Soc 450:
Globalization
and Social Change
Spring 2008 Instructor: Dr. Gonzalo Santos Dr. Santos' Office: DDH-AA205 Phone: 664-2191 Office Hours: 11:00 am - 12:00 pm, MWF. |
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 -
modernization, dependency, world-systems' perspective - that arose in
the 2nd half of the 20th century, 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 fourteen
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
two class presentations during 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 if they are not presenting,
by bringing to class their reading
assessments.
The reading assessments must be turned in to Dr. Santos at the
beginning
of each class session. (No late submissions will be accepted)
The students will also collaborate within their groups to produce a research project on topics related to the areas covered in the course -- each student will therefore also write a research term paper.
Class Presentations: At the beginning of the course, the students will be organized in groups of three. There will be two (first book) or three (second book) readings assigned per class. Every class, a different group will present on the assigned readings, on a rotational basis - groups can expect to present twice in the quarter. Students shall do their presentations in PowerPoint. Class discussion will follow the presentations. Please email Dr. Santos an electronic copy of your presentation. Time allotted per individual presentation will be about 10 minutes. Each presenting student will introduce, describe, highlight, and summarize his/her own portion of the assigned readings, and raise one or two key questions for subsequent discussion. As a precaution, please bring your presentations in a USB-type memory stick and also email it to your own Runner email account. When it's your turn to present, please show up early to set it up & test it. It is each group's responsibility to organize the division of labor in their presentations so there will be minimum overlap - especially when there are two readings assigned.The presentations will be graded based on: (a) the analytical
strength of the presentation, including its depth & breath (how
well it covers all the main aspects), (b) the quality of the
question(s) posed at the
end,
and (c) the quality & style of the oral presentation
(including the visuals displayed).
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 three written "reading assessments," one
for each of the
assigned readings for the day, each a page to two pages in length,
double-spaced text. No
late reading assessments will be accepted, unless the students
has a pre-authorized absence from Dr. Santos.
IMPORTANT: In contrast to the presentations, 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
you do,
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 if relevant, 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 select and critically grapple with the main issues involved.
At the end
of each reading
assessment,
students should always write their own 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 a 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 Thursday, June 6, 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 9.
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 35 points. Each class presentation is worth 15 points (30 points total). The reading assessments all together are worth the other 35 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 Assignment
Week |
Monday |
Wednesday |
Friday |
1
March24, 26, 28 |
INTRODUCTION |
GROUP
1
Roberts
& Bellone HiteArticles 1, 2 |
GROUP
2
Roberts
& Bellone HiteArticles 3, 4 |
2
March, April31, 2, 4 |
HOLIDAY César Chávez Day |
GROUP
3
Roberts
& Bellone HiteArticles 5, 6 |
GROUP
4
Roberts
& Bellone HiteArticles 7, 8 |
3
April7, 9, 11 |
GROUP
5
Roberts
& Bellone HiteArticles 9, 10 |
GROUP
6
Roberts
& Bellone HiteArticles 11, 12 |
GROUP
7
Roberts
& Bellone HiteArticles 13, 14 |
4
April14, 16, 18 |
GROUP
8
Roberts
& Bellone HiteArticles 15, 16 |
GROUP
9
Roberts
& Bellone HiteArticles 17, 18 |
GROUP
10
Roberts
& Bellone HiteArticles 19, 20 |
5
April21, 23, 25 |
GROUP
11
Roberts
& Bellone HiteArticles 21, 22 |
GROUP
12
Roberts
& Bellone HiteArticles 23, 24 |
GROUP
13
Roberts
& Bellone HiteArticles 25, 26 |
6
April, May28, 30, 2 |
GROUP
14
Roberts
& Bellone HiteArticles 27 Lousie Amoore: Introduction |
GROUP
1
Lousie AmooreArticles 1, 2, 3 |
GROUP
2
Lousie AmooreArticles 4, 5, 6 |
7
May5, 7, 9 |
GROUP
3
Lousie AmooreArticles 7, 8, 9 |
GROUP
4
Lousie AmooreArticles 10, 11, 12 |
GROUP
5
Lousie AmooreArticles 13, 14, 15 |
8
May12, 14, 16 |
GROUP
6
Lousie AmooreArticles 16, 17, 18 |
GROUP
7
Lousie AmooreArticles 19, 20, 21 |
GROUP
8
Lousie AmooreArticles 22, 23, 24 |
9
May19, 21, 23 |
GROUP
9
Lousie AmooreArticles 25, 26, 27 |
GROUP
10
Lousie AmooreArticles 28, 29, 30 |
GROUP
11
Lousie AmooreArticles 31, 32, 33 |
10
May26, 28, 30 |
HOLIDAY Memorial Day |
GROUP
12
Lousie AmooreArticles 34, 35, 36 |
GROUP
13
Lousie Amoore: Article 37Web Readings: 1. Wallerstein: New Revolts Against the System 2. Tony Judt: Dreams of Empire |
11
June 2 |
GROUP
14
Web
Readings:1. Liza Featherstone: Down and Out in Discount America 2. James Lardner: The Specter Haunting Your Office 3. David Cole: Uncle Sam Is Watching You |
Research Papers due before noon on Thursday, June 5 |
My group members' names, phones & email addresses are:
1.
___________________________________________________________________
2. ___________________________________________________________________
Date: My own presentation will be on:
1. _______________________________________________________
2.
_______________________________________________________
My own research paper
topic: ___________________________________________