Stony Brook University, Federated Learning Communities Program

 

syllabus  FLC 301/SOC 393-F: Global trade, arms proliferation, and human rights

(Fall 2003)

 

Tuesday/Thursday 5:20-6:40 p.m.

Location: SBS-N108

 

Professor Hermann Kurthen (hkurthen@ms.cc.sunysb.edu, phone: 632-7717)

Office Hours: Tuesday/Thursday 4:00-5:00 p.m. & by appointment at SBS-S443

 

TA: Samantha Elkrief (ganesh143@aol.com)

TA Office Hours: Monday/Wednesday 12:45-1:45 p.m. at SBS-S443

 

The Federated Learning Community (FLC) program focuses on an issue of major societal importance and leads to an academic minor. The program enables students to register for a cluster of courses arranged around a specific issue. The program seminar focuses and integrates the material of the federated classes in a small community setting of about 30-40 students. Students may earn a minor in Globalization (GLS) by completing 24 credits in a sequence of their own choice, including two program seminars FLC 301/302, plus any six of other federated courses with a grade of C or better. The prospective topic for the FLC 302 in Spring 2004 is Global Identities, Civilizations, and Citizenship.

 

The FLC 301/SOC 393 program seminar integrates topics from the "federated" courses listed below concerning the global causes and interactive effects of wars, arms proliferation, and human rights violations; the trade in sex and the spread of deadly diseases such as Aids/HIV; the expansion of free market capitalism and its ramifications for less developed countries; and the increasing importance of "Global Cities" as centers of power networks and global decision making.

 

FLC 301/SOC 393-F

Program Seminar (required for minor, 3-credits)

Hermann Kurthen

TUTH 5:20-6:40 pm

                 

FEDERATED CLASSES

 

 

AFS        380-J

Caribbean Culture

Joy Mahabir

MWF 10:40-11:35 am

SOC        309-F

Social Conflicts and Movements

Javier Auyero

MW 2:20-3:40 pm

POL        101-F

World Politics

Chuck Taber

MW 3:50-5:10 pm

POL        372-J

Politics in the Third World

Bahar Leventoglu

TUTH 11:20-12:40 pm

SOC        348-F

Global Sociology

Daniel Levy

TUTH 12:50-2:10 pm

WST       395-J

Topics in Global Feminism

Lisa L. Diedrich

TUTH 12:50-2:10 pm

PHI         367

Philosophy of War and Peace

Eduardo Mendieta

TUTH 2:20-3:40 pm

EGL         395

War Poets

Adrienne Munich

TUTH 3:50-5:10 pm

EST         201-H

Technological Trends in Society

Glenn Smith

TUTH 3:50-5:10 pm

BUS 110 (10)

Business in the 21st Century

G. Jefferson

M 12:50-2:10 pm

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

SPRING 2004 theme: "Global Identities, Civilizations, and Citizenship" (courses to be announced)

 

FORMAT

A goal of the FLC is to engage students in a holistic way that touches their personal lives as well as their academic interests and allows them to gain a hands-on experience combining theory and practice, including a variety of student projects. The objective is to practice skills, such as writing (class questions, briefing handout, mid-term essay, conference report); group or individual research projects and oral presentations, webpage design, preparing a student conference (Spring 2004), visiting the U.N. headquarters, participating or organizing public events (rallies, surveys, letter writing), and meetings with scholars.

 

In the FLC program seminar the SBU undergraduate students will

q       Participate in graded short quizzes based on the required reading of a given day. No make up if late or absent. Lowest score will be dropped.

q       A short, open-book mid-term essay covering readings/discussions of the first part of the semester.

q       A take home final essay covering the full semester and consisting of several questions from which students can choose. Students will have two weeks time to submit their answers and document their sources. The essay questions will be handed out on December 2. A spell-checked and proof-read hardcopy of the essay is due at Prof. Kurthen's office before December 15 at 5 p.m. No late submissions will be accepted.

q       A half day visit of the United Nations Headquarters in New York City including a guided tour and briefing by UN staff and a UN Ambassador on November 17. Participation counts as class attendance.

q       Students can receive extra credit if they engage individually or as groups in student projects agreed upon by the instructor and related to the class topic, such as researching a global organization or issue, maintaining our class web site, conducting a global survey/interviews, writing an issue related article for a paper, or preparing a presentation using slides, graphs, statistical charts & power point. Projects have to be approved by the instructor no later than October 23 and finished before December 11.

