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The term "globalization" has become ubiquitous, and is yet one of the least understood concepts. The accelerating cultural, economic, environmental, and political interconnections it attempts to describe are both powerful and controversial. For example, some suggest that globalization, particularly through the use of new media technologies, creates a "borderless" world and opens up new channels of communication and opportunities for collaboration; and yet the last few decades are significantly marked by a rise in warfare, terrorism, religious conflicts, and genocide. This course will critically explore many of these complex and often contradictory meanings and processes of globalization, paying close attention to the larger economic and political ideologies at play, but also how globalization is lived and experienced on a daily basis by different people across the globe. Additionally, we will examine not only how globalization impacts culture, but also seek to identify and examine the culture of globalization.

Required Texts:

Davis, M. (2007). Planet of slums. London: New York, Verso.

Gabor, Steingart (2008). The War for Wealth: The True Story of Globalization Or why the Flat World is Broken. McGraw-Hill Professional.

Harvey, David (2005). A Brief History of Neoliberalism. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Klein, N. (2000). No logo. New York, Picador.

Commitment to Diversity: This class will be conducted as an intentionally inclusive learning community that celebrates diversity and welcomes the participation in the life of the university of faculty, staff and students who reflect the diversity of our plural society. All may feel free to speak and to be heard without fear that the content of the opinions they express will bias the evaluation of their academic performance or hinder their opportunities for participation in class activities. In turn, all are expected to be respectful of each other, as well as artist guests and/or others outside the university with whom we come into contact through the course of this class, without regard to race, class, linguistic background, religion, political beliefs, gender identity, sex, sexual orientation, ethnicity, age, veteran’s status, or physical ability.

Attendance, Participation, and Preparation for Class:

You will be expected to do the readings assigned and be prepared to actively engage in class discussions and work together on various in-class assignments. Additionally, there may be periodic in-class writing assignments in short-essay form. These will be unannounced and will refer to the assigned reading for that week. Of course, you cannot adequately participate if you miss classes or often arrive late or leave early, so although there is no grade, per se, for attendance, it may affect your overall participation grade. Your participation in this class will count for 15% of your final grade.

Blog Response Assignments:

Once a week, you will be responsible for contributing your thoughts, reflections, and responses to readings, class discussions, and responses to films viewed in class in an online forum. You must register with WordPress. For more information about how to sign up, please visit the course blog. These regular responses will help you further develop your own insights about globalization and culture, interact and exchange ideas with your student colleagues, and hone your critical thinking and writing skills.

If, for any reason, you are unable to get online to the blog to post your response by the date/time it is due, you must still turn in your response via or in class on the morning it is due. Late responses will not be accepted. Blog responses are worth 40% of the total grade; therefore, missing even one blog response could affect your final grade; missing two or more will substantially lower your final grade.

Author Introduction: Each student is responsible for a brief (approx 10 minute) introduction of one author, to be presented the week the reading is discussed. The goal is to outline some of the author’s main arguments and provide reflections and questions that may help guide class discussion. Assignments will be made on the first day of class. The author introduction will count as 10% of your overall grade.

Final Take-Home Term Paper: Due June 19th (via email). Approx 10-12 pages, double-spaced. In response to questions posed by the instructor, papers will include a working definition of globalization and other key concepts, refer to class readings and discussions, and be focused narrowly enough to conduct sophisticated analysis within the space available. More information will be provided within the second week. This final term paper will be worth 35% of your overall grade.

Evaluation Process: The evaluation process for all work in this class will take place through written feedback, interaction in peer groups, peer evaluations, and conversations with the instructor.

Grades for the course will be determined from the following assignments:

In-class assignments and participation 15%
Blog response assignments 40%
Author Introduction 10%
Final Term Paper 35%

Official Communications via GMU E-Mail:

Mason uses electronic mail to provide official information to students. Examples include communications from course instructors, notices from the library, notices about academic standing, financial aid information, class materials, assignments, questions, and instructor feedback. Students are responsible for the content of university communication sent to their Mason e-mail account and are required to activate that account and check it regularly.

Honor Code:

Students in this class are bound by the Honor Code, as stated in the George Mason University Catalog. The honor code requires that the work you do as an individual be the product of your own individual synthesis or integration of ideas. (This does not prohibit collaborative work when your instructor approves it.) As a faculty member, I have an obligation to refer the names of students who may have violated the Honor Code to the Student Honor Council, which treats such cases very seriously.

No grade is important enough to justify cheating, for which there are serious consequences that will follow you for the rest of your life. If you feel unusual pressure about your grade in this or any other course, please talk to me or to a member of the GMU Counseling Center staff.

Using someone else’s words or ideas without giving them credit is plagiarism, a very serious Honor Code offense. It is very important to understand how to prevent committing plagiarism when using material from a source. If you wish to quote verbatim, you must use the exact words and punctuation just as the passage appears in the original and must use quotation marks and page numbers in your citation. If you want to paraphrase or summarize ideas from a source, you must put the ideas into your own words, and you must cite the source, using the APA or MLA format. (For assistance with documentation, I recommend Diana Hacker, A Writer’s Reference.) The exception to this rule is information termed general knowledge—information that is widely known and stated in a number of sources. Determining what is general knowledge can be complicated, so the wise course is, “When in doubt, cite.” And if you are uncertain about the ground rules on a particular assignment, ask for clarification.

Be especially careful when using the Internet for research. Not all Internet sources are equally reliable; some are just plain wrong. Also, since you can download text, it becomes very easy to inadvertently plagiarize. If you use an Internet source, you must cite the exact URL in your paper and include with it the last date that you successfully accessed the site. Additionally, the re-use of papers, presentations, etc., from one course in another course is not appropriate. In every course, faculty expect that work that is submitted has been done only for that class.

Resources:

Students with Disabilities and Learning Differences: If you have a diagnosed disability or learning difference and you need academic accommodations, please inform me at the beginning of the semester and contact the Disabilities Resource Center (SUB I room 234, 703-993-2474). You must provide me with a faculty contact sheet from that office outlining the accommodations needed for your disability or learning difference. All academic accommodations must be arranged in advance through the DRC.

The University Writing Center is a free writing resource. Tutors are available to assist students at any level and at any stage of their writing process, thus EVERYONE can benefit from utilizing this service. Tutors will not proofread your writing, but they will help you to develop revision and editing strategies. The University Writing Center is located in Robinson A 114. For an appointment, call (703) 993-1200 or schedule online at http://writingcenter.gmu.edu. Also, consult the Writing Center website for more information about their services, as well as a variety of helpful online resources.

The Counseling Center offers an extensive academic skills program, with workshops on concentration, time management, exam preparation, etc., in addition to stress management, personal development, and individual counseling services. The Counseling Center main office is located in SUB 1, Room 364, 703-993-2380; for Learning Services, call 703-993-2999 or stop by SUB 1, Rom 354. For more information, see http://www.gmu.edu/departments/csdc/.