Spring

2013 240 McGilvrey Hall 12:30-1:45 p.m. MW

Dr. Jennifer Mapes 439 McGilvrey Hall jmapes@kent.edu

Geography of the Global Economy GEOG 44010/54010/74010

This course examines global economic issues from a geographic perspective, with a focus on themes of: Global connections, uneven development, and economic decision-making at the international scale. At the center of any study of a global economy is the emergence, influence, and changing and contested character of globalization. Of equal importance are outcomes: how is it that despite a world that is increasingly flat (according to Thomas Friedman), quality of life continues to vary so greatly between regions, countries, and urban vs. rural areas? We will consider multiple explanations for uneven development, and varying perspectives on responding to global poverty. And finally, we will study global economic actors: economic power of individual countries, but also multinational corporations, global economic institutions like the International Monetary Fund and World Bank and supranational organizations like the United Nations and European Union. While our topic is inherently spatial, the course is organized over time. We begin with a discussion of how global economic connections emerged (the past), then discuss how these connections manifest today (the present), and move on to consider how geographers and economists expect global connectivity to affect economic, environmental, social, and political relations and outcomes in the future. This is a writing-intensive course. There are no exams, however, you will be expected to show your competency in the material covered through your written submissions and in-class discussions.

Course objectives
Be able to define and explain the characteristics of economic globalization and how they have changed over time. Provide a critical assessment of the political economy of uneven resource distribution Explain and analyze colonial history and its connections to present day economic differences. Describe the indicators and spatial patterns of global poverty, the challenges (traps) of changing these patterns, and global and local efforts to find solutions. Analyze the role of global institutions that affect the worlds economy and the everyday lives of ordinary people. Explain the causes and effects of the global economic crisis at multiple scales. New thinking on how we measure economic success and the role of environmental factors in this assessment. Assess the future role of economic institutions and individual countries in the global economy. 1

Course readings
Course readings will be available on Blackboard and elsewhere online. (There is no required text). The New York Times is also required reading. Options for subscription will be discussed in class.

Course Schedule
Date Jan. 14 Topic & Key Questions Introduction to Geography & the Global Economy Writing & this class Readings

Jan. 16

Jan. 21 Jan. 23

MLK Day: no class Early global interactions

Jan. 28

The colonial project

Jan. 30

Post-colonialism

Feb. 4

Global resources

Feb. 6

Global resources

Op-Ed writing website Abstract examples Case study: Examples of an Op-Ed and Abstract from Annals of AAG Osterhammel & Petersson: Globalization: a Short History (excerpt) Friday: Op-Ed Deconstruction Due Porter & Sheppard: The Historical Geography of Colonialism & the Slave Trade Porter & Sheppard: Colonialism as Spatial and Labor Control System Yeoh: Post-colonialism Aoyama et al.: Core/Periphery Porter & Sheppard: The End of Colonialism and the Promise of Free Trade Case study: Persistent inequality after independence Friday: Op-Ed Porter & Sheppard: The Earths Crust as Resource McNeil: The Biosphere: Forests, Fish, and Invasions Maas: Crude World (excerpt) Case study: the burden or curse of resource
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Feb. 11

Feb. 13

Globalization in the 20 Century Globalization in the 20th Century Globalization in the 21st Century Globalization in the 21st Century

th

Feb. 18 Feb. 20

unevenness Friedman: The Lexus and the Olive Tree (excerpt) Rivoli: The Travels of a T-shirt (excerpt) Case study: following a global commodity chain Friedman: The World is Flat (excerpt) Massey: A Global Sense of Place Case study: Examples of a flat world, or a non-flat world Friday: Op-Ed Stutz & Warf: International Trade and Investment Peet: Unholy Trinity (excerpt) Case study: IMF, WB, UN, WTO in the news Friday: Op-Ed Sachs: The End of Poverty (excerpt) Collier: On Missing the Boat Sachs: The End of Poverty (excerpt) Collier: The Bottom Billion (excerpt) Easterly: The White Mans Burden (excerpt) Case study: Bring an example of a millennium goal assessed Friday: Op-Ed Glass: Giant Pool of Money (listen, or read the transcript) Stiglitz: Freefall (excerpt) Krugman on Fixing the Global Economy Case study: examples of the effects of the recession from across the globe. What does this mean for peoples everyday lives? Porter & Sheppard: Transnational Production
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Feb. 25 Feb. 27

Institutions & Trade Institutions & Trade: Critiques

Mar. 4 Mar. 6

Challenges of Global Poverty Solutions to Global Poverty

Mar. 11

The Global Recession

Mar. 13

The Global Recession

Mar. 18

The Wal-Mart Effect

Mar. 20

The Wal-Mart Effect: In reverse?

