Global Issues & Society - IDST 2205 - Spring 1999 Dr. Jeffrey P. Blick and Dr. Derek H. Alderman Meeting Place and Time: Arts & Sciences 238; T 6:30-8:30 PM Blick's Office: 2-14 A&S; 445-0937; jblick@mail.gcsu.edu; Office Hrs.: M&W 11-Noon, M 4-5 PM, T 5:30-6:30 PM, F 8-9 AM or by appointment Alderman's Office: 2-25 A&S; 445-4691; dalderma@mail.gcsu.edu; Office Hrs.: 10-11 AM M-TH or by appt. Required Textbooks and Activities: *Global Issues 98/99 (14th ed.) edited by Robert M. Jackson (Dushkin/McGraw-Hill, 1998) *State of the World 1998 by Lester Brown et al. (W.W. Norton & Co., 1998) *Student Atlas of World Politics (3rd ed.) by John L. Allen (Dushkin/McGraw-Hill, 1998) *Additional readings and events may be assigned in class. *Students will also be required to listen to National Public Radio and read current magazines and/or newspapers in search of articles dealing with global issues. 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 the anthropological and geographical perspectives. 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 articles on global issues and to address those issues verbally and/or in writing. Course Requirements and Grading Procedure: There will be two exams - a midterm and a final. There will also be 4 quizzes during the course of the semester about every 2-3 weeks as well as a possible written essay or two. Quizzes and exams are generally in the multiple choice format, however, essay questions may also be used. 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 performance in this class. Missed quizzes or exams due to unexcused absences cannot be made up. Excuses must be signed by a doctor or other official giving a valid explanation for the absence. In the event of a missed quiz or exam, the student must notify the professors within 48 hours of the absence. Failure of either exam will result in automatic failure of this class. 20% of your grade is based on quizzes (4) at 5% each 40% of your grade is based on the Midterm Exam 40% of your grade is based on the Final Exam 100% : TOTAL POSSIBLE PERCENTAGE POINTS IDST 2205 COURSE SCHEDULE* 1/12/99 Bureaucratic and Administrative Details. Introduction to Global Issues. Both Why Are Global Issues Important? Using The Student Atlas of World Politics 1/19/99 Where Are We Headed From Here?: Tribalization vs. Globalization Blick Read: Global Issues, Unit 1, Ch. 1-3 (A Clash of Views) Preparing for the 21st Century: Winners and Losers The Many Faces of the Future Redefining Security: The New Global Schisms Read: Student Atlas of World Politics Part I: The Contemporary World Part II: States: Alliances and Conflicts Map 14, Global Distribution of Minority Groups 1/26/99 The Economics of Globalization (What is Globalization?) Alderman Read: Global Issues, Ch. 9, 22, 23, 24 The Global Challenge The Complexities and Contradictions of Globalization Spreading the Wealth Prosper or Perish? Read: State of the World, Ch. 9 Assessing Private Capital Flows to Developing Countries Read: Student Atlas of World Politics Part III: The Global Economy Map 33, Total Labor Force 2/2/99 Human Population Issues: Can We Stop the Runaway Train? Blick Read: Global Issues, Ch. 4, 5, 8 Can Humanity Survive Unrestricted Population Growth? Worldwide Development or Population Explosion: Our Choice How Many People Can the Earth Support? Read: State of the World, Ch. 1 The Future of Growth Read: Student Atlas of World Politics Part IV: Population and Human Development Map 7, World Population Density Table A, World Countries: Area, Population, and Population Density, 1995 QUIZ 1 (on material covered prior to this date) 2/9/99 Development & Economic Issues Alderman Read: Global Issues, Ch. 27, 28, 29, 31 Piling into Central Europe Where Asia Goes From Here Ignored Warnings A New Tiger Read: State of the World, Ch. 9 Assessing Private Capital Flows to Developing Countries Read: Student Atlas of World Politics Part III: The Global Economy 2/16/99 Food and Hunger: Staving off the Black Horseman of Famine Blick Read: Global Issues, Ch. 15, 16, 17, 18 (Food and Hunger) Global Population and the Nitrogen Cycle How Much Food Will We Need in the 21st Century? The Fish Crisis Angling for ‘Aquaculture' Read: State of the World, Ch. 4, 5 Promoting Sustainable Fisheries Struggling to Raise Cropland Productivity