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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "HS 201"
COURSE NAME: "Long-Term History of Globalization"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Spring Semester 2012
SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Ogle Gene
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS: TTH 10:00-11:15
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS:
PREREQUISITES:
OFFICE HOURS: By Appointment

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Contemporary discussions of globalization often suffer from a certain short-sightedness. The phenomenon is all-too-frequently treated as a recent creation of twentieth- and twenty-first-century world economies and information networks. Both advocates and critics of globalism too often assume that the history of globalization has been the history of the “westernization” of economic and cultural practices. In this course, we will seek a deeper and longer term understanding of the complex forces and far-from-one-sided cross-cultural interactions that have been “globalizing” our planet since the 14th century A.D. We will begin with a brief survey of the construction and operation of earlier “world-systems” in the Eastern Hemisphere (including the rise of the world of Islamdom and the Mongol world system of the 12th-14th centuries). The remainder of the class will focus on the slow and uneven development of a truly global economy from 1400 forward. We’ll proceed both thematically and chronologically, looking at case studies illustrating various aspects of this process, such as the development of market conventions, ecological exchanges, transport technologies and networks, migration, the varied roles violence has played, and industrialization and deindustrialization. 
SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:
There will be two class meetings a week, composed of a combination of lecture, discussion, and student presentations. Most of the discussion portion of class will be spent examining the assigned readings.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
You should develop an understanding of the complex and long-term history of globalization. You should also cultivate an awareness of the varied forces and actors that have played a role in that process as well as the approaches historians and other scholars have developed to analyze and reconstruct this history. You should develop your capacity to critically analyze a range of source materials in an interdisciplinary manner. You should also improve your ability to carry out research and effectively communicate your conclusions orally and in writing.
TEXTBOOK:
Book TitleAuthorPublisherISBN numberLibrary Call NumberCommentsFormatLocal BookstoreOnline Purchase
The World That Trade Created: Society, Culture, and the World Economy, 1400 to the Present (2nd ed.)Pomeranz and TopikM.E. SharpeISBN-13: 978-0765617095     
The World and a Very Small Place in Africa: A History of Globalization in Niumi, the Gambia (3rd ed.)Wright, Donald R.M.E. SharpeISBN-13: 978-0765624840     
Goods, Power, History: Latin America's Material CultureArnold J. BauerCambridge University PressISBN-13: 978-0521777025     
Bound Together: How Traders, Preachers, Adventurers, and Warriors Shaped GlobalizationNayan ChandaYale University PressISBN-13: 978-0300136234     
REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
NONE

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
NONE
GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
AssignmentGuidelinesWeight
ParticipationSee below.15%
Midterm ExaminationSee below.20%
Monograph and Article ReviewSee below.20%
Final Examination (Take-Home)See below.30%

-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
General Guidelines for Letter Grades: A, B, C, D, and F.

A:  Work of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the course.

B:  This is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.  There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluate theory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture and reference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.

C:  This is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.

D:  This level of performance demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.  Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.  In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.

F: This work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.


This course will be run primarily as a seminar in which we discuss the assigned readings. As such, your active participation in our discussions is absolutely necessary to making the course work well. The high percentage of your grade based on your participation reflects this fact. You will also be asked to lead class discussion once or twice over the course of the semester as part of this grade.

In each of the reaction papers (see the course schedule for due dates), you will develop a brief but coherent and well-supported argument regarding the readings for the day on which the paper is due. Your grade for these reaction papers will be determined by the strength of your analysis, the persuasiveness of your argument (including quality of writing), and the originality of your thought.

The midterm exam will be an in-class written exam composed of 1-2 essay questions.  Your grade on the exam will depend upon the analytical strength and persuasiveness of your arguments, your capacity to discuss the material we cover in the course as a whole, and the factual accuracy of your answers. I will provide you with more information about the exam and how to prepare for it as its date nears.

In the literature review (7-10 pages), you will review either 2 scholarly monographs or 1 scholarly monograph and 2 journal articles on a topic related to the history of globalization chosen in consultation with me. Your grade on this assignment will be determined by the strength of your analysis, the persuasiveness of your argument (including quality of writing), and the originality of your thought.

In the take-home final essay exam (7-10 pages), you will write a well-organized and well-supported essay answering a question using the readings from the course itself (and only those readings). Your grade for this essay will be determined by the strength of your analysis and mastery of the course readings to date, the persuasiveness of your argument (including quality of writing), and the originality of your thought.

I will provide you with further guidelines for these assignments as the semester progresses.

All late work will be penalized by at least one letter grade.  No late work will be accepted following the final examination.

