Guide in PDF format
Logo

Geography of Globalisation

Code: 100029
Credits: 6
2026/2027
Degree programme Type Course
Humanities OB 3

Contact lecturer

Name :
Antonio Miguel Solana Solana
Email :
antoniomiguel.solana@uab.cat

Teaching staff

Roser Maneja Zaragoza

Group languages

You can consult this information at the end of the document.

Prerequisites

In order to take this subject, you must have a level of Catalan and/or Spanish equivalent to or higher than B2.

There are no other prerequisites.

Objectives

The subject is oriented towards the explanation of the territorial, economic, social and cultural changes derived from the process of globalization. Three main aspects in relation to the territorial results of the processes of globalization:


a) The description, explanation and analysis of the main aspects - economic, technological, political, social and cultural - that defines globalization as a process of planetary scope at the present time, with special attention to the transformations in geographic and territorial terms.


b) The explanation of the main factors and agents of each of the previous aspects that configure globalization as a process of transversal and certainly complex scope, based on the treatment of information and examples related to different territories and geographical areas.


c) The introduction to the main processes of change in relation to the territory with special attention to the results, impacts and consequences of diverse order that are derived from the processes of globalization, and distinguishing different territorial scales (worlwide, regional, metropolitan, local)

Learning outcomes

  1. Describing the main economic, social and cultural contemporary problems in the world.
  2. Describing spatial relationships of the physical, economic, social and cultural diversity of territories on different territorial scales.
  3. Communicating the main demographic phenomena and migration processes in order to explain the world's current events.
  4. Describing the main characteristics in general of the contemporary city, and specially in metropolitan regions.
  5. Distinguishing the spatial relationships at different territorial levels through the relationships between nature and society in the Catalan, Spanish and European spheres.
  6. Identifying urban problems when taking decisions about territorial planning.
  7. Interpreting the territorial and landscape dynamics and the legislation about them.
  8. Interpreting the environmental problems for the territorial planning according to the legislation.
  9. Planning the territory in order to improve its management.
  10. Posing problems related to the management of resources and territory.
  11. Posing problems about physical, economic, social and cultural diversity of territories applying knowledge of regional geography.
  12. Posing problems about the planning of the spatial distribution of collective facilities, resources and mobility of people.
  13. Summarising characteristics of a written text according to its communicative purposes.

Contents

1. Globalization: deconstruction of a concept


2. Political configuration of a globalized world: towards a new world (des)order?


3. The world as a global company


4. Stolen harvest? The domination of world food chains


5. Culture, identity and conflict in super-diverse societies


6. Consequences of globalization on social structures: towards a more unequal society?


7. Global change: environment and society

Learning activities and methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Reading articles and books 12 0.48 1, 2
Lessons 36 1.44 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12
Preparation of papers, debates and presentations 8 0.32 1, 2, 3, 13
Writing a review 16 0.64 1, 2, 13
Study and work on the materials for the written test 20 0.8 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12

Class lessons will consist of theoretical expositions, presentation of examples related to the contents of the subject, participation of the students and the viewing of documentaries or films. The teacher's explanations will help the students to have the general coordinates and to contextualise the relevant readings. Students will have to work independently throughout the course. Apart from reading and personal study, as detailed in the assessment section, this part of the work of the students will include the realization of a course work and a review of one of the books of the bibliography.

15 minutes of a class will be reserved, within the calendar established by the center/degree, for the completion by the students of the surveys to evaluate the performance of the teaching staff and the evaluation of the subject.

Annotation: within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Assessment

Continuous assessment activities

Title Weight Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
2 Exams 40 4 0.16 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 11
Course project 40 42 1.68 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12
Review 20 12 0.48 1, 5, 13

a) Two individual written exams (40% of the final grade).

b) Completion of a course project (40% of the final grade).

c) Review of one of the books referenced in the bibliography or -in accordance with the lecturer- any other related to the topics dealt with the course (20% of the final grade).

The date of delivery of the work as well as of the review will be on the same day as the completion of the individual written test. No materials will be accepted out of time.


In order to be evaluated, it is mandatory to take the exam and deliver the course work and the review, both in the continuous evaluation and in the single evaluation.


To pass, students must have at least 5 on average. The grades will only be taken into account when they reach a minimum of 5. Any note below 5 will oblige to re-evaluate the suspended part.


Only those persons who have submitted the assessment materials within the established delivery dates may submit to the re-evaluation of all or some of the suspended parts. Re-evaluated activities will be rated 5 as the higher mark.


The student who has not submitted some of the evidences corresponding to the assessment activities will be considered NOT EVALUATIVE.


The subject is structured in a continuous evaluation format.


In the event of a student committing any irregularity (copying, plagiarism, unauthorized use of AI, etc.) that may lead to a significant variation in the grade awarded to an assessment activity, the student will be given a zero for this activity, regardless of any disciplinary process that may take place. In the event of several irregularities in assessment activities of the same subject, the student will be given a zero as the final grade for this subject.


