Course Syllabus

Course Description

Globalization has been reshaping the world for many years now. What can economics say about the new (and old) consequences of globalization? In this course, we study the forces behind globalization. A special focus will be on Europe and the EU, the Euro, global competitiveness and the present economic outlook.

We will examine consequences of economic integration and barriers in markets for goods and services, factors of production (Land, Labor, Capital and Entrepreneurship) and financial flows and the impacts of increased interdependence in these markets for economic policy decisions in Europe. 

We will ask and discuss questions such as whether globalization promotes economic growth, how the income distribution is affected, winners and losers of globalization, the promotion or harm to macroeconomic stability, and how government institutions could or have adjusted their powers and responsibilities.

We will go on study tours in Denmark and abroad and gain real-life perspectives from experts to the theories. The study tours will provide ample room for reflection outside of class rooms on the topics and theories studied in class. The course also includes guest lectures and expert panel discussions.

Learning Objectives

After completing this course, students should be able to:

• To explain and discuss the forces driving international trade and (de-)globalization
• Understand key aspects of European Integration and the institutions of the European Union.
• Apply economic theory to analyze and interpret global economics
• Discuss the pros and cons of associated with advancing European integration
• Understand and evaluate the special circumstances relevant to Eastern European countries.
• Evaluate different views on the process of globalization, European and global economics, the Euro and be able to argue and defend a position on a number of key issues debated in current news
• Understands the basics of international finance. 
• Apply knowledge gained and work in a structured way with a research question.

We encourage you to assume responsibility for your learning. Your teachers make an offer, but how much you will get out of it, depends on you. 

Faculty        

John Kennes

2026 - present      Lecturer at DIS

2026 - present      Part-time lecturer in machine learning and finance at the Copenhagen Business School

2022 - present      External data processor at the University of Copenhagen/Statistics Denmark

2025 – 2026         Senior Researcher at VIVE

2006 - 2024          Associate Professor (Tenured) at Aarhus University

2002 - 2005          Assistant Professor (Untenured) at University of Copenhagen

Place of birth.        Canada

Personal Website:       https://www.johnkennes.com/

Course Requirements

This is an upper level economics class and requires that you have taken one semester each of micro- and macroeconomics at university level. Additionally, you must have taken one course in either intermediate or advanced macroeconomics.

Readings

All students enrolled in Globalization and European Economies have access to the following textbooks. The first textbook should be picked up from the DIS Library during arrivals.

• Michael Hedegaard, Holger Sandte & David Rowe, Globalisation and the International Economy, 2nd edition, 2025. The book is also available as a PDF through Canvas.

• Richard Baldwin & Charles Wyplosz, The Economics of European Integration, 6th edition, 2019.

The textbooks at DIS provide a common touchstone for students at DIS. However, the subject of globalization is far too broad and contested to be captured by any single textbook. Throughout the semester, we will therefore draw on a wide range of articles, academic papers, commentary, blogs, podcasts, videos, data, and other sources that reflect different perspectives on globalization and the challenges and opportunities it presents for European economies.

Supplementary materials will be posted on Canvas as the semester progresses. This allows us to keep the course connected to current events and emerging debates, rather than limiting our discussions to material selected before the semester begins.

You will also play a role in finding and bringing relevant material into the course. As part of your Learning Log, class activities, and Research Project, you will identify sources, examples, and evidence that can inform our discussions and investigations. Learning how to find, evaluate, question, and use evidence is an important part of the course.

Grading

Your final course grade will be determined as follows:

Assignment	Percent
Participation	25%
Learning Log / Emily in Copenhagen Journal	25%
Research Project	30%
Long and Short Study Tour Reports	20%
Total	100%

Participation

Your participation grade will be determined by three factors: attendance, preparedness, and proactive engagement in lectures, discussions, group work, and other class activities.

Attendance. You are expected to attend each and every class. If you must miss a class, contact your professor as soon as possible—and, whenever possible, before the class begins—and provide an explanation for your absence.

Preparedness. Come to class having completed the assigned readings, Learning Log activities, and other preparation. You should be ready to discuss the material, contribute to group work, and engage with the ideas and questions we are exploring that week.

Proactive Engagement. You are expected to take an active role in the classroom by asking questions, making comments, sharing ideas and observations, responding to your classmates, and participating fully in class activities. Participation is not simply being present; it means contributing to our collective learning.

Learning is a two-way road. The more actively you participate, the more you will get from the course—and the more your instructors will learn about how you are engaging with and understanding the material. Your participation also helps us identify where we need to clarify ideas, pursue questions further, or adjust the focus of our discussions. In this sense, everyone in the room contributes to making the course work.

Learning Log / “Emily in Copenhagen” Journal

Throughout the semester, you will keep a Learning Log that supports your preparation for and participation in class. You will receive a series of short notebooks with guided prompts connected to our weekly topics, readings, and activities. These notebooks are personal to you and will not be collected. Their purpose is to give you a space to think, question, make connections, and prepare ideas that you can bring to our group work in class. Weekly seating plans will determine your groups for these activities.

Your Learning Log will also include an observation journal, which I call the “Emily in Copenhagen” Journal. During the fall of 2026, pay attention to the world around you and record things that strike you as curious, unexpected, puzzling, or surprising. These observations may be connected to globalization—but they do not have to be. The point is to notice first and interpret second.

