Wells College
International Studies 151
Fall 2002
Instructor:
Tukumbi Lumumba-Kasongo
Cleveland
108
Telephone: 364-3220
Office
Hours: Monday: 11:00am-12: 00 p.m.
Tuesday: 10:00am -12:00
p.m.
Thursday: 2:00-5:00 p.m.
-Lester
R. Brown (ed.), State of the World, New York and London: W. W. Norton
and Company, Inc. 2001.
-Arthur
MacEwan, Debt and Disorder: International Economic Instability
and US Imperial Decline, New York: Monthly Review Press 1990.
-Ann
Kellerher and Laura Klein, Global Perspectives: A Handbook for Understanding
Global Issues, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1999.
-Richard
W. Mansbach, The Global Puzzle: Issues and Actors in World Politics,
Boston and Toronto, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1994. On reserve in the
library.
The course introduces students
to various approaches and concepts generally used for the understanding of
interactions and interdependence among peoples, social and political
institutions, nation-states and between people and their physical environment, especially
the earth. It also deals with
conceptualization and definition of international events and issues from
interdisciplinary and international perspectives. Major issues to be studied include: the
dynamics of the individual, group, community, national and international
forces; the nature of the relationships between these forces and the base of
their authority and conflicts; the protection of the social and physical
environments, nature and its relationship with society and the economy;
population and the global economy; debt, diseases, and underdevelopment; the
role of the market and technology; and issues related to health, dynamics of
culture and sustainable development.
-Attendance
and active participation in all class activities are required. They will count for 10 % of the total grade;
-10
points will be deducted from the final grade for any unjustifiable absence.
-A mid-term exam will be given on October 16, 2002. It will count for 20 % of the total grade.
-Every
student will write a first essay on the topic below:
“Discuss critically the notion of cultural relativism and its relevance or irrelevance to the notion of global values.” This essay is basically theoretical. However, one can use empirical/concrete examples to support the theoretical arguments or positions.
-The length of the paper is between 6 and 8 typed and double-spaced pages, including footnotes and bibliography. It will count for 20 % of the final grade. The paper is due on October 2, 2001.
-The second writing assignment:
“Write a short essay on the impact of migration on the global economy.” Students can use examples from a small community, country or region to support their arguments. The main objective of this essay is to help students raise and examine critical issues related the nature of the political community in which we live and its pressures on the national and international economies.
-The length of the paper is between 6 and 8 typed and double-spaced pages, including footnotes and bibliography. It will count for 20 % of the final grade. The paper is due on November 13, 2001.
-The final exam will be given on Tuesday, December 18, 2002 at 1:00-4:00 p.m. It will count for 30 % of the total grade.
8/29- An Assignment. Each student will write a one-page paper on
A general introduction of the course: issues and perspectives on international studies
9/4-The World in Our Time: Perceptions, Trends, and Definitions and
A perception of the World: New and Old, The Global Puzzle, pages 1-18 and
Global Perspectives, chapter 1.
9/6-The World in Our Time: Perceptions, Trends, and Definitions, continued
Global Perspectives, chapter 1.
9/11-The concept of the Global System and Its Dynamics
The Global Puzzle, pages 46-59.
9/13-The concept of the Global System and Its Dynamics, continued
The Global Puzzle, pages 60-76.
9/18-Various Actors in the World System
The Global Puzzle, pp. 142-176.
9/20-Ethnicity as a Cultural Force
Global Perspectives, chapter 2.
9/25-Perspectives on Ethnicity and Global Diversity
Global Perspectives, chapter 3.
9/27-Discussion on Perspectives on Ethnicity and Global Diversity, continued
10/2-Issues in International Political Economy
The Global Puzzle, pages 324-336 and Global Perspective, chapter 4.
10/4-The Debt Issue in International Political Economy
Debts and Disorder, pages 13-34.
10/11-The Debt Issue in the U.S. and Arguments on Dependency, Inequality, and Development
Debts and Disorder, pages 35-58 and chapter 3, and Global Perspective, pp. 53-71 and pp. 88-90.
10/16-Midterm Exam
10/18-Alternative to Debt in South America
Debts and Disorder, chapter 5.
10/23-International Debt and Progressive Politics
Debts and Disorder, pp. 120-136.
10/25-Perspectives on Economic Development: Liberal and Participatory Perspectives,
Global Perspectives, pp. 85-87 and pp. 93-100.
10/30-Perspectives on Economic Development: Liberal and Participatory Perspectives,
continued
11/1-Rethinking the New Economy for a New Century
State of the World, chapter 1.
11/6-Issues on Energy
State of the World, chapter 2.
11/8-Issues on the Political Economy of Forest
State of the World, chapter 4.
11/13-Managing the Oceans and the Political Will
State of the World, chapter 5.
11/15-Human Ecological Sustainability
Global Perspectives, pp. 105-121.
11/20-Issues on Population and Food
11/27- Issues on Urbanization
State of the World, chapter 8.
11/29- War, Security, and Peace
Global Perspectives, pp. 144-162 and State of the World, chapter 9.
12/4-War, Security, and Peace, continued.
Global Perspectives, pp. 144-162 and State of the World, chapter 9.
12/11- Arguments for Building a Sustainable Society
State of the World, chapter 10.
Final Exam is scheduled for
Tuesday, December 17, 2001 (1:00-4:00PM).