Global Issues
Fall Semester 2010
Political Science 110-06
T/R 12:35-1:50, McKee 113
Instructor: Dr. Claudia
Bryant
Office:
Office Hours: Wednesdays 1:00-2:00, and Tuesdays and Thursdays 4:00-5:00. Please feel free to drop by during my office
hours to chat, or for help or clarification if needed. I am also available to meet with you at other
times by appointment. However, I work a
flex-time schedule with extended hours on Mondays through Thursdays and will
not be available on Fridays. I will
respond to emails and voicemails as quickly as possible upon my return to the
office on Mondays.
Phone: 227-7739
E-mail:
Class Web Page: http://paws.wcu.edu/cbryant. Copies of class handouts, study guides for exams, homework assignments, as well as other relevant class materials will be posted on the web page as appropriate.
Course Description: This is an introductory course examining the issue of globalization and how it is impacting the world—both positively and negatively—in a number of areas of policy. Among the topics we will explore are the impacts of globalization on: the economic sector; women’s status and the family; education; crime; issues of war and peace and the spread of human rights; ethnic warfare and the spread of terrorism; and how globalization is impacting our planet in terms of urbanization, energy, and environmental protection.
Required Text: Sernau, Scott. 2009.
Global Problems: The Search for
Equity, Peace, and Sustainability. Pearson Education, Inc.
Course Requirements: Below is a discussion of the various components that will make up your final grade.
Exams: There will be four examinations in the course including the final exam. Students who miss an exam will not have an opportunity to take a makeup; however, each student may drop his/her lowest test grade. Each of the remaining three exam scores will be equal in weight in determining the final course grade (25% per exam). Exams may consist of any or all of the following types of questions: multiple choice, true/false, fill-in-the-blank, matching, short answer and essay. The final exam will not be comprehensive.
Class Participation: Learning is not a spectator
sport. Class discussion of relevant material should be an integral part
of this course. Therefore, it is imperative that students read the assigned
material before class in order to contribute effectively during class
discussions. I will call on you spontaneously to present to the class
your thoughts and reactions to issues covered in the assigned readings.
Be prepared.
Homework Assignments:
During the course of the semester, students
will be asked to complete two content-specific assignments as noted in the
course schedule (each worth 5% of the final course grade). In addition to these assignments, students
will be asked to submit current events throughout the course of the semester,
as detailed below.
Current
Events Article Presentations: As a means of helping students
to connect the course content to the contemporary political environment, each
student will be expected to orally present two
news articles related to various issues of global politics. Articles
presented in class should come from a reputable major daily newspaper such as
the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Christian Science
Monitor, or a weekly newsmagazine such as Time, Newsweek, or U.S.
News and World Report and should relate to issues we are currently
discussing or have previously discussed in class. At the time you present
your articles to the class, please submit a copy of the article as well as a
typed summary of the article, explaining the key points it addresses and how
the issues reported in the article relate to the course content we have
discussed/are discussing in class. Each
student should submit one current events article prior to Fall Break; the
second article should be presented between Fall Break and the end of the
semester. If you fail to submit an article
before Fall Break, you will not be allowed to submit 2 in the second half of
the semester.
These current events assignments combined with overall contribution to class discussions will make up students’ class participation scores. This score will count as 15% of each student’s final grade.
Cheating/Plagiarism Policies: I will abide by the University’s Academic Honesty Policy. That is, no form of academic dishonesty (cheating, plagiarism, etc.) will be tolerated. If a student is found to be in violation of the University’s policies regarding any aspect of this course, that student will receive an F not only for the assignment but for the course overall. If academic dishonesty is found to be a pattern by University officials, the student may be expelled from the University.
Classroom conduct/behavior Policy: I follow the “baseball rule” in terms of inappropriate classroom behavior (disruptive talking, belligerency towards the instructor or classmates, sleeping, or otherwise interfering with the effective functioning of the class). If I have to call a student out for this sort of behavior more than twice during the course of the semester, on the third occasion, the student will be referred to the Department of Student Community Ethics for disciplinary action, and the class participation score will be reduced to zero.
Cell phone/Laptop Policy:
REGARDING CELL PHONES, YOU ARE ASKED TO
KEEP CELL PHONE RINGERS TURNED OFF DURING CLASS TIME AND TO KEEP YOUR PHONE IN
YOUR BOOKBAG OR OTHERWISE OUT OF VIEW WHILE CLASS IS IN SESSION. If I see a cell phone out during the
administration of an exam, I will assume it is being used for inappropriate
purposes and the student’s grade will reflect the cheating/plagiarism policy as
detailed above. In the event of an unusual, legitimate circumstance(such as a medical
emergency with a friend or family member) where you need to have access to your phone
during class time, please inform me of this at the beginning of class and take
your phone outside the classroom if you need to use it.
Laptops may be used for note-taking
purposes only. If I find you surfing the
web, updating your Facebook page, or engaging in similar types of activities
during class time, you will be asked to leave your computer at home from that
point on, and your class participation score will be reduced to zero. There should be no need for your laptop
to be out on exam days.
