SYLLABUS
ISCOR 300: Global Systems, Section 1, Schedule #21849
Fall Semester 2015, San Diego State University
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 12:30-1:45 pm, Peterson Gym 242
Ronald J. Bee, Instructor
Office: 123 Nasatir Hall (NH-123)
Email rbee@mail.sdsu.edu
Office Hours:
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11:15 a.m—12:15 p.m., or by appointment
Course Description and Objectives: ISCOR 300 will introduce you to the study of global
systems with an emphasis on the basic concepts of globalization and on critical thinking about
global affairs. Since the 1960s, the term globalization has referred in both popular and academic
circles to describe a process, a condition, a system, a force, and an age. The 21st century has
witnessed a transition from the Cold War to a new era where traditional nation-states must
contend with diverse global economic, political and military challenges. The information
revolution and the advent of instantaneous communication have led to both social benefits and
dangers. Moreover, the issues go beyond the ability of any single state, actor, or “superpower”
to cope with them. Economic stagnation, unemployment, Ebola, climate change, human
trafficking, terrorism and regional conflicts require more international cooperation than ever
before. The global problems listed above affect all human beings, but women and children much
more. We will study the evolution, development, and future of global systems to manage these
and other 21st century challenges.
Yet transnational issues and defy easy management by unilateral, bilateral or multilateral means.
ISCOR 300 will explore and examine social change across human history (how did we get
here?), the current systems for managing global problems (where are we today?), and the
challenges we must prepare for (how do and should we plan for the future?). In this exploration
we will read, listen, and question the range of opinions surrounding the globalization debate—
some pro-globalization, some anti-globalization, some assuming its inevitability and addressing
its implications. The premise behind this course will take you toward a better modern day
understanding of the issues, challenges, and choices surrounding globalization and the
difficulties these present for global governance.
Learning Outcomes:
1. Understanding and demonstrating through exams the evolution of globalization from
antiquity to the current day.
2. The ability to organize and analyze information and data relating to issues of economic
globalization and global governance, human and social development, global environment,
and the specific global problems with particular attention to the effects on women and
children.
3. Recognition that multiple perspectives exist on these issues, and identify the various
schools of thought regarding globalization and global governance in the current literature.
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4. Ability to read and analyze texts and articles on blackboard from different perspectives
on global systems, with a view that must include local and national perspectives.
5. Recognition of the schools of thought and theorists on the economic theories of
comparative advantage and free trade.
6. Ability to think and write clearly, critically, and actively with a point of view in the two
policy memos required for this course, and in essays found on the exams.
When appropriate, we will discuss how current events relate directly to the course goals and
student learning objectives, which include engaging in the subject matter by reading a newspaper
or magazine of your choice online or in print, tracking a news website of your choice, and/or
paying attention to TV and radio news shows that discuss current issues that affect global affairs.
Attendance and participation remain key to your success in this class. Lectures will help you
indentify and reinforce specific trends in the readings that will appear on exams. Participation
includes engaging in class discussion, showing up at office hours, and sharing information and
opinions about our subject matter either online via email, blackboard, or personally during class.
If you take this class as a general education requirement, your goals will also include:
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Goal 1: Explore and recognize basic terms, concepts, and domains of the social and
behavioral sciences.
Goal 2: Comprehend diverse theories and methods of the social and behavioral sciences.
Goal 3: Identify human behavioral patterns across space and time and discuss their
interrelatedness and distinctiveness.
Goal 4: Enhance understanding of the social world through the application of conceptual
frameworks from the social and behavioral sciences to first-hand engagement with
contemporary issues.
Students with Disabilities: If you are a student with a disability and believe you will need
accommodations for this class, you must contact Student Disability Services at (619) 594-6473.
To avoid any delay in the receipt of your accommodations, you should contact Student Disability
Services as soon as possible. Please note that accommodations do not happen retroactively, and
that I cannot provide accommodations based upon disability until I have received an
accommodation letter from Student Disability Services. Thank you for your cooperation.
Readings: You will read from three books and selected articles placed on blackboard
(blackboard.sdsu.edu) each week. Careful study of these materials and our discussions in class
will prepare you for the midterm, your two policy memos, and final exam that will, along with
your mandatory participation and attendance, measure your performance in this class. The
required texts:
1. Manfred B. Steger, Globalization: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford, 3nd edition, 2013.
2. Moises Naim, The End of Power: From Boardrooms to Battlefields and Churches to
States, Why Being in Charge Isn’t What it Used to Be, Basic Books, 2013.
3. Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into
Opportunity for Women, Vintage, 2010.
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Course Requirements and Grading:
1. Mandatory Attendance/Participation (10% of your grade) -- If you miss class more
than once during the semester, your letter grade will drop by one full grade for each
lecture you miss. Participation means participating in the class discussion, not just
occupying a chair and it means staying for the whole class. When sick or otherwise
incapacitated, you will require proof of illness or unusual circumstances, and preferably
before you miss class.
