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Department of Geography
MSc Globalisation and Development

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Introduction

MSc Globalisation and Development examines

the economic, political, social and institutional
bases and consequences of uneven power
relations within contemporary processes of
global development.
Not restricted merely to economic dimensions of
globalisation, the programme also examines the
moral, ideological, gender and race relations that
shape processes of, and institutional responses
to, globalisation and development. It does so at a
range of scales and in different spaces within an
increasingly transnational world.
The MSc in Globalisation and Development is
an innovative programme that combines the
theoretical and empirical study of globalisation
with a detailed examination of the activities of a
range of organisations concerned with the
practice of development. Whilst the programme
aims to develop an advanced and critical
understanding of the geographies of globalisation
and development and to engage with questions
of power and resistance, it also offers the skills

necessary to engage directly with practitioners

working in the field of development.
Taught through an innovative range of seminars,
workshops, presentations and site visits, and
delivered by members of the Departments
internationally renowned Economy, Development
and Social Justice Research Group, the
programme engages with the latest thinking and
practice around globalisation and development.
MSc Globalisation and Development is
recognised under the ESRC's 1+3 funding
scheme.
The Queen Mary MSc programme differs in
that it is taught by experts not just in the field of
development, but also in corporate social
responsibility, human rights, and international
trade unions. The Guardian

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Programme structure

All students take a core course, Social Science

Research: Methods and Methodologies and a
prerequisite course, Thinking Geographically.
Students then take the following specialised
courses:
Understanding Globalisation
and Development I and II

semi-periphery, as well as global conflict and

global justice. The geographical scope of the
course is global, engaging with First world
perspectives, as well as post-socialism and
development discourses. The focus of the course
is primarily theoretical, and there is scope for
students to explore specific avenues of interest
within these broad themes.

Globalisation and Development in Practice.

You will also complete a 15,000-word dissertation
to be submitted in September, which is based on
original research on a topic of your choice
relating to the themes of the course. Recent
dissertations completed by students taking
Globalisation and Development include:
The participation of civil society in the drafting
and implementation process of the Poverty
Reduction Strategy Paper in Senegal
The Way East to Mile End
The Rise of Corporate Responsibility:
a geographical exploration of contested terrain
Trade and Development: (In)coherences of
EU policy

Specialist courses
Understanding Globalisation and Development I
This course aims to develop advanced and
critical understandings of geographies of
globalisation and development and to engage
with questions of power and resistance. It also
aims to provide an advanced theoretical
grounding in the core aspects of globalisation as
a process. It does so by exploring the economic,
political and social dimensions of processes of
globalisation. This includes a consideration of the
history of globalisation and capitalism from a
range of perspectives including analyses of neoliberalism, gender and globalisation, global cities
and urban fragmentation, globalisation and the

Understanding Globalisation and Development II

As a complement to Understanding Globalisation
and Development I, this course focuses on the
geographies of development and post-socialism.
The course considers development and
environmental ethics, as well as theories of postsocialism. At a different scale, it also explores
global and local civil society, social capital and
local networks. The focus of the course is
primarily theoretical, and there is scope for
students to explore specific avenues of interest
within these broad themes.

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Globalisation and Development in Practice

This course provides a detailed examination of
a series of interventions working to transform
processes of globalisation at a variety of scales.
It aims to introduce students, via site and web
visits as well as external guest speakers, to the
practical workings of a range of organisations
both governmental and non-governmental,
which are involved in attempts to shape
processes of development in the context of
globalisation. This course revolves around two
projects. The first project explores globalisation,
economic justice and worker empowerment,
focusing on Business Process Outsourcing and
attempts to empower e-service workers in the
Global South vis--vis their colleagues in the
Global North. The second project explores the
roles and actions of Non-governmental
Organisations (NGOs) and how they are
involved in global-local networks.

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Students may also take one of the following

option courses from MA in Comparative Politics,
taught in the Department of Politics:
Issues in Democratisation
Nationalism, Democracy and Cosmopolitanism
The Politics of Media
Democracy in Plural Societies
Democratisation and State Autonomy
in the Middle East
For more information, see
www.politics.qmul.ac.uk

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Teaching staff

The core teaching staff for MSc Globalisation

and Development includes:
Dr Kavita Datta
Dr Joanna Herbert
Dr Al James
Professor Roger Lee
Dr Cathy McIlwaine
Professor Adrian Smith
Professor Jane Wills

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Student experience

The importance of the MSc in

Globalisation and Development is its
nexus between theory and practice.
During the year I was introduced to
a myriad of contemporary
development issues. These include:
resistance to globalisation and neoliberalism, social capital, civil
society, theories of development,
non-governmental organisations,
and gender. Projects included call
centres in India and the operation
of NGOs. If your undergraduate
degree is not geography,
development, or economics, there
is no need for concern. This degree
is accessible to students from other
disciplines complemented by the
professionalism and devotion of
staff who were always available to
assist my multifarious questions.
This Masters degree is ideal as a
prelude to PhD study or to enhance
ones employment prospects.
Classes are small and there is
always an opportunity to engage
in spirited debate within a convivial
milieu.
Matthew Rippon, MSc Globalisation and Development, 2007-8

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Queen Mary, University

of London
Queen Mary is a long-established College of
the University of London, and currently has
almost 14,000 students in six faculties. The
main campus, in the thriving and diverse
heart of the historic East End, is only five
minutes by tube to the financial district and
twenty minutes from Londons West End.
It was historically the home of Queen Mary
College, which began life in the 1880s as a
philanthropic attempt to bring educational,
cultural and social activities to east
Londoners. Over the last decade 100
million has been invested in building and
refurbishment programmes providing many
specially designed facilities including new
award winning student accommodation, a
comprehensive student village incorporating
cafes and shops, and impressive new
teaching facilities.

This guide has been produced by

the Publications and Web Office for
the Department of Geography Pub2485
For further information contact:
Department of Geography
Queen Mary, University of London
Mile End Road
London
E1 4NS
Tel: +44(0)20 7882 8200
email: geography-ma-cc@qmul.ac.uk
www.geog.qmul.ac.uk

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