Sociology 8390: Sociology of Globalization
Fall 2004
Time/Place: Friday
Web Page: http://www.soc.umn.edu/~schofer/2004soc8390/home8390.htm
Instructor: Evan Schofer
Email: schof007@tc.umn.edu
Phone: (612) 624-4075
Office: 1127 Social Sciences
Office Hours: Tuesday/Thursday
Introduction
This seminar
addresses the growing literature on globalization, with an emphasis on
contributions from sociology. The course
begins with important intellectual precursors, such as world-system theory and
dependency theory. Next, we will discuss
the global economy and economic perspectives on globalization, touching on
issues such as the international monetary system, trade, and foreign
investment, as well as their implications for nation-states and sovereignty. Then, we will examine several views from
political science, some of which dispute the notion that economic globalization
has significantly changed the inter-state system. Finally, we will turn to sociological
neo-institutionalism, which places heavy emphasis on trans-national association
and culture, and serves as a sharp contrast with the economic focus of the
broader globalization literature. The
remainder of the semester will focus on how these theories and arguments play
out in particular substantive domains such as:
social movements, environmentalism, identity, and conflict.
Requirements
1. Readings.
Assigned readings should be read and understood prior to class on the
week they are assigned. Completion of
reading assignments is critical to understanding course material and
participating in class discussion.
2. Attendance and Participation. You should attend class regularly and
participate actively in class discussion.
3. Assignments.
There will be several assignments over the course of the semester. All should be completed by the deadlines
specified.
4. Class Discussion Leader. Each member of the class must serve as
discussion leader for one class during the semester. The discussion leader will start the weekly
discussion by introducing readings and highlighting important questions and
issues. Note: this will contribute to your class
participation grade.
Assignments
Short assignments
There will be two
types of short assignments: reading
“reflection papers” and “research designs”.
These are expected to be short (about 1 page; 2 pages max.), and may be
written informally (but not sloppily!).
For instance, you need not write an introduction or conclusion, but just
jump straight into your ideas. You will
complete a total of 8 short assignments over the semester. These short assignments will come in two
types:
a. Reading Reflection Papers. These short
assignments are an opportunity to write down a summary of readings, as well as
your critical reactions. They help you
organize your thoughts and encourage you to be an active, critical reader. You may focus on one reading in particular,
or comment broadly on the readings in general.
b. Research Designs. These short papers
assignments you to develop a possible research design to study a particular
issue in globalization. They develop
skill at turning theoretical insights into practical, researchable problems.
Final Project
Research
Proposal: You will develop one of your
research design papers into a longer, more detailed research proposal. This may help you get started on a conference
paper project, grant proposal, or even your dissertation. (Optionally, you may instead submit a paper
that involves original research.
Advanced graduate students, for instance, may use this assignment to
develop their ongoing research, as long as the project is relevant to the
course. Contact me if you are interested
in pursuing this option.)
Evaluation
Short assignments
will be graded on a 4-point scale (zero, “check-minus”, “check”, or “check-plus”). Failing to turn in a paper (or turning in an
abysmal one) will result in a zero. An
acceptable, but uninspired or paper will receive a “check-minus”, worth 1 point. A thoughtful, well done paper will receive a
check (2 points). An outstanding paper
will receive a check plus (3 points).
Your “class discussion leader” performance and general course
participation will be graded similarly.
These will then be converted to an A-F letter grade using a curve. The final project will be assigned a standard
letter grade (A-F).
Final course grades
(A-F) will be calculated based on the following percentages.
Short Assignments 40%
Final Project 50%
Participation 10%
Your final course
grade will be computed based on the percentages above. Incompletes will not be given, except in
unusual circumstances (e.g., medical emergencies, etc).
Policies Regarding Papers, Deadlines, and Extensions
Please type all assignments
double spaced (to allow room for comments) using a reasonable font and margins
(e.g. times 12). All assignments must be
printed. Do not send email attachments
or faxes.
