Contemporary Worlds

  • These units are designed to give you the historical background and conceptual tools to understand the contemporary world that we live in today. In them, we examine the ideas and events that shaped the twentieth century and survey a range of issues facing the global in the current millennium.

    In first semester, we focus on key political, economic and social developments in the post-war world, examining among other topics the division of the Korean peninsula into two hostile states, the collapse of European empire, the rise of first Japan and then China as economic superpowers, the role of oil in global development, the influence of political Islam and the Cold War.

    In second semester, we shift our attention to current problems with a particular focus on globalisation and its economic, cultural, and political implications. In addition to exploring the ways in which globalisation has remade the world, we consider its impact on the environment, terrorism, migration and international crime. The last part of the unit is devoted to exploring the backlash against globalization, which has seen increasing resistance to the idea of global trade as a universal benefit. The following two units make up a first-year sequence:

    Contemporary Worlds 1 (Semester 1) ATS1325

    This unit is designed to give you the historical background and conceptual tools to understand the contemporary world. It traces the key political, economic, and social developments since 1945 that have brought us to where we are today.

    Contemporary Worlds 2 (Semester 2) ATS1326

    This unit introduces you to globalisation and its economic, cultural, and political implications. It includes a close study of the impact of globalisation on four key areas: the movement of people, the environment, terrorism, and gender.