AMST 212 "Contemporary American Global Issues"
Fall 2009

Syllabus Time: Tuesday/Thursday 10:30am to 11:45am (Section 1) 12:00pm to 1:15pm (Section 2) Instructor: Miguel Llora, Department of American Studies  Office: Moore Hall 302 E-mail: llora@hawaii.edu Office Hours: TTH from 1:30pm to 3:30pm. I am also available by appointment. Course Description: This course is an exploration of contemporary global issues and attitudes within their historical contexts. It will track the influence of American values and institutions in the world and analyze the effects of US foreign policy from Asia to the Middle East. Our topics will take into account the diversity of American values and perspectives. These will include, but will not be limited to, foreign policy, the economy, the environment, national security, international diplomacy, and war. Concurrently, we will discuss the present role of the US in the world.  Although we will be primarily looking at these issues within their historical context, the course is designed to draw on a variety of materials including film, literature, newspapers, documentaries, current news reports and other primary source material such as government documents. KOKUA: Any student who feels s/he may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact me privately to discuss your specific needs. Please contact on campus the KOKUA Program at (808) 956-7511 located at the Student Services Center on the ground floor, Room 013 to coordinate reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities. Grading: Attendance and Class Participation 20% Quizzes and in-class writing assignments 20% (4 @ 5% each) Writing Assignments (reaction papers) 60% (4 @ 15% each)

Required Reading:
Klein, Naomi. The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism.New York: Picador, 2008.
And a collection of articles that will make up an accessible and free OnlineCourse Reader

Attendance and Participation:
Your attendance and participation are an important component of the course and forms, along with attendance, 20% of your grade. Should you miss a class for whatever reason, it is your responsibility to make up missed assignments and readings. It is highly encouraged that you exchange email or telephone numbers with other students. In the event that you missed a class and need to know that day’s assignment, contact a fellow student for the information. The 20% "Attendance and Participation" is broken down to include: 10% Attendance, 5% summary/presentation on a meeting/topic, and 5% one page write-up of your summary/presentation.

There will be several short in-class writing assignments and quizzes on your readings. In addition to the assigned texts, periodically we will discuss current news events and topics that are not covered on the syllabus. You will be responsible for these readings or I will provide them for you.

Writing:
This is a writing intensive (W) course.
As such, 80% of your final grade will consist of writing assignments.  
These are as follows:

Note on the format for the formal writing assignments: All material must be submitted typed, double-spaced in 12-point Times or Times New Roman font. Your name, the course number, date, and assignment name should appear on the top-left or right corner of the paper. Also, please number all the pages of the written assignments. Papers and other assignments must be submitted on the assigned date. Late and emailed papers will only be accepted in emergency circumstances.

Student Learning Outcomes (SLO):
The Department of American Studies has established SLOs for undergraduates in the program. The department’s goal is to ensure undergraduates in AMST courses are able to reach these outcomes through courses such as this. The department’s SLOs are:
1.Substantial knowledge of American history, society, and culture, as well as a basic appreciation of different scholarly approaches to American Studies.
2.Critical thinking skills necessary to analyze a variety of cultural artifacts (literature, primary documents, film, music, etc.), as well as historical and present-day sociopolitical issues.
3.Competence in scholarly writing and oral communication.
4.Basic research skills, including advanced research skills in one area of specialization (majors only).
This course is designed to contribute to these SLOs through a critical analysis of primary documents, films, and monographs on a variety of topics that engage contemporary American issues as they relate to the rest of the world.  As it is also a Writing Intensive (W) course, it will contribute to the University of Hawaii’s SLOs for written communication.

Note on Academic Integrity:
This course will deal with controversial issues, and over the course of the semester, we will find that many of us hold different views. This should not stop you from fully expressing your opinions and even challenge your peers. However, please remain respectful of others’ viewpoints and avoid mixing intellectual with personal attacks. All of your writing must be your own. Be sure to cite where appropriate the work of others. For an explanation of what constitutes plagiarism, please refer to the section on academic integrity in the UH Manoa catalog (http://www.catalog.hawaii.edu/about-uh/campus-policies1.htm). If you have questions concerning citations and other issues in your writing, please contact me by email at any time.

