Readings

[NC] = Chanda, Nayan. Bound Together: How Traders, Preachers, Adventurers, and Warriors Shaped Globalization. Yale University Press, 2008. ISBN: 9780300136234. [Preview with Google Books]

[RI] = Indiana, Rita. Papi: A Novel. Translated by Achy Obejas. University of Chicago Press, 2016. ISBN: 9780226244891. Preview with [Google Books]

[JO] = Otsuka, Julie. The Buddha in the Attic. Anchor Books, 2012. ISBN: 9780307744425. [Preview with Google Books]

[BE] = Ehrenreich, Barbara, and Arlie Russell Hochschild, eds. Global Woman: Nannies, Maids, and Sex Workers in the New Economy. Holt Paperbacks, 2004. ISBN: 9780805075090.

SES #	TOPICS	READINGS
1	Introduction to course What do we mean by “globalization”? Listen to: Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi. “The Danger of a Single Story.” TEDGlobal.	[NC] Introduction & Ch. 1. Steger, Manfred. “Map 1. Early human migrations.” In Globalization: A Very Short Introduction. 2nd edition. Oxford University Press, 2009. ISBN: 9780199552269. [Preview with Google Books] Listen to the first 30 minutes of: Sen, Amartya. “The Idea of Identity.” Boston University Pardee Distinguished Lecture. November 27, 2001. YouTube. Chanda Sen Reading Guide
2	Discuss Chanda and Sen: the “big picture” of globalization	Adichie, Chimamanda. “Quality Street.” Guernica. February 1, 2010. Jarrar, Randa. “You Are a 14-Year-Old Arab Chick Who Just Moved to Texas.” Eyeshot.
3	Discuss “Quality Street” and “You Are a 14-Year-Old Arab Chick Who Just Moved to Texas” Globalization at the micro level: the family	Lahiri, Jhumpa. Interpreter of Maladies. Mariner Books, 1999, pp. 43–69. ISBN: 9780395927205. [Preview with Google Books] Alarcón, Daniel. “Third Avenue Suicide.” In War by Candlelight. Harper Perennial, 2006. ISBN: 9780060594800.
4	Discuss Lahiri and Alarcón Globalization: cultural mis-readings	Menocal, Maria Rosa. The Ornament of the World: How Muslims, Jews and Christians Created a Culture of Tolerance in Medieval Spain. Reprint edition. Back Bay Books, 2003, pp. 32–47, 72–87, 107–111, 126–129. ISBN: 9780316168717. Menocal Chanda Reading Guide
5	Discuss Menocal	Ahmed, Akbar. “What Andalusia Can Teach Us Today About Muslims and Non-Muslims Living Together.” Huffington Post. April 17, 2015. Wood, Graeme. “What ISIS Really Wants.” The Atlantic 315, no. 2 (2015): 78-94. “Sunnis and Shia: Islam’s Ancient Schism.” BBC News. January 4, 2016. [NC] Ch. 4. Chanda Ch. 4 Reading Guide
6	Discuss Chanda Ch. 4 and ISIS, the quest for a contemporary caliphate Elements of good writing: Joaquín	[NC] pp. 145–148, 160–170, 175–177, 185–194. Misuses of Logic Seven Tips for Reader-Friendly Writing Chanda Ch. 5 Reading Guide Chanda Ch. 6 Reading Guide
7	Discuss Chanda Ch.5–6 and “Gunga Din” Listen to: Connolly, Sarah. “Rule Brittania” (with lyric annotations). YouTube.	Chamoiseau, Patrick. “The Old Man Slave and the Mastiff.” In The Art of the Story: An International Anthology of Contemporary Short Stories. Edited by Daniel Halpern. Penguin Books, 2000. ISBN: 9780140296389.
