Global Economy and Developing Countries

USF Course Code: CPO 4930

Prerequisite: none; taught in English.

Audience: ISA Students

Contact hours: 45

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I. Course Description: 
This course analyses the global economic and political scene and its major players: the new rising powers, i.e. Brazil, Russia, India and China and their relationship with the established power centers: Europe, USA and Japan. 
The course is designed to develop the critical conceptual framework to draw a wide panoramic canvas of the international order in the 21st century, taking a look at the economic, political and strategic/military dimensions -with a strong emphasis on the functioning of the global economic institutions (the financial and trade systems) and the role of all main players. Particular attention will be paid to the origin and evolution of globalization and its effect on the BRICs and other peripheral regions of the world economy. Finally, we shall take a look at the main theories and models on the workings of the global system paying special attention to the perspectives that the current global situation presents. 

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II. Learning outcomes: 
-    Students will learn the key features of the so-called new powers within the international economic and political context. 
-    Students will gain an intellectual framework for understanding the current international order and the relation among key players. 
-    Students will analyse both empirical and theoretical material and will be able to exercise critical judgement. 

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III. Course contents (order of content may be modified):

PART ONE: 

UNIT 1.- THE WORLD AND ITS INSTITUTIONS FROM 1945 TO 1989
- Europe divided: the Yalta Conference and the origins of the Cold War
- The United Nations: the rules of the game 
- The Bretton Woods framework: IMF, World Bank and GATT
- The nuclear era: from M.A.D (Mutually Assured Destruction) to Star Wars (Strategic Defense Initiative)
- The Cold War: from Korea and Vietnam to the Soviet defeat in Afghanistan
- The fall of the Berlin wall and the collapse of the Soviet Union

UNIT 2.- A NEW INTERNATIONAL ORDER? FROM THE END OF THE COLD WAR TO 9/11
-    The third wave of democratic change: from Latin America to South Africa, from Prague to Moscow and from the Philippines to South Korea
-    War and hope in the Middle East: the I Gulf War and the Oslo peace process
-    Change within the giants: from Yeltsin's to Putin's Russia; Rajiv Gandhi's reforms in India; Deng Xiao Ping's counter-Cultural Revolution in China; Europe's march forward from Maastricht to the euro
-    On the eve of 9/11: African tragedy and Arab/Moslem malaise

UNIT  3.- EUROPE: HOLDING THE HOUSE TOGETHER
- History's greatest success: shared sovereignty amongst enemies
- Great social model, poor economic performance
- The constitutional dilemma: integration vs enlargement
- In search of a common voice in the world

PART TWO: 

UNIT 4.- A BRAVE NEW WORLD: GLOBALIZATION AND THE NEW FORCES OF CHANGE
- The world´s need of better economic BRICs. China, India and ex-communist Europe enter the world market; Latin America opens up 
- Will Mexico and South Korea become the new BRICs?
- One world?: the technological revolution, Internet and the new media
- The Washington consensus: free trade, deregulation and privatization
- Financial crises, income inequalities and non-performing economies
- The wave of the future: immigration
- Cultural backlash: fundamentalism, nationalism and populism

UNIT  5.- THE RISE OF CHINA: BETWEEN GROWTH AND INSTABILITY
- "To get rich is glorious": Deng Xiao Ping unleashes market forces
- Breakneck growth, internal inequalities and international clout
- Mean new kid on the block: an expanding military unsettles the neighbors
- Subtle diplomacy for a "peaceful rise"

UNIT  6.- INDIA'S AWAKENING: THE POWER OF DIVERSITY
- From Nehru to his grandson Rajiv Gandhi: independence, statism and backwardness
- Rajiv Gandhi's reforms awaken the slumbering elephant
- The intractable complexity of the world's largest democracy
- From back office to brainpower of the global economy

UNIT  7.- RUSSIA IS BACK: BEWARE THE NUCLEAR BEAR
- A strong man needed: shrinking population, Chechenian wars and authoritarian rule
- Trouble in the "near-abroad": Georgia, Ukraine, the Baltic states and the South Asian Republics
- The bear besieged: NATO encroachment and UE enlargement
- Energy as foreign policy tool
- A new cold war? The nuclear equation still holds

UNIT 8.- BRAZIL, THE NEW LATIN POWER
-    From Vasco de Gama to Lula
-    From agribusiness to the technological sector
-    Mercosur: the South American economic integration  process
-    Lula´s recipe for success

UNIT  9.- THE UNITED STATES: THE INSECURE HEGEMONY
- Nº 1 economy: from high tech engine to unbalanced behemoth
- The failings of democracy: loud money, silent voters 
- After 9/11: the superpower shoots itself in the foot
- Adroit diplomacy to lead the world: freeze Russia, contain China, befriend India, pull up Latin America, support united Europe and rescue Africa 
- Mapping out tomorrow's world for a diminished West 

UNIT  10.- OLD INSTITUTIONS IN A NEW ERA
- The war&peace game: global terrorism or big power conflict?
- Global justice: crimes (against humanity) and punishment 
- Trade and finance: the Doha Round and the new financial architecture
- Development: the millennium goals
- Global plagues: climate change, pandemics and mafias
- Can we work it out? Population growth and the Earth's equilibrium 

