Sociology 222B.02. Globalization and Comparative Development:
Theory and Global Issues

Course Objective and Description.

      The theme of globalization as a major feature of changing social reality has rapidly made its way in the vocabulary of the social sciences and in the media. Just what the term refers to, however, is not always specified, so that one aspect of the seminar is to make explicit the various components of globalization, especially beyond its economic aspect, which is considerable. In explicating globalization, we will ask whether globalization is something really new or whether it is a new name for some older familiar terms, like modernization and Westernization.

        A related objective of the course is providing students with familiarity in a sample of works in this field and with some of the major formulators of globalization analysis. A complementary aspect of this is to consider globalization not only as a beneficial process of development, but also to consider some of its critics who view it as a sinister late stage of capitalism and Western domination.

         The emphasis of the seminar will not be about global economic development as much as with ancillary processes such as global social movements (e.g., the ecological movement, the woman’s movement), the globalization of culture (e.g., McDonaldization, Cocacolonization), transnational crime, and the global inception of a common value-system (for example, around the issue of human rights). Broadly speaking, these processes provide the matrix of global economic development.

           One further objective of the seminar is to draw attention to the theme of “glocalisation”, which seeks to capture the two-way interaction of global processes and local conditions to generate new mutual adaptations. While this may be shown at the local level within the nation-state, it may also be argued at a more macro-level in such a regional formation as the European Union seeking to define a “European identity” for its member states in a new global era.

Course Structure. This course will be conducted as a seminar, with maximal interaction between the various members seminar. In addition to core readings forming a basis of class discussion, each will be asked to make reports on outside readings and to prepare a brief abstract of the assignment. There will be no final examination, but there will be a midterm exam, supplemented by two book reviews of assigned core readings. Each student is expected to prepare a term paper on research conducted during the semester on a topic agreed upon with the instructor. The term paper is due the last session, April 18.  

Recommended for Purchase

1)      Eleonore Kofman and Gillian Youngs, Globalization. Theory and Practice

2)      Leslie Sklair, Sociology of the Global System, 2^nd ed.

3)       Michael and Neil Snarr, eds. Introducing Global Issues

4)      Malcolm Waters, Globalization

                                                                   SCHEDULE

I.   Introduction. Conceptualizing Globalization. Advocates and Detractors.

Reports of special reading assignments and discussions of individual research projects will take place at the April sessions.