8	Discuss Chamoiseau	[RI] Ch. 1–7.
9	Discuss Papi	[RI] Ch. 8–12.
10	Discuss Papi	Taylor, Timothy D. “Chapter 5: Strategic Inauthenticity.” In Global Pop: World Music, World Markets. Routledge, 1997. ISBN: 9780415918725. [Preview with Google Books] Tang, Patricia J. “Negotiating Performance in Senegalese Popular Music: Sound, Image, and the Ethnomusicologist as Exoticized ‘Other’.” Journal of Popular Music Studies, 17 (3), pp. 275–300.
11	Guest lecture by Prof. Patricia Tang on authenticy and music	Byrne, David. “Crossing Music’s Borders In Search of Identity: ‘I Hate World Music’.” The New York Times. October 3, 1999. Garofalo, Reebee. “Whose World, What Beat: The Transnational Music Industry, Identity, and Cultural Imperialism.” The World of Music 35, no. 2 (1993): 16–32. Discussion topics for music readings
12	Discuss Byrne and group projects Caravana visitors	[BE] pp. 154–168, 207–229.
13	Discuss “Because She Looks Like a Child” and the article “Selling Sex for Visas”	No assigned readings. Watch: Seeking Asian Female. 2012.
14	Discuss “Seeking Asian Female”	[JO] pp. 3–80.
15	Discuss The Buddha in the Attic	[JO] pp. 81–129.
16	Discuss remainder of The Buddha in the Attic	[BE] pp. 39–54.
17	Discuss “The Crisis of Care in the Philippines” Watch “Chain of Love” Short presentation on memos	[NC] pp. 219–243. Patton, Cindy. Globalizing Aids. University of Minnesota Press, 2002, pp. ix–xxvii, 27–34, 46–50, 73–81. Chanda Ch. 7 Reading Guide The Craft of Effective Oral Presentations (PDF). Courtesy of Jane Dunphy. Used with permission.
18	Work on group presentation memos Discuss Chanda and Patton	Undheim, Trond. “Ebola: The Dark Side of Globalization.” FORTUNE. October 20, 2014. Farmer, Paul. “Diary.” London Review of Books 36 no. 20 (2014): 38-39 Watch: Contagion. 2011.
19	Discuss “Contagion” and Ebola Work on team presentations	Farmer, Paul, David Walton, and Laura Tarter. “Infections and Inequalities.” Global Change and Human Health 1, no. 2 (2000): 94-109. Parsons, Marilyn. “We’ve Neglected Diseases Like the Zika Virus for Too Long.” TIME. January 26, 2016. Alter, Charlotte. “Why Latin American Women Can’t Follow the Zika Advice to Avoid Pregnancy.” TIME. January 28, 2016.
20	Discuss “Infection Inequalities” and Zika Presentation on oral presentations	Earle, Rebecca. “The Columbian Exchange.” In The Oxford Handbook of Food History. Edited by Jeffrey M. Pilcher. Oxford University Press, 2012. ISBN: 9780199729937. [Preview with Google Books] [NC] pp. 82–93.
21	Discuss “The Colombian Exchange” and Chanda Ch. 3	[NC] Ch. 2–3, 6. Chanda Ch. 3 Reading Guide Watch: No Logo. 2003.
22	Discuss Chanda and “No Logo”	Calmes, Jackie. “Trans-Pacific Partnership Is Reached, but Faces Scrutiny in Congress.” The New York Times. October 5, 2015. [NC] Ch. 8. Chanda Ch. 8 Reading Guide
23	Discuss EU, NAFTA, TPP	No assigned readings
24	Team Presentations	No assigned readings
25	Team Presentations	No assigned readings
26	Final Discussion	No assigned readings

