Capitalism and the Politics of Markets

• Credit value: 30 credits at Level 6
• Convenor and tutor: to be confirmed
• Assessment: to be confirmed

In this module we bring together political, economic and sociological analysis in order to address key topics such as the emergence of a distinct domain of the ‘economy’; the meaning of money; financialisation, debt and property; the contemporary commodification of both human and non-human life; and anti-capitalist protests. Running throughout is a sociological concern with the analysis of the systemic character of capitalist economic relations, and with the bifurcation of economic from other aspects of life (politics, morals, environment etc).

Indicative syllabus

• What is capitalism?
• The meanings of money
• Commodification
• Capitalism as religion
• Affective and immaterial labour
• Financialisaton, debt and property
• Economy and environment
• Markets and morals from prostitution to baby selling
• Contemporary bio-economies
• Capitalism in crisis?

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

• identify the main historical debates about the nature of capitalism and the market economy
• understand and criticise the assumptions made by writers from different economic perspectives
• apply theoretical insights from political economy and economic sociology to topical economic issues
• marshall and appraise the arguments of others, produce arguments supported by relevant evidence.