Geography 301
Spring 2011
Jacque Chase
California State University, Chico
Geography 301: Global Economic Geography
MWF 11-11:50
Butte 503
A systematic survey of human economic activities. Analysis of resource exploitation and use, including agriculture,
extractive activities, industry, commerce, and service functions. Recommended for business and liberal arts majors.
This is an approved Global Culture (GC) course.
Structure and Objectives of the Class
Economic Geography is a field of human geography that focuses on how production and consumption are
distributed on the earth’s surface, how that distribution got that way, and how it is changing. As I teach it, it
is concerned with “the sustainable and humane production, use and reproduction of the social, natural and
material conditions of human existence” (From Dictionary of Human Geography, 3rd Edition). As a global
cultures class, the emphasis will be on global diversity and on the cultural and political content of the
global economy.
We will explore global economic geography in three ways:
1. Weeks 1-4. The global economic order. We’ll look at the role of “uneven geography,”
colonialism, population and international organizations on the livelihoods of people across the
world.
2. Weeks 5-10. The lives of global commodities from political and institutional perspectives. The
sector we will focus on is agriculture/raw materials. Examples will include food, drugs and
stimulants -- such as coffee--, with a special attention to goods from “the global south”. We will
look at commodities through time and across place, and look at their association with different
labor regimes such as slavery, peasant agriculture or wage labor. We will see that the production
and marketing of these goods are sometimes practiced as a “fair trade” alternative to conventional
globalization.
3. Weeks 11-15. Urban agglomeration and restructuring. Some cities and urban regions have
emerged as global leaders of economic growth, but most cities are growing dramatically without
the benefit of a leading global economic sector. Their resilience has led to examples of survival
and economic vibrancy in some of the poorest places in the world.
This course will introduce or expand on five of the Geography and Planning Department’s student
learning outcomes (SLOs):
 Formulate geographic research questions.
 Recognize the presence and application of regional, local and global dimensions of the social and
physical worlds in data.
 Understand varying interpretations of causality, interaction, policy and values in humanenvironmental relationships.
 Understand the ways we use the environment can affect future generations and other human and
natural systems.
 Analyze information from different physical or social sciences from a geographic perspective.
Finally, the course will reinforce the following learning objectives of general education (global cultures):
 Recognize the diversity of world cultures.
 Learn to use and critique global indicators of economic and cultural diversity.
 Know basic factual information related to global economic cultural diversity.
1
Geography 301
Spring 2011
Jacque Chase
Course Requirements
Course Requirements
14 reading responses (5 pts each)
Project 1(with update)
Project 2(with update)
Project 3(with update)
Final Exam (cumulative)
Participation: Includes film responses, in
class activities, attendance, etc.
Total
Points
70
30
30
30
50
40
250
Reading Responses
Starting the second week of class, students will write 1-2 paragraphs each week on the required readings
for that week. I may post a prompt for each reading or set of readings on Vista by Friday before the
responses are due, or I may ask that you respond to the reading in whatever way you wish. You will write
your responses in a Vista drop box by Sunday 10 p.m. before we meet. Bring a copy of the response to you
to use in class and to hand in to me. Be prepared to discuss your answer in class and to listen to others.
Projects
The following three projects should be written up in 2-3 pages each, not counting graphs, maps, visuals, or
reference list. Use Turabian reference list format for citations. The two common objectives for these
projects are to explore different facets of global economic geography to (1) practice writing in geography;
(2) practice the use and presentation of international statistics in tables and graphs. Each assignment has, in
turn, its own learning objective(s).
Project #1: A “Peripheral” Economy
What does “underdevelopment” look like? How did it emerge? How is it changing? You will study this
topic closely by looking at one aspect of a peripheral economy. Use international statistics and present them
in a table and/or graph. Use at least 3 academic journals or books, as well as online reports. Include at least
one map. Acceptable topics could include the country’s population growth and distribution, health issues,
hunger, remittances from other countries, foreign aid, or tourism as a form of development.
