9-12 AM, HRM 203
Dr. Mark A. Boyer
Office: HRM 214 Phone: 486-3156
mark.boyer@uconn.edu
www.globaled.uconn.edu
(click on "People", then click on the link for my personal site near my photo; POLS 216 is linked from my personal homepage)
Economic and politics surround us. We all know this, but sometimes don't want to acknowledge how intertwined these two realms are with each other and how much they affect our everyday lives. Added to this is a growing sense that the world is getting smaller, that "globalization" of the world economy and even politics is taking place at an ever-accelerating rate. Events that were once considered distant phenomena are now having effects close to home. Financial crises in Russia, Thaliand and other distant places can quickly illustrate how far away events impact our daily lives by causing fluctuations in prices for commonly consumed goods to volatility in the American stock market that is viewed as the bellweather for the economy as a whole.
This course is designed as an introduction to the subfield of international relations called international political economy. It will hopefully provide you with some of the analytical tools necessary for you to better understand the interplay between politics and economies in the contemporary world system. In this way, we are explicitly rejecting the disciplinary and college major boundaries that we have all come to know and assume as valid categories for the way the world works. Throughout the course we will focus on the seamless way politics and economics overlap and are woven together into the fabric of the contemporary world system.
Lastly, this is a course that requires active participation by students in all aspects of the course. You will be required to participate in class discussions, read assigned materials, work in groups to solve problems and use computer in a variety of ways in the course. Thus, students should be prepared for a non-traditional learning environment that is flexible and adaptable to a variety of approaches and learning styles. Students are encouraged to ask questions, to raise interesting topics and to explore the world of political economy in new and creative ways. Only by doing this will the next generation of citizens and policy-makers be able to meet the challenges facing the world system.
May 7:
***NOTE: The readings not in Spero and Hart or Hughes will be on "in-house" reserve in HRM 137 (Poli. Sci. Office). These articles are left for "honor system" use and should not leave HRM 137 for more than one hour for copying purposes. All these articles, except for the Denemark piece, are taken from George T. Crane and Abla Arawi, eds. (1997) The Theoretical Evolution of International Political Economy: A Reader, New York: Oxford University Press.***
May 8:
May 9: The Global Monetary System: Its Challenges and Problems - S&H Chaps. 2, 6
May 10: Baldicer Simulation
May 11: The Global Trading System - S&H Chaps. 3, 7
May 14: Global Investment and Financial Flows - S&H Chaps. 4, 8
May 15:
May 16:
May 17: Thinking About Our Future - Hughes, Chaps. 1-4, 12
May 18: Modeling Our Future - Hughes, Chaps. 5-11
May 21, 22, 23: In-Class Group Work Days
May 24: Group Presentations in Class
May 26: Final Exam