Introduction to Global Studies

USF course code: INR 3011

Prerequisite: open to all language levels; taught in English.

Students: ISA students

Contact hours: 45

I. Course Description
Investigating the increasing interdependence of the world’s economies, populations, cultures, and environments, this course introduces the concept of globalization and explores the knowledge and tools that are needed to address major global issues. Examining globalization through an interdisciplinary lens, the course will focus on how human behavior and interactions are shaped by various systems: value systems, economic systems, political systems, and social groups. We will also look at how globalization impacts the natural world.
This course will ask students to critically engage with the issues, challenges, and possibilities associated with planetary interconnectedness with the goal of becoming a more thoughtful global citizen. 

II. Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to:
-Understand and analyze the way globalization has shaped the various systems that impact human life and the environment
-Identify key global challenges and how they are interconnected
-Integrate information and ideas from various areas of study (economics, environmental studies, political theories, etc.) to describe and summarize complex global issues

III. Course Content (may be modified)
1.    Introduction to Globalization
a.    What is globalization?
b.    “Flat earth” debate
c.    Pros and cons of globalization
d.    The European context: EU priorities and goals
2.    Human Geography: A brief introduction
a.    History of human mobility and migration 
b.    The invention of the nation-state
3.    Identity and Place: A look at culture
a.    What is culture?
b.    Culture and power
c.    Borderlands
d.    Loss of culture: fears and realities
4.    Economics
a.    Global Trade: From the Silk Road to today
b.    Economic systems and their impacts
c.    “Buy Local” and other movements
5.    Politics
a.    Global Empires: Conquest and colonization
b.    World wars and global conflicts
c.    Global terrorism
d.    Nationalism
6.    Environment: Global Impacts
a.    The global response to climate change
b.    Uneven impact of the climate crisis
7.    The Global 21st Century: Looking Ahead
a.    Global Health: Lessons from the pandemic
b.    Technology: Connection and polarization
c.    Global activism 

IV. Required Text
Globalization: A Very Short Introduction, 5th ed., Manfred B. Steger (Oxford, 2020). Available as an ebook. 
Other articles and web resources will be provided via Schoology. 
Bibliography
Tendayi Achiume, “The Postcolonial Case for Rethinking Borders,” Dissent Magazine, (Summer 2019). https://www.dissentmagazine.org/article/the-postcolonial-case-for-rethinking-borders
Kwame Anthony Appiah, Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a World of Strangers (New York: W. W. Norton, 2006).
CDC Global Health Strategy (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2021). https://www.cdc.gov/globalhealth/strategy/default.htm
Catharin E. Dalpino, “Does Globalization Promote Democracy?: An Early Assessment,” Brookings (2001). https://www.brookings.edu/articles/does-globalization-promote- democracy-an-early-assessment/
Jared Diamond, Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies (New York: W. W. Norton, 1997).
Thomas Friedman, “It’s a Flat World, After All,” The New York Times Magazine, (April 3, 2005). https://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/03/magazine/its-a-flat-world-after-all.html
Global Gateway, European Commission. https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/priorities-2019-2024/stronger-europe-world/global-gateway_en
Pankaj Ghemawat, “Why the World Isn’t Flat,” Foreign Policy, (March, April 2007): 54-60. http://sciencepolicy.colorado.edu/students/envs_5000/ghemawat_2007.pdf
Mark Leonard, “The Next Globalization,” Project Syndicate, (January 25, 2023). https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/next-globalization-multipolar-and-security-over-profits-by-mark-leonard-2023-01
Serena Parekh and Shelley Wilcox, "Feminist Perspectives on Globalization", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Spring 2020 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.). https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2020/entries/feminism-globalization/
Peter Vanham, “A Brief History of Globalization,” World Economic Forum (2019). https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/01/how-globalization-4-0-fits-into-the-history-of-globalization/
What COVID Vaccines Reveal: Myth & Reality of Post-Colonial Global Health, NYU School of Public Health (2021). https://publichealth.nyu.edu/events-news/events/featured-past-events/what-covid-vaccines-reveal-myth-reality-post-colonial
What is Globalization? And How Has the Global Economy Shaped the United States, Peterson Institute for International Economics (October 24, 2022). https://www.piie.com/microsites/globalization/what-is-globalization
World Economic Outlook: Countering the Cost-of-Living Crisis (Washington, DC: International Monetary Fund, 2022).

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 successfully finish 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. 

Assignments
Discussion Board: Global Issues ‘Respond and Reflect’ Posts     
Due: at the end of every week

Each week, there will be an article or topic (with summarized background) posted to the discussion board and you will be asked to demonstrate your understanding of the issue at hand and reflect on the broader implications inherent in the topic. This assignment will take the form of a discussion board, so you will need to be aware that you are not repeating ideas already shared by your classmates. You are, however, required to respond to at least one of your fellow students’ responses. 

Midterm                            
Demonstrate knowledge of key terms and concepts. 
Analysis Paper and Presentation: Impact project        
Paper: In a paper of around 1500 words, you will examine an important global topic from an interdisciplinary perspective. You will be required to describe the impacts (positive and/or negative) of this global issue or challenge and how it in turn interacts with other systems (ex. economic, environmental, political, cultural, etc.). 
Presentation: Using the global topic from your paper, you will be asked to focus on a single contemporary (2000-present) event, crisis, or manifestation of this topic. You will succinctly describe the event, its impacts, and the way that a “local” issue had global consequences. This presentation will include a slide deck and a brief (10 minute) presentation. Your instructor may allow you to prerecord these presentations. 

Participation
Students will need to come to class prepared. Both the attitude and the meaningfulness of the participation will be considered. 

Grade dissemination: 
During the first week, the students will be explained how they will learn of their grades from assignments and assessments.

IMPORTANT: the dates outlined for the exam, quizzes and delivery of the work, including the oral presentation if appropriate, are NON-MOVABLE except for FORCE MAJEURE. The exceptions will have to be approved by the professor and academic direction. 
If a student considers that there is a force majeure, he/she will have to show the document to the teacher at the time of the request. Without the corresponding document, any exception will be accepted. 
The following are considered forces of cause majeure: 
-    medical reasons
-    academic issues justified by the home university
-    safe issues (appointment at the consulate, embassy or police)
-    job interview
-    return to the country of origin due to the loss of a close relative

VI. Grading scale 
Final grades will be calculated according to the following scale:

    Grading 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    
Grade dispute: 
The deadline for claiming grades is 30 days from the receipt of the certificate at the university of origin.

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, 10 points will be taken off of the final 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. 

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 of harrassment or violence of any kind.