99211 Cultures of Globalisation

Warning: The information on this page is indicative. The subject outline for a particular session, location and mode of offering is the authoritative source of all information about the subject for that offering. Required texts, recommended texts and references in particular are likely to change. Students will be provided with a subject outline once they enrol in the subject.

Subject handbook information prior to 2025 is available in the Archives.

Description

This subject calls on students to explore the cultural processes, forms and implications of globalisation. It proceeds from establishing what culture is and what it does in a global context to understanding how questions arising from the meeting of cultures thanks to processes of globalisation have given rise to both important theoretical debates and movements such as Postcolonialism, Southern Theory and Orientalism, as well as manifestations of globalised culture ranging from the notion of a lingua franca and evolving linguistic forms to changing diets in many parts of the world. Students work extensively on case studies to parse the ways that localised cultures, including Indigenous cultures, can be both enriched and threatened by processes of globalisation and reflect on the role of global institutions and organisations in these processes.

Subject learning objectives (SLOs)

Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)

This subject engages with the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs), which are tailored to the Graduate Attributes set for all graduates of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (INT = International Studies CILOs):

• Contribute effectively within a team (1.3)
• Understand how global phenomena play out in local situations, and the reasons behind different perspectives on globalisation (3.1)
• Demonstrate awareness of the processes through which local, cultural and national identities are formed and the roles of these identities in global processes (3.2)
• Reflect upon and contextualise Indigenous peoples' situations relative to globalisation, taking into consideration histories of colonialism, institutional constraints and prejudice (4.1)
• Adopt a questioning approach to global aspects of one's professional and personal lives (5.2)
• Communicate and collaborate effectively in a variety of communication scenarios and contexts (6.1)

Teaching and learning strategies

This subject is taught as an integrated seminar, where students will meet as a large group with several tutor-facilitators in the room to guide them through a range of collaborative learning tasks. Prior to attending the class, students should complete the required preparation work (reading, viewing, quick background research or gathering of one’s thoughts) found on UTS Online and detailed in this outline. Classes will draw upon the preparatory work and will have students engage with each other and the tutor-facilitators to deepen their understanding of these materials and broaden their knowledge base through in-class micro-lectures, online survey participation, group work, Q&A sessions and case study analyses. Students who are unprepared will not be able to participate.

Online surveys will require students to use their smart phones, tablets or computers to answer questions that will spur class discussion, so students should always endeavour to bring a device to class to enable their participation.

Skill-building tasks meant to support student learning and development in this and future subjects will feature as part of the seminars. Classes will also be a forum for students to engage in the discussion component necessary to completing part of their media portfolio assignments.

Students will receive formative feedback on their in-class discussions from the tutor-facilitators, will be able to check their understanding of the readings throughout the lesson and will engage in peer-feedback in week 4 in preparation for the first assessment task.

Content (topics)

This subject covers a range of topics that illustrate the cultural aspects of globalisation, thus the starting point will be to understand what culture is, what it includes and how it operates in both local and global settings. The objects or practices that will serve as the basis for the case studies include language, print capitalism, food, social and digital media and religion. Links between these more concrete phenomena and more theoretical concerns will come through explorations of how major theoretical movements such as Orientalism and Postcolonialism grew out of cultures of globalisation and how still other theories, such as those concerning networks and place, seek to elucidate the effects of globalisation. Movements that harness the potential of cultural globalisation and movements that oppose it will be considered as a way to understand the ambiguities of globalisation’s effects on culture.

Assessment

Assessment task 1: Weekly Online Forum Posts

Assessment task 2: Group Case Study Analysis & Pitch

Assessment task 3: Cultural Inventory

Required texts

Readings are available through the UTS Library's digital reserves and may be downloaded as PDFs. Students should bring copies of the readings to class with them in either hard copy or editable electronic format.

Other resources

Electronic devices (laptop or smart phone) are required for many of the class activities. If a student does not have their own device, the IT Support Centre provides a laptop loan service to UTS Students. Laptops are available for up to 72 hours from the IT Support Centre Counters operating at Broadway and Haymarket library on a first come first served basis to assist students to meet specific teaching, learning or assessment requirements. In order to loan a laptop students will need to complete a Laptop Loan Agreement.