Fall 2009
Prof. R. Walker
GSI: Katy Guimond
Department of Geography
Univ of California, Berkeley
CCN 36490
COURSE SYLLABUS: Geography 110/C110/ISF101
Economic Geography of the Industrial World
In this class, we look at the geographic side of economic life and modern industry in the advanced
capitalist world. Geography is an indelible part of all economic processes, whether production,
consumption, trade, finance or extraction (though sorely neglected in traditional economic theory). It
rears its head in the siting of factories, multinational corporations, global trade, the design of malls,
subcontracting networks, immigration, the shape of cities, international currency exchange, and much
more. It comes into play at all scales, from the location of an office park and build-up of Silicon Valley to
the European Union and trans-Pacific manufacturing systems. While probing the geographic dimension,
we will also engage such fundamental economic questions as: what causes growth? is the consumer
sovereign? is technology the key? what are the wages of labor? when are resources obsolete? what is the
value of a dollar? Nor will we forget to spice things up with classic problems of political economy:
inequality, national rivalry, warfare, imperialism, class conflict, and the like.
Lectures
Tuesday-Thursday 2:00 - 3:30 in141 McCone Hall. Attendance is required: lectures are where the
principal themes of the course are introduced. Powerpoints will NOT be available, so if you miss class
you miss a lot. No reading, chatting, sleeping or web-surfing in class!
Sections
Sections offer a valuable supplement to the lectures; they are used to discuss readings closely, review
lectures, and prep you for exams. Unfortunately, budget cuts have taken away our second GSI, so they
will have to be voluntary this year.
101
102
103
T 11-12
W 9-10
W 2-3
135 McCone
135 McCone
135 McCone
Sections begin Second Week.
Examinations
Midterm and final. Your choice of in-class or take-home exams -- a low-anxiety system where you can
take the exam or walk out and do the take-home within 48 hours. Same exam, different curves. Exams
cover lecture and reading material. Exams are open book, open note.
Grading:
Final 2/3, midterm 1/3.
Students with Disabilities or Special Needs:
Please bring these to our attention and we will do our best to accommodate you.
2
Office Hours and Access
Prof. Walker, W 2-4, room 599 McCone.
Sign-up ahead of time on the door.
Email: walker@berkeley.edu.
Katy Guimond
Office hours: W 10:30-11:30, room 583 McCone
Email: cguimond@berkeley.edu
Webbing
The course has its own webpage on bspace.berkeley.edu, where the syllabus, resources and
announcements will be posted.
The course will also be available on podcasts @webcast.berkeley.edu/courses
Readings
Readings are an essential complement to lectures and sections, going over the same ground but also
amplifying ideas, filling out the picture and providing more empirical evidence. You are not expected to
remember everything for exams, but you are expected to be able to answer exam questions that refer to
the books.
A reading schedule will be distributed in class & section, and posted on the webpage.
You are expected to keep up with the readings. There is too much to try to do it at the last minute! So if
you're not serious about doing the readings, please don't enroll in the course.
Required Books:
Kevin Phillips, 2009. Bad Money: Reckless Finance, Failed Politics, and the Global Crisis of
American Capitalism. New York: Viking Press. (second edition)
Amsden, Alice. 2007. Escape from Empire: The Developing World’s Journey Through Heaven
and Hell. Cambridge: MIT Press.
Harvey, David. 2005. A Brief History of Neo-Liberalism. New York: Oxford University Press.
Fields, Gary. 2004. Territories of Profit: Communications, Capitalist Development and the
Innovative Enterprises of G.F. Swift and Dell Computer. Stanford University Press.
Schlosser, Eric. 2001. Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal. Boston: HoughtonMifflin.
Prudham, Scott. 2005. Knock on Wood: Nature as Commodity in Douglas Fir Country. London
& New York: Routledge.
Books are available at ASUC bookstore, Ned’s, and on 2 hr reserve at McCone Library
3
Geography 110
Fall 2009
Part I. THE RESTLESS GLOBE
8/27
1. The Great Recession & Economic Geography
9/1
2. Global Industrialization
9/3
3. The Rise of the Rest
Part II. TERRITORY AND POLITICAL ECONOMY
9/8
4. States & Political Economy
9/10
5. Comparative Capitalisms
9/15
6. Global Trade & Neoliberalism
9/17
7. Empire & Global Economy
9/22 & 24 -- Professor away. NO CLASS.
Part III. WORLDS OF PRODUCTION
9/29
8.
Localized Industry
10/1
9.
Globalized Industry
10/6
10. Flow & Logistics
10/8
11. Cities & Regions
10/13
12. Competition & Technology
MIDTERM EXAM
10/15
Midterm
Part IV. RETAIL, FINANCE & BUSINESS GEOGRAPHY
10/20
13. Retailing
10/22
14. Banking & Finance
Department of Geography
Univ of California, Berkeley
4
10/27
15. Finance & Development
xx. Financial Crisis (see opening lecture)
10/29
16. Business Organization
Part V. WORKERS OF THE WORLD
11/3
17. Complex & Creative Labor
11/5
18. Class Struggle in the U.S.A.
11/10
19. Will Work for Fast Food
11/12
20. Fate of the Global Working Class
Part VI. NATURAL RESOURCES
11/17
21. Nature & Industry
11/19
22. Resource Industries (campus strike day)
11/24 & 26
THANKSGIVING WEEK - NO CLASS
12/1
23. Energy Lifelines
12/3
24. Waste & Want
FINAL EXAMINATION