Professor: Nicolas FOUCRAS, Ph.D.,
E-Mail Address: nicolas.foucras@itesm.mx
The nature of Globalization means different things to different people and nations. A simple definition of globalization pinpoints the overriding concepts of interdependence and connectivity in globalization. In one definition, globalization is the combination of processes by which people become more connected socially, culturally and economically.
That connectivity which facilitates the formation of a world community brings about the emergence of shared culture and consciousness.
What is new is that the process of globalization and the institutions that it has created facilitated economic transactions in such a way that economy has become a driving force behind globalization and its expansion. Expanding interdependence not only instigated the creation of world community with shared values and cultures, but also it has encouraged the establishment of transnational institutions such as WTO which bring conformity and stability to this process.
Globalization has supporters and opponents. The supporters of this process see it as a positive development in the world. They argue that the expansion of international trade and interdependence has brought about efficiency in economy and created opportunities for all to benefit from the resources of the global market. They have also argued that globalization created a new world culture in which people value more human welfare initiatives and the well-being of humankind in various areas of health, economy, ecology and politics. The opponents argue that the process of globalization has benefited rich countries and has generated a widening gap between poor and the wealthy.
This course is designed to specifically address questions and concepts in the realm of international economic and political orders . The approach will take into account the ability for developing countries to be part of the global economy and will analyze the way they use to take advantage of the globalization process to be able to consolidate the national building process . The course deals with concepts such as international trade and trade regulations, tariff barrier to trade and non-tariff barriers, regionalism and alliances (BRICS, MINT, Mercosur, NAFTA, etc.), developing nations, multinational firms and trade, foreign direct investment, tax havens, externalities of neoliberal globalization, culture and globalization, the role of civil society. The goal behind this approach is to familiarize students with international economic and political order, its

externalities and the possibilities for developing countries to be part of the globalization without losing their national objectives.
The course goals/objectives are outlined as follow:

Students learn about critical issues in the neoliberal globalization

Students learn to analyze developing countries strategies to be part of the globalization and how they try to modify it

Students develop an understanding of the different obstacles regarding the deepening process of the globalization and discover the arguments underlying trade regulations

Students develop a keen understanding of regional trade agreement and alliances among developing countries

They explore how globalization is debated and explained

They discover how globalization impacts the world economy and national dynamics
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Students recognize how nation-states interact under the new rules of a globalized world

Students learn about the issues of global governance
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Students become familiar with the growing role of IGO’s, NGO’s and the international civil society

Students understand how issues in the domain of religion, culture, environment and human welfares are addressed under globalization
The course will use Articles from journals and Videos (documentaries)
Further references:
Robert J. Carbaugh. International Economics. 13 th edition, South-Western Cengage
Learning. 2011
Franck J. Lechner and John Boli. Edited. The Globalization Reader. 4 th edition, Wiley-
Blackwell. 2012
Students are expected to attend every scheduled class.

Out of respect for yourself and your fellow classmates, please be prompt to class and stay until class is over. Please come to class ready to work with your classmates and be involved in the learning process!
The professor will encourage dialogue and discussion during class. If you are having trouble understanding the material, do not wait until the day before the exam to start asking questions or seek clarification. The professor will be always willing to help.
By taking this class, each student agrees to the terms of this syllabus and recognizes professor’s right to modify the syllabus, if necessary, at any time. On the other hand, it is the student's responsibility to keep informed of any announcements, syllabus adjustments or policy changes made during scheduled classes or by email.
Exam
There is one exam. This exam will cover all lectures and reading materials assigned to the class. The exam will be organized during the last class.
Discussion Forum
Discussion forums will be also organized. Students are expected to read assigned materials for these discussion forums and participate actively in the discussions. The professor will divide the group in several small groups; each one will have to prepare, to present and to defend in front of the rest of the classmates its positions on a current problem situation. Participation in these discussions is graded under class participation.
Documentaries
Students watch documentaries made on global themes and problems. Documentaries introduce students to various themes under globalization. After watching these documentaries, discussions will pursue. Participation in these discussions is graded under class participation.
Grading:
Final Exam
Participation, Contribution and Discussion
70%
30%
The following calendar will be maintained during the course. Any changes to the reading materials will be announced in the class. Students are responsible for keeping up to speed with the reading materials. Active student participation in the class is measured mostly on the basis of each individual’s informed participation in the discussion.
WEEK 1: Concept of Globalization