New World Order

Week 2	Erasing and Remaking the World
September 1	Rothkopf, D., “In Praise of Cultural Imperialism?” in: Foreign Policy, summer 1997, pp. 38-53.
September 3	* Erasing and Remaking the World:Shock Doctrine: pp. 3-25 & 59-87
Film	The Myth of ‘The Clash of Civilizations’ The Myth of ‘The Clash of Civilizations’

FIRST SHORT ANSWER QUIZ

American Globalization Americanization, Counter-Culture, Inequality, and Conflict

Week 3	Globalization
September 8	Freidman, Thomas L. “Globalization 3.0” Blueprint; June 2005, Vol. 2005 Issue 2, pp. 36-41., Taibbi, Matt. “Flat N All That.” New York Press, Wednesday, January 14, 2009., and Taibbi, Matt. “Flathead: The peculiar genius of Thomas L. Friedman.” Tuesday, April 26, 2005.
Film	Wal*Mart: the high cost of low prices Wal*Mart: the high cost of low prices
September 10	* Economic Warfare Replaces Dictatorships:Shock Doctrine: PP. 177-193 and Merry, R.W., “The Great Friedman-Huntington Debate”, in: The International Economy, Vol. 17:1 (winter 2003), pp. 12-15.

FIRST PAPER DUE: ANALYTICAL ESSAY

Week 6	Inequality and Conflict
September 29	Stiglitz, J.E., “Globalism’s Discontents”, in: American Prospect, Winter 2002, pp. 16-21..
October 1	Romano, D. and R. Sandbrook, “Globalisation, Extremism and Violence in Poor Countries”, in: Third World Quarterly, Vol. 25(6), pp. 1007-1030.
Film	The Corporation The Corporation

SECOND SHORT ANSWER QUIZ

The Asian Financial Crisis

Week 8	More about the Asian Financial Crisis
October 13	Stubbs, R., “ASEAN in 2003: Adversity and Response”, in: Southeast Asian Affairs, 2004, pp. 3-17.
October 15	* The Looting of Asia:  Read: Shock Doctrine: pp.332-354
Film	The Ascent of Money The Ascent of Money

SECOND PAPER DUE: INTERPRETIVE ESSAY

Iraq The American Empire, Militarism, and the Sorrows of Empire

Week 10	Militarism 1
October 27	Johnson, C., “Sorrows of Empire”, in: Foreign Policy in Focus(Nov 2003), www.fpif.org
October 29	* The Rise of the Disaster Capitalism Complex:Shock Doctrine: pp.355-408
Film	Why We Fight Why We Fight

THIRD SHORT ANSWER QUIZ

Week 12	The Sorrow of Empire
November 10	Boswell, T., “American World Empire or Declining Hegemony”, in: Journal of World-Systems Research, X: 2 (Summer 2004), pp. 516-524. and Steger, M., “From Market Globalism to Imperial Globalism: Ideology and American Power After 9/11”, in: Globalizations, Vol. 2:1 (May 2005), pp. 31-46
November 12	* Iraq, Full Circle, Overshock:Shock Doctrine: pp.409-484
Film	No End in Sight No End in Sight
No End in Sight 1 of 3
No End in Sight 2 of 3
No End in Sight 3 of 3

THIRD PAPER DUE: ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY

America in the World Disaster Capitalism, Gender, the Environment, and the Future