Assignment deadlines
are specified below. Assignments are due
at the start of class unless otherwise specified. Short assignments will be penalized one point
if they are late. Moreover, they will
not be accepted if they are more than one week late. The final project will be penalized one
partial grade (i.e., an A becomes an A-, a C+ becomes a C) for every day that
the paper is overdue. Note: Partial days are “rounded up.” A paper that is one-half day late is still
penalized by one partial grade. Plan
ahead and start work early to allow time to complete your assignments. Extensions will not be granted simply because
people are "busy". Assignment
extensions may be arranged for legitimate reasons prior to the due date.
University Policies
Students in this course must abide by all relevant university policies, ranging from issues of personal conduct to academic issues such as plagiarism. It is your responsibility to be aware of and abide by university policies on all topics.
Schedule and Reading Assignments
Week 1: Introduction (Sept. 10)
Week 2: World-System and Dependency Theory (Sept 17)
Chirot, Daniel and Thomas D. Hall. 1982. World-System Theory. Annual Review of Sociology, 8:81-106.
Frank, Andre G.
1969. “The Development of
Underdevelopment.” Pp.
3-20 in Frank, Andre G.
1969.
Wallerstein, Immanuel. 1974. “The Rise and Future Demise of the World Capitalist System: Concepts for Comparative Analysis.” Comparative Studies in Society and History, 16:387-415.
Chase-Dunn, Christopher.
1998. “Core and Periphery.” Pp. 201-227 in Chase-Dunn,
Christopher. Global Formation.
Chase-Dunn, Christopher.
1998. “Reproduction of the
Core/Periphery Hierarchy.” Pp. 228-255 in Chase-Dunn, Christopher. Global Formation.
Some Empirical Studies
(briefly skim):
William J. Dixon;
Terry Boswell. 1996. Dependency, Disarticulation, and Denominator Effects: Another
Look at Foreign Capital Penetration, The American Journal of
Sociology, Vol. 102, No. 2. (Sep., 1996), pp. 543-562.
Firebaugh,
Glenn. 1996. Does Foreign Capital Harm Poor Nations? New Estimates Based on
Dixon and Boswell's Measures of Capital Penetration The American Journal of Sociology,
Vol. 102, No. 2. (Sep., 1996), pp. 563-575.
Kentor,
Jeffrey. 1998. The Long-Term Effects of Foreign Investment Dependence on
Economic Growth, 1940-1990, The American Journal of Sociology,
Vol. 103, No. 4. (Jan., 1998), pp. 1024-1046.
Indra de Soysa;
John R. Oneal. 1999. Boon or Bane? Reassessing the Productivity of Foreign Direct
Investment (in National Economic Growth), American Sociological
Review, Vol. 64, No. 5. (Oct., 1999), pp. 766-782.
Barrett, Richard E. and Martin King Whyte. 1982.
“Dependency
Theory and Taiwan: Analysis of a Deviant Case.” The American Journal of Sociology, Vol. 87, No. 5. (Mar., 1982), pp. 1064-1089.
Reading Reflection
Paper #1 Due
Week 3: Economic Globalization: Background (Sept. 24)
Knox, Paul and John Agnew. 1989. Geography of the World-Economy. London, UK: Edward Arnold. Chapters 6, 8 only.
Sassen, Saskia. 2000. Cities in a World Economy (second
edition).
Brawley, Mark R. 2003. “Is Globalization Occurring? Assessing the Evidence.” Pp. 75-105 in The Politics of Globalization: Gaining Perspective, Assessing Consequences. Peterborough, Ontario: Broadview Press.
Brawley, Mark R. 2003. “Putting Globalization in Historical Perspective.” Pp. 177-194 in The Politics of Globalization: Gaining Perspective, Assessing Consequences. Peterborough, Ontario: Broadview Press.
Ellwood, Wayne.
2002. “Globalization Then and
Now.” Pp. 12-23 in The No-Nonsense Guide to Globalization.
Ellwood, Wayne.
2002. “The Bretton
Woods Trio.” Pp. 24-37 in The No-Nonsense Guide to Globalization.
