Critical Social Inquiry 0261 - Economics of Multipolarity

The term 'multipolarity' is used to describe the significant shifts that have taken place in the global political economy in the last thirty years. Specifically it points to the rise of the economic power of countries such as China and India and the relative decline of US and Western economic power. This seminar will investigate these shifts in order to understand the main structural forces shaping the global economy. Topics will include the rise of China, increasing South-South relations, Sovereign Wealth Funds, Transnational War Economies, Climate Change and Insecurity, the fallout of the US Tariff Wars and other pressing international issues. Students will be expected to keep up with a heavy reading load and complete a final research paper on a topic of their choice relevant to course themes. There are no prerequisites for this course but previous courses in economics, politics, or international affairs are a plus.

Students should expect to spend 6-8 hours weekly on work and preparation outside of class time