SOC 3436-020: GLOBAL SOCIAL STRUCTURE Summer 2009 MW 6-9 Bountiful 301 Instructor: Jessie Winitzky, M.S. Office: BEH S 415 Email: jessica.winitzky@soc.utah.edu Office hours: before class and by appointment COURSE SUMMARY is a buzzword used to describe all kinds of sweeping changes in the modern world, but few truly understand its meaning or implications. This class attempts to clearly define globalization and uncover its effects. Is globalization, as some argue, a revolutionary, new world structure, or is it merely a continuation of a process that was begun some 500 years ago or perhaps neither? We will seek an understanding of the global social, economic, political and cultural processes that structure the contemporary world. We examine these macro- and microlevel structures in terms of nation-states, economies, cultures, corporations and individuals. We then consider the impact of these processes on development, inequality, gender, migration, organized violence and the environment. COURSE OBJECTIVES Upon completion of this course, you will be able to: 1) identify and differentiate between the economic, political and cultural dimensions of globalization; 2) critically evaluate competing perspectives of the causes and consequences of globalization; and 3) apply competing perspectives and concepts of globalization to social, economic and political events associated with contemporary life. REQUIRED TEXT McMichael, P. 2008. Development and Social Change: A Global Perspective, 4 th Ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge. AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES STATEMENT The University of Utah seeks to provide equal access to its programs, services and activities for people with disabilities. If you need accommodations in the class, reasonable prior notice needs to be given to the Center for Disability Services (available online at http://www.sa.utah.edu/ds), 162 Union Building, 581-5020 (V/TDD). DCS will work with you and the instructor to make arrangements for accommodations. 1
ASSESSMENT You will be graded on six main dimensions: 1) Discussion leader (1-2)....10% 2) Take-home exams (3)..30% 3) Film response (4).10% 4) Group project...25% 5) Project plan 5% 6) Participation. 10% 100% 1) As this class is organized in a seminar format, you will be responsible for leading 1-2 class discussions (depending on class size) during the semester. This means you will come to class on the appointed day(s) prepared with a summary of the day s readings and some questions to get the discussion rolling. You will not be expected to lecture for the entire hour, but simply to summarize the reading and facilitate discussion. 2) I will hand out three take-home exams over the course of the semester, each focusing on one major unit of class material and comprising 3-4 essay questions. The responses are to take an essay form and should each be roughly 2-3 pages in length (6-10 pages overall). Traditional essay standards apply, such as Times New Roman font or something similar, 12 pt font size, double-spaced, 1-inch margins, citing of sources used, etc. 3) You will be asked to submit a 1-2 page response to each of the four films we will watch in class. This is an informal paper, and you are expected to simply give your opinions and feelings about the film. 4) You will work in a group to create a final research project synthesizing material encountered in class as well as resources culled from outside research and study. You will be graded as a group on the final presentation (poster or PowerPoint is suggested). This project will trace the natural history of a specific commodity, and will require you to conceptualize across each dimension of globalization we explore in class. 5) The project plan is a one-page summary of a) who is in your group and b) what commodity you plan to trace. Turn in just one project plan per group. 6) Participation includes actively listening to and engaging in class discussion, completing assigned readings, being physically present in the classroom, and being a respectful member of the class community. We will start every class with a written assignment, which will act as a warm-up exercise. Your participation grade will be largely based on this exercise. RESERVE READINGS Barber, Benjamin. 1995. Jihad vs. McWorld. NY: Times. Baumol, William J. 1986. Productivity Growth, Convergence and Welfare: What the Long-Run Data Show. The American Economic Review, 76(5): 1072-1085. Bergeson, Albert J. and Omar Lizardo. 2004. International Terrorism and the World- System. Sociological Theory 22(1): 38-52. 2
Boli, John and George M. Thomas. 1997. World Culture in the World Polity: A Century of International Non-Governmental Organizations. American Sociological Review, 62(2): 171-190. Bond, Michael. 2000. Backlash Against NGOs. Prospect, Apr.: 277-282. Bowen, John R. 1996. The Myth of Global Ethnic Conflict. Journal of Democracy, 7(4): 3-14. Chase-Dunn, Christopher. 1975. The Effects of International Economic Dependence on Development and Inequality: A Cross-National Study. American Sociological Review, 40(6): 720-738. dos Santos, Theotonio. 1970. The Structure of Dependence. American Economic Review, 60(2): 231-236. Firebaugh, Glenn. 1999. The Empirics of World Income Inequality. American Journal of Sociology, 104(6): 1597-1630. Grimes, Peter and Jeffrey Kentor. 2003. Exporting the Greenhouse: Foreign Capital Penetration and CO 2 Emissions, 1980-1996. Journal of World-Systems Research 9(2): 261-275. Held, David, Anthony McGrew, David Goldblatt and Jonathan Perraton. 