Learning objectives: Critique the use and interpretation of international development statistics. Learn
appropriate use of tables, maps, and figures in a document. Practice writing.
Project #2: Agricultural Commodity Project
I will provide you with an agriculturally-based product, and you follow the steps of production and
consumption, as exemplified in book Tangled Routes. How is this product part of the global economy?
Research online, in super markets, and in academic journals (at least three) about your product. Provide at
least one map that shows flows, locations, or other geographic information on your product. Provide data
from the Food and Agriculture Organization on your product. Use tables and graphs.
Learning objectives: Enhance your understanding of how different scales of geography—local, regional,
global—interact through production, distribution, marketing, and consumption of commodities.
2
Geography 301
Spring 2011
Jacque Chase
Become aware of how different forms of production (i.e. peasantries, corporate agriculture) are linked
together across space through the production, distribution, marketing, and consumption of commodities.
Practice the use of tables, maps, figures and international statistics. Practice writing.
Project #3: World Cities
Choose a city in “the global south” that interests you. How does it participate in the global economy? What
makes it like all other cities, and what makes it unique? Provide a map, visuals, tables and graphs, and use
at least 3 academic sources as well as any relevant popular literature on the city.
Learning objectives: Understand how the growth and organization of cities in the “developing world” are
both cause and effect of global economic change. Practice the use of tables, maps and figures and
international statistics. Practice writing.
Project updates are required for each of your three projects. Due dates for updates are in the course
calendar. Each update should include the following information:







Your name
Your topic
3 sources of research
One table
One map

One image
Your favorite quote about the topic you
have chosen to do research on
Why is your topic geographical?
Each student will choose one project to present to class.
Final Exam
The Final Exam can cover all readings, and any classroom materials, discussions, films, or activities. It may
be a combination of essay, short answer, identification and multiple choice questions. Please bring a miniessay Scantron to the exam. You may bring in your class notes during the exam.
Required Books
Barndt, Deborah. 2008. Tangled routes: Women, work, and globalization on the tomato trail. 2 ed. Lanham,
MD: Rowman and Littlefield.
Neuwirth, Robert. 2006. Shadow cities: A billion squatters, a new urban world. London: Routledge.
Additional class readings will be posted on Vista. Weekly readings are listed in the class schedule, below.
3
Geography 301
Spring 2011
Jacque Chase
Class Schedule
Dates
Topics
Readings
Assignments/Activities
Global Economic Order
Week 1
Jan 24, 26, 28
Modes of Production: Capitalism, etc.
Colonialism/Neo-Colonialism
Core/Periphery
Danner, Mark. 2009. To heal Haiti, look to
history, not nature. New York Times. January 21.
Excerpt (pp. 41-53) from Kincaid, Jamaica.
1988. A small place. New York: FSG
Week 2
Jan 31, Feb. 2, 4
Globalization/Neo-liberalism
Mobility
Week 3
Feb. 7, 9, 11
Uneven Development
Indicators
Resources
Week 4
Feb. 14, 16, 18
Population and Development:
Fertility, Mortality, Hunger
Fill out and turn in student sheet to me with photo
by Wednesday
Project explanation
Film: Mardi Gras made in China
Freeland, Chyrystia. 2011. The rise of the new
global elite. Atlantic Monthly. January/February.
Reading Response #1 and #2 due Sunday 10 p.m.
Chairs Council Friday
Project update due by 4 p.m. in Butte 507
Visit geographer David Harvey’s lecture on global
economic crisis:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOP2V_np2c0
Sheppard, Eric, Philip W. Porter, David R. Faust,
and Richa Nagar. 2009. Measuring, describing,
and mapping difference and development. In A
world of difference: Encountering and contesting
development, 18-51. Second edition. New York
and London: Guilford.
Reading Response #3 due Sunday 10 p.m.
Sign up for presentations (choose 1)
Film: Darwin’s Nightmare
Visit website
http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/watch200-years-of-history-in-5-minutes
Mitchell, Timothy. 1995. The object of
development: America’s Egypt. In Power of
development, ed. Jonathan Crush, 129-57.
