Geography

Geographies of Money, Finance, and Debt

Module code: 012GA
Level 6
30 credits in autumn semester
Teaching method: Lecture, Seminar
Assessment modes: Essay, Coursework

This module will:

  • provide you with a critical introduction to the role of money, finance and debt in contemporary global crises of inequality, democracy and environmental sustainability
  • position money, finance and debt as an inherently political subject that has long been neglected by non-economists
  • show how money, finance, and debt have distinctly geographical dimensions, with the power and wealth of cities such as London and New York contrasting with the decline of other regions in the UK and US, and the influence of financial centres in the Global North contrasting with regions in the Global South.

Despite assumptions that finance is now a ‘de-territorialized’ global phenomenon, the module will also show how the impacts of finance and debt are nonetheless still spatially constituted and experienced by real people in real places.

Topics will include:

  • an introduction to where money comes from and the politics of money creation
  • the drivers and impacts of rising private household debt
  • the role of global financial institutions in fossil fuel investment and climate change
  • the proliferation of cryptocurrencies and money reform movements.

Against the assumption (often promoted by those who work in finance) that money and finance are ‘too difficult’ for ‘ordinary’ people to understand, the module will show how developing a better grasp of contemporary financial practices and patterns is critical in challenging inequality and injustice within society.

Note that the module will be taught in a way that is accessible to all students and it requires no background in economics.

Module learning outcomes

  • Identify and define the main features of money, finance, and debt in the contemporary world.
  • Articulate the main links and relationships between money, finance, and debt and contemporary crises of inequality, democracy, and environmental sustainability.
  • Demonstrate a critical awareness of the range of debates around the merits and legitimacy of the current financial and money system.
  • Apply key concepts about money, finance, and debt to empirical examples in both Global North and South.