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Mount Ida College
SO 355 – Social Issues in Global Perspective
Fall, 2008

(For printable version click here.)

Instructor: Dr. Madeleine Cousineau
Telephone: 617-928-7304
Website: www.mcousineau.net		 Office: Academic Tech Center, Room  232
Office Hours: M 1–2 p.m., W 3–5 p.m.
Email: mcousineau(at)mountida.edu
mrcousineau(at)comcast.net

PURPOSE AND STRUCTURE
This course examines the human consequences of economic globalization. Its goal is to deepen students' understanding of how the lives of individuals are being affected by large scale societal changes and how people all over the world are responding to those changes. Particular attention is given to issues of democracy, equality, and culture. Class sessions include lectures and discussions, and students' participation is welcomed. Specific course objectives are:

  • To understand the concept of globalization and how it affects the lives of individuals;
  • To be able to discuss current events as related to the world system;
  • To be aware of the relationship of grassroots movements to the global context;
  • To strengthen skills in writing and oral communication (ACC "W" and "O" course).

READINGS
Due dates for the readings are in the outline at the end of this syllabus. Assignments include two items on library reserve and the following two books:

Debi Barker and Jerry Mander, Invisible Government.
D. Stanley Eitzen and Maxine Baca Zinn (editors), Globalization: The Transformation of Social Worlds (second edition)


The Barker and Mander booklet may be downloaded from the website of the International Forum on Globalization (http://www.ifg.org/store.htm). The other book is a paperback available at the Mount Ida Bookstore. Study questions that provide a guide for understanding the readings are on the website for this course, www.mcousineau.net/so355. These questions will also be the basis for class discussions and for six essays. (See the information about the essays below.)

Every Wednesday, beginning on September 3, students will work in teams of five to discuss the week’s readings. Although everyone is expected to do the whole reading assignment, each member of the team will be responsible for contributing an answer to only one of five questions on the readings. These questions may be found on the course website by following the link for study guide at the top of the web page and clicking on the date for the beginning of the week.

EXAMS  
There will be a midterm exam on October 15 and a final during the exam period. Each exam will have both short answers and written sections, and will be based on the readings and on concepts related to those readings.

Preparation for the exams begins in the first week of class. The study guide mentioned in the previous section provides, in addition to discussion questions, the concepts that you need to learn for each week. The consistent use of the study guide every week is essential for passing this course.

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ESSAYS AND ORAL REPORTS
This course fulfills the requirements of the All College Curriculum for both Oral Communication (“O”) and Writing Intensive (“W”) courses. For the “O” requirement, each student will lead his or her team of five in a discussion of the readings three times during the semester and will give an oral report of that team’s work to the rest of the class.

For the “W,” students will write six essays of at least 2 ½ pages each. These essays, which are due every two weeks, are to be reflective pieces, based on your thoughts about some aspect of recent reading assignments. You may use the study questions on the website as guides for thinking about the readings, but you must write an essay, not simply a set of answers to questions. You may base your whole essay on just one question or reading, or you may integrate two or more questions or readings into what you write.

These are the guidelines for the essays:

1. It is very important to organize your essay. Although it is not necessary to write a formal outline, you should have some kind of plan for what you will write. One good way to do this is to begin by writing down a list of four to eight essential points that you want to be sure to cover. Or you could begin with free writing—that is, putting down on paper whatever comes to your mind—then going back and drawing the essential points from what you have written. (Do not hand in the free writing or the list of points. These are simply means of organizing your essay.)
2. Once you have your list of essential points, look at them and decide on the order in which you will cover them. Then begin the actual writing of your essay.
3. The required length is 2 ½ pages. A full page is one in which the margins are no larger than one inch all around, the spacing is no larger than double, and the type is no larger than Times Roman 12 point. A half page is twelve additional lines.
4. Your heading should include only the following, on one line each, in the upper-right-hand corner of your first page: Your name, SO 355 Social Issues, and the date. Then skip one line and begin writing your essay.
5. When you have completed your first draft, take it to a tutor in the Writing Center. Then write your final copy, using a computer. Staple the three pages together, along with the slip from the Writing Center attached after the third page.
6. Each essay must be handed in by the due date and in class. Late ones will lose ten points per day.

Since you may not have much time between the completion of the reading assignments and the due date for the essay, it is important to make appointments with the Writing Center in advance.

If you any questions at any time, please speak with me or send me an email.

