GGR 112 H1F Geographies of Globalization & Development Department of Geography & Planning University of Toronto First Summer Session (11 May – 19 June 2015) Tuesdays & Thursdays, 2 – 4 pm in SS 2117 INSTRUCTOR Teaching Assistants* Lia Frederiksen Caitlin Henry: [email protected] Office: SS 5060 Lazar Konforti: [email protected] [email protected] Elsie Lewison: [email protected] Office Hours: Tuesdays, 4.30-5.30 pm. * Please direct all administrative emails about the course to the instructor. COURSE GOALS Throughout this course, we apply a geographical approach to international development, economic globalization, and transnational relations of inequality. We focus on important ideologies, theories, and practices of development and globalization to explore how and why people’s lives are linked across places and histories. We proceed from the understanding that all accounts of globalization and development result from particular assumptions and beliefs about what the meaning of progress or economic growth. We extend this understanding with the knowledge that designating places as “developing” or equating globalization with “levelling” inequalities are geographical concepts that do political work and have real, material effects in the world. COURSE OBJECTIVES By the end of the course, we will have at least a basic understanding of: • Ways to critically evaluate and rigorously question, as geographers, the underlying assumptions and practical implications of international development and economic globalization. • How economic, social, cultural, political, and spatial inequalities are shaped by attempts to “develop” and “globalize”. • Significant geographical scales (regions, states, markets, households, schools) and actors (workers, citizens, professionals, corporations, activists) in economic globalization and international development; • Improved reading, writing, mapping, and reasoning skills that are useful for critically examining development and globalization throughout the course, in future university studies, and far beyond the classroom. 1 COURSE REQUIREMENTS The most important requirement for this course, as with any course that deals with inequality and geographical difference, is that we approach all readings, lectures, and especially one another with patient and open minds; a willingness to see from new perspectives, and to honestly recognize and challenge our own assumptions. Specifically, some basic ground rules are: • Come to every class prepared and ready to engage. Be ready to pose questions, share your thoughts, and discuss the material as you are able and inclined to. • Complete all readings and assignments before lecture. Be ready to devote at least 4 hours a week to reading, making notes, and reflecting before class in addition to time for completing assignments & revision. Don’t skip readings, especially not on days that assignments are due. To submit assignments, plan your day to ensure you arrive in time to submit your assignment before the lecture begins (see the policies on submitting assignments below). • Bring the relevant course materials to every lecture, preferably in hard copy (readings, syllabus, assignment guidelines, your notes, etc.). • Re-read the course syllabus each week and carefully review the assignment guidelines while preparing and before submitting an assignment. • Please be aware of the needs of others in the classroom – we are sharing this learning space and can show each other respect by being considerate. • Think carefully about which uses of technology directly support you to focus and engage, and which distract or isolate you and others in the room. Laptops can be helpful tools for learning; cell phones, cameras, and other devices are not necessary in the classroom. In this class, we aim toward single-tasking during class and study time. Resisting the urge to electronically multi-task is crucial for successful learning outcomes. If you are managing an urgent personal or work matter, you are welcome to quietly and momentarily leave the classroom to use your phone. Accessibility: The University of Toronto is committed to accessibility. If you require accommodations for a disability, or have any accessibility concerns about the course, the classroom, or the course materials, please contact Accessibility Services as soon as possible: [email protected] or http://studentlife.utoronto.ca/accessibility 2 Recording lectures: Only with the prior permission of the course instructor may you make audio recordings of lectures for your own personal use only. Audio recordings are to permit lecture content review to enhance your understanding of course material. Audio recordings are not a substitute for attending class. No photographs or video recordings are permitted under any circumstances. Since audio recordings are permitted with the prior permission of the course instructor, your voice may be recorded by others during class. Please speak with the course instructor promptly if this is a concern for you. In accordance with the Ontarians with Disabilities act, students with accommodation needs will be permitted to make personal audio recordings of lectures. If you are granted permission by the course instructor to make personal audio recordings, you must agree to the following: You will not, under any circumstances, distribute audio recordings in any form (websites, email, file sharing, or any other means); you may not share audio recordings with other students without the explicit permission of the course instructor. Non-compliance with any of the above terms will be subject to disciplinary actions under the Code of Student Conduct. Course meetings: This is an accelerated summer course and we are covering a full term of material in six weeks. An intensive course can be an exciting and intellectually stimulating opportunity to immerse yourself