London: Routledge.
Reading Response #4 due Sunday 10 p.m.
Project presentations Wednesday and Friday
Hessler, Peter. 2009. Chinese Barbizon: Painting
the outside world. New Yorker, October 26.
Project #1 due Friday in class
Global Commodities
Week 5
Feb. 21, 23, 25
Week 6
Feb. 28; Mar. 2, 4
Economic Sectors
Commodity Chains
Food Alienation
Agriculture, Subsistence and other
systems
Barndt, Deborah. 2008. Tangled routes: Women,
work, and globalization on the tomato trail. 2nd
ed. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
Preface, introduction , Ch. 1, Ch. 2
Elias, Marlène and Judith Carney. 2005. Shea
butter, globalization, and women of Burkina
Faso. In A companion to feminist geography, ed.
Lise Nelson and Joni Seager, 93-108. New York:
Blackwell Publishing.
Reading Response #5 due Sunday 10 p.m.
Reading Response #6 due Sunday 10 p.m.
Chairs Council Friday: Work on project update in
lab
Second project update due by 4 p.m. Friday
Barndt, Ch. 6
Week 7
Mar. 7, 9, 11
Multinational Corporations and
Globalization of Agriculture
Schlesinger, Stephen and Stephen Kinzer. 1982.
The overlord: The United Fruit company. In
Bitter fruit: The untold story of the American
coup in Guatemala, 65–77. New York:
Doubleday.
Peed, Mike. 2011. We have no bananas: Can
scientists defeat a devastating blight? New
Yorker, January 10.
4
Reading Response #7 due Sunday 10 p.m.
Geography 301
Spring 2011
Dates
Jacque Chase
Topics
Readings
Week 8
Week 9
Mar. 21, 23, 25
Spring Break
Services, Industry, Consumption
McDonaldization?
Reading Response #8 due Sunday 10 p.m.
Barndt, Ch. 3, 4,5
Barndt, Ch. 8
Week 10
Mar. 28, 30; Apr.1
Assignments/Activities
Fair Trade
Ransom, David. 2001. Bananas in Guatemala
and the Caribbean: Seeking perfection. In -------A no-nonsense guide to fair trade, 70-95.
London: Verso
Reading Response #9 due Sunday 10 p.m.
Project presentations Monday and Wednesday
Chairs Council Friday
Finalize paper in the lab; Project #2 due Friday by
4 p.m.
Urbanization
Week 11
Apr. 4, 6, 8
2008 Science issue on cities Vol. 319 no. 5864,
pages 739-764.
The Urban Century
Reading Response #10 due Sunday 10 p.m.
Davis, Mike. 2006. The urban climacteric. In ------- Planet of slums, 2–19. London: Verso.
Week 12
April 11, 13, 15
(Professor at AAG
Wed/Fri)
Cities of Slums
Informal Labor Markets
People on the Move
Neuwirth, Robert. 2006. Shadow cities: A billion
squatters, a new urban world. London:
Routledge. Ch. 1-2 , 8,9
Reading Response #11 due Sunday 10 p.m.
Monday: City of Men (television)
Wednesday: Continent on the Move
The Week. 2009. The vanishing shopping mall.
April 3.
Week 13
Apr. 18, 20, 22
Week 14
Apr. 25, 27, 29
Cities and Culture
Slums in history
World Cities and Regions
Week 15
May 2,4,6
Agglomeration: Why do activities
cluster in regions and districts?
Borders
Florida, Richard. 2008. Rise of the mega-region
and The clustering force. In --------. Who’s your
city? How the creative economy is making where
you live the most important decision of your life,
41-75. New York: Perseus Books.
Neuwirth, Ch. 5, 6
Florida, Richard. 2005. The world is spiky.
Atlantic Monthly. October, 48–51.
Reading Response # 12 due Sunday 10 p.m.
Third project update due Wednesday
Reading Response #13 due Sunday 10 p.m.
Reading Response # 14 due Sunday 10 p.m.
