Georgia Tech Lorraine, European Campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology
Globalization and American Power in the 21st Century (HTS 3055)
Course Syllabus
Instructor
Timothy Stoneman
School of History, Technology, and Society
Office 226, GTL Building
03 87 20 39 57 (o)
tim.stoneman@hts.gatech.edu
Course Description
The post-Cold War era has been hailed as a new era in human history, inaugurating an
age of unprecedented prosperity and global unity. The concept of “globalization,” first
coined in the 1960s and popularized at Harvard Business School in the early 1980s, has
become a buzzword to reference these monumental sets of changes in the contemporary
landscape. In the first half of the course, we will attempt to define the phenomenon of
globalization, beginning with Thomas Friedman’s well-known “flat world” hypothesis.
Using an historical perspective, we will place contemporary global developments within
a long-term framework, identifying what differentiates the current phase of globalization
from earlier periods. Globalization is not a single entity, but contains multiple
dimensions, which both reinforce and undercut each other. Contemporary “neoliberal”
globalization, initiated in the late 1970s, has formed an explicit political project with
clear policy objectives and a strong ideological agenda. Globalization in its most recent
manifestation is therefore neither historically inevitable nor inherently benign.
The second half of the course will examine the implications of recent developments in
international affairs for globalization, with particular attention on the role of the United
States. We will begin by analyzing the nature of power and order in the international
system, examining how forms of civil society, network organization, and information
technology are helping create a new type of world order in the early 21st century. We
will then examine changes in international political economy, notably the emergence of
China, India, and the “rise of the rest” (Fareed Zakaria), stressing their implications for
shifting geopolitics. Finally, we will discuss how American policy-makers, workers, and
citizens can best prepare for an uncertain future in a world characterized by globalization
and an increasingly multipolar order.
Grading
Final grades will be determined according to the following formula:
Class Participation
Reading Responses
Presentation
Midterm
Final exam
20%
10%
20%
25%
25%
Georgia Tech Lorraine is a serious academic program. Class attendance is required.
Students may have two unexcused absences during the semester. Further unexcused
absences will result in the loss of half a letter grade. Students will be expected to
contribute daily to class discussion and each student will lead class discussion twice
during the semester. Students should prepare a short reading response for each class and
submit it through T-Square before class. During the final week of class, students will
make presentations of roughly 12-15 minutes on an aspect of globalization, contemporary
international affairs, or American global power. The final exam will focus on unit
material since the midterm. Grading will be done on a letter basis. Letter grades are
rounded up from half points: an 89.5% equals an A, etc. Final grades will not be available
until after the Monday following the end of the exam period through Oscar.
Honor Policy
Students are expected to abide by the Georgia Tech honor code. All infractions will be
handled through the Office of the Dean of Students and treated with utmost seriousness.
Required Readings
David Held and Anthony McGrew, Globalization/Anti-Globalization: Beyond the Great Divide
(Polity, 2007)
Jurgen Osterhammel and Niels P. Petersson, Globalization: A Short History (Princeton, 2005)
Joseph Nye, The Future of Power (Public Affairs, 2011)
Fareed Zakaria, The Post-American World (Norton, 2008)
Additional readings will also be made available on T-Square.
Course Schedule
The course will follow the following lecture and reading schedule:
Weeks 1-3
Weeks 4-6
Weeks 8-11
Weeks12-15
Week 16
Defining Globalization
History of Globalization
Power, Networks, and World Order
Future of American Power in the 21st Century
Class Presentations
2