Globalization & Transnational Culture
Anth 352SWR WS342SWR
Dr. Carla Freeman Spring 2010
Calloway S101TTh/1-2:15pm
Office Hrs Mondays
TA Aimi Hamraie Office hours (Tues 2:30-3:30)
"Globalization" is a buzz-word that has proliferated in both popular and scholarly arenas, heartily promoted and woefully bemoaned in both. Generally the concept describes the increasing intensity of flows of capital, labor, commodities, and ideologies across the world at rates unprecedented in our history. Electronic communications, the expansion of jet travel, satellite technology andtrade liberalization have made transnational communication and cultural, political, and economic connections closer, faster, and more complex than ever before. This seminar brings an anthropological perspective to many of these complexities.
The goal of this course is to interpret globalization through an ethnographic lens and to analyze some of the meanings and implications for people's everyday lives. While many other disciplines have analyzed globalization at the macro level, this course aims to introduce students to globalization at the local level through the medium of ethnography. How can an ethnographic lens illuminate the intricacies of globalization in new ways? We will study workers (white collar, pink collar, blue collar, and domestics), consumers, migrants, and tourists, as actors on the global stage. What have these global transformations of space and time meant for local identities (nationality, gender, class, race, sexuality) and the practice & meanings of culture? We will explore particular cases in Taiwan, China, West Africa, Mexico, India and the Caribbean, and attempt to interpret not only what the structures of globalization look like “on the ground” but what these processes feel like, as well. Through theoretical works and ethnographies we will bring a critical and gendered lens to dimensions of global processes as they are imagined, enacted, and feltand, in turn, examine the changing forms and meanings of local culture they entail.
As an upper-level writing intensive seminar, solid preparation and active participation are critical to a successful course and to students’ successful evaluation. The style of this course will be much like that of a graduate seminar. Students must do the readings and must come to class ready to discuss them. As a writing intensive seminar, three short papers and one longer research paper will constitute the written part of the coursework. Students will write twoethnography précis/analytical essays on texts from the course, one “consumption essay”, and one independent research paper. Precis essays may be re-written and turned in within one week along with the original for a second marking. Close attention will be paid to written expression and evidence of analytical skills (understanding the reading and articulating that understanding both verbally and in writing). Grades will be based upon the quality of both class participation and written work. Absences will negatively effect final grades. If for any reason you must miss a class, please let me know prior to the class meeting either in person or by email.
REQUIRED TEXTS (all articles are available through course e-reserves)
Pun, Ngai. 2005 Made in China: Women Factory Workers in a Global Workplace. Durham: Duke University Press.
Freeman, Carla. High Tech and High Heels in the Global Economy: Women, Work and Pink Collar Identities in the Caribbean (Duke U Press)
Pei-Chia Lan.2006. Global Cinderellas: Migrant Domestics and Newly Rich Employers in Taiwan. Durham: Duke University Press)320 pp. paper (0-8223-3742-8),
Padilla, Mark. 2007. Caribbean Pleasure Industry: Tourism, Sexuality, and AIDS in the Dominican Republic Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Davis, Kathy 2007.. The Making of Our Bodies Ourselves: How Feminism Travels Across Borders. (Duke U Press)
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Ethnographic Precis/Analyses (2) (40%)
At the start of the semester, you will choose 2 out of the 5 ethnographies we will read and write a brief (4pg/1000 word) paper on each in which you present a concise and insightful precis of the book. These will involve identifying the main question/thesis, a discussion of how the author develops her/his thesis (what kinds of evidence?) and over time, situating the text within the broad study of/debates about “globalization”. How does each ethnography approach “globalization” in a particular manner? What are the different methodological and theoretical approaches taken in these works? These papers are notpersonal “reaction/response” papers, but are concise, focused, engaged, analytical summaries/discussions. (see American Ethnologist for examples of book reviews in a major Anthropology journal). These papers are due on the days indicated on the course outline. These two papers may be revised/re-written and turned in within one week of receiving the graded original. Your final grade will reflect your efforts to improve your written work, and the overall strength of your essay along the criteria outlined in the grading sheet attached.
Globalization Research Papers and Presentations (30%)
In the second half of the semester, seminar members will identify and research a particular global commodity or dimension of globalization and examine various aspects of its process of production, consumption, and meaning making. In the past, students have focused on GAP clothing, Starbucks Coffee, pharmaceuticals for the treatment of AIDS, diamonds, 'world music', international adoption, etc. Students this semester might choose to research the circulation of other commodities or globalizing phenomena and explore the political, economic, cultural dimensions of these processes. Each student will do her/his own research and written paper, while working collaboratively on a particular industry/commodity/issue. Groups will present their work to the class and papers (8-10 pgs) will be due at the conclusion of the semester.
Consumption Diaries and Discussion (10%)
During a one week period, students will keep a "consumption diary"--a notebook listing all purchases s/he makes and the social/emotional context in which they are made. These will be private journals through which to explore some of the (often unconscious) patterns of our own consumption and situate these within a broader local and global context. The paper to be written (3-4 pages) should reflect upon the particular insights gained about students’ consumption habits in light of the readings and discussions we have addressed in class and the diary entries. See hand-out for detailed suggestions.