Chairs’ Council Friday; Watch Maquilópolis
Hessler, Peter. 2001. Boomtown girl: Finding a
new life in the golden city. New Yorker. May 28.
Week 16
May 9, 11, 13
Project presentations Wednesday and Friday
Project#3 due Friday in class
Final Exam Monday,
12-1:50 May 16
Final Exam
5
Geography 301
Spring 2011
Jacque Chase
Grading
I do not discuss grades except during my office hours. I will bring graded material to class. If you have any
questions about a grade or an assignment, you should see me no more than one week after I’ve returned the
material to you. I will accept late assignments only if you have discussed them with me. Most late
assignments will be graded down. Grading on exams, assignments and on the course is based on the
following scale:
Percentage
95-100
90-94
87-89
84-86
80-83
77-79
Grade
A
AB+
B
BC+
Percentage
74-76
70-73
67-69
64-66
60-63
<60
Grade
C
CD+
D
DF
You can have access to your own grades through Vista. For information on how to do this, please visit the
portal homepage. If you have any questions or difficulties, you can call 898-HELP or email
helpstu@csuchico.edu.
Other Information
You should check the Vista site for this class for announcements or reminders. Students are also
responsible for reading the syllabus and knowing when assignments are due. Please let me know if there is
a problem with Vista so I can adjust any affected assignment.
I value your classroom participation. The classroom should be a safe place where all ideas, as long as they
do not include bigotry, sexism or intolerance, can be expressed freely. Please listen to me and to other
students, and frame your commentaries in the spirit of supportive and constructive criticism. Use non-sexist
language when speaking and writing. Please see me often in office hours.
If there is evidence that you have been involved in any form of academic dishonesty, you may receive an
“F” grade for the assignment or for the entire course, and a report will be provided to Student Judicial
Affairs. Please read the university’s guidelines on academic honesty. Cite sources throughout any written
assignment and in the works cited section, and use quotation marks to clearly distinguish the words and
thoughts of others from your own.
If you have a documented disability that may require reasonable accommodations, please contact Disability
Support Services (DSS) for coordination of your academic accommodations. The DSS phone number is
898-5959 V/TTY or FAX 898-4411. Visit the DSS website at <http://www.csuchico.edu/dss/>.
After February 5 you will need my permission to add or drop the class. After February 18 you will need a
compelling reason to add or drop any course.
My contact information
Office Hours: MW 12-2 p.m. or by appointment
Office: Butte 507
Phone: 898-5587
Email: Please contact me at jchase@csuchico.edu
6
Geography 301
Spring 2011
Jacque Chase
A Handful of Useful Websites
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO): http://www.fao.org/
United Nations Development Programme: http://www.undp.org/
Democracy Now: http://www.democracynow.org/
International Monetary Fund: http://www.imf.org/external/index.htm
World Trade Organization: http://www.wto.org/
World Bank Statistics: http://www.Worldbank.org/data
Fair Trade Federation: http://www.fairtradefederation.org/
Commodities of Empire Website: http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/ferguson-centre/commodities-ofempire/index.html
Intoxicants in history and culture website: www.intoxesrc.org
World Mapper Project: http://www.worldmapper.org/
Cincinnati Enquirer series of articles on Chiquita Banana:
http://www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/bananas/chiquitaSecretsRevealed.html
Highrise/out my window: http://interactive.nfb.ca/#/outmywindow
Geographer David Harvey on global crisis/RSA Animate:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOP2V_np2c0
Two hundred years in five minutes: http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/watch-200-years-ofhistory-in-5-minutes
7
Geography 301
Spring 2011
Jacque Chase
Global Economic Geography Student Sheet
Your Name_______________________________________________
Your Picture Here:
Your Major/Minor_________________________________________
Email_______________________________
What do you hope to get out of this class?
What is capitalism?
How have your actions as a consumer affected someone at another place in the world?
How would you define “development?”
What do you think will be the most important trend in the world economy in the next twenty years, and
how will this affect your life?
What is one good thing and one bad thing about living in a very large city?
8