Any documented case of academic dishonesty on any assignment will result not only in a failing grade for the assignment in question but also in a failing grade for the course as a whole.  Please note that also submitting work that you have previously submitted (or plan to submit) for credit in another course is also a form of academic dishonesty, unless you obtain the explicit approval from both instructors to do so. For this course, no such double submission is allowed.  Please note that your papers may be submitted to turnitin.com to check their content for plagiarism.

-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:
See above.
ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred. In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment, may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation to the President, who will make the final decision.
STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap. Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.

SCHEDULE

On-Line Syllabus and Accessing J-Stor and other On-Line Readings

1. Go to the internal web site (MY JCU).
2. After you have logged in, click on the course post-it for Spring 2012, HS201. Then click on shared files.
3. You should then be able to access the syllabus (Syllabus Ogle HS201 Spring 2012) and other course handouts.
4. Be sure to check the handouts page frequently for changes and updates.

Course Schedule (Please Note that Some Readings and Dates of Assignments May Be Subject To Change)

Part 1. The Big Picture: A Quick Overview of Globalization and Its History, aka The Building Blocks

1/17  First Impressions—What is Globalization? What is its history?

1/19  Conceptualizing the History of Globalization    
              Chandra, ix-xvi, 245-303

1/24  In the Beginning:  The Globalization of the Human Species    
              Chandra, 1-33

1/26  Trade: Merchants, Transportation and Communication    
              Chandra, 35-69

1/31  Commodities:  Producers, Consumers, and the Ties that Bind    
              Chandra, 71-103

2/2    CLASS CANCELLED

2/7    Ideologies:  Missionaries, Activists, and Global Causes    
              Chandra, 105-143

2/9   Movers:  Travelers, Explorers, and Migrants    
              Chandra, 145-173

2/14  Empires:  Conquerors, Colonists, and Cultural Expansion    
              Chandra, 175-207

2/16  A Darker Side:  Slavery, Disease, and Global Crime    
              Chandra, 209-243
              Reaction Paper 1 Due


Part 2. Closer Looks I: Empires, Globalization, and Daily Life—A Case Study of Latin America

2/21  Before Columbus:  Material Culture and American Lifestyles    
              Bauer, viii-xx, 1-45

2/23  Conquest and the “Columbian Exchange”    
              Bauer, 46-84

2/28  Making the "New World" Pay:  Commodities and "Civilization"    
              Bauer, 85-128

3/1  Making "Modern" Lives:  Industrialization and Latin American Daily Life    
              Bauer, 129-164

3/6  "Catching Up?":  Latin America in the Twentieth-Century World    
              Bauer, 165-219
              Reaction Paper #2 Due

3/8  Midterm Examination

Part 3. Closer Looks II: Forging Local Links c. 1400 to the Present

3/13  The Rules of the Game: Making Market Conventions    
              Pomeranz and Topik, ix-xv, 3-40    

3/15  From Here to There and Back Again: Transportation    
              Pomeranz and Topik, 41-70    

3/27  Chocolate, Opium, Coffee and Cocaine: Drug Trades and Drug Wars    
              Pomeranz and Topik, 71-96    

3/29  Production, Consumption, and Meaning: The Lives of Commodities    
              Pomeranz and Topik, 97-140 

4/3  “Now we see the violence inherent in the system!”: Force and Fortunes    
              Pomeranz and Topik, 141-174      

4/5  Setting Standards: Making Modern Markets    
              Pomeranz and Topik, 175-214

4/10  Uneven Growth: Industrialization and Deinsdustrialization Revisited    
              Pomeranz and Topik, 215-254    


Part Five—Another Look:  Globalization’s History From the Ground Up (Niumi, The Gambia)

4/12  Globalization and Niumi to c. 1450    
              Wright, 3-57

4/13  FRIDAY--MAKE-UP FOR 2/2 AND FINAL EXAM SLOT, 1:30-4:30 pm, T.1.4
    Global Cultures?: Music and Film    
              The Harder They Come (On Reserve, or Screening TBA)    
              Patterson, “Global Culture and the American Cosmos”     
http://www.warholfoundation.org/grant/paper2/paper.html     
              Reaction Paper #3 Due    


4/17  Pre-Modern Globalization and Niumi, c. 1450-1816    
              Wright, 59-114

4/19  Modern Empires and Globalization and Niumi, 1816-1965   
              Wright, 115-183

4/24  Contemporary Globalization and Niumi, 1965-2003    
              Wright, 185-250

4/26  Globalization: Where, when, how, why, and so what?    
              Pomeranz and Topik, 255-266
              Wright, 251-268
              Chandra, 305-320    
              Monograph and Article Review Due

TBA Meeting During Scheduled Final Exam Period—Reading and Topic TBA