Attendance: Attendance
is required. It is also extremely beneficial, as issues will often be
discussed in class that are not specifically covered in the text. If you
miss class, I highly recommend that you make arrangements to copy a classmate's
notes. While I am happy to clarify issues students may be unsure about after
they have copied someone else's notes, I do not provide private lectures,
nor do I give out my lecture notes. I will be taking roll every day in
order to promote satisfactory attendance. Consistently good attendance
throughout the semester (3 or fewer absences) may be rewarded with a bonus
being added to one's final average if the student has also contributed to the
class actively during the semester. On the other hand, poor attendance will
harm your class participation grade; one cannot participate in class
discussions if one is not in class. Each student is entitled to 3
absences during the semester; beyond those absences, points will be deducted
from the student’s class participation score in proportion to the total number
of absences incurred during the semester (including the first 3). For example,
if a student misses 3 or fewer classes during the semester, that student is
eligible to earn full credit in terms of class attendance. If a student
misses 4 classes during the semester, that student will be eligible to earn no
higher than 87% on his/her attendance score; if a student misses 5 classes,
that student will be eligible to earn no higher than 83% on his/her attendance
score, etc. Class meetings begin at 12:35. You are expected to be in
class and ready to begin class discussions at that time. Tardiness is rude and
distracting to both the instructor and other students in class. If you come
into class after I have finished taking the roll for the day, you will be
marked absent for that class period. That absence will count towards the three
absences you are allowed during the semester.
In
accordance with
Americans with Disabilities Act
Policy: I abide by the University’s policy regarding
Inclement Weather Policy: In
the event of inclement weather, please check the class web site and your
Catamount email account regarding the status of class meetings.
If I am unable to make it to campus I will make every effort to notify you in a
timely manner. If there are no special messages related to class, assume
we will be meeting, but use your own best judgment related to your safety in
coming to campus yourself.
Grading Scale: A+=98-100; A=93-97; A- =90-92; B+ =88-89; B=83-87; B- = 80-82; C+ =78-79; C=73-77; C- = 70-72; D+ 68-69; D=63-67; D- = 60-62; F=0-59.
Course Schedule: Below is a tentative course schedule for the semester. All dates and material are subject to change with the advance notice of the instructor. Additional reading material may be assigned during the semester, with the advance notice of the instructor.
Tuesday, August 24: First day class meets Introduction, distribution of syllabus
Thursday, August 26: What is Globalization?
Sernau: Introduction
Friday, August 27 (5 pm): Drop/Add ends
Tuesday, August 31: Is Globalization Good or Bad?
http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2007/0416/064.html by Robyn Meredith and Suzanne Hoppough. “Why Globalization is Good.” Forbes. 16 April 2007.
Thursday, September 2:
Friday, September 3: Last day to
apply for December graduation
Monday, September 6: No classes; Labor Day holiday. Enjoy!!
Tuesday, September 7: Poverty and
Development
Homework due: Political ideologies
Thursday, September 9: Global
Financial Institutions
Tuesday, September 14: Is Wal-Mart
Good for
Thursday, September 16: Global
opportunities at WCU
Tuesday, September 21: Test
1
Study Abroad Fair at WCU, UC
Grandroom 10:00-3:00/ Fifth Week Grading
Thursday, September 23: Gender and
Family Issues/ Fifth Week Grading
Tuesday, September 28: Glass
Ceilings—the Role of Female Leadership in the World
Thursday, September 30: Education
in a Globalized World
Tuesday, October 5: Education
Policy in the
Thursday, October 7: Crime in a
Globalized World and the Mexican Drug War
Tuesday, October 12: Test 2
Thursday, October 14: Fall Break!
Enjoy!!
Tuesday, October 19: Fall Break!
Enjoy!!
Thursday, October 21: War in a
Globalized World
Tuesday, October 26: The Ethics of
War
Articles may accessed from the WCU library e-journals A-Z database link
from the library’s main page.
Thursday, October 28: Nationalism,
Democracy and Human Rights in a Globalized World
Homework: News analysis
Tuesday, November 2: Election Day!! Please go vote!
Chapter 7 continued
Wednesday, November 3: Advising Day; all classes canceled
Thursday, November 4: Religion and
Ethnicity in a Globalized World
“The Clash of
Civilizations” by Samuel Huntington. Foreign Affairs. Summer 1993: 22-49. http://history.club.fatih.edu.tr/103%20Huntington%20Clash%20of%20Civilizations%20full%20text.htm
Friday, November 5: Last day for an automatic W in a class (5 pm)
Tuesday, November 9: Terrorism in
a Globalized World
“The Moral Logic and
Growth of Suicide Terrorism” by Scott Atran:
http://www.twq.com/06spring/docs/06spring_atran.pdf The
Thursday, November 11: Veterans
Day/Review and Catch up
Sunday, November 14 (or 21) – Sunday, December 5: Online course evaluations available
Tuesday, November 16: Test 3
Thursday, November 18: Demographic
Patterns and Changes in a Globalized World
Tuesday, November 23: Urbanization
in a Globalized World
Thursday, November 25: Thanksgiving break! Enjoy!!
Tuesday, November 30: Technology
and the Search for Energy in a Globalized World
“Ensuring Energy
Security” by Daniel Yergin. http://www.un.org/ga/61/second/daniel_yergin_energysecurity.pdf Foreign
Affairs. March/April 2006:
28-36.
“Offshore
Drilling.” CQ Researcher. 25 June
2010. Article may accessed from the WCU
library e-journals A-Z database link from the library’s main page.
Thursday, December 2: Chapter 11
continued
Friday, December 3: Last day for a medical, legal, administrative
or mental health withdrawal (5 pm)
Tuesday, December 7: Environmental
Sustainability in a Globalized World
“The Tragedy of the
Commons” http://dieoff.org/page95.htm by Garrett Hardin, Science,
162(1968):1243-1248.
Thursday, December 9:
Conclude/Review
Thursday, December 16: Final Exam 3:00-5:30