in a subject differently than during a regular full term. This course is designed to take advantage of this opportunity. If you are aware of anything that will prevent you from attending all lectures and fully completing all of the course requirements on time, it may be better to take the course when it is offered at a later term. If difficulties arise during the course, please speak with your College Registrar as soon as possible. Absence from lecture: The course is designed assuming that all students attend all lectures, but attendance for lectures is not recorded. It is your responsibility to obtain and retain the course material, including lectures and in-class activities. It is not possible to complete participation components if you are absent from class. All assignments are due, hard copy, before the start of class on the deadline. It is ultimately up to you to determine how to best manage your time. Absences from exam: The final exam is managed by the Faculty of Arts and Science. You must file a formal petition with FAS if you miss the final exam for any reason: http://www.artsandscience.utoronto.ca/ofr/calendar/Rules_&_Regulations.html 3 Email policy: Please conduct as much course business as possible in-person before or after class and during office hours. Please direct all administrative emails about the course to the course instructor. You are encouraged to be in contact with each other. Carefully consult the resources you have (syllabus, course website, handouts, assignment guidelines, and each other). All of the information you need for the course is provided in class and on the course website. We ask you to limit email exchanges to very short questions for which you cannot otherwise find answers. To ensure a response, you MUST put GGR 112 in the subject line of all emails. Email from the Instructor and TAs: Periodically the instructor and TAs will send important announcements via email; therefore all students must set up and regularly check a UofT email account. Course website: The course website is Blackboard. All course materials will be posted on this site. Lecture slides will be posted after class. Please also check the site regularly for announcements from the instructor and TAs. Submitting Assignments: All assignments must be submitted in hard copy before the start of the lecture at 2.10 pm on the due date. Any assignments brought to class after the lecture begins can be submitted at the end of class and will be assessed a late penalty. Exceptions to the late penalties will only be made in the case of documented illness or personal emergency, as described below. Plan your day to arrive at the classroom with your hard copy assignment well in advance of the lecture. Late assignments: can be submitted to the Geography Department’s drop box on the 5th Floor of Sid Smith, Room 5047. Note that assignments will only be date stamped at the end of the day on days that the main office is open (hours during the summer vary). Assignments submitted to the “after hours” drop box will not be date stamped until the next day the office is open. This means that any assignments submitted to the department’s drop box on or after the due date (or “after hours” the day before the assignment is due) will be stamped late. Take this into account to avoid further penalties. No assignments will be accepted via email, fax, or under office doors. Penalties for late assignments: A penalty of 10% per day with no work accepted four days after a deadline. Weekends (Saturday and Sunday) count as one day for this purpose. Note that the penalty applies after the lecture begins on the due date. Plan your schedule accordingly to avoid any late penalties. Missed Assignment Deadlines: Extensions will be granted sparingly, and only in the case of documented illness or personal emergencies. For medical reasons, you will need an official medical note that clearly excuses you for work or school on the day the assignment is due: http://www.illnessverification.utoronto.ca/. In the case of a personal emergency, contact your College Registrar as soon as possible. 4 Academic Integrity: You must comply with the university’s policies on plagiarism and academic honesty. Please don’t plagiarise. As a student at the UofT, it is your responsibility to understand and follow these policies: http://life.utoronto.ca/getsmarter/academic-honesty/ Academic Resources and Skills: Developing good citation practices and strong writing is a process that can be supported with a variety of resources available at the university. You should consult these resources, like writing centres and skills workshops, frequently as a student at the university and we recommend these resources especially Robarts Library reference librarians. You can book a one-on-one consultation, walk-in, or online chat with a reference librarian for assistance locating scholarly sources and assessing the reliability of other types of sources: http://onesearch.library.utoronto.ca/contact-us/ Copies of assignments: It is your responsibility to maintain digital copies of your written assignments and a hard copy of marked assignments until the final course marks are recorded. Course Readings: You are expected to complete all of the assigned readings before each lecture. Some of the readings are more straightforward and others are more challenging. Be sure to read carefully, even shorter pieces. You will benefit from working to complete readings, even if you do not have a firm grasp of all of the points before lecture. Lectures will not summarize readings, but will expand on important arguments and examples. We are happy to discuss reading strategies and study skills with you throughout the course in office hours. Teaching Assistants In this course, we are lucky to have a team of three teaching assistants with diverse and extensive research, teaching, and