OVERVIEW AND ESSAY PREP

From global events to local essays

Today

Being a critical scholar

Course overview

The essay questions

Writing ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’ essays

Being a critical scholar

In the 21st century, anyone can access facts and information

The most valuable are those who can think for themselves:

To be able to critically analyse ideas

To be able to evaluate evidence and excesses of information

To be able to think in different ways

It’s not about me!

In this module I have attempted to engage with your experiences of globalisation

As a result this has been a Western-centred module: the experiences of those living in London

The key success in the essays is not repeating what you think I think, but demonstrating the strength of your critical understanding

The lectures tend to link to examples of public discussion of issues – you need to go beyond this and use academic evidence

I want you to think.

You need to research

What do you want to find out?

Course Overview

What is globalisation?

According to Giddens (1990, p.64), globalisation is:

“the intensification of worldwide social relations which link distant localities in such a way that local happenings are shaped by events occurring many miles away and vice versa”

We are being critical of the affect of global structures upon local agencies and vice versa

Intensified connections

Connections between peoples have intensified across time and space

More communication and influence outside of immediate environment (space)

Distance becomes less important in social relations

Quicker interactions between people separated by space (time) The compression of time means that the time previous taken for

social interaction to occur has been reduced

Shifting cultural identities

Cultural identity comes from our identification with cultural practices, ideas and the symbolic resources of a culture

The advent of global communication and trading systems means that these referents are not necessarily local

On a global scale cultural identities may be shifting from fixed local traditions to fragmented deterritorised identities

Mediating the global village

The media ‘mediate’ communication between distant peoples

Consequently, how we understand the world around us is largely determined by how it is represented for us

The dynamics of this representation have been largely determined by the construction of a profit-driven global communications system

The global village

The idea of the global village suggests a more interconnected global society

The question is whether this village is connected but diverse, or connected and increasingly homogenous

The Difficulty

Cultural imperialism, which includes the spread of Western values and the process of ‘McDonaldisation’ is based upon a mass consumption model of media

Cultures, people and media are highly differentiated and actors are locally situated and are active consumers of information

Moreover, the rise of the internet has allowed much more active participation in media

The importance of the local

We discussed how nations are ‘imagined’ constructions

For many people nationhood is a defining attachment, particularly when there is a perceived threat

Whilst nationhood has come under threat from a number of sources, the last few years have seen a resurgence of local attachments

Diversity vs. sameness Local attachments

Globalising Socialising

Family is one of the most enduring aspects of the human condition across time and cultures

Families provide our initial mode of socialisation, turning individual bodies into social beings

But, is the family a ‘natural’ and thus culturally universal element of human nature, or a cultural practice?

Whilst the ‘nuclear’ family with thought to be the ultimate form, globalisation has provoked reinvention rather than homogeneity

It is the role of women that has changed most significantly around the world

1. Critically evaluate the impact of the expansion of capitalism on the

global poor

2. To what extent should developing nations be forced to reduce their

carbon emissions?

3. Using examples from contemporary London, discuss the extent to

which the ‘world city’ promotes post-national cultural identities

4. What is meant by ‘the end of history?’ Is this term still relevant in the

21st century?

1500 words, worth 70%, due Monday April 20th, 3pm

The essays

The basics

Each of the questions asks you for a specific answer: make an argument and state it clearly in the introduction

Identify, analyse and discuss the main debates

Ensure that you use authoritative supporting evidence to defend your ideas

Critically evaluate the

impact of the expansion

of capitalism on the

global poor

Globalisation as global capitalism

Capitalism, the political and economic system where profits are privately accumulated is naturally expansive

In order to find places to invest money, the owners of capital are always searching for new markets and new consumers

Going in search of these markets, capitalism has expanded across the world through multi-national companies and global economic reform

This expansion has led to unprecedented wealth and an era of decreased absolute poverty, but increased exploitation(?)

The debate

Globally, absolute poverty has decreased

The likes of Jeffery Sachs has argued that this is because of the ‘development ladder’ of global capitalism

The expansion of global capitalism brings jobs and investment to poorer areas, which in turn increases local consumption and growth

Marxist scholars have argued that this expansion allows the already wealthy to exploit the vulnerability of the global poor

To what extent should

developing nations be

forced to reduce their

carbon emissions?

Climate change and globalisation

Climate change IS occurring on a global scale, but is felt locally

Emissions are produced locally, but go into a global ecological system

Action requires local changes to help distant areas for no specific benefit of the polluting locality

This leads to significant debate about who should be sacrificing and how

The end of the world

The world will not blow up, but it will make it significantly harder for some people to live in some places

Rising sea-levels will flood some areas

More regular natural disasters will make living in some places unviable

Rising temperatures will melt mountain snow, drying up rivers and ending vital sources of water

Rising temperatures will make growing crops in some areas impossible

The scarcity of resources leads to fears of increased conflict

The Problem

If ending poverty requires an expansion of global production (capitalism) so that more people have more resources…

… and carbon emissions produced through economic production

Then we have a direct contradiction between economic development and ecological sustainability, one which is played out in climate change negotiations

Developed nations have produced the most carbon emissions, but developing nations will produce the most in the future

Using examples from

contemporary London, discuss

the extent to which the ‘world

city’ promotes post-national

cultural identities

People movers

The 21st century is the first time that the world has been more urban than rural

Urbanisation is most identifiable in the ‘world’ cities of the Western world

These cities has allowed elite portions of humanity to flourish, bringing young and talented people together

Cities tend to have greater opportunities for employment, higher wages and higher productivity

They can also produce anxiety, alienation and isolation

Being post-national

Post-national identities are cultural identities that do not specifically identify with the nation

The cosmopolitan ‘world city’ like London is very diverse and residents often identify with the city over the nation

But…London is still in the UK (and run under UK law) and UK born residents are still the majority

What is meant by ‘the

end of history?’ Is this

term still relevant in the

21st century?