On carrying out each evaluation activity, lecturers will inform students (on Moodle) of the procedures to be followed for reviewing all grades awarded, and the date on which such a review will take place.


In the event thattests or exams cannot be taken onsite, they will be adapted to an online format made available through the UAB’s virtual tools (original weighting will be maintained). Homework, activities and class participation will be carriedout through forums, wikis and/or discussion on Teams, etc. Lecturers will ensure that students are able to access these virtual tools, or will offer them feasible alternatives.


The use of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies is permitted for this subject exclusively for bibliographic and/or information searches and text correction. Students must clearly identify which parts have been generated using this technology, specify the tools used, and provide a critical reflection on the influence of these technologies on the process and final result of the activity. Failure to be transparent about the use of AI in this assessable activity will be considered a breach of academic honesty and may result in a partial or total penalty on the grade for the activity, or more severe sanctions in serious cases.


SINGLE AVALUATION


It will consist of three assessments, each of which must be passed with a minimum mark of 5 in order for the final mark to be calculated. Students requesting the single assessment must contact the lecturer by 15 November 2026 to agree on certain details of the assessment process. Applications for the special assessment will not be accepted from students who contact the lecturer after this date, as it is necessary to work through a set of materials specified in the assessments detailed below in order to prepare for the special assessment.


1- Exam on the course content and concepts (40%)

2- Exam on the content and ideas of one of the books recommended at the start of the course on topics related to globalisation. Before 15 November, the student must agree on the selected book with the lecturer (20%)

3- Two case studies on globalisation, territory, society and inequalities. Each case study will include supplementary material that must be prepared in advance and agreed with the lecturer by 15 November. Students must produce a reflection based on the preliminary questions provided at the start of the exam. These case studies must also incorporate the theoretical and conceptual material covered in the lectures. (40%)


The same re-assessement system will apply as for this avaluation.



Bibliography

I. Conceptual and Economic Framework (Topics 1, 3 and 6)

Aligned with the core objectives of deconstructing the concept of globalization, spatial scales, the world as a global enterprise, and social inequalities.

  1. Bauman, Zygmunt (1998). Globalization: The Human Consequences. Polity Press.
  2. Bauman, Zygmunt (2007). Consuming Life. Polity Press.
  3. Bauman, Zygmunt (2013). Does the Richness of the Few Benefit Us All? Polity Press.
  4. Brenner, Neil (2019). New Urban Spaces: Urban Theory and the Scale Question. Oxford University Press.
  5. Cheshire, James & Uberti, Oliver (2020). Atlas of the Invisible: Maps and Graphics That Will Change How You See the World. Particular Books.
  6. Harvey, David (2020). The Anti-Capitalist Chronicles. Pluto Press.
  7. Khanna, Parag (2016). Connectography: Mapping the Future of Global Civilization. Random House.
  8. Menzel, Peter (1994). Material World: A Global Family Portrait. Sierra Club Books.
  9. Milanovic, Branko (2019). Capitalism, Alone: The Future of the System That Rules the World. Harvard University Press.
  10. Piketty, Thomas (2022). A Brief History of Equality. Harvard University Press.
  11. Rodrik, Dani (2011). The Globalization Paradox: Democracy and the Future of the World Economy. W. W. Norton & Company.
  12. Sassen, Saskia (2024). Cities in a World Economy (6th ed.). SAGE Publications.
  13. Scholte, Jan Aart (2021). Beyond Globalism: Exploring Alternatives. Palgrave Macmillan.
  14. Solana, Miguel. (Ed.). (2016). Espacios globales, lugares próximos: Conceptos clave para entender el mundo actual. Icaria.


II. Geopolitics, Borders and Global (Dis)order (Topic 2)

Focused on the political configuration, the crisis of the Nation-State, and the re-emergence of geopolitical blocs.

  1. Agnew, John (2022). Globalization and Sovereignty: Beyond the Territorial Trap (2nd ed.). Rowman & Littlefield.
  2. Bauman, Zygmunt (2000). Liquid Modernity. Polity Press.
  3. Cairo, Heriberto & Lois, María (Eds.). (2020). Geopolítica crítica y geografías de la globalización. Bellaterra.
  4. Kaplan, Robert D. (2018). The Return of Marco Polo's World: War, Strategy, and American Interests in the Twenty-first Century. Random House.
  5. Marshall, Tim (2019). Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Tell You Everything You Need to Know About Global Politics (Illustrated ed.). Elliott & Thompson.
  6. Mbembe, Achille (2019). Necropolitics. Duke University Press.
  7. Méndez, Ricardo (2022). Geopolítica de la fragmentación: Una mirada desde los territorios. Catarata.
  8. Smith, Dan (2020). The State of the World Atlas (10th ed.). Penguin Books.


III. Geography of Food and Agroindustry (Topic 4)

Covering global food regimes, food sovereignty, and corporate dominance.

