German 3510 Journ 3510 DST 3510 PeaSt 2810TAM 2810
Think Global: Fundamentals of Globalization & Digital Technologies
This inter-departmental course focuses on the impact of technological change and globalization on cultures around the world from various interdisciplinary perspectives. Lectures and discussion sessions will address and evaluate the role of social, entrepreneurial, non-profit and for-profit organizations and their use of transformational technologies in a global setting as well as introduce students to the fundamental problems and concepts of today’s global society. Emphasis is placed upon cultural diversity, life in an interconnected and precarious world, and the analysis of new media environments.
One focus will be the examination of globalization as an economic and geographical process, generating huge social consequences, with rapid growth, population movements, political change and a vast gap between global wealth and poverty. At the same time, globalization presents new opportunities for groups and individuals (mostly in developing countries) who have never before found a viable place in the world economy.
Furthermore, students who pursue the certificate of digital global studies will identify and discuss their experiential learning program for the “hands-on” experience (internships; study abroad; service learning). This is a required component of the certificate but not a requirement for this course.
This course is writing intensive.
Goals of the course include providing students with:
- a focusedstudy of various global issues;
- a critical eye towards the value of new media
- identifying global problems and mapping their connectedness or interdependence with another
- an analysis of global trends in communication and the intended and unintended uses of new technologies to create and control “culture.”
Objectives of the course include:
- Students will gain new knowledge about the interaction between industrialized nations and the developing world as well as current affairs;
- Students will draw on their own resourcefulness and entrepreneurship to evaluate NGOs and execute experiments in use of new media;
- Students will gain critical thinking in analyzing and evaluating issues of globalization and digital technology;
- Students will develop knowledge of global and digital literacy.
Required Readings - books available at bookstore or online
Steger, Manfred.Globalization: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford UP, 2009
Radelet, Steven. The Great Surge. Simon & Schuster, 2015
Recommended Reading- sections will be posted on Blackboard as a pdf file
Judt, Tony. Ill Fares the Land. Penguin Books, 2010
Polman, Linda. The Crisis Caravan: What’s Wrong with Humanitarian Aid?Picador, 2010
Zakaria, Fareed. The Post-American World. Release 2.0. Norton, 2012
Additional readings posted as pdf or weblink on Blackboard (Bb).
Grading and Required Work
Students will be evaluated based on their critical engagement with the reading assignments, the sophistication and rigor of their written assignments and the professional quality of their multi-media/digital story project.
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.Participation10%
.10short written assignmentsquizzes10%
.8 blog posts (600+ words) 40%
with revisions receive up to 5% grade raise each post
.paper #1 outline, bibliography, abstract(draft) 5%
final version10%
.paper #215%
with revisions receive up to 5% grade raise
.group project 10%
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Course Requirements:
Class Meetings: the class will meet on Tuesdays in 2501 MU Student Center; on Thursdaysplease go to your assigned section.
Section 01A in 114 Crowder
Section 01B in 278 Gannett
Section01C in 12 Middlebush
SectionH in 2501 MU Student Center
Participation: Studentscome to class prepared to discuss what they have read and have questions prepared to facilitate discussions with the class.
Weekly: Students will be divided among regions of the world: Asia; Southeast Asia; Africa/West Africa; Latin America/South America; Western/Eastern Europe. Each region/group will monitor websites and analyze articles about their region on a group blog that they set up. The reports by each student (minimum 8) should be at least 600 words and include pictures and/or videoclips and relate to the assigned region and/or weekly assignments.
Paper/Project: Students have to turn in one analytical paper, one exploratory paper and one group project in multi-media/digital story format; some of the latter will be presented in class at the end of the semester. The group project has to be in digital form and engage the themes of the class concentrating on the region the group has been analyzing. Students need to consult with the instructor before working on their project.
Honors Students: Students taking the course for honors credit need to attend the honors section on Thursdays. See separate syllabus on Blackboard.
NO LATE ASSIGNMENTS are accepted except in the case of a documented emergency, a documented university sponsored event or a documented observance of a religious holiday.
Blackboard: it is essential that you check blackboard every week for your blog and reading assignment. Assignments are posted every Thursday for the next week!
Attendance & Participation Policy
Obviously, attendance is of vital importance. It is directly assessed as part of your overall grade. More importantly, it is more often than not reflected in other areas of your performance including posting blogs and writing exposés. Participation and good attendance are often the key difference between a lower and higher grade. More than two absences will affect your grade by 1% for each missed class. This policy is at the discretion of the instructor.
