Provost’s Office
February 2001
For instructions, please consult: http://www.ncsu.edu/provost/academic_programs/courses/crsindx.html
DEPARTMENT/PROGRAM: Communication
COURSE PREFIX Com NUMBER 521
PREVIOUS PREFIX/NUMBER COM 521
COURSE TITLE Communication and Globalization
ABBREVIATED TITLE COM & GLOBALIZATIO (18 including spaces)
SCHEDULING: Fall __x_ , Spring ___ , Summer ___ , Every Year ___
Alt.Year Odd __x__ Alt.Year Even ____ Other______
CREDIT HOURS 3 OFFERED BY DISTANCE EDUCATION ONLY ______
CONTACT HOURS: Lecture/Recitation _3__ Seminar___ Laboratory_0__ Problem___
Studio___ Independent Study/Research___ Internship/Practicum/Field Work___
GRADING: ABCDF _x___ or S/U ____ DATE OF LAST ACTION: ______
PREREQUISITE(S) Graduate Standing
COREQUISITE(S) ______
PRE/COREQUISITE for Following Course(s)______
______
RESTRICTIVE STATEMENT(S) ______
______
Examines glll
Economic, political, cultural dimensions of globalization. Role of information and communication technologies, networks, institutions, and practices in human social organization.
CURRICULA/MINORS FOR WHICH COURSE IS DESIGNED:
Required: ______
Qualified Elective: MS in Organizational Communication
GER LIST(S):______
INSTRUCTOR RESPONSIBLE FOR COURSE/RANK: Steve Wiley / Assistant Professor
ANTICIPATED ENROLLMENT/SEMESTER: 25 Maximum No./Sect: 25 Multiple Sections: Yes ____ No __x__
RECOMMENDED BY:
______
Head, Department/Program Date
ENDORSED BY:
______
Chair, College Courses & Curricula Committee Date
______
College Dean Date
______
Chair, University Courses & Curricula Committee Date
______
Chair, Council on Undergraduate Education Date
APPROVED:
______
Provost's Office Date
COM 521-Communication and Globalization
Justification
Communication and Globalization examines globalization in its economic, political, and cultural dimensions, paying special attention to the role of information and communication technologies, networks, institutions, and practices in each of these dimensions of human social organization. We will consider the challenges and opportunities that globalization creates for human community and agency-that is, for the multiple ways in which human activity becomes socially organized and purposeful. We will survey the dominant theories of globalization and regionalization and examine the current trends in regionalization and globalization of politics, culture, communication, economic processes, and regulatory structures. We will focus on the challenges to past forms of identity, the transformation of traditional understandings of space and place, and the opportunities for new forms of identity, community, and action. We will examine the rise of transnational organizations themselves, particularly within media telecommunication, and information technology industries.
Course Objectives
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
· recognize and evaluate a range of theoretical and historical perspectives from which arguments are being made about globalization;
· identify the key similarities and differences between different theoretical and historical conceptualizations of globalization;
· explain the broad economic, technological, demographic, political, and cultural changes that have fostered globalization, as well as the ways in which globalization has been resisted or rearticulated;
· define a particular social context or group in which globalization is creating significant challenges of opportunities, define a specific issue raised in that context, and write an academic research paper on that issue using scholarly sources; and
· identify a community of experts or stake-holders for research purposes and use the Internet to communicate with them.
Enrollment Last 5 Years: Course has only been taught one time as 598 in Fall 2001 by Steve Wiley. There were 12 students enrolled.
Required Texts:
David Held and Anthony G. McGrew (2000). The Global Transformations Reader. Polity Press (in association with Blackwell Publishers). $28.95
Required Additional Reading:
Additional articles will be placed on reserve at the library.
Resources
Reallocation of existing resources permits offering this course.
Consultation with Other Departments No other department is likely to be affected.