2. Midterm (30% of your grade) – The midterm will include multiple choice questions
and an essay on the material covered up to that point. October 1, 2015.
3. Two policy memos on globalization topics, one 3-page and one 2-page policy memo
on Globalization (15% of your grade for each memo, 30% total) – For more on
memos, see below. Due Dates: September 22, 2015 (3-page) and October 29, 2015 (2page).
4. Final Exam (30% of your grade), covering readings and lectures, and the entire course.
The final will include multiple choice and essays. Date: DECEMBER 17, 2015 AT
10:30 AM—TO 12:30 PM (NOTE EARLIER TIME THAN WHEN CLASS MEETS!)
To succeed, you must master the readings from the assigned books and articles on blackboard
(www.blackboard.sdsu.edu ), think critically and participate in class, learn to express your views
effectively on two different topics regarding globalization in a policy memo format, and do well
on the midterm and final exams (multiple choice and essay format).
Do not plagiarize or cheat! Plagiarism or cheating of any type, shape, or form will cause you
real world of global hurt. During exams, no cell phones or notes are allowed; if you use either,
you fail the course. Plagiarism is defined as submitting someone else’s work without proper
citation; buying a paper from a paper-mill, copying sentences, phrases, paragraphs, or idea’s
from someone else’s work published or unpublished online or in print without giving the original
author credit; piecing together phrases, ideas, and sentences from a variety of sources to write an
essay; and submitting your own paper in more than one course. You cannot alter this syllabus in
any way to gain any unfair advantage or argue for undue privileges. An official copy of this
syllabus has been filed with the political science office at the beginning of this semester.
For information on plagiarism, cheating and their consequences, including failing an assignment,
receiving a lower grade, failing a course, or expulsion, see: http://infotutor.sdsu.edu/plagiarism.
The Policy Memos: As an Assistant Secretary for Global Issues to Secretary of State John
Kerry, you must prepare two position papers (double spaced, 1 inch margins, #12 Font, memo
#1, 3 pages, memo #2 on a separate topic, 2 pages, both with your name, and pages numbered)
on a pressing globalization issue for the United States. An additional page for each memo will
contain your sources/endnotes—and no Wikipedia. You should write the memo in clear,
persuasive, and succinct prose in an active voice, have a title that indicates your view, adopt a
school of thought as your approach, acknowledge at least two other approaches, analyze the three
schools of thought for their pluses and minuses, and recommend a course of action. Your
sources should include U.S. government sources (state.gov, whitehouse.gov, the Congressional
Research Service, http://www.loc.gov/crsinfo/) United Nations sources (un.org, who.int,
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iaea.org), independent journals (like Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, World Policy Journal), and
articles (online or print) from any perspective pertinent to your topic.
Your memos must have four separate but related sections with these exact sub-headings:
I.Background and Context of the problem (How did we get here?); II. Stakes for the United
States (Why should we care, economically, politically, and militarily?); III. Options for
resolving the problem or issue (What should we do? You must provide at least three different
options, assessing pluses and minuses of each); and IV. Your specific Recommendation, based
on your analysis delivered in sections I-III (What do you think we should do, and why?). What
you argue will remain less important than how you argue it. Pick something you care about;
your passions always argue more convincingly than your platitudes. Do not write a book report,
and get to the point and say what you mean! An effective policy memo persuades the reader to
choose your recommended option between diverse options.
For some tips on active writing, also refer to your course documents on blackboard: “Nine Easy
Steps to Longer Sentences,” Active vs. Passive Voice video, and USCIS Plain Language: Active
Voice video. A sample policy memo will appear on blackboard for your reference.
COURSE THEMES, READINGS, ASSIGNMENTS, EXAMS
PART I: ECONOMICS AND GLOBALIZATION
August 25: Course Overview
August 27: Understanding Globalization
Reading: 1. Ronald J. Bee, unpublished article, “Globalization: An Overview”,
Blackboard Document 1
September 1: Definitions
Reading: 1. Ronald J. Bee, unpublished article, “Definitions of Globalization,”
Blackboard Document 2
September 3: Globalization History and the Academic Debate
Reading: 1. Manfred Steger, Globalization, Chapters 1 and 2: “Globalization: a
contested concept” and “Is globalization a new phenomenon?” pp. 1-37.
September 8: The Global Economy: Theories of Trade and Finance
Readings: 1. Ronald J. Bee, unpublished article, “Theories of Trade and Finance,”
Blackboard Document 3; 2. Steger, Globalization, Chapter 3, pp. 37-59.
September 10: International Management: The Bretton Woods System
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Reading: 1. Benjamin J. Cohen, “The Bretton Woods System,” Blackboard Document 4.
September 15: The Global Economy: The Devolution of Power?
Reading: Naim, Chapter 8: “Business as Usual: Corporate Dominance under Siege,” pp.
159-192.