1999. Global Transformations: Politics, Economics and Culture. Stanford, CA: Stanford Press. Huntington, Samuel. The Clash of Civilizations? Foreign Affairs, 72(3): 22-49. Inkeles, Alex. 1969. Making Men Modern: On the Causes and Consequences of Individual Change in Six Countries. American Journal of Sociology, 75(2): 208-225. Kentor, Jeffrey. 1998. The Long-Term Effects of Foreign Investment Dependence on Economic Growth, 1940-1990. American Journal of Sociology, 103(4): 1024-1046. Massey, Douglas S. 1988. Economic Development and International Migration in Comparative Perspective. Population and Development Review, 14(3): 383-413. Meyer, et al. 1997. World Society and the Nation-State. American Journal of Sociology, 103(1): 144-181. Mies, Maria. 1998. Patriarchy and Accumulation on a World Scale. Zed. Muller, Edward and Mitchell A. Seligson. 1987. Inequality and Insurgency. American Political Science Review, 81(2): 425-451. Pollan, Michael. 2006. The Omnivore s Dilemma. NY: Penguin. Ritzer, George. 2000. An Introduction to McDonaldization. Pp. 7-24 in The McDonaldization of Society, 3 rd Ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge. Rostow, W.W. 1990. The Stages of Economic Growth: A Non-Communist Manifesto. Cambridge: Cambridge. Shannon, Thomas R. 1996. Chapter 4: The Contemporary World System. Pp. 85-125 in An Introduction to the World-System Perspective. Boulder, CO: Westview. Stonich, Susan C. 1989. The Dynamics of Social Processes and Environmental Destruction: A Central American Case Study. Population and Development Review, 15(2): 269-295. Strange, Susan. 2004. The Declining Authority of States. Pp. 219-224 in The Reader, Lechner and Boli (Eds.). Malden, MA: Blackwell. Thompson, William R. 1988. An Introduction to Structural Change and Global War. Pp. 3-18 in On Global War: Historical-Structural Approaches to World Politics. Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina. 3
TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE Day Topic Reading Due 5/18 What is Held, et al., Introduction, e-reserve, 1-? 10 Framing Issues McMichael, Chapter 1, 1-21 Pre-Modern McMichael, Chapter 2, 25-45 Forms of 5/20 Modernization: Theoretical Underpinnings Development Project Modernization: Empirical Evidence 5/25 No class Memorial Day 5/27 Dependency & World System: Theoretical Underpinnings Globalizing National Economy Instituting the Project 6/1 Project in Practice Dependency: Empirical Evidence Film #1 Rostow, Five Stages of Growth, e- Reserve Inkeles, Making Men Modern, e- Reserve, 208-225 McMichael, Chapter 2, 46-53 McMichael, Chapter 3, 55-69 Baumol, Productivity Growth, Convergence and Welfare, e-reserve, 1072-1085 Firebaugh, Empirics of World Income Inequality, e-reserve, 1597-1630 dos Santos, Structure of Dependence, e- Reserve, 231-236 Shannon, Chapter 4: The Contemporary World System, Introduction to the World System Perspective, e-reserve, 85-124 McMichael, Chapter 4, 87-116 McMichael, Chapter 6, 149-167 McMichael, Chapter 7, 191-228 Chase-Dunn, The Effects of International Economic Dependence on Development and Inequality: A Cross-National Study, e-reserve, 720-738. Kentor, Long-Term Effects of Foreign Direct Dependence, e-reserve, 1024-1046 China Blue Hand out Take- Home #1: Economic 4
6/3 Nation-State: Still Relevant? Meyer, World Society and the Nation- State, e-reserve, 144-181 Take-Home #1 Strange, Declining Authority of States, e-reserve, 219-224 Non-State Actors Boli, Thomas, World Culture in the World Polity, e-reserve, 171-190 Film #2 6/8 Homogenization & Differentiation Bond, Backlash Against NGOs, e- Reserve, 277-282 The Future We Will Create: Inside the World of TED Ritzer, Introduction to McDonaldization, e-reserve, 7-24 Barber, Jihad vs. McWorld, e-reserve, 29-35 Clash or Unity? Huntington, Clash of Civilizations, e- Reserve, 22-49 Film #3 6/10 Global Environmentalist Movement and the Environment Bowen, Myth of Global Ethnic Conflict, e-reserve, 3-14 Manufacturing Consent McMichael, Chapter 8, 236-249 Grimes and Kentor, Exporting the Greenhouse: Foreign Capital Penetration and CO 2 Emissions, e-reserve, 261-275 Stonich, The Dynamics of Social Processes and Environmental Destruction: A Central American Case Study, e- Reserve, 269-296 Politics of Food McMichael, Chapter 3, 69-83 Is Organic the Pollan, Chapter 9: Big Organic, e- Answer? Reserve, 134-184 #1: China Blue Hand out Take- Home #2: Politics, Culture, Food, Environment #2: TED #3: Manufacturing Consent 5
6/15 Global Feminist Movement and Gender Microlending 6/17 State Military Apparatus Patterns of Warfare Resistance & Terrorism McMichael, Chapter 8, 249-259 Mies, Chapter 4, e-reserve, 112-144 http://www.counterpunch.org/cockburn1020 2006.html Yunus, "A Pilot Project Is Born," e- Reserve, Selinger, "Does Microcredit Empower?" e- Reserve, 27-41 http://www.globalissues.org/geopolitics/arm strade/spending.asp Thompson, Introduction to Structural Change and Global War, e-reserve, 3-18 Muller and Seligson, Inequality and Insurgency, e-reserve, 425-451 Bergeson and Lizardo, International Terrorism and the World-System, e- Reserve, 38-52 6/22 Migration Massey, Economic Development and International Migration in Comparative Perspective, e-reserve, 383-413 Film #4 6/24 Final Project Presentations The Other Europe Take-Home #2: Politics, Culture, Environment, Food Hand out Take- Home #3 Take Home #3: Gender, Violence, Migration #4: Other Europe 6