Professor: Daryl Hobbs, 630 Clark Hall: Phone 882-7396; hobbsd@umsystem.edu
http://www.oseda.missouri.edu/dhcourses
Books:
Chirot, Daniel. Social Change in the Modern Era. New York: Harcourt
Brace Jovanovich. 1986
McMichael, Philip. Development and Social Change: A Global Perspective. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press. 1996.
Theobald, Paul. Teaching the Commons: Place, Pride and Renewal of Community.
Boulder, CO: Westview Press. 1997
Course Evaluation:
Course evaluation will be discussed in class but will consist of a
combination of tests (a midterm and final exam), maintaining a notebook
from questions included on the syllabus and an out of class exercise documenting
social change in home community, state or country. The notebook will be
turned in twice for evaluation. There will be 350 points for the semester
- 100 points each for the midterm and final exams, 100 points for the notebook
and 50 points for the out of class exercise. Class participation will also
be considered in assigning final grades.
Course Outline and Reading Assignments:
August 25 Introduction to the course and to students and an overview of social change.
August 27 An overview of social change and some of the causes in the world, U.S. and Missouri
September 1 Continuation of the overview of social change with particular emphasis on families and communities
September 3 Historical antecedents and foundation of colonialism
- Chirot, Chapters 1and 2
A. Assessment of social change through history
B. The emergence of core and peripheral societies
C. Sociological perspectives on change and the level of analysis
Questions:
What is social change?
September 8 The foundations of the modern era - Europe in the
15th and 16th centuries Chirot Chapter 2
A. Geography - comparative assessment of Europe and Asia
B. Foundation of the modern state (nation)
C. Rationalization of law and religion
D. The birth of capitalism
Questions:
What is meant by the Arationalization of law and religion?
Why was that important to the development of the modern nation-state and capitalism?
September 10 The political, economic and technological conditions
for European expansion - Chirot Chapter 3
A. The growth of capitalism through trade and exploitation - the emerging
European empire
B. Consolidation of the nation-state
C. Science and secular rationality - further institutionalization of the
features of global capitalism
D. Emergence of the ideas of societal evolution, progress, development
Questions:
What were the strategies, procedures used to create the modern nation-state?
How did progress (development) come to be defined in Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries?
September 15 European consolidation of power, institutions
and the world system - Chirot, Chapter 4
A. England's world, 1815-1873
B. Nations-states, support of capitalism and imperialism
C. Development - economic growth, technology and education
D. The European world system
Questions:
How did colonies support the further development of capitalism (the
world capitalist system) in Europe?
What role did (do) institutions play in formation and operation of the modern nation-state?
September 17 Social structures in the early 20th century - Chirot,
Chapter 5
A. Global stratification - core, periphery, semi-periphery
B. Societal stratification - the impact of industrialization and
capitalism on social class structures
C. Core societies - the institutionalization of economic growth
and dominance
D. Semi-peripheral societies - allocation of resources, elites
and class structures supporting production
Questions:
What were the causes of emergence of a global class structure-core,
periphery, semi-periphery?
What determined which nations, tribes, territories became core and which became periphery?
September 22 Shifts in power: crisis in the world system
- Chirot, Chapter 6
A. Nationalism, the dominant ideology of the 20th century
B. Equality and the use of state power
C. The Bolshevik revolution and the emergence of Stalinism
D. Fascism
E. The New Deal alternative to fascism
Questions:
How would you describe the difference between communism (as implemented
in Russia) and fascism (as implemented in Germany)?
What was the economic development strategy of Stalinist Russia?
September 24 Development on a global scale - Chirot, Chapter
7
A. Commercialization of agriculture - reinforcing the commodity production
of the periphery
B. Consequences of modernization - population problems and the search for
solutions
C. Land reform and industrialization as Asolutions
D. The role of nationalist intellectuals
E. The class basis for revolution - the cases of Mexico and China
Questions:
What implications did commercialization of agriculture have for food
production in peripheral economies?
In what ways did the distribution of land contribute to revolts in the periphery?
September 29 The political economy of the late 20th century
- Chirot, chapter 8
A. Consolidation of the U.S. world system
B. The beginnings of the global economy - American foreign I investment
and economic performance
C. The end of old colonialism - newly independent nations
D. Rearrangement of the world system - widening the gap between rich and
poor
E. Neocolonialism and American hegemony
Questions:
What are the 5 industrial revolutions that have occurred during the
past 3 centuries?
What strategies for development were adopted by rd. world nations in the 1950-1980 era?
October 1 Social structures in the late 20th century
- Chirot, chapter 9
A. Class and politics in the core
B. Emerging challenges to U.S. hegemony - Japan, EEC
C. The newly industrializing semiperiphery
D. Overpopulation, growing poverty and political instability in the periphery
Questions:
Why, in recent years, have the Arich in American society become Aricher
and the Apoor have become Apoorer?
Why have some nations such as South Korea, Indonesia, Thailand experienced significant economic growth during the past two decades?
October 6 Leninist regimes and the fall of the Airon
curtain - Chirot, chapter 10
A. Types of Leninist regimes
B. The latter days of the Soviet society, empire
C. Reforms, orthodoxy and nationalism: socialism or fascism
D. The fall of the iron curtain
Questions:
What has happened to the Astates@ that were formerly a part of the
Soviet Union? Briefly, what were the major contributing factors to the
downfall of the Soviet Union?