Yergin, Daniel and Joseph Stanislaw. “Commanding Heights: The Battle Between Government and the Marketplace that is Remaking the Modern World.” The Globalization Reader #30.
Week 4: Economic Globalization: Key Issues (Oct 1)
Schwartz, Herman M.
2000. “Transnational Firms: A War of All Against
All.” Chapter 10 (p. 219-237) in States
Versus Markets:
The Emergence of a Global Economy.
Schaeffer, Robert K. 2003. “Free Trade Agreements.” Chapter 9 (pages 217-250) in Understanding Globalization. Rowman and Littlefield, Inc. (2003).
Schaeffer, Robert K. 2003. “Debt Crisis and Globalization.” Chapter 5 (pp. 95-118) in Understanding Globalization. Rowman and Littlefield, Inc. (2003).
Krugman, Paul R. 1993. “What
Do Undergrads Need to Know About Trade?”
The American
Economic Review, Vol. 83,
No. 2, Papers and Proceedings of the Hundred and Fifth Annual Meeting of the American
Economic Association. (May, 1993), pp. 23-26.
Grieco, Joseph M. and G. John Ikenberry. 2003. “Economic Globalization and Political Backlash.” Pp. 204-237 (Chapter 7) in State Power and World Markets: The International Political Economy. W. W. Norton and Company.
Rodrik, Dani. 1997. “Sense
and Nonsense in the Globalization Debate” Foreign
Policy, No. 107. (Summer, 1997), pp. 19-37.
Reading Reflection
Paper #2 Due
Week 5: Economic Globalization: Implications for Nations (Oct 8)
Schwartz, Herman M.
2000. “International Money,
Capital Flows, and Domestic Politics.”
Chapter 9 (p. 197-218) in States Versus
Markets: The Emergence of a Global
Economy.
Brawley, Mark R.
2003. “Is Globalization and
Domestic Politics.” Pp. 75-105 in The Politics of Globalization: Gaining Perspective, Assessing Consequences.
Krugman, Paul and Anthony J. Venables.
1995. “Globalization
and the Inequality of Nations.” The Quarterly Journal of Economics, Vol. 110, No. 4. (Nov., 1995), pp.
857-880.
Friedman, Thomas L. 1999. “The Golden Straightjacket.” Chapter 5 (p. 83-93) in The Lexus and the Olive Tree. Farrar, Straus, and Grioux.
Helen V. Milner and Robert O. Keohane.
1996. “Internationalization and
Domestic Politics: An
Introduction.” Pages.
3-24 (Chapter 1) in Keohane, Robert
O. and Helen V. Milner. Internationalization and Domestic Politics.
Obstfeld, Maurice. 1998. “The
Global Capital Market: Benefactor or Menace?” The
Journal of Economic Perspectives, Vol. 12, No. 4. (Autumn, 1998), pp. 9-30.
Some Empirical Studies
(briefly skim):
Alderson, Arthur S. 1999. “Explaining
Deindustrialization: Globalization, Failure, or Success?” American
Sociological Review, Vol. 64, No. 5. (Oct., 1999), pp. 701-721.
Sachs, Jeffrey D.
and Howard J. Shatz. 1996. “U.S.
Trade with Developing Countries and Wage Inequality” The American Economic Review, Vol. 86,
No. 2, Papers and Proceedings of the Hundredth and Eighth Annual Meeting of the
American Economic Association San Francisco, CA, January 5-7, 1996. (May,
1996), pp. 234-239.
Research Design #1
Due
Week 6: Some Views From Political Science (Oct. 15)
Waltz, Kenneth N. 1999. “Globalization
and Governance.” PS: Political Science and Politics,
Vol. 32, No. 4, pp. 693-700.
Keohane, Robert
O. and Joseph S. Nye. 2001. “Realism and Complex Interdependence.” Pp. 20-32 in Power and Interdependence (Third Edition). New York, NY:
Longman.
Robert O.
