Professor Claudia Buchmann Spring 1999
337 Sociology/Psychology Building Class: MWF 10:30-11:20Nations, Regions and the Global Economy
Sociology 145.01
This course focuses on the changing global economy, its impact on distinctive regions, and the ways nations and regions are responding to rapid globalization and economic change. We will pay particular attention to recent trends in global production and global financial systems. Then we will compare various regions, examining their development strategies, responses to globalization and unique challenges, given their position in the global economy. Asia, Latin America, and Africa will be the primary regions of focus in this section of the course. Finally we will critically examine the social, political and environmental impacts of globalization and look at how the global economy impacts selected segments of the population.
Required Readings
There are four books and several required articles for this course. The books may be purchased at the Duke University Bookstore. Articles are listed as A1, A2, A3... in the syllabus. All books are on three-hour reserve at Perkins Library. Articles are on Electronic Reserve in the library.
Books:
Philip McMichael. 1996. Development and Social Change: A Global Perspective. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press.Ezra Vogel. 1991. The Four Little Dragons: The Spread of Industrialization in East Asia. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Maier, Karl. 1997. Into the House of the Ancestors: Inside the New Africa. New York: Wiley and Sons.
Fukuyama, Francis. 1996. Trust: The Social Virtues and the Creation of Prosperity. New York: Free Press.
Articles:
A1: Gereffi, Gary. 1995. Global Production Systems and Third World Development. Pp. 100-142 in Global Change, Regional Response: The New International Context of Development, edited by Barbara Stallings. New York: Cambridge University Press.Course Requirements
Your course grade will be based on class participation (which includes two short "current issues" papers), a research paper, a midterm and a final exam.
In evaluating your class participation, I will consider both your participation in class generally and your contributions to the "current issues" discussion. Four times during the semester we will devote one class to a discussion of current issues related to the topics covered in that section of the course. You will be in one of two groups. Each group will be responsible for contributing material to two discussion sessions during the semester. This will involve turning in a 1-2 page "current issues" paper which links topics covered in class to a related issue, current event, personal experience, etc. (see course schedule for due dates). You are encouraged to turn in the materials to which your comments pertain (i.e., newspaper or magazine article, web page, etc.) with your comments. These papers will serve as topics for class discussion.
Mid-term Exam: A take-home midterm will be distributed on Wednesday, Feb 24 and will be due at the beginning of class the following Monday, March 1. While you may use your class notes and readings during the exam, your answers on the exam are to be entirely your own.
Research Paper: You will write a 7-9 page research paper that explores more deeply one of the topics we cover in the course. Further guidelines for research papers will be forthcoming.
Due dates for parts of this project are on the schedule. Once you have selected your topic, you will be divided into "writing groups" of a few people. A first draft of your paper will be due on March 31. At this time you will distribute copies of this draft to your writing group and hand in one copy of the draft. On Monday, April 12, thorough comments on each of the other group member's drafts are due (one copy to author, one to hand in). Technical comments (i.e., grammar, punctuation) may be written on the drafts themselves; but the substantive and stylistic comments must be typed on separate pages and number-coded in the text. Your goal is to help the authors improve their papers through comments and suggestions. This draft process serves two purposes. As a writer, you have the opportunity to have numerous people read and respond to your writing, which can help you improve your written communication skills. As an "editor" you learn editing skills. Editing is much easier to do with other people's written work, so practicing in this way can help you learn how to edit and improve your own writing. Once you receive comments from your writing group you will have a chance to revise your papers before they are due on April 23. This paper will be worth 30 percent of your final course grade (I will consider your revisions based on comments to your first draft in establishing this grade). Ten percent of your course grade will be based on the quality of your comments on other students' drafts.
Final Exam: More information on the date, time and format of the final exam will be forthcoming.
All these requirements comprise the final grade as follows:
2 current issue papers/class participation 10%
Midterm 25%
Research Paper 30%
Comments on drafts 10%
Final Exam 25%
TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE
| Date | Topic and Readings | Assignments Due | |
| W Jan 13 | Introduction to Course | ||
| F Jan 15 | What is Development? | McMichael, Intro. |
Development and Globalization, 1945-present
| M Jan 18 | Martin Luther King Day, No Class | ||
| W Jan 20 | Theories of Development | McMichael, ch. 1 | |
| F Jan 22 | |||
| M Jan 25 | Film: Battle of the Titans | McMichael, ch. 2 | |
| W Jan 27 | The New Int'l Division of Labor | ||
| F Jan 29 | McMichael, ch. 3 | ||
| Production Goes Global | |||
| M Feb 1 | Global Commodity Chains | A1: Gereffi | |
| W Feb 3 | Film: Winners and Losers | A2: Korzeniewicz | |
| F Feb 5 | A3: Figueroa | Group 1:Discussion Comments Due | |
| M Feb 8 | McMichael, ch. 4 | ||
| W Feb 10 | Current Issues Discussion #1 | ||
| F Feb 12 | Research Resources--Class Meets at Perkins Library | ||
| Global Financial Networks | |||
| M Feb 15 | The World Bank and IMF | McMichael, ch. 5 A4: Camdessus | |
| W Feb 17 | Debt and Structural Adjustment | A5: Buchmann | |
| F Feb 19 | McMichael, ch 6 | Paper Topic Due |
Regional Responses
| M Feb 22 | The East Asian Dragons | Vogel, ch 1-3 | |
| W Feb 24 | Vogel, ch 4-5 | Take Home Midterm Distributed the end of Class | |
| F Feb 26 | No Class | ||
| M Mar 1 | Film: Japan 2000 | Midterm Due at Beginning of Class | |
| W Mar 3 | A6: Zakaria | ||
| F Mar 5 | Latin America | A7: Gereffi | Group 2: Discussion Comments Due |
| M Mar 8 | A8: Castells & Laserna | ||
| W Mar 10 | Current Issues Discussion #2 | ||
| F Mar 12 | No Class |
Spring Break-No Class Mar 15, 17, 19
| M Mar 22 | The New Africa | Maier, preface and 1-43 | |
| W Mar 24 | Maier, 75-104 | ||
| F Mar 26 | Maier, 129-189 | Group 1: Discussion Comments Due | |
| M Mar 29 | Developing Human Capital | A9: Buchmann, Maier 105-128 | |
| W Mar 31 | Film: A Clash of Cultures | First Draft of Paper Due | |
| F Apr 2 | Current Issues Discussion #3 | Maier, postscript |
The Future
| M Apr 5 | Trust: The critical element for global success? | Fukuyama, ch 1-6 | |
| W Apr 7 | Low Trust Societies | Fukuyama, ch 7-10 | |
| F Apr 9 | High Trust Societies | Fukuyama, ch 13-14, 16, 18, 20 | |
| M Apr 12 | The United States | Fukuyama, ch 23-26 | Comments on Drafts Due |
| W Apr 14 | Fukuyama, ch 27-31 | Group 2: Discussion Comments Due | |
| F Apr 16 | No Class | ||
| M Apr 19 | Global Impact | McMichael, ch. 7 | |
| W Apr 21 | |||
| F Apr 23 | Current Issues Discussion #4 | Final Paper Due | |
| M Apr 26 | McMichael, ch. 8 | ||
| W Apr 28 | Review and Wrap up |
Date and Time of Final Exam to be announced