The grading for each essay will be as follows:

50 points Understanding of the readings
20 points Critical and original thinking
10 points Organization
10 points Clarity
10 points Format, grammar, spelling, and punctuation
No essay will be accepted if it is handwritten, shorter than 2½
pages, not stapled, or missing the slip from the Writing Center.

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ACADEMIC HONESTY
Honesty is an absolute requirement in this course. It is obvious that cheating is harmful to the student who does it, since that student is not learning as much as he or she could learn by studying. It is also unfair to other students, who may study hard for a test and get lower grades than those who cheat. For these reasons there is a policy of ZERO TOLERANCE for cheating on exams or plagiarism in relation to the essays. Students who are caught plagiarizing on essays, cheating on exams, or encouraging others to cheat will be dismissed from the course with a grade of F. There will be no exceptions.

Plagiarism is using someone else's ideas without giving credit to the original author. This includes:

  • Copying another student's assignment and handing it in as though it were your own;

  • Copying any part of someone else's work;

  • Copying words directly out of a book or article for a paper, essay, or other written assignment without using quotation marks around the words copied;

  • Taking ideas out of a book or article—even if not using the exact words—without showing in a footnote or other form of citation where those ideas came from;

  • Copying material from the Internet. 

How can you keep your work free from plagiarism?
Besides the common-sense answer of not doing things that you already know are dishonest, remember:

  • Always write a citation to show where an idea came from, unless you came up with it completely on your own. If you do not know how to do citations, ask one of your professors.

  • Whenever you use the exact words that are written in a book, put quotation marks around those words; the only time you don't need quotation marks is when a professor wants you to memorize something word-for-word, such as definitions of terms,

  • Don't be afraid to express your own ideas about something you read in a book, article, or website. Sometimes students are afraid that they might not have understood a reading assignment, and that if they copy the words of the author they will be sure to get it right. These students need to realize that the professor knows what is in the reading assignment, and will recognize the words that the students copied.

  • DO NOT COPY FROM THE INTERNET ! ! !   It is extremely easy for a professor to find evidence of Internet plagiarism. So don't even think about doing this.

  • Trust yourself. Know that you are an intelligent person and that your ideas have value. Use reading assignments to help you develop your ideas, but don't copy the ideas of others.

  • Take pride in your work. When you have made your best effort to write something in your own words, you can say "This is really mine, and I know that I did my best."

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INDIVIDUAL NEEDS
If you have a documented learning disability and may need alternative tests or other special accommodations, please let me know by September 8.

FINAL GRADE CALCULATION

Distribution: Points to Grade:
Essays ..................................
Oral Reports..........................
 Midterm Exam.......................
Final Exam.............................
Attendance.............................

Total ..................................... 		30 points
15 points
25 points
25 points
  5 points

100 points		 93-100 points
90-92 points
87-89 points
83-86 points
80-82 points
77-79 points
73-76 points		 A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C

70-72 points
67-69 points
63-66 points
60-62 points
Below 60

 C- 
D+
D
D-
F
Grades of C-minus or lower will be reported as midterm warnings.

ATTENDANCE
Your contribution is valuable, both for yourself and for other students. For this reason attendance is required. More than six absences will result in an automatic F for the course. Frequent late arrival will count as one-third of an absence each time. If there are special circumstances affecting your attendance, please let me know. Students who wish to be excused for a religious holiday must submit a statement of one full page, typewritten, explaining the meaning of the holiday. This statement must be handed in one week before the proposed absence.

PLEASE NOTE: Class cancellations will be posted on the website. There is no ten-minute rule in this course. If class is not cancelled, students who leave after ten minutes will be marked absent.

COMMUNICATION
You are welcomed to drop in during my office hours, to talk with me after class, or to make an appointment. At other times the best way to reach me is by email. If a message is important or urgent, please send it to both of my addresses, mcousineau(at)mountida.edu and mrcousineau(at)comcast.net. Announcements are posted on the course website. Please check it frequently.

BARKS AND BEEPS
Seeing eye dogs are welcomed in the classroom, but all other non-human companions will be asked to stay outside. You are expected to turn off cell phones, iPods, and other electronics before you enter the classroom. A class is a community of learners, and  conversations among students before and after class, without electronic distractions, help to build that community.

LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
We all have a right to be respected. In this class each person is expected to treat others with courtesy and respect, to listen when others speak, and to refrain from private conversations and other distracting behavior. In addition, in order to ensure that everyone feels accepted and supported, negative comments related to race, ethnicity, religion, age, disability, sex, or sexual orientation are not permitted. Students who disregard any of these principles will be suspended from the course until they have a meeting with the instructor. The intent of this policy is to create an environment in which all students may maximize their learning potential.

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CALENDAR/OUTLINE

 

I. Introduction to Globalization (August 25–September 3)
Read by

 August 27: Adler, excerpt from Molly's Job (library reserve).
September 3:
 Eitzen and Zinn, Introduction, pp. 1–7;
Giddens, "Globalisation," pp. 11–17;
Eitzen, "Dimensions of Globalization," pp. 34–40.
II. Economics and Poverty (September 3–17)
Read by September 8: Barker and Mander, Invisible Government, pp. 1–10;
Brecher et al., "Globalization and its Specter," pp. 23–29. 


F I R S T     E S S A Y     D U E     S E P T E M B E R     1 0
September 15: Moberg, "Maytag Moves to Mexico," pp. 81–85;
Gordon, "The Sweat Behind the Shirt: The Labor History of a Gap Sweatshirt," p. 86;
Ferus-Comelo, "Double Jeopardy: Gender and Migration in Electronics Manufacturing," pp. 87–97.
III. The Globalization of Culture (September 17–24)
Read by September 22: Barker and Mander, Invisible Government, pp. 28–30.
Steger, "Global Culture: Sameness or Difference?" pp. 147–150;
Fink, "The Place of Community in Globalization," pp. 151–155;
Ainger, "Empires of the Senseless," pp. 156–162.


S E C O N D    E S S A Y     D U E    S E P T E M B E R    2 4
IV.  Race, Gender, and Families (September 24–October 8)
Read by September 29: Marable, "Globalization and Racialization," pp. 317–322;
Robinson, "Globalization and Immigrant Rights," pp. 99–105;
Connell, "Masculinities and Globaliztion," pp. 209–219;


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M I D T E R M     E X A M     O C T O B E R    1 5

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V. Global Migration and Slavery (October 8–20)
Read by October 20: Martin, "Heavy Traffic: International Migration," pp. 31–36;
Fox, "Binational Citizens," pp. 139–144;
Stein, "No Way Out," pp. 275–280;
Cockburn, "21st Century Slaves," pp. 281–288.
October 27:
Ehrenreich and Hochschild, "Global Woman," pp. 165–174;
Parreρas, "The Care Crisis in the Philippines," pp. 175–186.

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Read by November 3:
 Barker and Mander, Invisible Government, pp. 13–19;
Singer, "Navigating the Ethics of Globalization," pp. 130–136;
Batten et al., "Climate Refugees: Global Warming Will Spur Migration," pp. 289–290;
Roberts, "What Will Becoe of Tuvalu's Climate Refugees?" (on library reserve)
November 10: Barker and Mander, Invisible Government, pp. 20–27;
Faux, "NAFTA at 10," pp. 64–67;
 Rosenberg, "Why Mexico's Small Corn Farmers Go Hungry," pp. 137–138;
Halweil, "The Rise of food Democracy," pp. 334–337.

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VII. Politics, Terrorism, and Crime (November 5–12)
Read by November 17: Chua, "Globalizing Hate," pp. 226–230;
Huq, "The Car-Bomb: Terror's Globalisation," pp. 131–233;
Herman and Peterson, "The Threat of Global State Terrorism," pp. 234–238
Sager et al., "The Underground Web," pp. 242–251.

VIII. Global Social Movements (November 12–24)
Read by November 24: Muchhala, "Students Against Sweatshops," pp. 328–333;
Gajjala and Mamidipudi, "Cyberfeminism," pp. 338–347;
Brecher et al., "Globalization and Social Movements," pp. 298–312.
IX. Globalization Debates (November 24–December 3)
Read by December 1: Weller and Hersh, "Free Markets and Poverty," pp. 59–63;
Stiglitz, "Making Globalization Work," pp. 106–114;
December 8: Friedman, "The World is Flat," pp. 18–22 (optional reading);
Ghemawat, "Why the World Isn't Flat," pp. 45–50 (optional reading).

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X. Summing Up (December 8–9)
The final class is on Tuesday, December 9. There are no Tuesday classes on that day.

F I N A L   E X A M   P E R I O D :   D E C E M B E R   1 0 – 1 5

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