Communication and Globalization / Steve WileyCOM 521 / Assistant Professor
Fall 2002 / Department of Communication
Wednesdays 6:00-8:50 p.m. / email:
Winston 221-A / phone: 513-1468
office: 221 Winston
office hrs by appt Wed. 4-6; Th. 2-4
Course Description and Purpose
We are living in an era of unprecedented economic, political, military, technological, and cultural interconnection. It is an era of global media marketing and global audiences, planet-enveloping telecommunication networks, transnational virtual communities, worldwide 24-hour financial flows, and multinational networked organizations. The development of electronic communication technologies, beginning in the mid-19th century and accelerating in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, has led to new levels of interaction and interdependency of human groups and processes across the boundaries that historically separated them—geography, national identity, state borders, and local community. In such a context, we must re-examine many of our assumptions about space, place, identity, and belonging, and about human social organization and human agency--the potential to purposefully transform ourselves and our surroundings. Globalization call into question our assumptions about politics, economics, culture, and communication, and it forces us to rethink the theories we have used to study these areas in the past.
In the realm of politics, is the nation-state still the primary locus of political power and policymaking? Is “the public” a national public, and does it have any influence on policy and government decision making? Or is there a new kind of empire guiding political and economic rulemaking at a global level, and a new global civil society attempting to influence that process through transnational networking and strategy? Or alternatively, is the world being divided into regions—forms of society that are larger than nations but not global in scope? What role do communication and information technologies, networks, institutions, and practices play in the reorganization of nation-based politics?
In the economic realm, are transnational corporations (TNCs) and financial markets part of a new global economy beyond the control of any national government, making national policy irrelevant or simply reactive? And are such corporations still the primary agents of economic action—can they still be understood as “organizations” in the classical sense—when they themselves are enmeshed in vast and complex networks of ownership, management, finance, and communication? How are information and communication technologies and networks reshaping the corporation, and how, in turn, is communication being reshaped by global corporate power?
In the cultural realm, how has globalization transformed our sense of who we are, where we are, and where we belong? As migration alters the demographic, linguistic, racial, and cultural landscape, and new media and communication spaces coincide less and less with official national territory, how is the “we” redefined, and what principles should guide our shaping of the new “we” that emerges from these changes? How are media, information technologies, and communication networks of various scopes and scales involved in these processes of cultural change?
And finally, globalization creates important challenges in the realm of thought. To what extent has communication theory (and social theory more broadly) been based on the nation as a form of society? As individuals, communities nation-states, corporations, and other forms of human organization become increasingly enmeshed in global and regional networks of technology, goods, money, people, symbols, and rules, what new theoretical frameworks can make sense of the changes they undergo? What new strategies can help policymakers, organizers, and ordinary people face the challenges and take advantage of the opportunities that globalization creates?
Communication and Globalization examines globalization in its economic, political, and cultural dimensions, paying special attention to the role of information and communication technologies, networks, institutions, and practices in each of these dimensions of human social organization. We will consider the challenges and opportunities that globalization creates for human community and agency--that is, for the multiple ways in which human activity becomes socially organized and purposeful. We will survey the dominant theories of globalization and regionalization and examine the current trends in regionalization and globalization of politics, culture, communication, economic processes, and regulatory structures. We will focus on the challenges to past forms of identity, the transformation of traditional understandings of space and place, and the opportunities for new forms of identity, community, and action. We will examine the rise of transnational organizations themselves, particularly within media, telecommunication, and information technology industries.
After completing this course, you will be able to:
· recognize and evaluate a range of theoretical and historical perspectives from which arguments are being made about globalization;
· identify the key similarities and differences between different theoretical and historical conceptualizations of globalization;
· explain the broad economic, technological, demographic, political, and cultural changes that have fostered globalization, as well as the ways in which globalization has been resisted or rearticulated;
· define a particular social context or group in which globalization is creating significant challenges or opportunities, define a specific issue raised in that context, and write an academic research paper on that issue using scholarly sources; and
· identify a community of experts or stake-holders relevant to your research topic and use the Internet to communicate with them about your research.
Requirements and Grading
Communication and Globalization will be conducted as a seminar, with an emphasis on in-depth group discussion of readings and the development of individual research projects. Readings will include a broad range of perspectives and foci, from theoretical debates and historical arguments to concrete case studies of organizational adaptation and change. The aim of weekly meetings will be to reinforce understanding of the readings, critically analyze their claims and evidence, and draw connections to contemporary events and individual research projects. Course grades will be based on weekly discussion guides (4 points each; 40 points total), in-class participation (15 points), research papers (40 points), and an Internet communication experiment (5 points). There are no examinations.