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IV. Bibliography: 
Along with selections from primary texts, students will be provided selections from other sources including:

- Postwar: A History of Europe since 1945 (Tony Judt, 2005); 
Fourth Part: After the Fall (1980-2005)
- The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers (Paul Kennedy, 1989). Third Part: 
Strategy and Economics Today and Tomorrow
- Diplomacy (Henry Kissinger, 1994); Final Chapters: The End of the Cold War, The New 
World Order Reconsidered
- Interview on the XXI Century (Eric Hobsbawn, 1999)
- The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order (Samuel P. Huntington, 1997)
- Democracy and the Global Order: From the Modern State to Cosmopolitan governance 
(David Held, 1997)
- The Coming Anarchy: Shattering the Dreams of the Post-Cold War (Robert D.Kaplan, 2000)
- The Invention of Peace: Reflections on War and the International Order (Michael 
Howard, 2000)
- Weapons of Mass Destruction: Freeing the World of Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Armas (Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission, 2006)
- The Lexus and the Oliver Tree: Understanding Globalization (Thomas L. Friedman, 2000)
- Globalization and its Discontents (Joseph E. Stiglitz, 2002)
- In Defense of Globalization: The Human Face of a Global World (Jagdish Bhagwati, 2004)
- The Rise of Modern China (Immanuel C. Y. Hsü, 1983). Introduction: A Conceptual Framework of Modern China; VII Part: China After Mao: The Search for a New Order
- India: A Million Mutinies Now (V. S. Naipaul, 1990).
- La Rusia de Putin (Anna Politkovskaya, 2006)
- Rusia en la Era de Putin (Carlos Taibo, 2006)
- Foreign Affairs: Nov/Dec 2003: China Takes Off / America's Imperial Dilemma
Nov/Dec 2005: Iraq & Vietnam
- Política Exterior: Julio/Agosto 2006: India / Escenarios Energéticos del Mañana
Marzo/Abril 2007: Entre Pakistán y Afganistán / Irán Nuclear

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V.I. How to succeed in this course
To successfully complete this course, attendance is essential as enables the necessary participation. Both spontaneous and prepared interaction are categories used in the evaluation.
Due to the variety of topics covered in this course, come prepared. Listening to lectures, watching videos and participating in class activities and discussions is much more effective than reading someone else’s notes or watching a video later. Remember that active and meaningful participation is taken into account as part of the evaluation. Reading prior to the class sessions is essential to keep track of the course due to all the material that will be covered and the pace. 
Becoming an active learner is one of the best ways to finish successfully this course: come always prepared to class: use the syllabus to be aware about will be covered or due in class, do all assignments before class, review before the class and be organized. 

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VI. Grading Scale

La calificación final del curso utilizará la siguiente escala/ Final grades will be calculated according to the following scale:
94 - 100 A
90-93 A -
87 -89 B +
84 - 86 B
80 - 83 B -
77 - 79 C+
74 - 76 C 
70 - 73 C-
67 -69 D+
64 -66 D
60 -63 D-
0-59 F

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VII. Course policies

VII.I. Attendance
Class attendance is mandatory and is taken every class day and reflected in the course attendance sheet. 
An 85% attendance rate is required for the successful completion of the course. Perfect attendance will be taken positively into account in the participation section. 
If a student exceeds this limit, 1 point will be taken off of the final grade (Spanish grade). Reaching a 20% of unexcused absences means that the transcript for this subject will show “not attended course”. 
Excused absences: Medical Certificates that will be considered only if issued by a physician (not notes from the family explaining the student’s absence). The certificates must include the exact dates for which a student should be excused for having missed classes. Courses cannot be audited, so attendance is possible only for students enrolled in a specific class. 
Punctuality: Students are expected to arrive on time to class and to return directly to class after class breaks. Arriving 10 minutes late (or more) and/or early class departures are considered unexcused absences and will be taken into account as half an absence. 
 
Attending class is not only the presence in the classroom. The professor will encourage active participation in the course and it will be taken into account as part of the evaluation.  

Auditors: Courses cannot be taken as auditors, thus attendance is possible only for students enrolled in a specific class.

VII.II. Conduct in class
Students who actively participate in classroom activities and who maintain a professional and respectful attitude will be evaluated positively. Students must not eat or use laptops during the class (unless specifically authorized by the teacher).  

VII.III. Late work 
One half point will be taken off (from the learning activities grade) for homework that is submitted late repeatedly. Late assignments will be corrected but will not be graded. 
Missing a class does not release the student from completing the homework assigned or studying the topics covered in class that day.

VII.IV. Make-up Exams
If a student cannot be present for an examination for a valid reason (see V.II.) and approved by the professor and academic direction, a make-up exam will be given.

VII.V. Exam retention
After exams are graded, the teacher will review the examination with the class and collect all exams. The exams will be retained for one semester following the current one, and then they will be destroyed.

VII.VI. Academic Honesty
Students are expected to act in accordance with their university standards of conduct concerning plagiarism and academic dishonesty.

VII.VII. Special accommodations 
Students with special needs who require reasonable accommodations, special assistance or specific aid in this course (either for properly making-up classes, taking exams, etc.) should direct their request to Academic Coordination during the first days of the course.

Teaching staff is required to report any disclosures harassment or violence of any kind.