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PO240-15 Capitalism and Its Alternatives

Department
Politics & International Studies
Level
Undergraduate Level 2
Module leader
Chris Rogers
Credit value
15
Module duration
10 weeks
Assessment
100% coursework
Study location
University of Warwick main campus, Coventry
Introductory description

Mainstream political discourses often alllude to the fact that, in the context of globalization, there is little choice but to pursue particular kinds of policies. Critical discourses in political economy, on the other hand, have often spoken of the need to overthrow the hegemony of capitalism in favour of some alternative to it. This module scrutinizes the way in which discourses of this kind might be understood to combine in order to produce and reinforce liberal-market forms of capitalsm. It aims to illustrate the complexity involved in identifying 'capitalist' and 'alternative' forms of social, political, and economic social relations, consider the processes through which the transformation of these social relations, and to introduce and critically discuss examples of both real and imagined alternatives to capitalism.

Module web page

Module aims
  • To scrutinise claims that there is no alternative to liberal market capitalism
  • To scrutinise critiques of liberal market capitalism and its alternatives
  • To develop an understanding of various theories of social, political, and economic transformation
  • To examine various alternative capitalist and non-capitalist forms of social and economic organisation in practice
  • To develop student’s research, writing and presentation skills
Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

  1. Introduction
  2. Critique and Capitalist Hegemony
  3. Theories of Transformation
  4. Utopian Socialism
  5. Technological Change and Post-Capitalism
  6. READING WEEK
  7. Workers' Cooperatives and Mondragon
  8. Zapatista
  9. The Right to the City
  10. Humanising Capitalism: Kalecki, Post-Keynesianism and Social Democracy
Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

  • Be able to critically engage with the notion that there is no alternative to liberal market capitalism
  • Understand the relative merits of critiques of liberal market capitalism and its alternatives
  • Critically assess the relative merits of various theories of social, political, and economic transformation
  • Have a rounded empirical knowledge of various alternative capitalist and non-capitalist forms of social and economic organisation
  • Have developed their research, essay writing, and presentation skills
Indicative reading list

E. O. Wright (2010) Envisioning Real Utopias Verso
J.K. Gibson-Graham (1996) The End of Capitalism as We Knew it University of Minnesota Press
J.K. Gibson-Graham (2006) A Post Capitalist Politics, University of Minnesota Press
G. Claeys (1991) A New View of Society and Other Writings Penguin

View reading list on Talis Aspire

Subject specific skills

To scrutinise claims that there is no alternative to liberal market capitalism

  • To scrutinise critiques of liberal market capitalism and its alternatives
  • To develop an understanding of various theories of social, political, and economic transformation
  • To examine various alternative capitalist and non-capitalist forms of social and economic organisation in practice
  • To develop student’s research, writing and presentation skills
Transferable skills

The module provides students with opportunities to acquire or develop the following key skills:

Develop your reading comprehension through an engagement with the core texts
Develop your analytical writing skills through the preparation of formative and summative assessed essays
Develop your presentation skills through the non-assessed seminar presentation
Develop your group working skills in seminar discussions

Study time

Type Required
Lectures 9 sessions of 1 hour (6%)
Seminars 9 sessions of 1 hour (6%)
Private study 132 hours (88%)
Total 150 hours
Private study description

seminar reading and formative essays

Costs

No further costs have been identified for this module.

You must pass all assessment components to pass the module.

Assessment group A1
Weighting Study time
2500 word essay 100%
Feedback on assessment

PAIS feedback form

Courses

This module is Optional for:

  • UECA-LM1D Undergraduate Economics, Politics and International Studies
    • Year 2 of LM1D Economics, Politics and International Studies
    • Year 2 of LM1D Economics, Politics and International Studies
  • Year 2 of UPOA-M100 Undergraduate Politics
  • UPOA-M16A Undergraduate Politics and International Studies
    • Year 2 of M16A Politics and International Studies
    • Year 2 of M16A Politics and International Studies
    • Year 2 of M16A Politics and International Studies
  • Year 2 of UPOA-M169 Undergraduate Politics and International Studies with Chinese (3 year)
  • Year 2 of UPOA-M162 Undergraduate Politics, International Studies and Quantitative Methods

This module is Option list A for:

  • UPOA-M168 Undergraduate Politics and International Studies with Chinese
    • Year 2 of M168 Politics and International Studies with Chinese
    • Year 3 of M168 Politics and International Studies with Chinese
  • Year 2 of UPOA-ML13 Undergraduate Politics and Sociology
  • UPOA-M163 Undergraduate Politics, International Studies and French
    • Year 2 of M163 Politics, International Studies and French
    • Year 3 of M163 Politics, International Studies and French
  • UPOA-M164 Undergraduate Politics, International Studies and German
    • Year 2 of M164 Politics, International Studies and German
    • Year 3 of M164 Politics, International Studies and German
  • UPOA-M166 Undergraduate Politics, International Studies and Hispanic Studies
    • Year 2 of M166 Politics, International Studies and Hispanic Studies
    • Year 3 of M166 Politics, International Studies and Hispanic Studies
  • UPOA-M165 Undergraduate Politics, International Studies and Italian
    • Year 2 of M165 Politics, International Studies and Italian
    • Year 3 of M165 Politics, International Studies and Italian

This module is Option list C for:

  • UHIA-VM11 Undergraduate History and Politics
    • Year 2 of VM11 History and Politics
    • Year 2 of VM11 History and Politics
    • Year 2 of VM11 History and Politics