September 17: The Players: Small Business and Outsourcing
Reading: 1. Power Point, Kena Galvan: Globalization: What, Why and Who?
Blackboard Document 5
September 22: The Anti-Globalization Movement, Part 1
Reading: 1. Steger, Chapter 7, “Ideologies of Globalization,” pp. 103-131.
THREE PAGE MEMO DUE
September 24: The Anti-Globalization Movement, Part 2
Reading: 1. Michael Parenti, “Imperialism 101,” Chapter 1 of Michael Parenti, Against
Empire, Blackboard Document 6.
September 29: You and the Global Economy: Dive in or Dive Out?
Reading: 1. Al Lobato Video, “The Global Economy and You: What they Don’t Tell
You in Class.” Blackboard Document 7
October 1: Midterm Exam
PART II: POLITICS AND GOVERNANCE
October 6: Democracy as a Global System?
Reading: Essay on Blackboard: “Is Democratization Making International Relations
More Peaceful?” Document 8
October 8: The Decay of Power and the New Slavery
Readings: 1. Moises Naim, The End of Power, Chapter 1: “The Decay of Power,” pp. 119; 2. Kristof and WuDunn, Introduction, “The Girl Effect,” and Chapter 1, “Emancipating 21st
Century Slaves,” pp. 3-23.
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October 13: Understanding Power and Governance
Readings: 1. Naim, Chapter 2: “Making Sense of Power,” pp. 20-34; 2. Kristof and
WuDunn, Chapters 2 and 3: “Prohibition and Prostitution,” and “Learning to Speak Up” pp. 2361.
October 15: How Globalization has Changed Power
Readings: 1. Naim, Chapter 4: “How Power Lost its Edge,” pp. 51-74; Kristof and
WuDunn, Chapters 4 and 5, “Rule by Rape,” and “The Shame of Honor,” pp. 61-93.
October 20: The Decay of National Politics
Readings: 1. Naim, Chapter 5: “The Decay of Power in National Politics,” pp. 76-107;
Kristof and WuDunn, Chapters 6 and 7: “Maternal Mortality” and “Why DO Women Die in
Childbirth?” pp. 93-131.
October 22: The New Rules of Geopolitics
Readings: 1. Naim, Chapter 7: “Whose World Will it Be?”, pp. 129-59; 2. Kristof and
WuDunn, Chapters 8 and 9: “Family Planning and the God Gulf” and “Is Islam Mysogynistic?”,
pp. 131-167.
PART III: THE CHALLENGES OF ECONOMICS AND GOVERNANCE IN A GLOBAL
WORLD
October 27: Economic Change and Challenge
Readings: Naim, Chapter 10, “Is the Glass Half Full or Half Empty?,” pp. 218-233;
Kristof and WuDunn, Chapters 10 an 11, “Investing in Education” and “Micro-Credit: The
Financial Revolution,” pp 167-205.
October 29: Cultural Change and Challenge
Readings: Naim, Chapter 9, “Hyper-Competition for Your Soul,” pp. 193-218; Kristof
and WuDunn, Chapters 12 and 13: “The Access of Equality” and “Grassroots vs. Treetops,” pp.
205-233.
SECOND 2-PAGE POLICY MEMO DUE
November 3: Climate Change and Challenge
Reading: 1. Ronald J. Bee, “Climate Change and Global Warming” Foreign Policy
Association, Great Decisions 2007 Document 9
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November 5: Energy Change and Challenge
Reading: 1. Ronald J. Bee, “Energy and the Global Economy,” Foreign Policy
Association, Great Decisions, 2009. Document 10
November 10: Military Change and Challenge
Reading: Naim, Chapter 6, “Pentagon vs. Pirates,” pp. 107-121
November 12: Nuclear Change and Challenge
Reading: Ronald Bee, “7 Years after 9/11: A New Nuclear Bargain” Document 11
November 17: Sanctions Change and Challenge
Reading: Ronald Bee, “Sanctions and Nonproliferation,” Document 12
November 19: Ukraine’s Change and Challenge
Reading: Ronald Bee, “National Serenity instead of National Security?: An American
View on the Future of NATO,” Document 13
November 24: Sexual Violence Change and Challenge
Reading: La Neice Collins, “History’s Greatest Silence: Empowering Women to End
Sexual Violence in Conflict,” Document 14
November 26: THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY – NO CLASS!
December 1: W(h)ither Globalization?
Reading: Steger, Chapter 8, “Global Crises and the Future of Globalization” pp. 131137.
December 3: Naim’s Way Forward
Reading: Naim, Chapter 11, “Power is Decaying, So What? What to Do?” pp. 233-245.
December 7: Kristof and WuDunn’s Way Forward
Reading: Kristof and WuDunn, Chapter 14, “What You Can Do,” pp. 233-255.
December 9: In-Class Review for the Final Exam
December 17: Final Exam 10:30 am to 12:30 pm (NOTE EARLIER TIME!)
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