Global Connections: Institutions, Mobilities and Cultures

Global Connections is a module about complex, globally-oriented topics that are challenging to address through one disciplinary approach.

This module offers the skills you will need to tackle multidimensional, fluid and often unpredictable factors that create global problems. As such, we will explore topics that include an intricate convergence of perspectives, experiences and knowledge including Global Health, Migration, Global & Sustainable Development, the Global Knowledge Economy, Transnational Communication, and Global Cultural Flows. As such, you will exposed to a range of disciplinary approaches - from the economic, philosophical, and political, to the social, environmental and technological.

Global Connections offers a ‘transdisciplinary approach’ to learning – we will explore the equal value of academic, personal and professional experiences in understanding complex global issues. On this module you will be exposed to range of compelling topics delivered by Specialist Contributors who are experts in their interdisciplinary field of work, and are based across the academic landscape of the Humanities, Social Sciences and Natural Sciences. On this module, you are encouraged to integrate your own disciplinary knowledge, personal experiences, and/or reflections on your professional life as we examine together the complexities of Global Connections.

Key Information

Level: Introductory (no pre-requisites)
Teaching: 60 hours
Expected independent study: 90 hours
Optional assessment: Student Project/Presentation

Typical credit: 3-4 credits (US) 7.5 ECTS points (EU) - please check with your home institution.

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This course can also be combined with our Exploring British Culture week - find out more.

Syllabus

Module Overview

This course will include many voices from experts through a multimodal, transdisciplinary approach. The daily workshops will be facilitated by staff from Warwick's Institute for Advanced Teaching and Learning, and the course will also include the voices of specialist contributors who work on globally-oriented topics in pre-recorded presentations that we will examine both autonomously and together. As a transdisciplinary module, we value and work with all forms of knowledge, and we will rely on student contributions to co-create content together. The general structure of the course is as follows:

Week 1:

Introduction to Global Connections
Globalization
Global Governance

Week 2:

Health & Wellbeing
Intro to Sustainable Development Goals
Global and Sustainable Development
Introduction to Migration
Migration and Mobilities

Week 3:

Global Knowledge Economy
Communicating Global Connections
Global Shakespeares (or similar case study)
Student-Devised Projects
Presentations of mini Student-Devised Projects

Aims and Learning Outcomes

Course Aims

The Global Connections course aims to:

Explore how the notion of the ‘global’ is conceptualised, approached and practiced in the 21st Century, how boundaries are attached to this concept, and where this fits within local, regional and national frameworks and imaginaries.
Develop a theoretical and practical understanding of globalisation and global connectivity, as seen through various thematic lenses.
Foster problem-based learning that will broaden perspectives, interests, skills and knowledge that reach between and beyond disciplines and subject areas, in order to examine the complexities and interrelatedness of globally-oriented issues.
Adopt an approach towards conceptualising knowledge as progressing from one-dimensional, fragmented, and boundary-forming to complex, connected, collaborative and boundary-blurring.
Provide an opportunity for you to independently develop, reflect on, explore, manage, and validate your own interest areas, creativity, knowledge base, and skill set.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course you should be able to:

Identify and demonstrate an understanding of the complexities of globalisation and/or global connections.
Reflect on your progress, including its applicability beyond academia, in response to and engagement with module content and collaboration with peers.
Identify and begin to analyse disciplinary/interdisciplinary boundaries (benefits and limitations) in addressing globally-oriented problems.
Reference and communicate ideas in a way that demonstrates a familiarity with and grasp of professional and scholarly practice.
Apply an interdisciplinary/transdisciplinary approach towards your learning.
Develop a coherent and informed group project in response to our course theme of 'Global Connections'.

Teaching and Assessment

Course Structure

For this course, there will be 4 hours of teaching on most weekdays, comprised of lectures and small group teaching. The structure will be:

3 hours of lectures.
A 1 hour seminar in small groups.

Students will also be given time each day for independent study. Towards the end of the third week, students will also be provided with time to prepare their projects in small groups.

Due to the intensive nature of the Warwick Summer School, students are expected to attend all timetabled teaching activity, to engage with the teaching material and to spend an average of 2-3 hours per day in self-guided study.

Students registered for Warwick Summer School must attain a minimum of 75% authorised attendance of the timetabled teaching activity. If students fall short of this threshold, they will not be awarded a certificate of completion and they will not be able to sit the exam/submit final assessment. 

Authorised attendance includes any sickness absence during the course of the programme that has been properly notified and recorded. An attendance register will be taken at the beginning of teaching session so students need to ensure they arrive on time in order to be marked as attended.

Course Assessment

At the end of the course, students will work on a 'mini Student-Devised Project' in small groups. This is an opportunity to explore a point of inquiry related to our course theme of 'Global Connections' through a chosen medium (format). It is a chance to explore your interests, be creative, and showcase your learning on our final day together, through a presentation.

Students who choose to take part in the assessment will receive a transcript of results. The transcript of results will state the name of the student, the course studied, the assessment mark and the grade. Transcripts are automatically sent to students via email by the middle of September.  You should keep this safe in case you need it for credit transfer approval or for future reference. If you would like us to email a copy of your transcript directly to someone at your University who deals with credit transfer please let us know.

The Summer School does not offer re-takes of assessments, whatever your result in the original assessment. 

Sample Timetable

Subject to changes, this is an overview of the timetable for Warwick Summer School students.

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Week 1	2 hour introductory lecture	4 hours of teaching 1 hour study group	4 hours of teaching	4 hours of teaching 1 hour study group	4 hours of teaching
Week 2	4 hours of teaching	4 hours of teaching 1 hour study group	No timetabled teaching activity	4 hours of teaching 1 hour study group	Sports activities
Week 3	4 hours of teaching	4 hours of teaching 1 hour study group	4 hours of teaching	2 hour final assessment preparation 1 hour study group	Final Assessment

In addition to the above schedule, students are expected to attend the Guest Lecture Series on Tuesday afternoons and dedicate approximately 88 hours to self-study throughout the programme. Social activities are also organised throughout the week, with optional trips running on Saturdays and the Wednesday in Week 2; for details, please visit our Social and Cultural Link opens in a new windowpage.

Entry Requirements

This module is for anyone who is interested in global issues, and there is no requisite to join. We welcome a diverse range of students from different academic, cultural and professional backgrounds, which is important in establishing a rich intercultural learning experience for all.

Students must be aged 18 or over by the time the Summer School commences and have a good understanding of the English language.

Your Teachers

Lecturers

Dr Heather Meyer Link opens in a new window

Maddie SinclairLink opens in a new window

Yangzi ZhouLink opens in a new window

Reading List

Please note changes to the syllabus and teaching team may be made over the coming months before exact set of topics are finalised.

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