Module GEOG3957: GEOGRAPHIES OF MONEY AND FINANCE

Department: Geography

GEOG3957: GEOGRAPHIES OF MONEY AND FINANCE

Prerequisites

• Any Level 2 Geography module

Corequisites

• None

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None

Aims

• The module aims to:
• Develop understanding of the multiple, diverse and changing economic geographies of money and finance
• Enable appreciation and application of different ways of theorizing and conceptualizing geographies of money and finance
• Engage critically in social and political issues in contemporary monetary and financial geographies, with particular reference to currencies, banking, markets and debt.

Content

• It is often said that ‘money makes the world go round’, but money and finance take multiple forms and are marked by diverse and changing geographies. The module will seek to develop an understanding of the economic geographies of money and finance, and their attendant social and political issues, with particular reference to four topic areas:
• The territorial geographies of currencies, focusing on sterling, the dollar and 'stateless' monies such as bitcoin;
• The urban geographies of banking, focusing on the concentration of banks in global centres and the withdrawal of branch networks from city spaces;
• The workplace geographies of markets, focusing on the gendered culture and embodiment of trading;
• The everyday geographies of debt, focusing on mortgages and consumer credit in the USA and UK.
• Across each of the topic areas, particular attention will be paid to the different and competing ways in which human geographers and allied social scientists have theorized and conceptualized money and finance.

Learning Outcomes

• On successful completion of this module, students will be able to:
• Demonstrate advanced level understanding of distinct and shifting economic geographies of money and finance
• Evaluate and deploy concepts and theoretical approaches when analysing geographies of money and finance
• Critically reflect upon social and political issues in contemporary monetary and financial geographies

• On successful completion of this module, students will be able to:
• Compare theoretical approaches for understanding a significant area of contemporary geographical concern
• Apply key concepts when analyzing a significant area of contemporary geographical concern
• Think critically and creatively about the social and political issues engendered by the economic organization of money and finance, and the contribution that geographical knowledge could make to addressing those issues

• On successful completion of this module, students will be able to:
• Demonstrate written communication skills
• Reflect upon the relations between geographical research and a range of real world problems and issues
• Showcase the ability to synthesise information and develop an argument on contemporary issues and problems

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Core lecture content will: (a) introduce the field of geographies of money and finance and the four specific topic areas (i.e. territorial geographies of currencies; urban geographies of banking; workplace geographies of markets; everyday geographies of debt); (b) outline the various concepts and theories utilised by geographers for thinking about these topics; and (c) make use of appropriate case study examples, both original and drawn from the extant geographical and social scientific research
• An introductory workshop will be followed by workshops focused on each of the four topic areas that will: (a) be framed by essential readings, selected to facilitate engagement with the social and political issues provoked by the economic geographies of money and finance; and (b) feature diverse learning techniques including group debates and presentations, and responses to short films and other media. Workshops will thus also facilitate students’ acquisition of skills, including oral presentation skills and team-working
• Formative assessment (annotated scrapbook, focused on at least two of the four topic areas) will: (a) develop students’ abilities to critically reflect upon the prevailing representations and understandings of money and finance that circulate in the popular media, and to compare/contrast such representations and understandings with that which are offered by the geographical and allied academic literatures; and (b) prepare students for the summative essay assignment by beginning to broaden their research base beyond the secondary literature. Feedback on formative assessment will encourage students to further develop the potential of carefully selected extracts from their scrapbook, such that those extracts can provide illustrative examples to be utilised in the essay assignment and by way of summative assessment
• Summative assessment (essay assignment) will require: (a) in-depth engagement with competing concepts and theories in the study of geographies of money and finance; and (b) application of concepts/theory to at least two of the four topic areas in order for there to be further analysis and critical reflection on associated social and political issues

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

Annotated scrapbook: Each student scrapbook will collect together extracts (e.g. news stories, speeches, statements, advertisements, blog entries, cartoons, etc.) from contemporary media sources (e.g. newspapers, magazines, websites, television, radio) relevant to at least two of the four topic areas in the geographies of money and finance. Each extract will be accompanied by a short note explaining why it is of relevance and interest, and how it might be interpreted through insights taken from conceptual and theoretical literatures studied on the module.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University