Contents: Introduction to Global Economy and Globalization ; Evolution of
Globalization and the New Order ; International Trade ; Trade Barriers; Organizations.
Read:
 Golub Philip S., 2013, “From the New International Economic Order to the G20: how the ‘global South’ is restructuring world capitalism from within”, Third
World Quarterly , 34:6, pp.1000-1015
 Jeffrey Frankel, “Globalization of the Economy,” in Joseph S. Nye, Jr. and John
D. Donahue, Governance in a Globalizing World, Brookings Press 2000.

Tabb, W. K., 2013, “Debating Globalization”, in Economic Governance in the age of Globalization . Columbia University Press, pp.39-68

Wolf Martin, 2014, “Shaping globalization”, Finance & Development September
2014.
WEEK 2: Actors of Globalization
Contents: States; Regionalism and Alliances; Tax Heavens; Multinational Firms (MNF) and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI); International Civil Society.
Read:

Bremmer, I., 2014, The new rules of globalization. Harvard Business Review , (1-
2), 103-107.

Colitt Raymond , 2014, Latin Free Markets Rule as Pacific Ocean Nations Beat
Atlantic, Bloomberg, 28 de mayo de 2014.
 Kacowicz Arie M., 2009, “Latin America and the World: Globalization,
Regionalization, and Fragmentation”, Nueva Sociedad, #214, 11p Palan, R.,
Murphy, R., & Chavagneux, C., 2013, Tax havens: how globalization really works . Cornell University Press. Read only the Introduction pp1-13.

KPMG, 2013, “The emergence of Chinese multinational corporations (MNCs):
Local and global Implications”, China 360, 5p.
 Ross Yeaple Stephen, 2012, “The Multinational Firm”, paper, Penn State
University and NBER, 55p.
WEEK 3: Globalization and Developing Countries
Contents: Strategies of insertion for Developing countries; BRICS; MINT; energy and natural resources; food sovereignty.
Read:

Bernal-Meza, R., & Christensen, S. F., 2012, “Latin America’s Political and
Economic Responses to the Process of Globalization” in Nilsson and Gustafsson
(ccord.), Latin American Responses to Globalization in the 21st Century , pp. 16-
34.
 Boyer, R., 2014, “What we learned from the financial crises of 2009 in emerging countries”, in
Bresser-Pereira, Kregel and Burlamaqui (coord.), Financial
Stability and Growth: Perspectives on Financial Regulation and New
Developmentalism , pp. 74-89
 Gratius, 2008, “The international arena and emerging powers: stabilizing or destabilising forces?”,
Fride , April 2008, 16p.


Radulescua Irina Gabriela, Mirela Panaita, Catalin Voicab, 2014, “BRICS countries challenge to the world economy new trends”, Procedia Economics and
Finance, Volume 8, pp. 605-613
 Stiglitz Joseph, 2007, “Making Trade Fair”, en
Making Globalization Work ,
Norton & Company : New-York y London, pp.61-101.
WEEK 4 Impact of International Economy, the future of Globalization and the
Final Exam
Contents: environmental and social consequences; culture and identity; inequality; global governance and the future of the international economy.
Read:
 Agarwal, A., 2013, “Globalization, civil society and governance: Challenges for the
21 st
century”, in Evidence for Hope: The Search for Sustainable Development , pp.223-234.

Hart Jeffrey, 2008, “Globalization and Global Governance in the 21 st Century”,
Working Paper 27, documento presentado en el marco del taller International
Security and Political Economy
, Mc Gill University, Montréal, Canada, 24p.

Kenneth A. Scheve and Matthew J. Slaughter, 2007, “A New Deal for
Globalization”
Foreign Affairs, July/August 2007, pp. 1-33.
 Levin Institute, 2009, “Culture and Globalization”,
Globalization 101 , 34p.