Weekly Discussion Guides
I believe that the small seminar is the ideal environment for intellectual development, and I want us to take full advantage of the opportunity we have this semester to learn dialogically--that is, through dialogue with one another. In order for this approach to work, though, we must all be committed to reading consistently, carefully, and critically each week prior to class. To encourage and reward good reading and preparation for discussion, a substantial percentage of your course grade (40 points) will be based on a series of weekly discussion guides, which you will prepare and turn in at the beginning of each class.
For each set of readings assigned, each seminar member will prepare and bring to class a one-page guide consisting of:
· a brief summary of the article(s) or chapter(s) assigned (two to three paragraphs);
· two critical comments (three to five sentences each) on the author's argument OR, alternatively, two original examples that illustrate the argument; and
· two or three discussion questions that connect the author's argument to previous readings, to a current event, or to your own research.
Discussion guides will be due every week except weeks 1, 14, and 15. Discussion guides will be collected, graded, and returned the following week. They will be graded based on the following criteria: evidence of careful and thorough reading, critical analysis and/or application of theories, thoughtfulness of discussion questions, clarity of writing, and proper use and identification of source material. There will be twelve discussion guides altogether, and each one will be worth four points. Only ten of the twelve will be counted, however, so you can do all of them and drop the two lowest grades (recommended) or simply not do two of them.
Discussion Leaders
In addition to preparing the discussion guides, which everyone will do individually each week, we will form teams to take turns presenting readings and leading discussion. Each week, a team of two students will be responsible for presenting their summary and critical analysis of the readings, getting discussion started, and leading the seminar through a careful consideration of the material. Not counting weeks 1, 14, and 15, there are twelve weeks for which we will need discussion leaders. During our first class meeting, we will form teams of two and divide these twelve weeks equally among the teams. For example, if we have eight students in the seminar (as I anticipate), each team will be required to lead discussion three times. If we have fewer students or more, we will adjust the responsibilities accordingly. We will form teams and sign up for the first four seminar meetings at the beginning of the semester. As we near the end of those meetings, we will form new teams and sign up for the next four meetings, etc., so that by the end of the semester, you will have worked with two or three different people.
When it is your week to lead the discussion, you should do an especially careful job of reading, then you should meet with your team mate a day or two before class to plan your presentation and formulate discussion questions. You should work together on a single discussion guide and bring copies of it to class to distribute to the entire seminar. You will not be graded for your performance as a discussion leader; however, I reserve the right to reward exceptional presentations with extra credit and to deduct points if discussion leaders do not meet their responsibilities. I am not expecting formal oral presentations with visual aids and PowerPoint . . . just a good, well-organized summary and analysis of the readings and some thoughtful questions to animate discussion. Of course you are welcome to bring in materials that help illustrate the issues being discussed, if you wish. And if you want the seminar to look at something (an article, a video, a web site, etc.) ahead of time for discussion during the meeting, we can make it available (please give me at least a week’s notice if you want to do this.)
Attendance and Participation
This will be a very small, discussion-based class, so consistent attendance and active, appropriate participation are essential. Attendance is particularly important since we only meet once per week (missing one meeting is equivalent to missing an entire week of regular classes). I will assume, from the outset, that everyone will attend every class session and be actively involved in our discussions, therefore earning the full 15 points for participation. I will also assume that everyone will be considerate of others, take turns speaking during discussion, not interrupt one another, and treat each other with respect even when disagreeing strongly on an issue. I will let you know, individually, if you need to be more involved (or change your style of participation). In other words, if you don’t hear from me about your participation, you are doing fine and can count on the full 15 points. Unexcused absences and partial absences (being substantially late) will affect your participation grade significantly. Excused absences (related to illness, significant family crisis, or University-related travel) must be documented and cleared with the instructor. Assignments and make-up work must be completed ahead of time when the excused absence is anticipated (e.g., a University event) and within one week after the absence when it is not (e.g., illness).
Research Projects, Papers, and Presentations
You will conduct an individual research project and report your findings in a 20-25-page paper worth 40 points. The paper will analyze some aspect of globalization that is creating significant changes, opportunities, conflicts, or problems in a particular local context. That context may be Raleigh, the Triangle area, or North Carolina more generally, or it may be in some other part of the world with which you are familiar. The paper must define, review, and draw on the relevant scholarly literature and relate a particular theory or set of theories of globalization from that literature to the chosen context. You may choose from a list of suggested topics that I will provide, or you may define your own topic in consultation with me.