The aim of this course is to provide a comprehensive introduction to the various discourses of globalisation. It will explore some of the key meanings, history and differing theoretical perspectives and interpretations of globalisation in contemporary research, and will identify main policy issues related to economic, cultural and political globalisation. The focus will be the development of transnational communities and cultures including emergent new forms of worldwide political protest; the challenge for trade unions; culture and the 'global' and 'local' divide; the possibilities for a future global society or culture; the inter-meshing of local-global interests and identities; the inequalities and social exclusion generated by economic globalisation; and the extent to which sociology - like other disciplines - needs to re-think many of its central concepts, debates and theoretical approaches in the light of globalisation processes. The analysis and discussion will be illustrated with international and Irish case studies.