Introduction to global studies

In this unit, you will explore global studies as a multi-disciplinary field that focuses on the various global (or macro) processes that make up the world and impact on people, communities, states and the planet. We consider how various economic, political and cultural forces come together to form what seems like a unified and interacting, or “globalised”, world. Although such interactions have been evident throughout history, the late twentieth century saw the intensification of these interactions through a set of ideas, policies and actions directed at developing an inter-connected world viewed as the pathway towards global peace and prosperity. Yet, we know from news headlines that conflict, hardship and destruction have been the experience in various parts of the world. In this unit, we will examine the sources of these different experiences and consider if and how the world might be put right.