The End of History?

Political scientists have often argued that human history is the story of continuous struggle

The fall of communism at the end of the 20th Century suggested that the ‘End of History’ had arrived

American conservative political scientist Francis Fukuyama stated: "What we may be witnessing is not just the end of the Cold War, or the passing of a particular period of post-war history, but the end of history as such: that is, the end point of mankind's ideological evolution and the universalization of Western liberal democracy as the final form of human government."

Maybe not…

The events of 9/11 suggested that clashes of ideology, or between civilisations, may not have ended

Security fears have come to dominate the Western world, perhaps superseding the liberal-democratic model

The notion of ‘with or against us’ has revealed the precariousness of Western led globalisation

WRITING ESSAYS

A user’s guide

Grade: C

Student: 01115673

Whilst this essay demonstrates some knowledge, it is largely ‘journalistic’ and only superficially engages with academic research. The essay is reasonably well structured, but it is difficult to identify a main argument. In addition there are numerous errors in expression and referencing

Ultimately, academic writing is about expressing an informed and authoritative opinion objectively and concisely

Academic writing is what you think,

but it isn’t just your opinion

Your opinion becomes an academic argument because it is defended with evidence and analysis

Taking a Stand

KEY TIP

WRITE A THESIS STATEMENT

In research, your argument is previewed at the beginning of your work: the thesis statement

Thesis statements contain your justified response to the assignment question

Thesis statements contain a claim, a justification and are often supplemented by a qualifying statement.

Thesis Statements

‘Macro’ level structure Introduction

Conclusion

Context

Preview

Thesis Statement

Argument

Review

Consequences

approaches, such as an increased focus on teaching standards, to maintain satisfaction levels without extra funding.

as they demand stronger services from universities that have not been provided with extra funding to offer that support. Conversely, there may be other

as fees rise, students’ satisfaction is likely to decrease

Question: Critically evaluate the impact of fee increases on student satisfaction in higher education Thesis: (this essay argues that…)

Defending this position

Your primary argument is the basis of the structure of your writing

What do you need to discuss to convince the reader?

This will include the integration of counter-arguments

Structuring a Response: The Classical Argument

Primary position

Alternative Position

Synthesis

What is the issue?

1. Identify your response

2. What are the main elements of this position?

3. What evidence do you have for these claims?

Planning your argument

Evidence

To convince the reader and to move our position from opinion to argument we need to incorporate evidence into our work

Here it is vital to go beyond describing this evidence into critically analysing it, particularly if it contrasts with your main point

The way you discuss this evidence is vital for making your writing more critical

Indirect quotations (Paraphrasing) • Demonstrates your understanding of

broad concepts or theories

• Distils points and saves word count

• Allows synthesis of various sources

“Direct quotations”

• “Adds authority by identifying key moments in the debate” (Taylor, 2010, p.12)

• Lends energy and ‘punch’ to a claim

• Should be integrated with your own sentences and ideas.

Only directly quote when you couldn’t have said it better yourself.

Using evidence: The common errors

‘Working class mothers smoke much more than others.’

‘Working class mothers smoke much more than others. “Low income people are often stressed, which leads to an increased desire to smoke” (Daily Mail, 2014). As a

consequence we can see that poorer mothers take less care of their health.’

‘According to the NHS (1991), working-class mothers are 25.2% more likely to smoke than other mothers.’

Don’t let the evidence speak for itself

Always ask, so what?

Create links to ‘drive’ your reader around your argument

These links can be developed within paragraphs through signposts

Alternatively, links are established at the beginning and end of paragraphs

Establishing Connections

Globalisation…

Moreover

However

Drive your reader around

Signposting

Stuck for words?

www.phrasebank.manchester.ac.uk

www.visualthesaurus.com

Develop an academic vocabulary

Smith believes It is proven that Smith is wrong We might think that students… In my opinion, students

Smith (2014) argues

Evidence suggests that

Smith’s (2014) approach is problematic

Although students may…

Students

The dangerous semi-colon

Semi-colons are not easy to use. Many people use them incorrectly.

Semi-colons are not easy to use; many people use them incorrectly.

Semi-colons should only be used to separate what could be full sentences that are very closely related

If you are not sure, don’t use them

Basic marking criteria

Does it provide an answer to the question (is there a relevant argument)?

Does it identify and discuss the relevant debates?

Does it use authoritative supporting evidence?

Is it written with authority? (professional formatting, formally written, very few errors)

Find the ‘A’, the ‘B’ and the ‘C’

Final hints

Academic writing is always what you think, but is defended with other scholars’ research

State your argument and defend this argument with a logical structure

Ensure that your writing is supported by authoritative and clearly integrated evidence

Go beyond description (So what?) and drive your

reader around your essay

Almost final things

Make sure you read your feedback from the previous assessment (ask if you are not sure)

I am available to meet or over email, although the university is closed over Easter and my regular office hours end this afternoon

Please complete the module evaluation survey

Thanks!