work experience in globalization and development. Caitlin, Elsie, and Lazar will be available to you throughout the course to consult on assignments and answer questions. Check Blackboard frequently for their office hours, and feel free to visit them in person for answers to questions about your assignments, research, writing, and reading in this course. You are welcome to visit anyone’s office hours, but it is ultimately your TA who will mark your work in the class. Your TA for the course is assigned to you by the first letter of your surname: A through G: H through P: Q through Z: Elsie is your TA Caitlin is your TA Lazar is your TA 5 ASSIGNMENTS & EXAM ALL assignments are due in hard copy by the start of lecture period at 2.10 pm on the due date. Any assignments submitted after the start of lecture will be subject to late penalties. Focus Country: You will choose a focus country from a list provided on the course website, and you will identify a specific development or globalization “intervention” (a past or present project, event, process, policy, dispute, campaign or social movement) in your focus country. This county and the intervention will form the basis of your course paper, and your specialization in this focus country will help you to interpret and understand course concepts in a grounded way. Focus Country Intervention Paper (40%): A 3-5 page paper in which you explore a specific globalization or development intervention in your focus country. The paper is not a report “about” the county or the intervention. Rather, you will integrate course materials into an assessment of the intervention to examine its root causes, underlying assumptions, and practical implications. The purpose of the paper is to identify how distinct perspectives on development and/or globalization operate in order to evaluate the real, lived effects of an attempt to change the economy, politics, culture, or social life in your focus country. The paper is due Thursday 18 June at the start of lecture. Assignment guidelines will be posed on Blackboard. Mapping Global Governance, Trade, and Development Exercise (20%): Details will be distributed in class and posted on Blackboard. You will receive an outline map and list of required elements & features, and write a brief analysis paragraph of the map, all of which you will complete by the beginning of lecture on Thursday 21 May. Preparation, Participation, and Engagement (10%): Throughout the course, you will complete a variety of in-class exercises of the following types: reading responses, reactions to lectures or films, writing exercises, reading quizzes, small group discussions, and activities to prepare for the course assignments. Please note that you will only be able to complete these activities if you are in class. The assessment will be based on a combination of the quantity of in-class activities you complete and the quality of these engagements. Final Exam (30%): Covers all reading and lecture material for the course. An exam review guide will be provided to you on the course website. The final exam will be the week of 22-26 June (date, time, location TBA). 6 REQUIRED READINGS & COURSE SCHEDULE All required readings, unless otherwise noted, are available as PDFs on the course website; most are provided through the University of Toronto Libraries. Week 1 12 May Introduction Read the course syllabus in full and explore the course website content. 14 May Globalization Wayne Ellwood (2006) “Globalization then and now” in The No-Nonsense Guide to Globalization (2nd edition), p. 14-28. Week 2 19 May International Development Victoria Lawson (2007) “Development as Intervention: from modernisation to neoliberalisation” in Making Development Geography, p. 68-100. 21 May Regions Devin Browne & Jill Replogle (2012) “NAFTA: Birth of a Free Trade World” from Fronteras Desk. [Read the short text AND listen to the audio clip linked on Blackboard]. James K. Galbraith (2014) “Inequality after NAFTA: Notes on the Evidence” in International Journal of Political Economy 43(2): 61-81. Week 3 26 May States Saskia Sassen (1996) “The State and the New Geography of Power” in Losing Control? Sovereignty in an Age of Globalization, p. 1-17. “The WTO and Indigenous Peoples: Resisting Globalization, Asserting SelfDetermination” Declaration (2013) from the Indigenous Environmental Network website. [6 pages]. 28 May Markets Glyn Williams, Paula Meth, and Katie Willis (2009) “Market-Led Development” in Geographies of Developing Areas, p. 305-333. 7 Week 4 2 June Households Glyn Williams, Paula Meth, and Katie Wills (2009) “Ways of Living” in Geographies of Developing Areas, p. 241-271. 4 June Waste Susan Strasser (1999) “Toward a History of Trashmaking” in Waste and Want: a social history of trash, p. 3-19 Al-Jazeera English (2013) “A world of waste” from South 2 North. [read the short text AND watch the video clip, linked on Blackboard]. Week 5 9 June Corporations Warwick Murray and John Overton (2015), “Globalizing Economic Geographies” in Geographies of Globalisation, p. 105-157. 11 June Education Nicola Ansell (2008) “Substituting for Families? Schools and Social Reproduction in AIDS-affected Lesotho” in Antipode 40(5): 802-824. Winona LaDuke (2004) “The Political Economy of Wild Rice, Indigenous Heritage, and University Research” text of speech at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in published in Multinational Monitor [4 pages]. Week 6 16 June Commons Donald M. Nonini “The Global Idea of the Commons”, Social Analysis 50(3): 164-177. Arundhati Roy “Confronting Empire” text of speech from the 2003 World Social Forum, published at Outlook India [4 pages]. 18 June Review & Reassessment Read the exam review guide and prepare questions in advance of class **Final Exam: Week of 22-26 June (TBA)** 8
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