Keohane; Joseph S. Nye, Jr. 2000. “Globalization:
What's New? What's Not? (And So What?)” Foreign Policy, No. 118. (Spring,
2000), pp. 104-119.
Robert O.
Keohane. 1998. “International
Institutions: Can Interdependence Work?” Foreign Policy, No. 110, Special
Edition: Frontiers of Knowledge. (Spring), pp. 82-96+194.
Sikkink, Kathryn. 1998.
“Transnational
Politics, International Relations Theory, and Human Rights.” PS:
Political Science and Politics, Vol. 31, No. 3. (Sep., 1998), pp. 516-523.
Also: Get started on readings for next week. (This week has relatively few readings, but
next week has a lot!)
Reading Reflection
Paper #3 Due
Week 7: Neo-Institutional Theory (Oct. 22)
Jepperson, Ronald L. 2002. “The Development and Application of Sociological Neoinstitutionalism.” Pp. 229-266 in New Directions in Contemporary Sociological Theory, edited by Joseph Berger & Morris Zelditch, Jr. (Rowman & Littlefield, 2002).
Meyer, John W. 1987. “Ontology in the Modern Western Cultural Account.” In Thomas, George et al. 1987. Institutional Structure Constructing State, Society, and Individual. Newberry Park, CA: Sage.
Meyer, John W. 1987. “The World Polity and the Authority of the Nation-State”, in Thomas, George et al. 1987. Institutional Structure Constructing State, Society, and Individual. Newberry Park, CA: Sage.
Meyer, John W.,
Schofer, Evan and Elizabeth McEneaney. 2003. “Methodological Strategies and Tools for the Study of Globalization.” Pp. 23-42 in Drori, Gili, John W. Meyer, Francisco Ramirez, and Evan Schofer. 2003. Science in the Modern World Polity: Institutionalization and Globalization. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
Meyer, John W. and Ronald L. Jepperson.
2000. “The "Actors" of Modern Society: The Cultural
Construction of Social Agency.” Sociological Theory, Vol.
18, No. 1. (Mar., 2000), pp. 100-120.
Boyle, Elizabeth H. 2001. “International Discourse and Local Politics: Anti-Female-Genital-Cutting Laws in Egypt, Tanzania, and the United States.” Social Problems, 48, 4:499-523
Research Design #2
Due
Week 8: International Associations and Global Social
Movements (Oct. 29)
Keck, Margaret E. and Kathryn Sikkink. 1998. “Transnational Advocacy Networks in International Relations.” Pp. 1-38 in Keck, Margaret E. and Kathryn Sikkink. 1998. Activists Beyond Borders. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
Keck, Margaret E. and Kathryn Sikkink. 1998. “Human Rights Advocacy Networks in Latin America.” Pp. 79-120 in Keck, Margaret E. and Kathryn Sikkink. 1998. Activists Beyond Borders. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
Boli, John and George Thomas (eds.). 1999. Constructing World Culture: International Nongovernmental Organizations Since 1875. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
Smith, Jackie. 2002. “Globalizing Resistence: The Battle for Seattle and the Future of Social Movements.” Pp. 207-227 in Smith, Jackie and Hank Johnston. 2002. Globalization and Resistance. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Research Design #3
Due
Week 9: Globalization and the Environment (Nov 5)
Karliner, Joshua. 1997. “Toxic Empire: The World Bank, Free Trade, and the Migration of Hazardous Industry.” Joshua Karliner. Pp. 133-167 (chapter 5) in The Corporate Planet. Sierra Club Books.
Goldman, Michael. 2001. “Constructing and Environmental State: Eco-governmentality, and other Transnational Practices of a ‘Green’ World Bank.” Social Problems, 48, 4:499-523
Meyer, John. W., David J. Frank, Ann Hironaka, Evan Schofer, and Nancy B. Tuma. 1997. “The Structuring of a World Environmental Regime, 1870-1990.” International Organization. 51, 4 (Autumn): 623-651.
Frank, David J., Ann M. Hironaka, and Evan Schofer. 2000. “The Nation State and the Natural Environment, 1900-1995.” American Sociological Review, 65 (Feb): 96-116.
