weighing |
|---|---|
| Tutorials | 30% |
| Midterm Exam | 30% |
| Final Exam | 40% |
End grade
To successfully complete the course, please take note of the following:
The end grade of the course is established by determining the weighted average of tutorial, midterm exam and final exam.
The weighted average of the midterm exam and final exam needs to be 5.5 or higher.
Resit
If the end grade is insufficient (lower than a 6), or the weighted average of midterm- and final exams is lower than 5.5, there is a possibility of retaking the full 70% of the exam material, replacing both the earlier midterm and final exam grades. No resit for the tutorial is possible.
Please note that if the resit exam grade is lower than 5.5, you will not pass the course, regardless of the tutorial grade.
Retaking a passing grade
Please consult the Course and Examination Regulations 2017 – 2018.
Exam review
How and when an exam review takes place will be determined by the examiner. This review will be within 30 days after official publication of exam results.
Blackboard
Blackboard will be used for tutorial groups. Students are requested to enroll on Blackboard for this course, but only after correct enrolment in uSis.
Reading list
The readings for this course will include a mix of texts drawn from academic texts, scholarly articles and books, technical and policy documents, and popular and business press. An example of a possible text is Ravenhill, J. ed., Global political economy. 2017, Oxford University Press. There will be many other texts, as indicated above, to be specified later through Blackboard or in class.
Registration
Enrolment through uSis is mandatory.
General information about uSis can be found here.
Registration Studeren à la carte and Contractonderwijs
Not applicable.
Contact
When contacting lecturers or tutors, please include your full name, student number and tutorial group number.