Read Chanda, Ch. 3

What is the double-edged nature of globalization Chanda refers to on p.71?
Why does Chanda say that cotton has “the world inside?”
Why does Chanda say the same for coffee? What is fair-trade coffee?
Why does Chanda say the same for microchips?
What invention, according to Chanda, launched the Industrial Revolution?
What are the principal differences in globalized products today and in the 8th century? 19th century?
What are the principal differences in globalized products today and the twentieth century until 1959? Post 1959?
Look up the recent tragedies in Bangladesh manufacturing. Who is responsible? Global interests? The government?

Read Chanda, Ch. 4

Consider:

Chanda equates NGOs such as Human Rights Watch with missionaries since both are agents of globalization. What qualities do they share? How are they different?
Did your reading of Chanda change how you conceive of the role of missionaries? How?
Look carefully at the faces painted on the caves in Dunhuang, China and read “A Brief Introduction of Dunhuang” as well. Consider the role of missionaries as travelers and reporters.
What kinds of cultural bridges were formed by missionaries? Why were they often important in the resistance to colonialism?
What role did missionaries have in the anti slave movement?

Read Chanda, Ch. 5

Why can it be said that Seville gave birth to the modern era of globalization? (146)
Who was Magellan, when and where did he travel?
What accounts do we have prior to the 15th century of expeditions to Africa? (148-151)
When and where did the Chinese explorations take place? How did they differ from the European explorations? What were the most important Chinese engagements with other countries? (151-153)
When did Marco Polo travel? What motivated his trip? Why did his journeys have more impact than those of others who followed similar routes? What are some of the debates about his Description of the World? Do they matter? (154-156)
Religious motives pushed several early migrations. What was Voyages of Benjamin? Who was in Battuta? When, where and for how long did he travel? (156-159)
What were some of the most important events and who were some of the most important figures in New World exploration? How did Portugal acquire a spice monopoly? (159-161)
Trace the development of the slave trade. What caused the turn from open migration to barriers against immigration? (164-168)
What does Chanda mean when he says: “the direction of population movement was reversed.” (168-172)

Read Chanda, Ch. 6

How did Hong Kong come to be part of the British Empire ?What happened in 1997? What were some of the concerns about Hong Kong’s future?
On p.177 Chanda talks about Pax Americana: what does that mean?
What are some of the justifications states have offered to dominate other nations? Be sure to think about some of the American rhetoric on this theme.
Explain the phrase “white man’s burden.” What are some similar phrases? Who used that phrase first—has its use changed?
Explain the relationship of America’s mission of “saving the world from totalitarianism” to “white man’s burden.”
What does Chanda mean by “claims to universalism?” Can you name some?
On p.183 Chanda says “the warfare of the first imperialist ruler, Sargon of Akkad…was driven by a search for booty and tribute.” Figure out who Sargon of Akkad was (great cocktail conversation starter.) Did the motivation for modern imperialism change? Give some examples.
Chanda attributes the development of the Spanish and British empires to greed and envy. Do you agree? Why?
Why does Chanda characterize empires as history’s most effective genetic blender? Give some examples.
What is reverse migration in empires? Can you think of some examples?
How does Lord Maccaulay’s quote on the bottom of p.193 “We must at present do our best to form a class who may be interpreters between us and the millions whom we govern: a class of person, Indian in blood and colour, but English in taste, in opinions, in morals, and in intellect” fit with what you learned from reading Lewis? What kinds of problems might such an interpreter have?
What does Braudel’s “space, the enemy number one” (206) mean in an imperial context?

Read Chanda, Ch. 7

(211-214)

What are some of the differences between the slave trade in the 17th Century and the global trading of human beings today?
What were some of the factors that led to an increase in human trade?
What are some additional human catastrophes brought by globalization?

(216-222)

Think about the history of slavery. What different roles did slaves play in the Roman Empire? Early Modern Europe? The Middle East?
Were you surprised that the Abbasid’s imported Ethiopian slaves? Why? What were some of the roles slaves played in the Abbasid Empire?
How did the sugar trade change and expand slavery? Does slavery exist today?

(222-224)

What are some ways in which slavery changed the scale of production?
Think about the extent of African slavery: to what parts of the world were African slaves brought?
What is the relationship between slave trade and mass consumption?
What countries profited most from the slave trade?

(225-227)

In what ways did slaves in Asian towns differ from those in European ones?
What were some of the consequences of the slave trade in Africa?
How did the slave trade promote globalization in Africa itself?
How is Brazilian culture shaped by the slave trade?

(228-236)

What were some of the earliest diseases transmitted by globalization?
What were some of the consequences of the Black Death on groups such as Jews?
What medical advances were spurred on by the quick spread of disease in a globalized setting?
What are some of the more recent global medical plagues?

(236-243)

How have computer viruses “mutated?”
How have computer viruses changed the way we communicate?
How are viruses used by criminals?

Is globalization synonymous with slavery?

Read Chanda, Ch. 8

(245-250)

Why have outsourcing and offshoring become buzzwords when globalization is mentioned?
Explain the acronyms: GATT, IMF, NAFTA, WTO, MFA
How did “global brands” begin? Which ones do you buy?

(250-256)

What does protectionism, as Chanda uses it, mean?
How did the quest for global markets change advertising?
What were some of the major economic changes that accompanied globalization in the 1980s?

