Soc 450:
Globalization
and Social Change
Spring 2007
Instructor:
Dr. Gonzalo Santos NOTICE: The faculty union is in the midst of contract negotiations and there is a possibility of a work interruption. Updates on this situation will be provided throughout the course. |
Textbooks:
Course Content:
This course explores the dynamics of
global integration in the contemporary world, as it affects, and in
turn is
affected by, the world's
economic, political, and social structures and processes. We will
explore several issues: how social change and development came to be
seen as normative aspects of the modern world, especially in the 19th
& 20th centuries; the competing theories of development and
dependency that arose after World War II, mirroring the Cold War
bipolar world; the rise and demise of a "neoliberal" economic model of
globalization in the early 1980s and through the 1990s; the social
movements that have risen to confront globalization; and finally, the
impact U.S.-led globalization has had on the U.S. itself.
Course Structure:
The course will be run as a seminar. Students will form twelve
groups
of
three students each, and
after the first day of class will take turns introducing and analyzing
the assigned
readings for
each
session, followed by class discussion. That way each student will make
a class presentation three times in the quarter.
Attendance is mandatory (please, no tardiness or early departures, as these will be penalized). All students must come prepared to discuss the readings - either when they make their formal presentations, or by bringing to class their reading assessments if they are not presenting. The reading assessments must be turned in to Dr. Santos at the beginning of each class session.
The students will also collaborate in their groups to produce a research project on topics related to the areas covered in the course -- each student will therefore write a research paper.
Class Presentations: At the beginning of the course, all students will be organized in groups of three. Every class after the first one, two student groups will present on the assigned readings - one group per reading. Short class discussions will follow each of the group presentations. Students shall do their presentations in PowerPoint. Please provide Dr. Santos an electronic copy of your presentation - attached in an email.Each presenting student will introduce and summarize his/her own selection of the readings, and raise a few key issues and questions for subsequent discussion. Time allotted per individual presentation will be 10 minutes.
The presentations will be graded based on: (a) conceptual &
organizational quality and clarity, (b) the analytical
strength of the presentation, including the questions posed at the end,
and (c) the quality, clarity, & style of the oral presentation
(including the visuals).
Reading Assessments: To
ensure that everybody come to every class prepared to discuss the
assigned
readings
for the day, students who are not
presenting must bring to class a written "reading assessment," of no
more than a page or two of double-spaced text, of the
assigned readings for the day. No
late reading assessments will be accepted, unless the students has an
authorized absence from Dr. Santos.
These reading assessments must not summarize or describe the
readings,
but must critically respond to them:
express what the you think about them; identify the
areas
of strong agreement and disagreement
with
the author, explaining why,
as well as the areas or topics of most
interest
to discuss, or
anything in particular that caused you amazement, confusion, or
surprise.
Whatever you write, you should explain
your
specific
analytical and personal reasons for doing so. The reading
assessment need not
cover
every issue found in the
assigned readings for the day, but it should
demonstrate
you read everything and chose well
what to comment on (early topics are
always suspect!). A very bad assessment will
reveal the student read
very little or very
superficially just to do the assignment (it's called "going through the
motion"). A good
assessment
will demonstrate the student really read all the material and did a
serious
effort to chose and critically grapple with the main issues involved.
At the end
of each reading
assessment,
students should always write a question for class
discussion. Dr. Santos will randomly select a couple of students to
read their assessments and/or questions in the discussion periods.
Please
always write on top of your reading assessments your name, the date,
and the
reading you are assessing.
Note: Students
presenting on a given day do not need to submit any reading assessment.
Research Papers: Each student group will collaborate in designing, researching, and writing one research volume on topics related to the main areas of the course. Each volume will contain 3 individual research papers related to different aspects of the volume's topic. The papers need to be submitted in both electronic form and printed on paper. The volume is due on Tuesday, June 5, before noon, at Dr. Santos' office.
All topics - the group's as well as each individual's - must be pre-approved by Dr. Santos no later than May 10.
