INTR9021A The International Financial Crises

This topic introduces students to the evolution of the international monetary system. It also contains an extensive series of case studies of the crises that have undermined the search for international monetary order, the problems in the international financial system they have exposed and the various attempts at finding longer-term solutions.

This topic aims to:

• Provide a historical account of international monetary system
• Examine the nature of financial crises within the global political economy
• Explore a series of case studies of financial crises
• Thematically and comparatively analyse these case studies
• Enable critical reflection on the sustainability of the global financial system in its current form

1. Outline the evolution of the contemporary international monetary system
2. Critically assess the basic features of the contemporary system of global finance
3. Articulate critical approaches to this system
4. Evaluate different explanations of current crises in the international political economy
5. Clearly communicate these explanations in written and oral forms