SOC 3436 - Globalization: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

This course explores the processes, causes, and consequences of globalization in its varied forms: economic, political, cultural, and social. Topics to be considered include the expansion and intensification of a capitalist world economy; the rise and diffusion of national states, together with the creation of an interstate system; the emergence, content, and impact of a common “world culture”; and the dynamic relationship between globalization and social movements. The course will encourage students to think critically about globalization: to assess its potential benefits for societies as well as the social problems it generates. The course is organized into four modules aligning well with the varied forms of globalization identified above. The Modules are economic globalization; political globalization; cultural globalization; and social globalization.