TCP8921 : Globalisation and Social Justice
- Offered for Year: 2024/25
- Module Leader(s): Dr Gabriel Silvestre
- Lecturer: Dr Cat Button, Dr William Otchere-Darko, Dr Natalia Villamizar Duarte
- Owning School: Architecture, Planning & Landscape
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 1 Credit Value: | 10 |
| ECTS Credits: | 5.0 |
| European Credit Transfer System | |
Aims
This module addresses debates at the interface between Urban Studies and Development Studies. It encourages students to think critically about the ways in which urban planning and development have been theorised and how these have guided policy and practice in the cities of the Global South. It interrogates how appropriate current frameworks are to address global challenges from a perspective of social justice that include areas such as informality, infrastructure, economic development, and climate change. Students will be expected to use tools they learn in class to respond to news and other current events that will be debated at workshop/discussion sessions. Discussions are an important aspect of this class to hone skills in critical thinking and analysis
Module aims:
• Develop your understanding of core debates in urban studies and international development and their relationship to contemporary cities in the Global South
• Develop your understanding of how these debates inform, and critically engage with, planning and development practice and their implications for social justice
• Develop your ability to analyse and synthesise knowledge
Outline Of Syllabus
The world is on track of becoming increasingly an urban, globalised society but it is faced with significant challenges. This module examines the theories and practices shaping global urban development generally and particularly in cities in the Global South. Its aim is to help you understand and critically evaluate urban change from a social justice perspective.
PART I - Urban Visions, Ideas and Practices
• Right to City and Seeing from the South
• Urban Colonialism
• The Modernist City
• Globalisation and Worlds Class Cities
• Smart Cities
• The Informal City
PART II - Local Dimensions and Development Challenges*
• Energy and climate justice
• Transport Mobility and Accessibility
• Mega-projects and mega-events
• Water governance
• Review and assignment surgery
*Topics in Part II may change every year.
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 11 | 2:00 | 22:00 | Present in person. Standard lecture material delivered in the classroom. |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 56:00 | 56:00 | Reading and research specifically focussed on assessment preparation and completion |
| Guided Independent Study | Directed research and reading | 11 | 2:00 | 22:00 | students undertake reading before class for better understanding the lecture material |
| Total | 100:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
The Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities provide a detailed explanation of the key issues and an examination of important literature in relation to international urban development as well as discussions about the application of the theoretical concepts presented in the lecture material to current urban and global issues. The Guided Independent Study will enable students to both achieve the intended knowledge and skills outcomes identified for the module, as well as enabling to help them prepare for the creation of their assessment submission. In case of lockdowns, the lectures and the workshop will move to online Zoom face2face sessions.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | 1 | M | 90 | Write a critical essay of no more than 2500 words (excluding bibliography, tables and illustrations). |
| Written exercise | 1 | M | 10 | 4x short summary notes (250 words) of key readings in advance to sessions and participation in class discussion |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
Students will cover material related to different topics every week and submit short summary notes in advance to sessions to facilitate group discussion. This will assist in the development of their written and communication skills on specialist knowledge.
In the final essay, students are encouraged to explore an issue of global urban challenge that interests them and they want to know more about and think critically on how it relates to dimensions of social justice. Students are asked to use the critical skills and the knowledge they gathered during the Module referring to different current phenomena related to globalisation and write a high quality, critical essay/research paper. This then helps meet the Learning outcomes set for this Module. Student will need to demonstrate how they relate different elements of the course to a selected case study of their choice and apply a theoretical framework to support the analysis as well as academic references.
Criteria
The essay will be assessed as follows:
45% of the marks for critical analysis
45% of the marks for engagement with literature
10% of the marks for presentation, including grammar, spelling and punctuation
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- TCP8921's Timetable