Week 13	Disaster Capitalism
November 17	* Erasing and Remaking the World Redux: Shock Doctrine: pp. 91-120 and Klein, N. and N. Smith. “The Shock Doctrine: A Discussion.” Environment and Planning D: Society and space Aug 2008, Vol 26 Issue 4, pp. 582-595
November 19	Chang, H.J., “Kicking Away the Ladder: The Real History of Free Trade”, in: Foreign Policy in Focus, December 2003, pp. 1-18.
Film	Taxi to the Dark Side Taxi to the Dark Side

Week 14	Gender
November 24	Women, Work, and Politics in Hillman, Richard. Ed. Understanding Contemporary Latin America– 3rd edition. Boulder: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2005. pp. 273-311)
December 1	Ravillion, M., “The Debate on Globalization, Poverty, and Inequality”, in: International Affairs, 79:4 (July 2003), pp. 739-753 and Sachs, J., “The Strategic Significance of Global Inequality”, in: The Washington Quarterly, 24:3 (Summer 2001), pp. 187-198.
Film	China Blue, Señorita Extraviada, or Dual Injustice China Blue, Señorita Extraviada, or Dual Injustice   For Full Video of China Blue: Select Link Above

FOURTH SHORT ANSWER QUIZ

Week 15	The Environment
December 3	Esty, D., “From Local to Global: The Changing Face of the Environmental Challenge”, in: SAIS Review, 26:2 (Summer 2006), pp. 191-197. Diamond, J. and J. Liu, “China’s Environment in a Globalizing World”, in: Nature, Vol. 435 (30 June 2005), pp. 1179-1186 and Goklany, I., “The Globalization of Well-Being”, in: Policy Analysis, No. 447 (August 2002), pp. 1-20.
Film	An Inconvenient Truth An Inconvenient Truth
December 8	Ferguson, N., “Sinking Globalization”, in: Foreign Affairs, March/April 2005, pp. 64-77

Week 16	The Future of America
December 10	* Losing the Peace Incentive: Israel as Warning: Shock Doctrine: pp.535-589 and Hirst, P. and G. Thompson, “The Future of Globalization”, in: Cooperation and Conflict, 37:3 (2002), pp. 247-265
December 12	FINAL PAPER DUE: CHOOSE ONE: ANALYTICAL, INTERPRETIVE, OR ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY on a chapter in Golden Arches East: McDonalds in East Asia 2nd Edition

Discuss what you learned from the class discussions, videos, and lectures.
Has this class changed or confirmed your opinion/understanding of America's role in the world? How?

"Why do they hate us?" This class was the first attempt to answer my resounding question especially through the study of the recent events and relations between the US and Iraq. America's continued occupation of Iraq has become a complete disaster for both the US and the people of Iraq.

After this class, I definitely believe that America is a much more corrupt country then I have ever thought, but I would like to believe that we are moving in a new direction, a direction where every person of this country benefits from any situation, and in a direction where this country benefits economically, culturally, militarily, and in any other facet of life.

Another section that affected me was the section on the affects of the war, with movies such as No End in Sight, or Taxi to the Dark Side. I have learned in this class that when it comes to the war, that America has made many mistakes.

By taking this class this semester, I believe I have learned so much about how our country relates to the rest of the world.

First thing is first, is that I did not even really know what globalization is. Not only did I learn about the definition of this phenomenon, but also how it works, who gets affected, and who benefits. Throughout the semester, I had mixed feelings and opinions about globalization as I learned more and more about the process. The most important thing is that it is not "a someone" or "a something," it is a process that occurs, a phenomenon.

From one of our in-class films I learned that capitalism gives rise to corporations, and corporation mentality is akin to that of a psychopath; a scary truth to consider when I realize that corporations influence so many facets of my daily life.

From our military complex to our economic exploitations overseas, the topics covered in class put many things into perspective.

From the articles that we have read in class, about the Asian Financial Crisis and hegemony, I now see how America only really cares about money and power.

From the readings, I have learned that our country's history has not been as "clean" as I thought it was.

From the very first day of class I was taken back, sometimes even shocked by the power of globalization, foreign politics, shock therapy and America's involvement with the world.

