Global Issues & Society - IDST 2205
Dr. Derek Alderman
Meeting Place and Time: Arts & Sciences 2-72; Tues. 5:30-7:20 PM
Alderman=s Office: 2-25 A&S; 445-4691; dalderma@mail.gcsu.edu;
Ofc. Hrs.: M-Th 10-11 AM (or by appt.)
Required Textbooks and Activities:
*Global Issues 1999/2000 (15th ed.) edited by Robert M. Jackson (Dushkin/McGraw-Hill, 1999)
*Additional Readings and events may be assigned in class
* Text is available at the bookstore and should be bought promptly because you will need them immediately and supplies may not last.
Course Description:
Global Issues & Society (IDST 2205) is a thematic course addressing contemporary global concerns that may require a relatively uniform global solution, especially as we approach the transition to the 21st century. Issues to be explored include economic and social development, women=s and family issues, international and regional conflict, cultural diversity and multiculturalism, health and disease, food and subsistence technologies, population, pollution, and the environment. This course will be approached primarily from a geographical perspective. That is, we will look at the above issues as they relate to human culture, the place of humans in the world, and the spatial distributions of human cultural and social phenomena. Since many of the topics to be covered are controversial (at least in part), this class is bound to be exciting and thought provoking. Students in the modern world must be prepared to face up to the ramifications of mass human behavior and they must also learn to formulate their own ideas and opinions regarding how to deal with such complex global issues.
Course Objectives:
1. To develop an appreciation for differences among people and cultures.
2. To develop a sense of world mindedness.
3. To develop an awareness of the different ways people inhabit, modify, and adapt culturally to natural environments.
4. To develop the ability to understand and react to complex international and intercultural issues.
5. To develop an awareness and understanding of other cultures, countries, and peoples from cultural, social, geographic, political, economic, and other points of view.
6. To develop an understanding of global social and economic development.
7. To develop an understanding of health and family issues across the globe.
8. To develop an understanding of global conflict and diversity.
9. To develop an understanding of issues related to world governance.
10. To develop intercultural problem solving strategies.
11. To develop the ability to think logically and critically, and to apply knowledge from multiple disciplines to many different contexts.
12. To develop the ability to locate, identify, and use sources of information from multiple disciplines to address global problems.
13. To read various texts on global issues and to address those issues verbally and in writing.
Course Requirements and Grading Procedure:
This class uses the 10 Point Grading Scale (90-100=A, 80-89=B, 70-79=C, 60-69=D, 59 and below=F). Absences will affect your GPA in this class. Missed quizzes or exams due to unexcused absences can not be made up. Excuses must be signed by a doctor or other official giving a valid explanation for the absence. Students should contact instructor within 24 hours of missed exam. Instructor determines method of make-up if one is allowed.
5% of your grade is based on ATTENDANCE/PARTICIPATION
5% of your grade is based on CLASS PROJECT
30% of your grade is based on TEST 1
30% of your grade is based on TEST 2
30% of your grade is based on the FINAL EXAM
100% : TOTAL POSSIBLE PERCENTAGE POINTS
IDST 2205 COURSE SCHEDULE*
Students should complete assigned readings before coming to class!!
Bring Textbook AND CALCULATOR to Class Everyday.
T 1/11/2000 Bureaucratic and Administrative Details. Introduction to Global Issues.
T 1/18/2000 Read: Global Issues, Ch. 10, 15, 16, 17 (What is Globalization?)
The Global Challenge
The Complexities and Contradictions of Globalization
Prosper or Perish?
An Illusion of Our Time
T 1/25/2000 Read: Global Issues, Ch. 5, 6, 21, 30 (Population Issues & Russia)
Before the Next Doubling
Worldwide Development or Population Explosion: Our Choice
Russia's Summer of Discontent
Russian Foreign Policy
T 2/1/2000 Read: Global Issues, Ch. 8, 9 (Population & Food Production)
How Much Food Will We Need in the 21st Century?
Angling for Aquaculture
T 2/8/2000 Read: Global Issues, Ch. 19, 20, 22, 23 (Development & Economic Issues)
Fallen Idol
America and the Euro Gamble
A New Tiger; Africa Rising
T 2/15/2000 TEST 1 (on all material covered prior to this date)
T 2/22/2000 Read: Global Issues, Ch. 36, 37, 26, 7 (Issues of Disease and Human Hazards)
Peace Prize Goes to Land-Mine Opponents
Child Labour: Rights, Risks, and Realities
The New Arms Race: Lights Weapons and International Security
Refugees: The Rising Tide
T 2/29/2000 Disease and Human Hazards Continued
T 3/7/2000 Read: Global Issues, Ch. 11, 12, 14, 40 (Environmental Values)
The Great Climate Flip-Flop
Stumped by Trees
We Can Build a Sustainable Economy
The Future of Energy
T 3/14/2000 Environmental Values Continued…
T 3/21/2000 TEST 2 (Covers material since TEST 1)
T 3/28/2000 No Class (Spring Break)
T 4/4/2000 Guest Speaker (TBA)
T 4/11/2000 Read: Global Issues, Ch. 25, 27, 33, 35 (Emerging Political Order)
The Post-Modern State and the World Order
Ethnic Conflict: Think Again
The First Fifty Years
Justice Goes Global
T 4/18/2000 Read: Global Issues, Ch. 42 (Women=s Issues)
Women in Power: From Tokenism to Critical Mass
**Class Projects Due at Beginning of Period
T 4/25/2000 Read: Global Issues, Ch. 2, 38 (Values and Visions)
The Many Faces of the Future
Universal Human Values: Finding an Ethical Common Ground
Tuesday 5/2/2000 FINAL EXAM 5:30-8:15 PM.
*This schedule is an outline of planned course activities which may be modified as necessary.
Note: If you have any visual, auditory, or learning disability, it is YOUR responsibility to notify the instructor at the beginning of the course.
Reminder: Academic dishonesty is a serious offense and will not be tolerated.