Each printed volume should be bound and include a title page and a table of content, listing each paper by title and author. Each individual paper should be between 6 and 8 pages long (excluding the bibliography). For a precise guide on the paper's format and citation style, go to:
http://www.csubak.edu/~gsantos/guide-paper.htmlEach individual paper should pose a central argument, or thesis, or hypothesis, and include the following sections: an introduction, stating the thesis/topic, as well as the theoretical approach and methodological framework of the paper; an analytical section on the relevant historical & contemporary processes, facts, data, related to the topic; this section should not only be descriptive, but it should include your critical analysis to explain these things, as well as other plausible alternative explanations in the literature and your critique of them; your summary and main conclusions; a bibliography; appendices (if any). The bibliography ought to reflect a good search on the World Wide Web, as well as consulted books and scholarly journals in the library. Appendices should include charts, graphs, and figures covering the pertinent topic - the better selected, relevant, and more global in nature, the better. No need for a group bibliography or consistent pagination - each papers' own will suffice.
Plagiarism: To
prevent students from wittingly or unwittingly engaging in plagiarism,
Dr. Santos strongly recommends students to carefully read and abide by
the document CSUB
Classifications of Plagiarism found at: http://www.csub.edu/tlc/options/resources/plagiarism/4plagiarimclassifications.htm.
Grading: The final research paper is worth 40 points - adding up to half of the grade. Each class presentation is worth 10 points. The reading assessments all together are worth the other 30 points. Every absence is penalized by taking one point off the final grade (besides the zero grade you'll get for either failing to present or for missing a reading assessment). The final letter grade will be assigned, on a scale of 0 to 100, as follows:
90- 93 = A- 80-83 = B- 70-73 = C-
87- 89 = B+ 77-79 = C+ 65-69 = D < 65 = F
Dr. Santos prefers students either come to his office during office hours or call him by phone, rather than to receive e-mail messages that require more than a one-line reply. This is due to his large email traffic and the ease of talking, as opposed to typing! But if you wish to send Dr. Santos a brief, to the point, personal message, you may do so at his address above.
Schedule of Reading
Assignments
Week |
Tueday
|
Groups
Presenting |
Thursday
|
Groups Presenting |
1 March 27, 29 |
INTRODUCTION |
Roberts
& Bellone Hite Art. 1 & 2: |
1__________ 2__________ |
|
2 April 3, 5 |
Roberts
& Bellone Hite Art. 3 & 4: |
3__________ 4__________ |
Roberts
& Bellone Hite Art. 5 & 6: |
5__________ 6__________ |
3 April 10, 12 |
Roberts
& Bellone Hite Art. 7 & 8: |
7__________ 8__________ |
Roberts
& Bellone Hite Art. 9 & 10: |
9__________ 10__________ |
4 April 17, 19 |
Roberts
& Bellone Hite Art. 11 & 12: Lecture by Mary Robinson, 7pm, Doré Theater |
11__________ 12__________ |
Roberts
& Bellone Hite Art. 13 & 14: |
1__________ 2__________ |
5 April 24, 26 |
Roberts
& Bellone Hite Art. 15 & 16: |
3__________ 4__________ |
Roberts
& Bellone Hite Art. 17 & 18: |
5__________ 6__________ |
6 May 1, 3 |
Roberts
& Bellone Hite Art. 19 & 20: |
7__________ 8__________ |
Roberts
& Bellone Hite Art. 21 & 22: |
9__________ 10__________ |
7 May 8, 10 |
Roberts
& Bellone Hite Art. 23 & 24: |
11__________ 12__________ |
Roberts
& Bellone Hite Art. 25, 26 & 27: |
1__________ 2__________ |
8 May 15, 17 |
Hytrek
& Zentgraf Chap. 1 & 2: |
3__________ 4__________ |
Hytrek
& Zentgraf Chap. 3 & 4: |
5__________ 6__________ |
9 May 22, 24 |
Hytrek
& Zentgraf Chap. 5 & 6: |
7__________ 8__________ |
Hytrek
& Zentgraf Chap. 7 & 8: |
9__________ 10__________ |
10 May 29, 31 |
Hytrek
& Zentgraf Chap. 9 & 10: |
11__________ 12__________ |
The Specter Haunting Your Office |
--- |
The Research Papers are due on Tuesday, June 5, before noon, at Dr. Santos' office. |
My group members' names, phones & email addresses are:
1.
___________________________________________________________________
2. ___________________________________________________________________
Date: My own presentation will be on:
1. _______________________________________________________
2.
_______________________________________________________
3. _______________________________________________________
My own research paper
topic: ___________________________________________