Globalization Studies

What is it that we call “globalisation”, and how does it proceed? What has the legacy of
previous waves of globalisation been? What is new - if anything - about today’s international
flows of economic goods, cultural practices, financial products and transnational migrants? In
other words, who and what exactly, is going global ? Are we observing the end of the nation-state,
an “Americanisation” of cultural practices and lifestyles worldwide and the rise of
transnational social movements promoting global causes? Which individuals and social
groups are most able to enjoy mobility, both geographical and social, seize global
opportunities and benefit from globalisation?
This course provides some answers to these questions by looking into contemporary political,
economic, social and cultural phenomena. It looks at the social fabric of « the international » -
its actors and processes, scales and flows, but also its limits and tensions - beyond the unit of
sovereign states and the borders of national territories, which have usually prevailed in the
field of International Relations.
Course outline:

I. Introduction. Definitions, course presentation.

SECTION I. HISTORY AND CONCEPTS

2. The Rise of Europe, Capitalism and Colonisation

3. The Invention of Race

4. The First International Campaign ? The Abolitionist Movement

5. Colonial legacies

SECTION II. CULTURES, MOVEMENTS AND SOCIETIES

6. The Tastes of Globalization : culture, consumption and leisure

7. Power and Territories

8 & 9. Social Classes in/ and Globalisation

10 & 11. International Migrations

12. Global Justice? Transnational Social Movements

During the course, students will develop the following abilities:
• Identify the main actors, trends and dynamics of today’s internationalisation of human
activity
• Produce contextualised and critical analysis of globalisation that is relevant for the press,
policy-makers, the private sector or civil society
• Improve their ability to participate in real-life and policy-oriented discussions about the
various dimensions of globalisation
• Acquire theoretical and analytical tools to interpret case-studies and approach specific topics
inspired by the news or concrete situations of everyday life
• Identify the main topics and debates, arguments and theories within the field of
Globalisation studies
• Develop academic research skills and a taste for Globalisation studies
• Improve their ability to write academic essays. 

The course draws on the social sciences broadly understood, mainly transnational history and
sociology. The syllabus and lectures try to avoid the Eurocentric trap and hence take into
account the experiences coming from societies outside Europe and North America, and the
perspectives of authors of the Global South. It pays attention to colonisation because it has
been crucial in creating the fundamental categories and identities (races, ethnies, gender) that
continue to organise and govern systems and lives in today’s globalisation. The course
addresses critical global, societal issues, such as slavery, racism, migration or 'cultural appropriation'. The
reading list purportedly includes a high number of scholarly work produced by academics
who identify as female.

References, bibliography, and recommended reading

- Sassen, Saskia, A Sociology of Globalization, Norton & Company, 2007 (available at the
university’s library : 4NIV 303.482 SASS)
- Held, David and Anthony McGrew (eds), The Global Transformations Reader : An
Introduction to the Globalization Debate, Polity Press (second edition), 2003 (4NIV 327.1
HELD cop.2)
- Holton, Robert J., Making Globalization, Palgrave Macmillan, 2005 (PDF on the UV)
- In French:
Lecler, Romain, Sociologie de la Mondialisation, La Découverte, 2013 (4NIV 303.484
LECL)

Course notes

• Syllabus
• Université virtuelle

Contacts

Office : R 41.4.201 (REPI/ Institut d’Études Européennes)
Office hours: Fridays 2.30-4.30pm (please make an appointment by email beforehand)
Webpage: https://repi.phisoc.ulb.be/fr/membres/corpsacademique/
professeur%C2%B7e%C2%B7s/isaline-bergamaschi
Email : isaline.bergamaschi@ulb.be
When addressing me in person or in an email, please call me Prof. (instead of Miss or Mrs),
indicate the course’s name and be as specific in framing your requests as you can. Be aware
that emails will not be replied to (i) if they do not include an object and main text (i.e. only an
attachment) and (ii) if the answer to your question(s) can be found in this course syllabus.
ERASMUS students are welcome to follow this course !

Campus

Solbosch

Method(s) of evaluation

• written examination

written examination

• Open question with developed answer

Before each lecture, students must prepare one reading. Each student should be prepared to
present and reflect critically upon the weekly reading in class.
Grading
The final exam for the course will consist of a three-hour in-class exam - whose date will be
determined and communicated by the « service des horaires » later during the semester - and
of 3 questions. Students must answer each question in a mini-essay (recommended duration :
one hour each) that will (i) make a clear argument/ answer the question explicitly and with a
clear outline, (ii) build only on the course material and sources (lectures and readings) –
unless indicated otherwise. The exam can be written in English or French.
The « second session » will take place in August. The exam will draw on the same material
and use the same format as described above.
Cheating will result in a 0 grade for the course as well as a formal examination by the dean of
the Faculty of Philosophy and social sciences. Dictionaires are allowed and will be checked.

Language(s) of evaluation

• english