Schofer, Evan and Ann Hironaka. Forthcoming. “World Society and Environmental Protection Outcomes.” Social Forces.
Schofer, Evan and Francisco Granados. “Environmental Policies and the National
Economies: Theories and Evidence,
1980-2000.” Unpublished
Working Paper.
Reading Reflection
Paper #4 Due
Week 10: TBA (Nov. 12)
Class may be
cancelled this week. If class is held,
reading assignments will be given well in advance. Watch for future announcements.
Week 11:
Science/Knowledge/Rationalization/Globalization (Nov. 19)
Ferguson, James.
1990. The Anti-Politics Machine:
Development, Depoliticization, and
Bureaucratic Power in Lesotho.
Cambridge, UK: Cambridge
University Press. Parts I, II, and IX only.
Scott, James C. 1998. “Nature and Space.” Pp. 11-52 in Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
Goldman, Michael. 2001. “The Birth of a Discipline: Producing Authoritative Green Knowledge, World Bank Style.” Ethnography, 2, 2:191-218.
Drori, Gili, John W. Meyer, Francisco Ramirez,
and Evan Schofer. 2003. “World Society and the Authority and
Empowerment of Science.” Pp. 23-42 in Science in the Modern World Polity: Institutionalization and Globalization.
Meyer, John W.
1994. “Rationalized
Environments.” [Excerpt] Pp. 28-54 in Scott, W. R. and John W. Meyer. 1994. Institutional Environments and Organizations.
Fourcade-Gourinchas,
First Draft of
Final Paper Due
Week 12: Science/Knowledge/Rationalization/Globalization
(Nov 26)
Thanksgiving! No Class Today.
Week 13: Globalization and Identity (Dec 3)
Brawley, Mark R. 2003. “Globalization and the Politics of Identity.” Pp. 159-176 in The Politics of Globalization: Gaining Perspective, Assessing Consequences. Peterborough, Ontario: Broadview Press.
Huntington, Samuel P. 1993. “The Clash of Civilizations?” Foreign Affairs, 72, 3.
Barber, Benjamin.
1995. Jihad vs. McWorld. [Excerpt]
Pp. 21-26 in Lechner, Frank
J. and
Lechner, Frank L. “Global Fundamentalism.” [Excerpt] Pp. 338-341 in Lechner, Frank J. and
Mayer, Elizabeth Ann.
1993. “The Fundamentalist Impact
on Law, Politics, and the Constitution in Iran.” [Excerpt] Pp. 342-349 in Lechner, Frank J. and
Hironaka, Ann.
2004. “Ethnic Conflict in Weak States.” Chapter 4 in Neverending Wars:
Research Design #4
Due
Week 14: Globalization and Identity (Dec. 10)
Hannerz, Ulf. 1989. “Notes on the Global Ecumene.” Public Culture, 1, 2:66-75.
Appadurai, Arjun. 1990. “Disjuncture and Difference in the Global Economy.” Theory, Culture, and Society, 7(2-3):295-310.
Guarnizo, Luis Eduardo and Michael Peter Smith. 1998.
“The Locations of Transnationalism.” Pp. 3-34 in Smith, Michael Peter and Luis
Eduardo Guarnizo (eds.). 1998. Transnationalism From Below.
Hannerz, Ulf. 1991.
“Scenarios for Peripheral Cultures.”
[Excerpt] Pp331-337 in Lechner,
Frank J. and
Frank, Davd J. and John W. Meyer. 2002. “The Profusion of Individual Roles and Identities in the Post-War Period.” Sociological Theory, 20, 1:86-105. If you have trouble with the link, go to HERE, click on Academic Search Premier, log in, and browse to the journal.
Hironaka, Ann. “Indigenous Political Activity in
Boyle, Elizabeth H. 2002. Female Genital Cutting: Cultural Conflict in the Global Community. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press. Chapters 1 and 2 (pp. 1-40) only
Final Paper Due