However, my views on the issue of globalization had not changed because of AMST 212, and what I have learned about the topic has only allowed me to be more knowledgeable about the topic, and has also allowed me to make more educated decisions about this and other issues.

However, the concept that made the biggest impression on how I now view America is the concept of the shock doctrine by Naomi Klein and the negative impact it can have on a local and global scale.

I also knew that there were things our government did around the globe that were contradictory to the values that it instills in us, the citizens of this nation.

I am glad I took this class because it opened my eyes to things that I have, in a sense, been protected from, as the media shields the reality of what is going on in the world.

I believe it is important that I know what globalization is and what our future could be.

I came into this course with the assumption that we would be talking about the current war and how it is good and necessary. I am now leaving with the realization that there is so much more going on behind the scenes and in literature.

I do not see how we can continue to support military bases in so many parts of the world with no real opponent left to challenge. Do we really need to spend enormous amounts of money on hard power that could otherwise be invested in more important areas that could save lives and harbor growth?

I do not want our country to be resented; I want our country to be respected and not through violence and war.

I especially enjoyed learning about the Middle East, despite the depressing reality of US motives and actions there.

I feel that I am less naïve and I have taken off the blinders and opened my eyes to a lot the corruption that is happening in our very own country.

I have realized that I cannot rely on others to make the right decisions for me.

I learned that globalization has positive and negative aspects on society. The positive aspects of globalization are that it is forever growing and technology makes it easier for citizens to travel, communicate and do international business. In addition, globalization increases he connectivity and interdependence of the world's markets and business. The negative aspects that I learned is that globalization can put people into poverty.

I learned to see things in different perspectives and open new ideas regardless of how terrible it makes America look or seem because the truth is not always pretty.

I mostly learned about the great differences that countries have with one another yet they are somehow linked or intertwined either economically, socially, or militarily.

I realize that I must think differently - to question and analyze situations before jumping to conclusions. I really do not want to be ignorant to the facts, and I want to know and learn as much as I can to build enough confidence to be able to speak up about these things and inform more people to help create some type of solution. There is this sense of urgency that something has to be done, but I feel that more people have to be aware of the issues brought up in this class, for a significant effort towards a legitimate change.

I understand now that the best thing to do in situations is to understand what is going on and really think about things like the effects on people, cultures, and the world in general. Like Naomi Klein says in one of the youtube clips we watched in class, the best thing we can do is arm ourselves with the knowledge and understanding with what is going on in the world around us.

I used to think that most countries operated independently of the US but their reliance on US and China is greater than I could have ever imagined. The responsibility of our country is huge; we literally keep the world running and at peace (for the most part).

I want to be more aware of what is happening around the world.

Ignorance is not bliss and I feel I have but scratched the surface on these subject matters.

In closing, I would have say that this class has been a great eye-opener. It showed me that America is not necessarily the "good guys" but also not the "bad guys". With the bad comes the good. The system of capitalism and the globalization machines running the world are in control. I honestly believe that the world is run by corruption and greed but I will keep an optimistic ear seeing that no one is perfect.

Instead of solving problems with war, there are alternate ways to reaching a solution.

It saddens me that the US seems to be a capitalism masquerading as a democracy; and my hope is that others will become as informed as I now am on the subject, and this will eventually lead to a steady social change away from a system that has greed at its core.

Its no wonder why the US needs to be the lone super power, it is because when all the resentment builds up within people of other countries, the US must be able to show the rest there is nothing anyone can do about it.

Learning about globalization in this class has changed my view of America's role in the world because I had always thought America was trying to coerce countries to do things their way, but I have learned that non-Americans can choose what they want from the American way.

My favorite topic of discussion was the US role in globalization and the affect our country has on every one else in the world. I think that this is a great topic of which further debate is not only vital but also destined to occur.

Naomi Klein was a very important piece of this course, and the readings from her book and viewing of here documentaries were extremely informative.