October 8 The world system becomes a global economy-
Chirot, chapter 11
A. Patterns and cycles of social change
B. Review for midterm exam
October 13 Midterm exam ***turn in notebooks on responses to questions
October 15 Development and the global marketplace
- McMichael, Introduction
A. Commodity chains and development
B. Development as a global process
C. The global perspective
D. The difference between the world system and globalization
Questions:
What is a commodity chain? Other than the examples of hamburgers and
athletic shoes used in the book, provide your own example of a commodity
chain that affects you as a consumer.
October 20 The paradigm shift - rise of the development
project - McMichael, chapter 1
A. More on colonialism and the colonial division of labor
B. The global economy and decolonization
C. Ingredients and framework of the development project
Questions:
What is meant by cross-national industrial integration?
What are some of the limits of economic measures as a measure of development?
October 22 The international framework of the development
project - McMichael, chapter 2
A. The economic framework - the Marshall Plan and Bretton Woods
B. Remaking the international division of labor
C. The food regime and remaking 3d world agriculture
Questions:
In what ways did the emergence of the international food regime change
3d world agriculture?
What have been the implications of remaking 3d world agriculture for food self sufficiency in 3d world countries?
October 27 A global production system replaces the
development project-McMichael, chapter 3
A. Divergent developments
B. The global context of newly industrializing countries
C. The global production system - from multi-national to transnational
corporations
D. Global sourcing and regionalism
Questions:
In what ways has the role of 3d world countries changed from the development
period to the current global economy period?
Pick any consumer product you have experience with and describe how it is a product of a global economy.
October 29 A global infrastructure - McMichael, chapter
4
A. Financial globalization
B. The new international economic order and the politics of development
C. Global managerialism
D. Restructuring nation-states and their role in a global context
Question:
How has the role of the nation-state changed from the development era
to the global economy era?
In the context of the global economy what role do regional blocs such as NAFTA and the European Economic Community play?
November 3 Postdevelopmentalism and the globalization
project - McMichael, chapter 5
A. The strategy of liberalization
B. Global governance
C. The globalization project as a utopia
D. The contemporary politics of globalization
Questions:
What issues that have been debated in the 1996 presidential campaign
are about globalization or the consequences of globalization?
In your judgement do most Americans think the transition to globalization has been a good thing or a bad thing and why?
November 5 The way it works - the globalization project
in action - McMichael, chapter 6
A. Structural unemployment in the global economy
B. The politics of global labor circulation
C. Growth and marginalization
D. Legitimacy crisis
Questions:
How has the global economy affected the distribution of income in American
society?
How has globalization affected the ways Americans feel about the national government?
November 10 An assessment of the national elections. Come to class with a one page written assessment of whether and how issues deriving from globalization affected the outcome of the November 5 elections. Class period will be devoted to discussion of different views and assessments.
November 12 Social responses to globalization - McMichael,
chapter 7
A. The rise of fundamentalism
B. Environmentalism and sustainable development
C. Feminism and gender in a global context
D. Think globally and act locally - the import and resistance of community
and culture
Questions:
What is sustainable development and why has it become an issue?
Is nationalism still the dominant global ideology?
Why?
Or why not?
November 17 Whither Development? - McMichael, chapter 8
*** turn in notebooks on questions
A. Legacies of the development project
B. Rethinking development
C. Demythologizing development
D. Development or empowerment?
Questions:
Has globalization only modified the development project or has it replaced
it?
In the globalization context where does political and economic power lie?
November 19 The Creation of Community from a Historical
Perspective - Theobald Part 1-Chapters 1,2,3
A. The philosophical basis for independence from everything including nature
B. The difference between independence and intra dependence
C. Community viewed as an impediment to progress
D. Emergence of egocentrism and placelessness.
Questions:
What is the difference between independence and intra dependence? Specify
at least 4 characteristics of American society which have reinforced individualism
at the expense of community.
How has each of those characteristics reinforced individualism?
What has been the predominant American measure of quality of life?
November 24 Public Policy and the Subordination of Community
- Theobald Part 2 - Chapters 4,5,6
A. Effect of mass society on community
B. Policies reinforcing separation, individualism
C. The American countryside and dynamics of acquisition and
dispossession
D. Education constructed to support industrialism and individual success
Questions:
In what ways have American schools reinforced individualism?
What is meant by reductionism? And how has reductionism been reflected in American social and political policies and practices?
December 1 Education and the Renewal of Community - Theobald
Part 3 - Chapters 7, 8, 9
A. Evolution of public education - national and international
B. Educational performance and factors affecting it
C. Reconnecting education with community
D. Learning communities, development and quality of life.
Questions:
What is a community?
What are the attributes that make a community more than a place?
Pick 3 or 4 characteristics of contemporary society which reflect absence of community.
December 3 Globalization and the Growing Importance of
Place
Turn in notebooks - class devoted to discussion of answers to
above questions.
December 8 Summary of course
A. Review for final exam
B. Turn in out of class papers on social change in community, state/country
*******Final exam will occur
during finals week.*******