  1. Clapp, Jennifer (2020). Food (3rd ed.). Polity Press.
  2. McMichael, Philip (2021). Food Regimes and Agrarian Questions. Fernwood Publishing.
  3. Menzel, Peter & D'Aluisio, Faith. (2005). Hungry Planet: What the World Eats. Material World Books / Ten Speed Press.
  4. Patel, Raj (2007). Stuffed and Starved: The Hidden Battle for the World Food System. Melville House.
  5. Shiva, Vandana (2000). Stolen Harvest: The Hijacking of the Global Food Supply. South End Press.


IV. Culture, Identity and Superdiversity. International Migration System (Topic 5)

Readings shifting away from economic reductionism to analyze hybridization, global human flows, and cultural friction.

  1. Bauman, Zygmunt (2004). Wasted Lives: Modernity and its Outcasts. Polity Press.
  2. Bauman, Zygmunt (2016). Strangers at Our Door. Polity Press.
  3. Castles, Stephen; de Haas, Hein & Miller, Mark J. (2021). The Age of Migration: International Population Movements in the Modern World (6th ed.). Red Globe Press.
  4. Garcés-Mascareñas, Blanca & Penninx, Rinus (Eds.). (2020). Integration Processes and Policies in Europe: Contexts, Levels, and Actors. Springer.
  5. Sassen, Saskia (1999). Guests and Aliens. New Press.


V. Global Change, Environment and Society (Topic 7)

Environmental geography of globalization, Anthropocene/Capitalocene, and ecosocial transitions.

  1. Berners-Lee, Mike (2021). There Is No Planet B: A Handbook for the Make or Break Years. Cambridge University Press.
  2. Burtynsky, Edward, Baichwal, Jennifer & de Pencier, Nicholas (2018). Anthropocene. Goose Lane Editions.
  3. Chakrabarty, Dipesh (2021). The Climate of History in a Planetary Age. University of Chicago Press.
  4. The Carbon Almanac Network (2022). The Carbon Almanac: It's Not Too Late. Portfolio / Penguin Random House.
  5. Moore, Jason W. (2015). Capitalism in the Web of Life: Ecology and the Accumulation of Capital. Verso Books.
  6. Riechmann, Jorge (2023). Bailar sobre el volcán: Humanidades ecocéntricas en el Antropoceno. Los Libros de la Catarata.
  7. Thunberg, Greta (2022). The Climate Book. Allen Lane / Penguin Books.
  8. Wallace-Wells, David (2019). The Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming. Tim Duggan Books.


VI. General Core Handbooks

  1. Dicken, Peter (2021). Global Shift: Mapping the Changing Contours of the World Economy (8th ed.). Guilford Press.
  2. Nogué, Joan & Romero, Joan (Eds.) (2019). Las otras geografías. Tirant lo Blanch.
  3. Romero, Joan (Coord.) (2020). Geografía Humana: Procesos, riesgos e incertidumbres en el mundo globalizado (3rd ed.). Ariel.
  4. Steger, Manfred B. (2020). Globalization: A Very Short Introduction (5th ed.). Oxford University Press.


VII. Recommended Digital Resources

Mapping platforms, data repositories, and interactive atlases suitable for spatial analysis and student autonomous work.

  • Environmental Justice Atlas (EJAtlas) [https://ejatlas.org] Coordinated directly from the UAB (ICTA), it is the most important global database on environmental conflicts. Real-world cases of grassroots environmentalism and environmental racism at both local and global scales. Essential for Topic 7.
  • Our World in Data [https://ourworldindata.org] A platform by the University of Oxford that provides interactive charts and maps on the state of the planet. Essential for Topics 3, 4, and 6, as it allows for a rigorous visualization of the evolution of inequalities, agro-food supply chains, urban growth, and carbon emissions.
  • The Global Transnational Corporations Database / Open Corporate [https://opencorporates.com] Allows to track the networks, subsidiaries, and territorial anchoring of multinational corporations. Ideal for practical assignments in Topic 3, helping to deconstruct the notion that global flows are "immaterial."
  • Frontex / Missing Migrants Project (IOM) [https://missingmigrants.iom.int] Open data and maps regarding global migratory flows and border monitoring. A highly powerful empirical tool to debate the human consequences of the geopolitics of fragmentation in Topic 2 and Topic 5.
  • Dollar Street (Gapminder) [https://www.gapminder.org/dollar-street] A deeply humanistic and visual approach to understanding inequality. It displays the everyday life of families worldwide ordered by income level, which is ideal for confronting macroeconomic data in Topic 6 with micro-territorial reality.


Software

--

Course groups and languages

The information provided is provisional until November 30. After this date, you will be able to consult the language of each group through this link. To access the information, you will need to enter the course CODE

Type of teaching Group Language Semester Shift
(TE) Theory 1 Catalan first semester morning-mixed
(PAUL) Classroom practices 1 Catalan first semester morning-mixed