 

A typical class will start with a quiz based on the reading, followed by either a short presentation by a guest speaker or a lecture by the instructor followed by a Q&A session, small group work, or collaborative learning projects involving multimedia tools. Class participation and attendance as well as the quizzes, mid-term and final essay and student projects (extra credit) are very important parts of the seminar and will be appropriately evaluated and graded (see below).

 

STUDENT EVALUATION

- Individual class participation and attendance                                                                                                                            20%

- Short quizzes related to required reading at the beginning of most classes                                                                            30%

- One mid-term essay on 10/21 based on all required readings completed before the exam                                               20%

- A final take home essay submitted no later than 12/15                                                                                                           30%

- A student project agreed upon by the instructor by 10/23 and finished by 12/11 (extra credit 15%)

 

Course Calendar: "Global trade, arms proliferation, and human rights"

09/04

Introduction & Knowledge Quiz

READING

09/09

Globalization History & Glossary

Project South

09/11

A Moment of Silence

Ortiz

09/16

Theories of Globalization

Beck

09/18

Weapons of Mass Destruction in the Global Age

Guest Lecture Prof. Chuck Taber

Scott et al.

09/23

Excerpts on Global War & Mass Terror

Lindqvist

09/25

Military Globalization & National Security

Guest Lecture Prof. Eduardo Mendieta

Greider

09/30

Global Arms Trade & its Impact on Conflicts

Burrows (chapters 1&2)

10/02

Global Arms Trade, Human Rights & Development

Burrows (chapters 3&4)

10/07

Global Women: Nannies, Maids & Sex Workers I

Enloe & Brennan

10/09

Global Women: Tourism, Migration & Exploitation

Guest Lecture Prof. Joy Mahabir

Kincaid, Silvera & Strachan

10/14

Global Women: Nannies, Maids & Sex Workers II

Enloe

10/16

Women, Global Cities & Survival Circuits

Sassen

10/21

Mid-term Exam & Discussion of Student Projects

 

10/23

Global Trade and Justice

Ransom (chapters 1&2)

10/28

Civil Society in a Globalizing World: The Case of Mexico
Guest Lecture Prof. Bahar Leventoglu

Gilbert/Otero & Higgins

10/30

Who benefits Globalization?

Chomsky & Hetata

Outline for Term Paper Due

11/04

Media Globalization & Effects of Consumption

Guest Lecture Prof. Glenn Smith

Thompson & Gerbner/Schiller,

11/06

Global Human Rights

Snarr/Snarr

11/11

United Nations, Human Rights & Global Governance

UNA-USA

11/17

United Nations NYC Headquarter Tour & Briefing by Ambassador Kamal/Pakistan

(10:45 am-3:00 pm )

 

11/18

International Management & Global Business

Guest Lecture Prof. Robert Ettl

Ellwood (chapters 1&2)

11/20

Bretton Woods, Debt & Structural Adjustment Policies

Ellwood (chapter 3)

11/25

Social and Economic Development & the United Nations

Ellwood (chapter 4)

12/02

Redesigning the Global Economy

Students receive questions for Take Home Final Essay

Ellwood (chapter 7)

12/04

Globality & Cosmopolitization of Politics: The EU Case

Guest Lecture Prof. Daniel Levy

Beck

12/09

Prospects of Justice in an Age of Globalization

Snarr/Snarr & Isbister

12/11

Class Evaluation & Presentation of Student Projects

 

12/15

Take Home Final Essay is Due at SBS-S443, 5 p.m.

 

If you have a physical, psychological, medical or learning disability that may impact your course work, please contact Disability Support Services, ECC (Educational Communications Center) Building, room 128, (631) 632-6748. They will determine with you what accommodations are necessary and appropriate. All information and documentation is confidential. Students requiring emergency evacuation are encouraged to discuss their needs with their professors and Disability Support Services. For procedures and information, go to the following web site: http://www.ehs.sunysb.edu/fire/disabilities/asp.