Class Participation (20%)
Attendance and active participation in class is essential to make our discussions work. The quality (not just quantity) of your contributions to the seminar will be weighed into your overall performance. In the event of serious illness or emergency, please contact me on Learnlink in advance of turning in late work and/or missing class. More than three absences will constitute a drop in final grade.
Virtually every day in the media, you will encounter articles and news stories related to themes of this course. Periodically in the course we will share these current globalization events in relation to our class discussions. You are encouraged to bring these to class and to briefly discuss their relevance and interpretive slant.
*********NOTE ON WRITTEN WORK AND COMMUNICATION********
All written assignments must be typed, double spaced, stapled, and submitted on time.
As this course fulfills the College Writing Requirement, students are expected to take care with essay and paper writing: Organization and clarity of expression count. You are advised to review rough drafts with each other, and to make use of the Writing Center (N212 Callaway) if you need help with your writing. Papers will be graded on content, analytical insight/rigor, and execution (organization, spelling, and grammar). Give your papers a title that hints at the content/argument and entices the reader (creativity is a plus!). It is always advisable to have someone else read over your papers, and it is essential that you proof-read your written work.
A good paper presents a clear thesis/question/problem and develops its points in a focused and concise manner (e.g. what is this author’s main argument? what question is s/he trying to answer? What methodological approach(es) has s/he taken? What theoretical orientation? What is compelling about this book? How is it distinctive? How does her/his approach/argument relate to other approaches we have read?
For Précis Essays and Consumption Essay: Please see handout for guidelines and suggestions
Communication: Email is the easiest and fastest way to reach me to make an appointment or communicate in any way. Be reminded that whether addressed to the class or to me, email should always be considered formal communication. In class and on email, respectful interaction is required. Electronic devices of all sorts should be switched off.
COURSE OUTLINE
WEEK 1 (Jan14) Intro to Globalization and to each other
For the first full week of class, please research and read a selection of popular and academic sources available on line, in the press, and in the library surveying the parameters and debates about globalization. (for example: )
WEEK 2 (Jan 19,21) An Overview: Popular Understandings of Globalization
Using web and any other popular sources or academic texts you choose, write a 2 page summary of the defining characteristics of globalization and the contours of debate:
WHEN? When did ‘globalization happen’?
WHAT? What events are believed to have lead to ‘globalization’? What forces were/are involved? What do we mean exactly by ‘globalization’? What forms does it take?
WHO are the actors involved—institutions? Key players? Beneficiaries? Victims?
PROS-CONS? Is globalization a democratizing force? Is it an oppressive force? A homogenizing force?
The goal is to establish some of the common arguments and ways of framing globalization as a topic and as a force in today’s world.
Tues: student presentations of “globalization”
Thurs:Freeman, Is Local: Global as Feminine: Masculine? (online reserve)
WEEK 3 (Jan 26,28) Foregrounding Gender, Globalization and Location:
Tues Pun, Ngai Made in China chs. 1-3;
Thurs: Film: The Global Assembly Line
WEEK 4 (Feb 2, 4) Global Circulations of Gendered Labor
Tues: Pun, Ngai Made in China chs. 4-5
Thurs: chs 6-7
Papers due on Pun, Feb 9
WEEK 5 (Feb 9, 11) Global Circulations of Gendered Labor
Tues: Film: China Blue (88 mins) DVD 8145;
Raymond Williams Hegemony, in Marxism & Literature ch 6(e-reserves)
Thurs: Freeman High Tech and High Heels in the Global Economy chs 1-2
WEEK 6 (Feb 16, 18) Producing & Consuming Global Dreams
Tues: ch’s 3-4; Freeman High Tech and High Heels in the Global EconomyThurs: chs 5-7 Freeman High Tech and High HeelsOptional reading (e-reserve) Katherine Boo, “The Best Job in Town: The Americanization of Chennai” The New Yorker, July 5, 2004:54-69.Papers on Freeman due Feb 23
WEEK 7 (Feb 23, 25) Toursim, Sex, Gender and the Globalization of HIV/AIDS
Tues Padilla: Caribbean Pleasure Industry chs. 1-2
Thurs chs 3-4 ThursCaribbean Pleasure Industry
Film: Life and Debt
Papers on Padilla Due Mar 5
WEEK 8 (Mar 2, 4) Tourism, Sex, Gender and the Globalization of HIV/AIDS
Tues Padilla: Caribbean Pleasure Industry chs 5-6
Tues (e-reserve) Pruitt & La Font “For Love & Money”
Thurs.Film: Cannibal Tours (selections)
Identify group project themes and groups.
