Office Hours: Tuesdays 2:30-4:30
Media Center 206
pchakrav@weber.ucsd.edu

Purpose of Course

One of the most popular terms at the beginning of the 21st century is 'globalization,' which generally refers to a process of unprecedented cultural and economic integration resulting from rapid changes in technology and world politics. The idea of a borderless 'global marketplace' of consumers participating in a common culture of global brands for goods services news, entertainment and lifestyles. We might think of the popularity of Baywatch in unlikely places, the ubiquity of McDonalds from Buenos Aires to Beijing, or closer to home, the 'made in' Third World labels of our favorite shoes and clothes.

How do we make sense of this rapid flow of global consumer culture across national borders? What is the role of corporations and governments in shaping the terms of these flows? How do these flows of money, people, culture and goods and services work in practice? How do these flows affect the lives of the majority of regular people consuming and producing in the global marketplace?

This course critically examines the social and economic forces that shape the making of this new global consumer culture by following the flows of consumption and production between the 'developed' and 'developing' worlds in the 1990s. Specifically, we will consider how consumers, workers and citizens participate in a new globalized consumer culture that challenges older distinctions between the 'First' and the 'Third World'. In this course, we will empirically focus on the flows between the US, Asia and Latin America.

On-Line Resources

* http://epinet.org/subjectpages/trade.html
Economic Policy Institute, Progressive Think Tank with Links to Research on Trade and Globalization

* http://www.focusweb.org/Links/Linksindex.htm
Focus on the Global South, Progressive Think Tank with Links to Trade Related Issues

* http://www.corporatewatch.org
Corporate Watch, Public Interest Organization with Links to Research on Corporate Practice & Campaigns

* http://globalexchange.org/
Global Exchange, Human Rights Organization with Links to On-going Campaigns for Economic and Social Justice

* http://www.corporations.org/
Students Environmental Action Coalition, Corporate Accountability Project with Links to Research on Corporate Practice & Campaigns

* http://www.nautilus.org/cap/index.html
California Global Corporate Accountability Project, Research Organization with Links to Research on Corporate Practice

* http://home.sprintmail.com/~jeffnkari/USAS/
United Students Against Sweatshops, International Coalition Against Sweatshop Labor with Links to Current Campaigns

Assignments and Exams

In-Class Midterm: 30%
Thursday, October 19th
Short Answer Exam

Final Exam: 40%
Thursday, December 7th
Essay Exam

Web-Based Group Research Project: 20%
In groups of five students, you will write a 10 page (double spaced) report on the subject of corporate globalization or new global alliances. More detailed instructions to be given out in class in Week 6. Projects are due on Week 9, November 9th, end of class. You will also present your group projects to the class on the same day.

Participation/Readings: 10%
You will be expected to post 5 brief (1-2 double spaced pages) summaries of the class readings highlighting the main arguments made in the week's readings to the class discussion list. You may choose any 5 weeks that interest you. These summaries should be posted no later than Thursday, 6:00 PM. For example, summaries for week 2 readings are due September 28th, by 6:00 p.m.

Required Texts

Books Available at Groundworks Books and on Reserve at Giesel Library

Development and Social Change: A Global Perspective, Philip McMichael, 1996.

Globalization and its Discontents, Saskia Sassen, 1999.

*No Sweat! Fashion Free Trade and the Rights of Garment Workers, Andrew Ross (Ed.), 1997.

Globalize This!: The Battle Against The World Trade Organization, Kevin Danaher & Roger Burbach (Editor), 2000.

CLASS READER

Reader Available through University Reader Printing Services (619) 540-8789 and on Reserve at Geisel Library

* Also Available through Reader Service (Because Book is Currently Out of Print)

Week 1: Globalization & Consumer Culture--Introduction

Sept 21: Introduction

Readings:
* Development and Social Change: A Global Perspective, Philip McMichael, Chapter 1, Chapter 2
* Globalization and its Discontents, Saskia Sassen, Chapter 1

Week 2: The History of Globalization

September 26th: Colonialism, Development and Globalization

September 28th: Export-Oriented Development: Asia and Latin America

Readings:
* Development and Social Change: A Global Perspective, Philip McMichael, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, 5, 6.

Week 3: Gender Work and Consumption October 3rd: New Markets and New Workers

October 5th: New Markets and New Consumers

Readings:
* Globalization and its Discontents, Saskia Sassen , Chapter 3, & 6
* 'Women Workers and Capitalist Scripts: Ideologies of Domination, Common Interests and the Politics of Ideology', Chandra Talpade Mohanty.
* 'What's in a Dress? Brides in the Hui quarter of Xi'an', Maris Gillette..

Week 4: Globalization and Place

October 10th: Global Cities and the New Rich

October 12th: Globalization in Practice: Consumption and Place

Readings:
* Globalization and its Discontents, Saskia Sassen, Chapters 9
* 'The New Rich in Asia', Richard Robinson and David Goodman
* 'The New Middle Class' (in India), Ashok Mitra.
* 'Of Hamburger and Social Space: Consuming McDonalds in Beijing', Yunxiang Yan.
* 'Mass Consumption and Urban Contest in Brazil: some Reflections on Lifestyle and Class', Geert Baanck

Week 5: Virtual and Real Global Flows

October 17th: Globalization in Practice: The Grey Middle

October 19th: IN-CLASS MIDTERM

Readings:
* 'What in the World is Going On?', Kevin Robbins

Week 6: Corporate Globalization in Practice

October 24th: The New Rules of Corporate Governance

**Group Project Instructions Given Out**

October 26th: Fashion and Free Trade: History and Future

Readings:
* Globalization and its Discontents, Saskia Sassen, Chapter 7
* No Sweat! Fashion Free Trade and the Rights of Garment Workers, Andrew Ross. Pages 1-38 & 151-172.

Week 7: Corporate Accountability

October 31st: The Maquilas Next Door

November 2nd: Connecting Consumers and Producers

Readings:
* No Sweat! Fashion Free Trade and the Rights of Garment Workers, Andrew Ross. Pages 39-77 & 79-149.

Week 8: Corporate Accountability Continued

November 7th: New Media: New & Old Strategies

November 9th: New Alliances: Students, Unions, Environmentalists and Beyond

Readings:
* No Sweat! Fashion Free Trade and the Rights of Garment Workers, Andrew Ross 173-226 & 227-296.

Week 9: The New Rules of Globalization

November 14th: The WTO & The Politics of Pro- & Anti-WTO Positions

November 16th: Group Presentations **Web-Based Research Project Due**

Readings:
* Globalize This!: The Battle Against The World Trade Organization, Kevin Danaher & Roger Burbach. Introduction & Chapters 1-12 & Chapters 14-17

Week 10: Globalization from Below?

November 28th: Regulating the Global Economy

November 30th: Citizens Versus Consumers: A New Cosmopolitics or the Same Old Problems?

Readings:
* Globalize This!: The Battle Against The World Trade Organization, Kevin Danaher & Roger Burbach. Chapters 19-26.
* 'Labor Standards in Multilateral Trade Agreements: An Overview'. Ashim Roy.
* Globalization and its Discontents, Saskia Sassen, Chapter 10