Mar. 25 & 27 Apr. 1 Apr. 3

No Class: Spring Recess Sustainability Sustainability

Fishman: Who Knew Shopping Was So Important? Fishman: The Man Who Said No to Wal-Mart Fishman: Salmon, Shirts, and the Meaning of Low Prices Fishman: Has Wal-Mart Found Its Soul? Fishman: The Squeeze Fishman: Epilogue: Peoria Friday: Op-Ed

Apr. 8 & 10 Apr. 15 Apr. 17

Apr. 22 Apr. 24 Apr. 29 May 1 May 8

Collier: The Plundered Planet (excerpt) Hawken et al.: Natural Capitalism (excerpt) Bernstein: Environment, Economy, and Global Environmental Governance Case study: Accounting for externalities Friday: Op-Ed No Class: AAG Work on draft papers The future of China in the Jacques: When China Rules the World (excerpt) Global Economy The future of the U.S. in Moon: The United States & Globalization the Global Economy Fishman: The Insourcing Boom Davidson: Making It in America Draft papers due The future of(grad TBA student lecture) The future of. (grad TBA student lecture) The future of. (grad TBA student lecture) Writing workshop The future of Discussion of undergraduate research papers. Be prepared to explain your topic and answer questions.

Course assessment
Course achievement (and thus, assessment) is not just about effort, nor is it just about memorizing definitions. Not only should you put in effort and know the material, you should be able to communicate key concepts in writing, and be able to use what youve learned to critically analyze additional information. Assessment includes your ability not just to understand the material, but also to follow directions, problem-solve, and think creatively. Participation (15%) You must participate during each class in order to receive full credit. Because there are no exams in this class, participation and engagement are essential for my assessment of your understanding of the material. This is not a class where you will be able to attend anonymously. Attendance is required. You do not receive credit for attending but you will lose credit for multiple unexcused absences (up to an additional 10% off your final grade). Unexcused tardiness or early departures will also affect your grade. If you attend but do not participate and/or engage in distracting classroom behavior, you will not earn credit toward your participation grade. Case studies (10%) Bring a news article (must be posted online, cut out, printed out, or previously written up on a piece of paper not just in your head, and not written during class) to class that relates to your assigned reading for the day (see notes in Course Schedule). Be prepared to discuss the article in the context of the class. You will receive credit for bringing an article that relates to the topic described and the second credit for describing it in class. Please be sure that your article relates to class, as it is awkward for both of us when it does not relate to the material being discussed. Feel free to email me to check on this before class. Op-Eds (40%: 10% each; one required, three chosen from the list below) Op-Eds are essays published in newspapers (or other media) that reflect the informed opinion of an individual. Op-ed is short for opposite the editorial page, which is where they are typically published in print newspapers. Unlike editorials, which are written by the newspapers staff and do not have a byline, op-eds are written by individuals who are typically experts in their field. In their essay, they reference research done on the topic that they are writing about. In this class, you will learn the structure and content of an op-ed and write several on topics related to the material published in class. Further instructions will be distributed in class and posted on Blackboard. YOU MUST SUBMIT: a deconstruction of 3 op-eds chosen from the last year and related to global and/or economic topics. (Jan. 25) 5

AND THREE of the following: A. An op-ed about the post-colonial legacy in a specific country. (Feb. 1) B. An op-ed about the effects of a globalized economy on a specific group of people (Feb. 22) C. An op-ed about the role of the WB, IMF, or WTO in a specific recent deal or decision (Mar. 1) D. An op-ed about a solution targeted a particular Millennium Goal (Mar. 8) E. An op-ed about the role of MNCs in global labor practices or environmental responsibility (Mar. 22) F. An op-ed that argues for/against a specific type of global economics that accounts for one of the 3 Es of sustainability. (April 5) Research paper on the future of a global economic topic from a geographic perspective Abstract (5%) Outline/annotated bibliography (5%) Draft required for final draft grade Final draft (25%) Note: Late submissions will be reduced by a letter grade per day. Medical or family emergencies must be documented, and follow the communication policy listed below. This is the course grading policy, based on the university policy of assessment:
Letter grade Letter to # translation 95 92 88 85 82 78 75 72 68 65 60 or less # to Letter translation 92.5-100 89.5-92.4 86.5-89.4 82.5-86.4 79.5-82.4 76.5-79.4 72.5-76.4 69.5-72.4 66.5-69.4 59.5-66.4 <59.4 University policy of assessment

