Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Course Description
The concept of globalization fosters the understanding of the interconnectedness of cultures and societies geographically wide apart. Subject scans existing debates over globalization throughout the world. Explores how globalization impacts everyday life in the First and Third World; how globalization leads to a common cosmopolitan culture; the emergence of a global youth culture; and religious, social, and political movements that challenge globalization. Materials examined include pop music, advertisements, ethnographic films, and journalistic accounts.
Topics
Topics for Fall 2003 include precursors to globalization, world hip-hop, media power, and consumer activism. Students will also have the opportunity to explore projects of their own design.
Course Requirements
ACTIVITIES Discussion, Attendance Essay 1 (3 pages) - Cultural Power Essay 2 (5 pages) - Global Hip-Hop Essay 3 (5 pages) - Media Worlds PERCENTAGES 15% 10% 15% 15% Week 3 Week 8< Week 1 DUE DATE
There will be no final exam. Graduate students are required to do extra work as determined by the instructor. Extra work will usually take the form of extra reading and writing.
Course Dynamics
The course meets once a week and is structured by reading, films, lectures, discussions, and student presentations. In general, class will begin with lecture, then move to films, discussions, and presentations.
Course Requirements
Writing
There will be four significant writing assignments: Two 5-page essays (due in Weeks 5 and 9), and a 7-8 page final project due on the last day of class. You will have a choice of essay topics, or with the approval of the instructor, they may be developed from the issues raised in the weekly discussions. I am happy to look at preliminary drafts of papers, but except for unusual circumstances, I do not accept rewrites. I would also encourage people to make use of the Writing Center as it is an excellent resource.
Grading
Papers will be graded according to three criteria:
Argument Is this thesis clearly stated? Do the steps of the argument make sense and lead logically to the conclusion? Evidence How well does the essay use the evidence available from the class materials (readings, lectures, films)? Are there contradictory examples that
should be discussed to eliminate doubts? How well are the examples used to support the argument? Style How well is the paper written? Has it been carefully proofread? Are there clever turns of phrase, interesting transitions, a catchy opening and conclusion? Does the paper length match the assignment?
Student Presentations
I would also stress that student presentations form a key component of the course. Students will be asked to make short presentations, either formally or as part of discussion, throughout the term as a way of delving into the readings, films, and lectures. I encourage you to use such opportunities to introduce the class as a whole to examples of culture and globalization that may not be directly treated in the reading assignments or lectures. With a topic like "Culture and Globalization," there is clearly no way for a onesemester class to be comprehensive, nor give a full overview of the issues involved. Instead, we will focus on developing the analytical tools necessary to unravel some of the complex economic, political and cultural changes of the contemporary world with respect to globalization. In order to accomplish this, the
course will rely to a large extent on the work of you, the students, to bring concrete, up-to-date examples which we can use to assess the theoretical readings and reconsider their conclusions in light of our examples.