(256-262)

What was the “golden age” of globalization in the 1990s?
What were some of the “downsides” of globalization?
What was the importance of July 2, 1997?

(262-269)

What were some of the steps that turned “globalization” into a dirty word?
What is the WSF? Why is it important?
How is 9/11 linked to globalization?
Why did “outsourcing” replace “globalization” as the favorite topic in the early 21st century?

For Session 2:

Required: Listen to the first 25 minutes of Sen’s talk. Consider:

What are some of the problems engendered by thinking of globalization as a Western phenomenon? Why does Sen see such categorization as wrong?

If you want to continue listening to the Sen lecture (not required):

25-45 minutes: Why does Sen reject interpretations of globalization as “good” or “bad” for the poor of the world?

46-52 minutes: In the 1960s, South Korea and Ghana had relatively similar and underdeveloped economies. South Korea zoomed ahead in the following decades, while Ghana’s economy barely improved over the same time period.

To what does Sen attribute this difference?

Required: Read Chanda: Intro and Ch. 1. Consider:

What role do you—as part of your family—have in global history?

Chanda shows the journey of his ancestors on the map on p. 12. Can anyone in the class trace the journey of his/her ancestors?

What are some of the theories about why the first humans left Africa?

Using what you have read, do you think early human migration was a conscious effort to move from one place to another? Why? Why not?

What template or categories will Chanda use to examine globalization? Explain.

On Session 11, Prof. Patty Tang of Music and Theater Arts will be in class with us to discuss world music and authenticity. The assignment for the next session is to read Prof. Tang’s article “Negotiating Performance in Senegalese Popular Music,” Byrne’s “I Hate World Music” and Garofalo’s “Whose World, What Beat.”

As you read these articles, think about the quote on Youssou N’Dour’s promotional t-shirt:

“The most important thing we own is our culture. Don’t trade away your culture for anything in the world.”

What does this mean in terms of world music? Other arts?

Read: selections from Menocal: The Ornament of the World

Consider:

What were some of the cultural characteristics of Al-Andalus?
What was going on in Christian Europe between the fall of classical civilization and the end of the Middle Ages (more or less 1492)?
What were some of the competing Moslem groups?
What new forms of hybrid groups emerged?
Think about: “The enemy of my enemy is my friend” as a political philosophy:does it still exist today? Consider examples. (Taliban, Shah of Iran, Battista in Cuba)
Why was the battle “Las Navas de Tolosa” important?
Why did the “spell of Arabic” take over Al-Andalus? What was Latin associated with? What is Mozarabic?
Why were the “ring songs” (lyrical songs) so important? How did they break the rules of classical Arabic poetry; why were the refrains important?

Read: Chanda, Ch. 2

Consider:

Chanda and Menocal describe multi-cultural universes linked through trade. How do you predict the emergence of rapid transportation and the electronic revolution will change cultural diasporas?
Why was the evolution of the “Arabian saddle” crucial for trade between 500 BCE and 200 BC?
What was the Silk Road? Where did it go? Why was it important?
Why did the speed of boats remain stable between 1st century CE and 1780? How did that affect cultural exchange?
Who was Ben Yiju? Why was his story important?
What are government chartered trading companies? Why is their emergence important? (think of the British and Dutch East India Company)
What inventions speeded world trade?
How did the invention of bills of exchange change commerce? When was the first credit card invented?
When was the bar code invented? Why was it crucial for international trade?
HTML, lasers, fiber-optics, computers=24 hr. a day marketplaces—virtual trade: will this change cultural exchange?

Begging the question: to prejudge an issue by using loaded language or stating something that is self-evident.

E.g., “It is inadvisable to let hardened criminals out of prison prematurely so they can renew their war on society.”

“The policy of releasing prisoners on probation probably has not justified the social risks it involves.”

Either/Or reasoning: to unfairly limit the options available.

E.g., “We must legalize abortion or the world will become disastrously overpopulated.”

Post hoc, ergo propter hoc (After this, therefore becauase of this): to claim, with no evidence, that y followed x, therefore x caused y.

E.g., “I must be a good influence. The day I started work at ABC Investments, the company’s stocks rose.”

Generalization: to make large claims based on insufficient data.

E.g., “The only two redheads I worked with were over 6 feet tall. All redheads must be tall.”

False analogy: To assume that two circumstances or ideas are alike in all respects.