As the semester develops, build your own taxonomy for your observations. Decide which experiences you think are related to globalization, which are not, and which are difficult to classify. Create categories that help you make sense of what you are seeing, and revise those categories as your understanding of globalization develops.

There is no requirement that every observation become evidence of globalization. In fact, one of the questions we will explore throughout the course is precisely what counts as globalization—and what does not.

Bring your Learning Log to class each week. Come prepared to draw on your observations, questions, and ideas as you contribute to your group’s work.

Research Project

The Research Project is a small-team effort that will develop throughout the semester. The red thread running through your research will be the theories, narratives, debates, and events that shape how we understand globalization.

Early in the semester, your team will identify a well-defined research question and develop an appropriate research design and methodology for investigating it. As part of this process, we will work together on the fundamentals of sound academic research design. Your investigation will include a survey component. If your home university provides access to survey tools such as Qualtrics, please let me know.

The objective of the project is not simply to collect information about globalization, but to investigate a meaningful question systematically. Your team will be expected to connect relevant theories and concepts from the course with empirical evidence, including observations and insights gathered during our study tours.

Through the project, you will demonstrate your ability to:

• formulate a focused and researchable question;

• develop and apply an appropriate research methodology;

• collect and critically evaluate empirical evidence;

• connect evidence from survey research and study tours to relevant theories and debates about globalization;

• analyze and synthesize different forms of knowledge rather than simply describe them; and

• develop conclusions that are supported by your research findings.

The project will develop in stages over the semester, allowing your team to move from question → research design → evidence → analysis → conclusions. The emphasis throughout will be on using a sound academic research approach while developing your ability to connect the ideas we encounter in the classroom with globalization as it can be observed and investigated in the world around us.

Study Tour Reports

An important component of your learning experience at DIS is our course-integrated study tours. During the semester, we will travel to Thy, Denmark, and later to Milan and Como, Italy. These visits take learning beyond the classroom and provide opportunities to observe, question, and investigate globalization in particular places and contexts.

To maximize the learning experience, each study tour will be connected to a Study Tour Report. The reports will ask you to engage actively with the organizations, communities, people, and places we visit and to connect your observations and experiences to relevant concepts, theories, and questions from the course.

The study tours will also provide important empirical material for your Research Project. You should therefore approach each visit not simply as a tour, but as an opportunity for field-based learning: take notes, ask questions, pay attention to what surprises you, and consider how what you encounter supports, complicates, or challenges the ways globalization is discussed in the classroom.

Further instructions and specific requirements for the Study Tour Reports will be posted early in the semester.

Assessment Framework

Your work in this course will be assessed according to the expectations described below. Across all assignments, the emphasis is on engagement, application, analysis, and development of your thinking.

Participation — 25%

Assessment is based on:

• Attendance and preparedness — consistent attendance and readiness to engage with the day's material.

• Active engagement — asking questions, contributing ideas, and participating fully in discussions, group work, and other activities.

• Contribution to learning — listening and responding to others and helping advance the learning of the class.

Learning Log / Emily in Copenhagen Journal — 25%

Assessment is based on:

• Consistency — regular completion of Learning Log activities and observations throughout the semester.

• Curiosity and reflection — thoughtful engagement with questions, experiences, and things that surprise you.

• Connections — increasing ability to connect observations and course material to theories, concepts, and questions about globalization.

Research Project — 30%

Assessment is based on:

• Research design — a focused research question and appropriate methodology.

• Evidence and analysis — effective collection, interpretation, and critical use of survey and other empirical evidence.

• Synthesis — meaningful connections among research findings, study-tour experiences, and theories of globalization.

Study Tour Reports — 20%

Assessment is based on:

• Observation and evidence — thoughtful use of material gathered during the study tours.

• Application — meaningful connections between field experiences and course concepts and theories.

• Analysis and reflection — moving beyond description to consider what the experience reveals about globalization.

Overall Standards

Excellent work goes beyond completing the task: it demonstrates intellectual curiosity, thoughtful analysis, effective use of evidence, and an ability to make meaningful connections.

Proficient work meets the expectations of the assignment: it is complete, thoughtful, accurate, and demonstrates a sound understanding of the course material.

Developing work does not yet consistently meet expectations: it may be incomplete, primarily descriptive, insufficiently supported, or show limited engagement with course concepts.

Calculating Your Grade

Proficient represents the standard expected for successful work in this course. Work that regularly falls below Proficient will not earn an A-range grade, regardless of strengths in other areas.

An A-range grade requires one or more signs of Excellent work from the main course activities. This recognizes work that goes beyond proficiency and demonstrates exceptional intellectual initiative, insight, originality, analysis, or contribution to our collective learning.

Recognition of Excellent work may emerge in different ways and at different points during the semester. You are not expected to demonstrate Excellent work in every activity, but an A-range grade requires both consistent proficiency across the course and evidence of excellent work.

Computer Policy

Laptops are not necessary or encouraged during regular class sessions, visits, or study tours. Our emphasis is on active participation, discussion, observation, and engagement with one another and with the places we visit.

There will also be class sessions and activities when I will ask everyone to put away laptops and other devices. Please come prepared to take notes and work without a computer when requested.