ECOP3618: Semester 2, 2020

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Units ECOP3618 Semester 2 2020 [Normal day]

Unit of study_

ECOP3618: Neoliberalism: Theory, Practice, Crisis

Semester 2, 2020 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Neoliberalism is a key concept in contemporary debates about the forces reshaping the global economy. This unit introduces students to the history, theories and practices of neoliberalism. The unit begins with a focus on neoliberal ideas. It then examines institutional transformations in the neoliberal era, and changes to the economy and processes of capital accumulation. Students are exposed to competing scholarly interpretations of neoliberalism, before turning to an examination of neoliberalism and the global financial crisis.

Unit details and rules

Unit code	ECOP3618
Academic unit	Political Economy
Credit points	6
Prohibitions ?	ECOP2618
Prerequisites ?	12 credit points at 2000 level in Political Economy
Corequisites ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Troy Henderson, troy.henderson@sydney.edu.au
Tutor(s)	Alison Fenech, alison.fenech@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Participation	Participation Tutorial Participation.	10%	Ongoing	n/a
Outcomes assessed:
Presentation	Oral presentation 5 minute tutorial presentation.	10%	Progressive	N/A
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Written Paper Submit a written paper based upon your tutorial presentation.	10%	Progressive	1000 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Research Essay 2 1500 word Research Essay	30%	STUVAC Due date: 29 Nov 2020 at 23:59	1500 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Research Essay 1 2000 word Research Essay.	40%	Week 07 Due date: 18 Oct 2020 at 23:59	2000 words
Outcomes assessed:

Assessment summary

Tutorial Participation (10%)
Tutorial Presentation (10%)
Written Paper based on Tutorial Presentation (10%)
Research Essay 1 (40%)
Research Essay 2 (30%)

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100
Distinction	75 - 84
Credit	65 - 74
Pass	50 - 64
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see sydney.edu.au/students/guide-to-grades.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Lectures: 1. The Pre-History of Neoliberalism. 2. Neoliberalism: From Crisis to Crisis. Tutorial: What is Neoliberalism? (tutorial presentation weeks allocated)	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 02	Lectures: 1. Ideas: Friedrich von Hayek. 2. Ideas: Milton Friedman. Tutorial: Neoliberal Ideas: Friedrich von Hayek. (tutorial presentations begin)	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 03	Lectures: 1. Ideas: American Neoliberalism. 2. Ideas: The Neoliberal Movement and its Think Tanks. Tutorial: Neoliberal Ideas: Milton Friedman.	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 04	Lectures: 1. Institutions: State Transformations. 2. Institutions: Regulating Labour and the Poor. Tutorial: The Neoliberal Movement.	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 05	Lectures: 1. Institutions: Supra-National Institution. 2. Institutions: The Corporation. Tutorial: The Neoliberal State.	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 06	Lectures: Movie: 'The Commanding Heights' (film) Tutorial: No tutorial (Essay Research Week).	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 07	Lectures: 1. Accumulation: Flexible Accumulation. 2. Accumulation: Inequality, Neoliberalism and Economic Performance. Tutorial: Neoliberalism, Workfare and Prisonfare.	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 08	Lectures: Politics 1. Neoliberalism, Conservatism and Social Democracy. Politics 2. Public Opinion and Dissent. Tutorial: Neoliberalism and Corporate Power.	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 09	Lectures: 1. Ideational and Institutional Explanations of Neoliberalism. 2. Foucauldian Explanations of Neoliberalism. Tutorial: Neoliberalism and Inequality.	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 10	Lectures: 1. Marxist Explanations of Neoliberalism. 2. Geographical Explanations of Neoliberalism. Tutorial: Explaining Neoliberalism.	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 11	Lectures: Crisis 1. Neoliberalism, the Global Financial Crisis & the Great Recession. Crisis 2. Neoliberalism and the Covid-19. Pandemic. Tutorial: Neoliberalism in Crisis?	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 12	Lectures: Contestation 1. The Return of Right-Wing Nationalist Populism. Contestation 2. Challenges from the Left Tutorial: Contesting Neoliberalism.	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

According to Faculty Board Resolutions, students in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences are expected to attend 90% of their classes. If you attend less than 50% of classes, regardless of the reasons, you may be referred to the Examiner’s Board. The Examiner’s Board will decide whether you should pass or fail the unit of study if your attendance falls below this threshold.

Lecture recording: Most lectures (in recording-equipped venues) will be recorded and may be made available to students on the LMS. However, you should not rely on lecture recording to substitute your classroom learning experience.

Preparation: Students should commit to spend approximately three hours’ preparation time (reading, studying, homework, essays, etc.) for every hour of scheduled instruction.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

Readings will be available through eReserve via the Canvas Site for this Unit and through the Library.

There is no prescribed textbook for this Unit.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. demonstrate an understanding of major political economic changes to world capitalism since the 1970s
LO2. demonstrate an understanding of the key principles of neoliberal thought.
LO3. demonstrate an understanding of the contested nature of the concept of neoliberalism.
LO4. demonstrate an understanding of the major scholarly approaches to interpreting neoliberalism.
LO5. demonstrate the ability to communicate key political economic concepts in writing and verbally.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

This is the first time this unit has been offered.

Additional information

Work, health and safety

There are no specific WHS requirements for this unit.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Work, health and safety

Disclaimer

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