Theories of Globalization and New Media

Module code: MS7083
Module coordinator: Dr Tracy Simmons

In this module you will explores the relationship between globalisation and new media from a cultural perspective. We will look in particular at the global expansion of capitalism, the shift from industrial to service and information economies and the significance of the ‘cultural’ as an expanding arena of production and consumption. We will examine the rise and spread of global media conglomerates, the diffusion of new technologies of communication and the manner in which old political, cultural and social boundaries, particularly those of the nation, are being challenged by new networks of an emerging global civil society and by transnational communities. We will investigate new forms of affiliation and solidarity and discuss whether multiple identifications will replace local forms of belonging.

Topics covered

Technology, global markets and the global division of labour
Cultural commodification, media production and consumption
The relationship between the local and global
The global city and networks
Resistance, new social movements and ICTS (information communication technology)
Transnational communities and the internet
Questions of identity and belonging, the self and the internet

Learning

22 hours of lectures
11 hours of seminars
2 hours of practical classes and workshops
4 hours of tutorials
261 hours of guided independent study

Assessment

Essay, 4,000 words (80%)
Critical reading exercise, 500 words (10%)
Attendance and participation in seminar discussion activities (10%)