SOAN 337: Globalization, Culture, and Everyday Life
MW 1:20-2:35, Alumni 108
Colgate University
 Spring 2005 Professor Thomas Hall
 NEW Office:  B3 Alumni, x7042, email:  tdhall@mail.colgate.edu
 OFFICE HOURS:  M 4-5, TU 2-3, W 11-12, & by appointment
Last Updated 3-4-05
Study Guide for the Midterm
FINAL VERSION

The midterm will be Wed. March 9 in class.

The Midterm will cover: Clark, Chs & CSs 1 thru 3; Gunn Chs. 1 thru 7; Hobson Chs. 1 thru 7; Lechner & Boli Parts I, III, IV, V, VI; Kasinec & Polushin Chs. 1 thru 13 and supplements; Sklair Chs. 1, 2, 4 thru 7.

The following are sample questions.  The midterm questions will either be identical to those below, or shortened version of them.  I purposely as many questions to help you study.  The questions at the end of each chapter in Kasinec & Polushin are also helpful, as are the questions at the end of each section of Lechner and Boli.  For both books the editors' introductions to sections and each entry are also helpful for review.

I will announce on March 7, the number of questions and format for the midterm.  Typically I have several short answer questions [one phrase to three sentences], with some choices.  Then essays in groups among which you select.

Short Answer or Identify: if a date, why it is significant, BRIEFLY; if an acronym, what it stands for.

afroeurasia
Bifurcation point
chaos theory
complexity theory
country vs state vs nation vs nation-state
eastern resource portfolios
entropy
eurocentrism
Gaia Hypothesis
Global System Paradigm
IMF
INGO
khagan
MNC
moldboard plow
NGO
orientalism
out frontier strategy
Paradigm shift
parcellization of sovereignty
race to the bottom
silk road(s)
steppe confederacy
tax farmer
TNC
TNCC
tributary system
WB
WTO
Zheng He [Cheng Ho]

Essays:

Note: when the question mentions one or more books, the question is asking what that or those authors say, not a general discussion.  General discussions will say something like, "discuss......"

"Kinds of evidence" means what they are, such as income data, firm size data, etc, it is NOT a request to recite the specific data.

1. The articles in Lechner and Boli, along with the editors' introductions describe many different aspects of globalization, how it is measured and it consequences.  What are some of the major aspects of globalization.  What are some of the different measures?  What are some of the criteria proposed for assessing whether globalization is a "good thing," or a "bad thing"? or more articulately, some of its benefits and some of its harms (and for whom)? What are the kinds of evidence used to make the evaluations.

2.  Sklair poses three major aspects of globalization.  Name them, and discuss each briefly, including the kinds of evidence he uses to support his arguments.?

3.  Gunn argues that the first phase of globalization began some 500 years ago.  He also places a different emphasis on evidence for globalization than the other authors we have been reading .  What is his emphasis?  What kinds of evidence does he marshal to support his case?

4. What is Hobson's major argument?   What are the kinds of evidence that he presents to support it?  How and why is his argument important to our understanding of globalization processes in the 21st century?

5. While the articles in Kasinec & Polushin are about "expanding empires," they can also be read as examples of early forms of globalization, or as "proto-globalization."  Describe how any four of those cases illustrate early forms of processes that might be seen as globalization.

6. Clark argues that we must think globally.  What does he mean by this?  Illustrate, briefly with three examples.

7. What does Clark mean by a "system?"  Give at least two examples germane to the issue of globalization.

8. According to Clark why do feedback systems make understanding the world more complex?  Why do they make prediction of the future much harder?

9. Gunn discusses many different books published in previous centuries.  On the one hand, how are these evidence of globalization?  On the other hand, what are the major problems with such evidence?

10. How and why are maps and the way they portray geography important to understanding the history of globalization?  Draw on Gunn, Hobson, and lectures.

11. In class we have seen that there is often a difference between the rationalization or rationale for something at its cause[s].  First distinguish between these two.  Second, illustrate with examples take from at least 4 of the books we are reading.

12. Give at least four examples of products or technologies Europe gain from "the east."  Why were each of these vital for subsequent European development and globalization?

13. What evidence does Hobson, and to a lesser extent Gunn, present to show that "the orient" was neither stagnant nor despotic?  Why is this important to our understanding of globalization?

14. According to several of our authors, Islam was vital to the eventual development of Europe.  How?  Why is this important for our understanding of 21st century globalization?

15. Many of the authors in Kasinec & Polushin, and also in other books, note how states are typically mult-ethnic.  How does this help us understand to 21st century globalization?

16. What do we learn about modern gloalization from examination of ancient Chinese and Japanese frontiers? [this is referring to chapters in Kasinec & Polushin].  Note:  you can answer "nothing" but you need to justify it.

17. Clark discusses things like chaos theory, bifurcations, and complexity in general.  How can these approaches to knowledge help us understand globalization better?

18. Several writers have called for what amounts to a paradigm shift in the study of globalization. Some use the term explicitly, others just imply it. WHY do they make such a call?  What do the propose as alternatives?  How might those alternatives help us understand globalization better?

Send comments or questions to tdhall@mail.colgate.edu
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