March 8-12 Emory Spring Break
WEEK 9 (Mar 16, 18)Globalization, Migration, and the Care Chain
Tues. Lan, Global Cinderellas chs 1-2
Thurs Film:“Chain of Love”
WEEK 10 (Mar 23, 25)Globalization, Migration, and the Care Chain
Tues Lan, Global Cinderellas chs 3-4
Thurs LanGlobal Cinderellas chs 5-6
Papers on Lan due Mar 25
WEEK 11 (Mar 30, April 1) Globalization and Consumption
Ritzer, The McDonaldization of Society(chapters 2 and 9)
Juliet Schor “Do Americans Shop Too Much?”
Marianne Conroy “Discount Dreams…”
Film: T Shirt Travels 57 mins (DVD8789)
Consumption Diaries and Essays Due April 6
WEEK 12 (April 6,8) Globalization Group Research
Begin Reading Davis, The Making of Our Bodies Ourselves
Librarian Liz Cooper: Meet with research groups (Woodruff library 314)
WEEK 13 (April 13, 15)Traveling Feminism, Traveling Theory
How Feminism Travels Across Borders
Tues Davis: The Making of Our Bodies Ourselves: Part I and II
Thurs Davis: The Making of Our Bodies Ourselves: Part III
Papers on Davis due April 20
WEEK 14 (April 20, 22) Globalization Research Presentations
Final Papers Due April 22
TIPS FOR WRITING THE ANALYTICAL PRECIS
Globalization and Transnational Culture Freeman 2010
The précis assignment involves the writing of a summary of a scholarly work, a concise and focused distillation of a text you read in class. This sounds like a simple exercise, however, to write an engaged summary of a text requires analytical skills—to read the text closely and to glean its key analytical points, its style, its argument/thesis, its use of ‘evidence’, its conclusions, and perhaps further questions it suggests. These skills do not come naturally, and must be honed through practice.
An effective précis will generally:
1.Have a creative title that signals an interesting interpretive angle on the text.
2. Begin with a clear and engaging thesis statement or question that frames the essay as a whole.
3. State the author's thesis or question-- what is the main question/thesis driving the author's research and discussion; What is the main argument/ premise that the work is based upon? Is s/he responding to a particular debate in the field? What are the goals of the book? What kind of ethnography is this? Where is it set? What are the implications of this setting and how might this work shed light on issues for the wider region/world?
4. Discuss how the author illustrates/backs up her/his argument or explores the question(s)...what kinds of evidence are used to build her/his argument? Choose an example from the text and briefly use this to demonstrate how the author elucidates her/his points/observations. You cannot summarize every part of a work, but must identify key sections/dimensions of the text. Choose particularly evocative and striking examples.
5. Summarize the author’s main conclusions.
6. Identify where the text fits within the broader literature as framed by the author and within the context of the course.
7. Suggest possible directions for further research
On Citations and Direct Quotes:
Only use direct quotes from the text when the author has put things in terms that are unusual and so evocative/powerful and illustrative that you can not do justice to them in your own words. Otherwise, you are best off paraphrasing, summarizing their ideas in your own words and citing them indirectly without quotation marks. EG (Mills 1999:79). Having said that, a very good quote from the text that evokes just the meaning you aim to convey is an excellent way to illustrate your point.
When you do want to cite directly, use IN NOTES (Hirsch 1990:60). Cite the author's last name, the date of the book/article's publication, a colon, and the page number. Then in a bibliography you would provide the full reference:
Sklair, Leslie (1990) The Sociology of the Global System. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.Direct quotes should be limited to brief phrases or at most a couple of sentences. If you feel you must quote directly from a text for longer than 4 lines, these must be single spaced and indented from both margins to set off the quote. No quotation marks are necessary in these cases, and the same IN NOTE format follows the quote.
Consumption Diary Handout
One of the goals of this course is to provide you with the analytical tools and cross-cultural perspective to evaluate the meaning and significance of your place within the context of contemporary global processes. A growing domain of today’s globalization is that of consumption. Consumption plays an ever important role in social, economic, cultural, and deeply personal relations. You will be asked to keep a “consumption diary” for one week during the semester and to submit this diary or log along with a 3-5 page critical analysis which relates your practices to some of the readings and discussions in the course.
To the extent that as members of a capitalist culture we experience our close relationships and our own identity-making through consumption, taking consumer choices seriously means locating those choices in the relationship between broader structures and personal expression. The diary assignment involves keeping a running account of your spending—what items you purchased or those purchased for you, where, for how much, and in what context (with whom, what sort of event/occasion). (e.g. dinner out with friends @ everybody’s $12.00 two beers and pizza; you paid for x, were treated to y by so-and-so).
I. Keep the diary for one week during the semester. For that week, you need to record everything you spend and make note of the associated meanings attached to these practices. You may wish to set up an Excel worksheet to record these activities and meanings. You can pick whichever week you want, and interpret the significance of that week—is it fairly typical, does it represent an unusual pattern of spending (your mother was in town, you went on a weekend excursion with a friend; etc.). In recording your purchases/consumption events, indicate what was the social context? How did you feel about this purchase? Was it something you had looked forward to? An impulse purchase in a rush to class? Etc.