Students are asked to turn off their cell phones. Please have all laptops closed during lectures and guest visits and do not leave the room during class.
News Sources: a good source is the NYT which offers a free app for smartphones called NYT Now. Also download the applications Flipboard and AP to keep up with current news. Al Jazeera and PBS NewsHour is a good source for international news as is Asia News, BBC World News, Deutsche Welle, RT (Russia), France 24 (available on KETC and KMOS as well as 91.3 FM). The Global Journalist housed at MU covers global issues and the challenges to a free press around the world.
MU Executive Order No. 38 Sanctity of Classroom Discussions
University of Missouri System Executive Order No. 38 lays out principles regarding the sanctity of classroom discussions at the university. The policy is described fully in Section 200.015 of the Collected Rules and Regulations. In this class, students may make audio or video recordings of course activity unless specifically prohibited by the faculty member. However, the redistribution of audio or video recordings of statements or comments from the course to individuals who are not students in the course is prohibited without the express permission of the faculty member and of any students who are recorded. Students found to have violated this policy are subject to discipline in accordance with provisions of Section 200.020 of the Collected Rules and Regulations
Student Conduct/Code of Academic Honesty
All students are expected to maintain disciplined and orderly conduct in the classroom and to contribute positively to an atmosphere of tolerance and respect for their fellow students. Violations of said expectation include, but are not limited to: behavior that disrupts the act of teaching and learning in any way, improper use of equipment/lab facilities, and/or disrespectful interactions with instructors and/or fellow students both in and outside of the classroom. Violations may be factored into the participation grade at the discretion of the instructor.
Academic honesty is fundamental to the activities and principles of a university. All members of the academic community must be confident that each person's work has been responsibly and honorably acquired, developed, and presented. Any effort to gain an advantage not given to all students is dishonest whether or not the effort is successful. The academic community regards academic dishonesty as an extremely serious matter, with serious consequences that range from probation to expulsion. When in doubt about plagiarism, phrasing, quoting, or collaboration, consult the course instructor.
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Statement
If you have special needs as addressed by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and need assistance, please notify the Office of Disability Services, A048 Brady Commons, 8824696 or the course instructor immediately. Reasonable efforts will be made to accommodate your special needs. Another resource, MU Adaptive Computing Technology Center, 884-2828, is available to provide computing assistance to students with disabilities.
MU Standard Grading Scale:
A+ 98-100%A 93-97% A- 90-92%
B+ 88-89%B 83-87%B- 80-82
C+ 78-79%C 73-77%C- 70-72%
D+ 68-69%D 63-67%D- 60-62%
F 59% and below
Tentative eekly topics - subject to change!
Week 1:Crossing Borders/cosmopolitanism and globalization
Steger Ch 1; Judt intro
Week 2:nation states; westernization; economics
Steger Ch 2; Judt 11-21(up to Corrupted Sentiments) / pdf: On Language;
Zakaria preface & Ch 1
Week 3: economics / geopolitics / westernization
Steger Ch 3; Judt 21-39; Radelet Ch. 1
Week 4:geopolitics / nation state
Steger Ch 4; Zakaria Ch 2; Harper’s “Towards Re-Globalization”; Radelet Ch. 2
Week 5:sustainability / the Future
Steger Ch 6 p. 87-102
Moral Grounds-Sustainability: Speth, Moore, water issues
Week 6:poverty/food crisis – technology’s role
Moral Grounds-Sustainability: Quinn, Moore; Speth Ch 3
Week 7:Human Rights - UN
Meijers Ch 1 & Ch 3; Powers Ch 3 & 14
Week 8: NGOs – Humanitarian Aid
Polman Ch 1, Ch 2 & Ch 3
Paper #1 outline due
Week 9: Economics of Dependency/ cultural dimension
Polman Ch 5 & Afterword; Radelet Ch 5 and 6
Week 10: Global Citizenship / Ideologies
Steger Ch 5 & Ch7 & 8; Radelet Ch 3 pp. 43-53
Paper #1 due
Week 11: Women’s Issues – Women’s Rights
Kristof Intro+ Ch 1 & part of conclusion Ch 14
Week 12: The Future I, II, III
Radelet the Future I, II, III Ch 10, 11 & 12 (in groups); Radelet Ch 13
Paper #2 name and link of NGO due
Week 13: Social Networks, Internet of Things, Mobile Banking, politics of drones, the role of media
Radelet Ch 7 pp 151-157; 166-179 Ch. 13
Paper #2 due
Week 14: THANKSGIVING
Week 15:global issues
multi-mediaprojects
Week 16: multi-media projects
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