On a day-to-day basis, before taking this class I would have never given a second thought to our relations with China, now I realize how important our relations are with the Chinese.

One of the main things that I learned this year was that although our country does a lot to help people throughout the world, this class has opened my eyes to some of the corrupt things that our country does behind the scenes.

One of the opinions this class has changed that I had was that America uses its military as a way to protect its citizens and to keep the world safe. After some of our class discussions though, I think the rest of the world needs to protect itself from America.

Other things that stood out to me of course would have to be globalization, Americanization, and glocalization.

Overall, in the class I learned how to agree to disagree.

Said argued, the whole idea is to diffuse conflict is to have a collective vision.

That is not to say that the US is not wrong in what it has done and continues to do, it is stating the fact that the US and the world in general is entering a new era, and this could be to be the ill or the benefit of all.

The notion that people actually take advantages of disasters is scary. It makes you critically think when a disaster happens if it was manufactured on purpose and, regardless of whether it was manufactured or not, whether the policies enacted there after actually benefit the whole population or just a few people in charge.

The one thing that this class should have taught us is what kind of person we are. There is so much negative and positive in the world. People are making money and people are being exploited. People have a place to live other people do not. Some people go to war and die and others go to school and learn. There are always going to be reactive and proactive people in the world. You can either be A or B either way person B is going to be upset at person A for something and person A will be upset with person B for something. Just hope that you can end up on the right side of the fence. That you are also happy with where you are and if you are not happy than do something about it and do not complain.

The other thing this class has taught me or at least helped me with was becoming a critical thinker. Understanding why things are important rather than just knowing the facts. Being able to understand what is going on in the world around me and how it affects my future.

The reality that people abuse natural disasters and chaos to their economic gain is disturbing. The theory of Shock was intriguing to me, making me question what other scandals are taking place that we have yet to uncover?

The topic that really stood out to me was the readings on Naomi Klein in her book, The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism. I learned a lot in the first introductory chapter, "Blank is Beautiful." Global leaders see disasters as opportunities to push through new changes by using the shock strategy.

The way these "externalizing machines" use other countries' people and resources; then dump them when pulling out of a country (while not even cleaning the mess they left behind) is enough to make anyone gain a newfound disdain for multinationals - yet it seems Americans go along their ddaily lives, turning their cheeks whenever they don't want to hear something.

This book (Shock Doctrine)made me see how vulnerable and innocent we are as a citizens and the only way we can overcome this vulnerability is to constantly be aware of what's going on and dialogue with others.

This brings me to another topic that I feel I have gained a different perspective on and that is the idea of the American Empire. I think it would not be so bad if we took more consideration of the effect our actions have on others.

This class has helped me gain a better comprehension of the world that lies outside of these islands and the issues that people, cultures, and civilizations face.

This class has introduced me to the reality in which corrupt politicians and governments overpower the weak and take advantage of what, to others, are catastrophes both natural and man-made.

This class has made me more aware of my ignorance to some very important issues affecting modern society as a whole.

This class has shown me why history matters and why it always repeats itself.

This course has taught me that capitalism, although giving everyone the chance to live the American dream, does not equally benefit the Nation as a whole but more so those who are at the upper end economically.

This semester, I learned the extent that single individuals will go to just to make a profit.

This was not the first class I had that, in a sense, bashed the US however it was the first one that took an in depth look at globalization.

Throughout the course of the semester, the main point in which I feel I have learned the most about is globalization and its effects throughout the world.

What influenced me most this semester were the discussions on corporatism and the Asian Financial Crisis.

What it boils down to is that a more powerful country will exert its influence whether it is monetarily or culturally and the globalized culture will accept it either with open arms or with resentment.

When it comes to the idea of a cultural homogenization and globalization, I was completely against it since the beginning of class. After several of the readings and especially after the first debate, I was able to realize that there may actually be some benefits to it.

Peace

page last updated 09 December 2009
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