Read: Student Atlas of World Politics Part V: Food, Energy, and Materials Map 6, Land Use Patterns of the World Map 44, Deforestation and Desertification Map 45, Soil Degradation Table H, World Countries: Mortality, Health, and Nutrition, 1970-1995 Table J, World Countries: Agricultural Operations, 1993 Table L, Land Area and Use Table M, Human-Induced Soil Destruction QUIZ 2 (on material covered prior to this date) 2/23/99 Issues of Disease and Hazards Alderman Read: Global Issues, Ch. 7, 11, 33, 46 Water-Borne Killers Fire in the Sky Child Labour: Rights, Risks, and Realities Peace Prize Goes to Land-Mine Opponents Read: State of the World, Ch. 6 Recycling Organic Wastes Read: Student Atlas of World Politics Map 5, World Natural Hazards Map 30, Infant Mortality Rate Map 31, Average Life Expectancy at Birth 3/2/99 MIDTERM EXAM - Material will be on everything covered to this point. 3/9/99 Environmental Issues: Alderman Read: Global Issues, Ch. 10, 13, 14, 19 A Global Warning Greenwatch: Red Alert for the Earth's Green Belt We Can Build a Sustainable Economy The Future of Energy Read: State of the World Ch. 2, 3, 7 Sustaining the World's Forests Losing Strands in the Web of Life Responding to the Threat of Climate Change Read: Student Atlas of World Politics Part V: Food, Energy, and Materials Part VI: Environmental Conditions Map 4, World Ecological Regions 3/16/99 Issues of Intra-national and International Conflict Blick Read: Global Issues, Ch. 6, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41 Refugees: The Rising Tide The New Arms Race: Light Weapons and International Security Organised Chaos: Not the New World We Ordered Towards the Global Millennium: The Challenge of Islam Uncertainty, Insecurity, and China's Military Power Russian Foreign Policy in the Near Abroad and Beyond Nuclear Deterrence and Regional Proliferators Taking Nuclear Weapons Off Hair-Trigger Alert Read: State of the World, Ch. 8 Curbing the Proliferation of Small Arms Read: Student Atlas of World Politics Part II: States: Alliances and Conflicts 3/23/99 Spring Holiday (3/22/99-3/26/99) - No Class ! 3/30/99 The Politics of Waters, Rivers, and Oceans Alderman Read: Global Issues, Ch. 12, 17, 20 Mining the Oceans The Fish Crisis How to Divvy Up Caspian Bonanza Read: State of the World, Ch. 4 Promoting Sustainable Fisheries Read: Student Atlas of World Politics Map 46, Air and Water Quality Table N, Water Resources QUIZ 3 (on material covered prior to this date) 4/6/99 Values and Visions Blick Read: Global Issues, Ch. 47, 49, 50 Universal Human Values: Finding an Ethical Common Ground The End of the Hunting Season in History Reassessing the Economic Assumption Read: State of the World, Ch. 10 Building a New Economy 4/13/99 The Emerging Political Scene: A New World Order or New World Disorder? Alderman Read: Global Issues, Ch. 36, 37, 45 Organised Chaos: Not the New World We Ordered Towards the Global Millennium: The Challenge of Islam From GATT to WTO: The Institutionalization of World Trade Read: Student Atlas of World Politics Map 1, Current World Political Boundaries Map 8, World Religions Map 9, World Languages Map 11, The Middle East: Territorial Changes, 1918-Present Map 12, Africa: Colonialism to Independence, 1910-1997 Map 13, Asia: Colonialism to Independence, 1940-1993 Map 16, Post-Cold War International Alliances Map 17, Nations with Nuclear Weapons Map 19, Size of Armed Forces Map 20, Political Systems 4/20/99 The Status of Women in the New World Order Blick Read: Global Issues, Ch. 34 and 48 The Burden of Womanhood Women in Power: From Tokenism to Critical Mass Read: Student Atlas of World Politics Map 35, The Gender Gap: Inequalities in Education and Employment QUIZ 4 (on material covered prior to this date) 4/27/99 Where are We Headed From Here? (Revisited) Both Read: State of the World, Ch. 1, 10 The Future of Growth Building a New Economy Read: Global Issues, Ch. 14 We Can Build a Sustainable Economy Synthesis of Global Issues and Wrap-Up 5/4/99 FINAL EXAM 8:00-10:45 PM. Material will be on everything from the second half of the semester. (Time subject to change)   *This schedule is an outline of planned course activities which may be modified as necessary. Videos will be scheduled as necessary. Return to Global Issues Home Page Go to GC&SU Home Page