A A- B+ B B- C+ C C- D+ D F

Excellent scholarship Good performance Fair or average performance Poor (unsatisfactory but passing) performance Failure

Electronic communication policy

The best way to communicate with me is always in person. See me before or after class, or during my office hours (Tuesday and Thursday, 9 a.m. to noon), or by appointment. My emails I will post non-pressing announcements on Blackboard and discuss them in class. Any time- sensitive announcements will be sent to your school address. If you are having trouble accessing your school address, please let me know. Otherwise, I will expect you to receive my message during regular business hours. Similarly, I will check my email during business hours (M-F, 8 am to 5 pm), but not necessarily on nights and weekends. Please do not expect an immediate response. If I have not responded to your email within 48 hours, a polite reminder email is fine.

Your emails Please send emails from an address associated with your real name. Yahoo, Hotmail, and Gmail accounts may not be recognizable as student emails and may be ignored. Follow proper email etiquette. This includes an informative subject line, a salutation (Dear Professor Mapes, or Dear Dr. Mapes, or just Professor Mapes,), your full name, and what class you are in. I do not answer questions that are answered on the syllabus or Blackboard (such as, What did I miss? or What are your office hours? or Where is your office? or How much was the exam worth?). Please check there first! If you miss class: Feel free to send me an email explaining why you missed class and providing documentation if you have it, but you dont have to unless you miss a due date. Please do not ask What did I miss? this is on the syllabus if you miss class, do the reading, look through the class Prezi, and ask a classmate for notes. If you may miss a due date: Contact me to explain the circumstances BEFORE the assignment is due. If you provide proper documentation/explanation, I may offer an extension. Please dont be afraid to ask! I cannot give extensions after the assignment is due. I also cannot help you the night that an online assignment is due. Be sure to contact me before the end of the business day if you have questions or problems.

Blackboard Announcements may be posted to Blackboard, but will also be made in class. If you miss class, check Blackboards announcements and read through additions to the class Prezi.

Course Policies
Academic Honesty: Use of the intellectual property of others without attributing it to them is considered a serious academic offense. Cheating or plagiarism will result in a failing grade for the work or for the entire course. Repeat offenses result in dismissal from the University. University guidelines require that all infractions be reported to the Student Conduct Officer on our campus. Academic dishonesty includes (but is not limited to): Copying from others, without quotes and/or proper works cited (footnotes/parenthetical documentation) Failure to cite your references, even with quotation marks or rewording, including concepts and images. Properly referenced work, but with only one or two words changed in sentences that are not your own. Copying an outline/organization for the paper from a friend or online source Submitting someone elses work, or recycling your own work from another class or assignment. Classroom Behavior: The following activities are not acceptable and may result in a grade reduction or withdrawal from the course: Tardiness or early departure. Do not schedule work, other classes, doctor appointments, etc. during this class. Please use the restroom, your phone, and get a drink before or after class. You are expected to attend for the entire class. Texting or internet surfing. Yes, I can see the phone in your hand under the desk. Yes, I can see when you are not taking notes and are instead checking Facebook. It is distracting to me, and to your fellow students. Please avoid the temptation to multitask by not having your phone or laptop out during class. Students with Disabilities: University policy 3-01.3 requires that students with disabilities be provided reasonable accommodations to ensure their equal access to course content. If you have a documented disability and require accommodations, please contact the instructor at the beginning of the semester to make arrangements for necessary classroom adjustments. Please note, you must first verify your eligibility for these through Student Accessibility Services (contact 330-672-3391 or visit www.kent.edu/sas for more information on registration procedures). Class Cancellations & Campus Closings: Announcements of class cancellations and/or campus closings will be made on the campus homepage. In the case of an emergency, weather-related or otherwise, please check the website at kent.edu for information on the buildings and times of the closing. While information may be broadcast by radio and television, this should be confirmed by the website, which is the official announcement of the campus and which will be the information used to determine issues related to student attendance, rescheduling of tests, and other concerns. Registration & Withdrawal: The official registration deadline for this course is Jan. 20 (note that this is a Sunday). University policy requires all students to be officially registered in each class they are attending. Students who are not officially registered for a course by published deadlines should not be attending classes and will not receive credit or a grade for the course. Each student must confirm enrollment by checking his/her class schedule (using Student Tools in FlashLine) prior to the deadline indicated. Registration errors must be corrected prior to the deadline. 8