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The Humanities and Social Sciences: Global Issues in Historical Perspective

Overview

Module description

In this module we introduce you to ways of understanding some of the most significant global issues in contemporary and historical perspectives, drawing on the disciplinary approaches from the humanities and social sciences. Together we will explore how these might provide you with new insights into or new ways, both contemporary and historical, of thinking about some of the most pressing questions that concern us today, such as how we meet the challenges of a globalisation and environmental crisis, how we define ourselves and others in rapidly changing social contexts, and how we count the benefits and costs of living in an increasingly digitalised reality.

By exploring global issues from different disciplinary perspectives, we encourage you to further understand the disciplinary approaches introduced in the previous modules and to develop core academic skills in preparation for taking a BA/BSc in the School of Social Sciences, the School of Historical Studies or the School of Creative Arts, Culture and Communication. We also introduce you to academic reasoning and critical thinking, helping you to understand how academic arguments are constructed and how to develop your own arguments as well as use academic writing skills appropriate to the disciplines.

Indicative syllabus

  • Globalisation and migration
  • Surveillance and freedom
  • Being and identity
  • Anthropocene

Learning objectives

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

  • understand and reflect critically on global issues in both contemporary and historical perspectives
  • differentiate different disciplinary approaches and work with them
  • engage with a variety of skills relevant to the interpretation of different kinds of global issues, including those from different historical periods and a variety of cultural contexts.