Perhaps no two concepts of global political economy have generated as much debate over the last half-century as "development" and "globalization."   In the half-century of the development project, and the last several decades of increased economic globalization, the income gap between the richest and poorest countries has doubled.  But in the era of market triumphalism, the celebrations over the plentiful fruits yielded by the development project and the bountiful harvest of globalization continue unceasingly.  Not surprisingly, the major economic, social and cultural transformations that have taken place as a result of, or linked with, development and globalization have precipitated reaction and resistance, often in the form of transnational protests, epitomized by the "Battle of Seattle" at the 1999 meeting of the World Trade Organization.

This course is an advanced inquiry into development and globalization from perspectives provided by several social theoretical traditions.  In the course we will seek to unpack these terms, in particular to understand how these seemingly global political projects are in fact not monolithic in nature, but are carried out in specific places, through particular institutions, with necessarily contingent local outcomes.  A primary goal of the course is to introduce students to a range of the basic  vocabularies, methods, and theoretical perspectives by which social theorists have investigated and critiqued the development and globalization projects.  Another goal of the course is to introduce students to theoretically advanced explorations of the topics from several different disciplinary traditions.  As a thematic emphasis, we will look at how those marginalized by these processes have negotiated their marginality and, successfully or not, resisted the onslaught of transnational capital and the transformations it causes.  We end by considering whether a better world really is possible and if so, how.

There will be a significant amount of reading for the class.  Evaluation will be based on class participation and four long essays.

Level:  Intermediate to Advanced.  Prerequesites:  Coursework in social theory, permission of instructor.  Lab Fee: $10.