E.g., “She’ll make a great Secretary of Agriculture—she’s lived on a farm all her life!”

Non sequitur: to mistake an interference for a logically sound conclusion.

E.g., “Serendipity State U. has a new library, pool and Science Center. Enrollments are definitely going to increase.”

Self-contradictions: to include in an argument mutually exclusive premises.

E.g., “The government should control this unmanageable situation.”

Confusion between fact and value judgment: to fail to distinguish between what can be observed, measured and tested—a fact—and our attitude to the fact—value judgment. Both are important, but they should not be confused.

E.g., “Your hair is long (fact). I don’t like your hair long (judgment).”

“Your hair is too long (≠ fact).”

Ignoring the question, or rambling: to present details or facts that do not support the thesis.

E.g., “We should do more to help the poor help themselves. Of course, the Bible says we’ll always have the poor with us, even though it doesn’t say we should give them everything we have.”

Ad hominem (“To the person”): to try to disprove an argument by attacking the person who presents it.

E.g., “John Doe is allegedly an adulterer and a liar; his arguments against sales tax are worthless.”

Ad populum (“to the people”): to appeal to popular emotions, prejudices or beliefs.

E.g., “The American people are generous, compassionate and freedom-loving. To reflect the will of the people, immigration laws should be abolished.”

Bandwagon: to argue that the “crowd must be right.”

E.g., “This novel has been #1 on the best-seller list for weeks. You must read it!”

Appeal to prestige: to rely in an argument on testimony of famous people, rather than on facts.

E.g., “Tiger Woods eats this cereal, so it is better than others.”

Ambiguity: to make a claim in which the meaning is unclear because more than one interpretation is possible.

E.g., “John McCain likes Bush better than his wife.”

Equivocation: to use a word or expression in two different senses within the same argument.

E.g., “Americans believe that we have a right to pursue happiness, and we should do what is right. So, let’s make happiness our goal in life.” (“right” has two meanings)

Below are guidelines for fine-tuning your writing. Each rule is followed by a sample sentence that needs revision.

Use active verbs whenever possible.

Not: The data are indicative of the problem.

But:
Keep subjects and verbs as close together as possible.

Not: Dr. Simmons, because she was concerned about safety, recommended additional supervision of the pediatric ward.

But:
Place each modifier next to the word or phrase it modifies.

Not: Other issues were considered at the final stages of the planning meeting of lesser importance.

But:
Avoid long sentences.

Not: Social Entrepreneurship is the adoption of a market-driven mindset by a not-for-profit organization in order to balance the need for fiscal responsibility and sustainability while maximizing its social impact through the pursuit of earned income opportunities as part of an overall revenue strategy.

But:
Use explicit transitions for readers’ ease of movement.

Not: Companies wanting to attract new clients to the area are concerned by the rising crime rates. Car break-ins have increased by 20% in the last two years.

But:
Eliminate wordiness.

Avoid descriptions of your thought process.

Not: When I first broached this subject, I expected to be supportive of the new approach outlined in this report. However, the more I studied the situation, the more I saw how profoundly flawed the proposed policy is.

But:

Be concise and modern; use simple language.

Not: Many of the top tier universities have come to the considered opinion that the continuous tuition increases over the last ten years are not going to be able to continue because of strong resistance from many Americans to the soaring price of higher education.

But:

Avoid redundancies

Not: Each and every operator must participate in the new training program before they operate the equipment.

But:

Avoid “There is/are…”; “It is…” constructions

Not: It is common knowledge that it has been shown that it is bad economic policy for the federal government to run a large deficit.

But:

Learn and use the conventions for incorporating numbers into text.

Do not begin a sentence with a numeral.

Not: 60% of water treatment plants in rural Saskatchewan are operating inefficiently.

But:

With the exception of statistical data (ages, addresses, dates, measurements, page numbers, scores, ratios), spell out all numerals under eleven that are embedded in text.
Use the numerical form for numbers above ten.

Not: The proposed changes to the federal retirement policies will take place in three stages over 5 years.

But:

Appropriately punctuate numerals and numeral-word combinations (when numerals are used as modifiers).

Not: The new building will have as its centerpiece a two thousand square foot granite atrium.

But:

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Globalization: The Good, the Bad and the In-Between

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