Wealth and Poverty: The Making of the Modern World

What is the relationship between wealth and poverty? How did the current global hierarchy of wealth and power come about? Are countries in the Global North powerful because they dominated, plundered and exploited the Global South? The module analyses the profound socio-economic and political effects of European colonialism. You'll explore the impact of these factors on the making of the modern world. You'll study key drivers and repercussions of colonialism in the Americas, Asia and Africa. You'll develop an understanding of related features of the global political economy. You'll look at the expansion of colonialism and the industrial developments in Europe. You'll consider the link between these factors and the effects on wealth and poverty. The module concludes with an analysis of the economic dynamics of the post-independence period.

Please note, the Leeds International Summer School runs for four weeks (2 - 30 July 2022). You can choose to study with us for two weeks or for the full four-week programme. Each module lasts two weeks so you study one module if you choose to attend for two weeks and two modules if you choose to attend for four weeks.

Course leader

Dr Winnie Bedigen

Target group

Undergraduate/Bachelor students

Course aim

To examine the drivers, characteristics and repercussions of European colonialism and to explore the role that colonialism in the Americas, Africa and Asia played in the making of the modern world. A particular link will be made between the expansion of colonialism and the development of industrialisation in Europe. The module also explores what the impact of colonialism has been in the modern world and what its continuing legacies may be. The module furthermore pays attention to similarities and differences regarding some key features of the global political economy, past (during the era of colonialism) and present, e.g. the issue of forced labour (i.e. modern day slavery). Throughout the module students will be introduced to some of the relevant key concepts in social sciences to further the analysis.

Credits info

5 EC
The module is worth 10 Leeds credits = 5 ECTS. You can transfer the credits earned back to your home degree subject to approval.

Fee info

GBP 1820: Leeds International Summer School (LISS) is an all-inclusive programme. Included in the programme fee is tuition, accommodation, breakfast and lunch, Monday to Friday, module field trips, weekend excursions, social programme and The Edge sports centre membership. The cost of flights, insurance and visa is not included.

Scholarships

If you have a GPA of 3.2 or above (or equivalent) you're eligible to apply for a Merit scholarship worth up to £500. We are also looking for LISS Champions to receive a scholarship of £1000 while sharing their experiences of LISS via different platforms.