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
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The advent of global communication and trading systems means that these referents are not necessarily local
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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 profitdriven global communications system
The global village 
The idea of the global village suggests a more interconnected global society
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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
Local Diversity vs. sameness 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
The essays 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 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 st 21 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 postwar 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
Student: 01115673
Grade: C 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
Taking a Stand
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
KEY TIP
WRITE A THESIS STATEMENT
Thesis Statements 
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.
‘Macro’ level structure Context
Introduction
Preview Thesis Statement
Argument Review Consequences
Conclusion
Question: Critically evaluate the impact of fee increases on student satisfaction in higher education Thesis: (this essay argues that‌) as fees rise, students’ satisfaction is likely to decrease as they demand stronger services from universities that have not been provided with extra funding to offer that support. Conversely, there may be other approaches, such as an increased focus on teaching standards, to maintain satisfaction levels without extra funding.
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
Planning your argument 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?
Evidence 
To convince the reader and to move our position from opinion to argument we need to incorporate evidence into our work
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Here it is vital to go beyond describing this evidence into critically analysing it, particularly if it contrasts with your main point
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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?
Establishing Connections
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
Drive your reader around Globalisation‌
Moreover
However
Signposting
Stuck for words?
www.phrasebank.manchester.ac.uk www.visualthesaurus.com
Develop an academic vocabulary Smith believes
Smith (2014) argues
It is proven that
Evidence suggests that
Smith is wrong
Smith’s (2014) approach is problematic
We might think that students… In my opinion, students
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!